Review: Bend Brewfest in Bend, Oregon

These two tall drinks of water road tripped with me down to Bend, Oregon, to enjoy some suds at the Bend Brewfest.

Nearly one year ago, Darling Husband's friend Marshall suggested we all go to the Bend Brewfest in Bend, Oregon, in 2016.

Well, we make plans and God laughs.

Marshall and his wife Cassie are having a baby in September and Cassie didn't want to go to a Beerfest in 90-degree heat when she's eight months pregnant. Imagine that.

Darling Husband, his friend Jamie and I all benefited from Marshall's bright idea. We took one day off work and headed down to Bend, a five-hour drive, to enjoy this special Beerfest.

Location
The brewfest is held at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. It took us about 25 minutes to walk there from our VRBO rental on Hill Street. The area is walkable, bikeable and right on the Deschutes River. The flowers were remarkable. Bright pinks, purples, yellows and greens poured through the public spaces like a river, washing every scene in delight.

Seriously the most gorgeous flowers I have seen in any city. They went on and on.

I don't know how parking was because we walked both days. The second day, we parked by the Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoes rentals place and walked over to the amphitheater (five-minute walk). We rented tubes after we had our lunch and beer fill and floated the river right back to Tumalo Creek. This was a genius idea.

What surprised me was how small the venue was. I was expecting thousands upon thousands of people, reminiscent of our Watershed Music Festival experience weeks prior. But, when we arrived at noon on the second day of the festival that Friday, there were just a couple hundred people.

On both days, we had to queue up in a short line to have our IDs checked, get our wristbands and buy our tokens and mugs.

The corn hole was free! Beware of the guy from Kentucky who asks you to play doubles. He played this in college and he will win.

Cost
The price was decent. Just $20 got us each one souvenir plastic mug and five tasting tokens. Darling Husband and I only used four tokens each our first day. We bought five more for $5 total to share on the last day and then I wanted a full glass of Burnside's Sun Splash, so I went back for four more tokens, $4, for a full-size beer. That's $29 for two people for a lot of beer and two days of fun!

Food
The first thing we did both Friday and Saturday was start with a meal. On Friday, Darling Husband and I went to the Acme Hot Dog Co. food truck. Inside the venue were about 10 food trucks with different cuisine. I got a hot dog covered in cabbage-style salad that had a spicy aioli. Darling Husband's hot dog had bacon and mac and cheese on it.

The second day, Darling Husband got island noodles, which were decent. Jamie and I had gyros and we all shared a piece of baklava. The gyros were great because they weren't a gut bomb like other typical festival fare.

Most food was right around the $10 mark per meal. Darling Husband and I spent about $40 on food for two lunches over two days.

Jamie enjoyed a barbecue lunch on Friday at Brewfest.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere was so mellow. We arrived right around noon both days and this worked for us. The gal at the hot dog food truck said the festival gets really rowdy after dark and watching the guests stumble or fall was entertaining to her. This made us very grateful to be early birds.

The event was family friendly before 7 p.m., which surprised me. The kids were fine, but there was nothing  for them to do. Or us, for that matter.

There were tables so we could steal some shade at and enjoy a meal. We ended up sharing each time and it was a fun way to meet locals and tourists.

One vendor brought corn hole, which we played on Friday. But, other than drinking beer, there wasn't anything to do. We spent just about two hours at the festival each day, Friday then Saturday, before we sought other endeavors for the day -- namely tubing on the chilly, delightful Deschutes.

Amenities
There were plenty of porta potties to go around. I like that they had filtered water stations too so we could stay hydrated - it was HOT! Amenities weren't great for families. There was only a certain number of tables under shade canopies and you had to battle for a seat. And I didn't see any place where babies could be changed.

The Beer
Oh yeah -- the beer! Because we all shared sips of each others' beers, I lost count of how many I tried and I didn't see the scorecard in my Brewfest booklet until the last second.

Standouts for me:

• Toutle-Loo Pale Ale by Ashtown
• Vanilla Pumpkin Porter by Klamath Basin
• Ferrari Red by Shade Tree
• Infrared Northwest Ale by Old 99
• DJ Jazzy Heff by Gilgamesh
• Sunsplash by Burnside

Verdict: I am glad that Bend Brewfest didn't cost us a ton because in reality, we only spent about four hours total at the event. We did get to try a wide range of beer from smaller breweries we hadn't heard of before, And, the biggies were there too. The variety of breweries was excellent. During and after our trip, we all talked about returning to Bend on a road trip in the future. Some locals said the Bite of Bend was fun too, so we might opt to do that in 2017.

We'll see you again, Bend!

Watershed Music Festival: What to Pack and Wear

It was my first year at the Watershed music festival in George, Washington, and I'll admit I made some rookie mistakes when it came to packing.

Here is all you need to know about what to pack and what to wear for camping Friday-Monday.

Packing List: Clothing

• 3 pairs shorts
• 3 tank tops
• 1 t-shirt
• 1 heavy sweat shirt
• 1 light hoodie
• warm PJs
• baseball-style hat
• 3 swim suits
• underwear & bras
• 2 pairs of tennis shoes
• 1 pair of flip flops
• socks
• jewelry - cheap and fun
• light scarf
• sunglasses

What I did right

I kept it to white tank tops and jean shorts - simplicity is key at Watershed. You are walking 30 minutes from camp to the venue so don't bring anything too bulky. Don't overly plan your outfits. Lovely ladies with special American Flag head wraps and hoop earrings stuck out and made us think "y'all aren't from around here." :) 

Also, I took TWO pairs of tennis shoes, which I swapped out to give my feet relief and prevent blisters. MAJOR WIN!!

What I did wrong

I threw Darling Husband's camo hat in my bag on a fun whim to protect myself from the sun. Camping three days with no showers meant I actually wore it every day. Also, I brought a couple of jewelry items I didn't wear. I pretty much kept it to a pair of cute stud earrings and that was plenty.

This gal in the tank, cutoffs and trucker hat? Nailed it! Photo courtesy of Watershed's Instagram feed.

Packing List: Camping

• grill
• spatula
• sharp knife
• water bottles - refillable
• tongs
• cutting board
• tin foil
• skillet
• paper plates
• paper towels
• plastic cutlery
• trash bags
• plastic cups
• paper coffee cups
• coffee pot
• propane
• tent
• air mattresses
• camp chairs + table
• bleacher seat or short beach chairs
• cooler
• lantern
• flashlights
• first aid kit
• car cell phone charger
• sleeping bags
• pillows
• sunscreen
• bug spray
• face wipes
• baby wipes
• vitamins, ibuprofen, pepto
• hair brush
• toiletries -- DRY SHAMPOO
• aloe vera
• hair ties
• batteries
• lighter
• EAR PLUGS
• camera
• Watershed wrist bands + camping tickets
• beach towel
• deodorant
• toilet paper
• Febreeze
• hand sanitizer
• small mirror
• glow stick
• tent lock
• scissors
• extra blankets
• books + cards
• portable speakers, music system
• Food - whatever you all want to eat and drink. Food and booze inside the venue are $$$$!

What I did right

I was the only member of our party with ear plugs. I slept the best out of everyone. Watershed is a rowdy place at nighttime. Bringing the dry shampoo was also a major win come Sunday. Lastly, Darling Husband borrowed his parents' camp coffee pot. We had plenty of coffee to share with neighbors, and neighbor Susan called us her "Coffee Angels."

There wasn't a ton of space for us in camping. We kept it simple, but remembered to pack the camp coffee pot, thank goodness!

What I did wrong

Darling Husband decided there was not enough room in the car for the pop up, 10 x 10 shade canopy. He regretted this as soon as we got to camp. It was 90 degrees with no shade in sight. The campground was an old alfalfa field. Thankfully, our neighbors brought one and Bunny and Darling Husband were happy to seek refuge from the sun. Bunny did over pack, but we were prepared for that. :) The only thing she desired was music at our camp site. She wished we had brought portable speakers or a radio.

Learn from my successes and mistakes and have a great time! We'll see you at Watershed 2017!

How to survive a road trip by yourself + Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Don't miss the shows at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival! Perfect for couples, girlfriends or solo.

My friend Marcia has the coolest job in the world. She has been working this year at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as a wig master. Yes, this sweet, red-haired cheerleader I met at Linfield College majored in chemistry and then moved to Cincinnati to pursue a theater career.

Marcia moved to Ashland, Ore., in early 2015 from Abingdon, Virginia. Suddenly, she wasn't a plane ride away, but a car ride away! I vowed to come visit her in the calendar year and I got to spend four days with her in early October. 

I was a little nervous about making the drive south by myself - 7 hours. Darling husband usually drives when we travel. Plus, it was the first weekend of October and I was worried it would pour down rain. It didn't. The weather was gorgeous.

This is post no. 1 of 2 about that amazing trip that taught me a lot about myself, rekindled an amazing friendship and helped me press the reset button on my everyday life.

How to survive a 7-hour road trip alone:

1) Leave early in the morning. Grab a coffee and hit the road. Before you know it, you will have driven two hours. Something about the morning hours makes time go faster. 

2) Plan time for stops along the way. On the way down I-5 from Tumwater to Ashland, I planned stops about two hours apart the whole way. I did some shopping (the Loft outlet at Woodburn, Ore., is amazing).

3) Call mom on one of your stops. She's just awesome and will make you feel competent and like you're never alone.

Image for "Head Over Heels" courtesy of Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

What all of the tourists are talking about: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival

I finally got to Marcia's apartment in Talent, Ore., and she fed me dinner and whisked me off to "Head Over Heels," a rock ‘n’ roll musical in the old Elizabethan style theater. The crowd was diverse: older couples, school groups, hippie parents and their children and one couple in their 30s that was quite affectionate during the first half and didn't return after intermission…

The show was fun, celebrated love of all kinds and it was seriously cool to be in the outdoor theater. That was a first for me. 

The wig room at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

The morning after the show, Marcia treated me to an all-exclusive backstage tour of the festival. The costumes up close were a little more ragged from wear, but beautiful nonetheless. Marcia's work in the wig room left me in awe. They sew on hairs one at a time people! Respect!

The second show Marcia treated me to was "Guys and Dolls." It was an afternoon show at the indoor Angus Bowmer Theater and it was classic and fun. Again, lots of school groups for this show.

Marcia let me go on stage at "The Lizzy" theater the morning after my first show.

Verdict: If you ever have the chance to go to the festival - go! It is great for couples, girlfriends or even solo. Recommendation: check the content before you bring your children. Children under 6 are not permitted. Some parts of "Head over Heels" explored more adult concepts. And no, you can't bring in your friendly pup.