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!

Review: Watershed Country Music Festival, Gorge Amphitheatre - Weekend 2

Watershed 2016 Weekend 2 - The time of our lives!

One of the best parts of summer 2016 has been our weekend at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, camping and enjoying live country music at Watershed.

I had heard about Watershed last year when my intern Courtney attended the festival. I am newer to country music. I started listening to it when Darling Husband and I moved to Waitsburg, Washington, in 2011 and I was excited by the idea of three full days of live performances. We had seen Craig Morgan and The Band Perry before, and the lineup of Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Keith Urban clinched the deal. We had to go in 2016.

Here is the good, the bad and the ugly of Watershed 2016 Weekend 2.

Buying tickets
Buying tickets was a hassle. Darling Husband had to call one morning while at work, multiple times to even get through, to register for general admission wristbands and camping tickets. Even though he called right when sales opened, he said Weekend 1 was already sold out. But, we got into Weekend 2 and secured a spot in Family Camping, which promised to be less rowdy than General Camping.

Listening to music on Sunday. Photo courtesy of our neighbor Susan and her boyfriend Coal.

Festival prep
Our camping ticket and wristbands arrived via USPS to our house about one month before the festival. I'll detail our full, three-day packing list in another post, but I can tell you we started really prepping about two weeks before.

It was about three weeks before the festival that Bunny bought her wristband too, so she could tag along with us. Between the three of us, we coordinated who was bringing what, what to wear and made a shopping list of what we needed to purchase. We loaded up the car Thursday before the festival and hit the road Friday morning at 9. Traffic was easy and we scored a decent camping spot.

Camp site
We chose to pay a little more for Family Camping after a sleepless night in General Camping at the Jason Mraz concert in 2012. General camping is for hard core partiers. Family Camping was much smaller, with a quiet hour of 10 p.m. Our camp spot was right on the road, but far from the General Camping barrier. With earplugs, I managed 6 or 7 hours of sleep each night.

Our humble abode, right on the road and perfect for people watching.

For the three of us, we took a large tent and two air mattresses. We LOVED being on the road during the day. We sat as if on our own front porch, watching the people walk by.

Best drinking game
Within about 30 minutes, Bunny and I invented a game. Every time we saw someone walk by on the road wearing an article of clothing bearing an American flag, we drank. This was so fun and we even got our neighbors in on the action. We saw hats, tattoos, shorts, boots, bikinis - you name it - with a flag on it.

What to do
The music doesn't start until 1 p.m. each day, so what do you do until then? Many people left the amphitheatre area to boat or float on the river. We stayed at our campsite and read, sunned, chatted with the neighbors and drank water. This is prime time to hydrate as temperatures reached 85 degrees or so each day.

Sitting on our front porch, reading and watching folks walk by.

Roughing it
Even though we paid more for Family Camping, facilities were still rough. There were ample clean porta potties and concrete sinks with running water. But, no showers. Premier Camping had showers and apparently very long lines. We put our hair up and wore hats, cleaned ourselves with baby wipes and went down the giant, inflatable waterslide. When you go down the slide, they spray you down head to toe, back and front. It was marvelous in the heat and I felt so clean after. Also, dry shampoo works wonders.

The walk and food costs
The walk from camping to the amphitheatre is not short. It took us about 20-30 minutes to walk over to the actual concert venue. Keep in mind you are in the beating sun. Wear good shoes, alternate pairs, and drink plenty of water. Do not wear cowboy boots you have never worn before. We saw plenty of gals limping around with painful blisters because they had made this mistake.

We walked back for dinner each night so we didn't have to spend $$$$ on food and beverages. A water in the venue costs $5. A 24 oz. Bud Light was $11.50. If you're on a budget, eat and drink at your campsite like we did,

Carnival rides
Carnival rides are FREE! We went on the Ferris Wheel, big swings and water slide. So. Much. Fun. The lines moved fairly quickly other than the water slide.

We were so happy wildfires didn't ruin our view this year like they did in 2012.

Amphitheatre - Where to sit
We mostly sat up in the grassy area, so we could sit in the heat, rather than stand in the heat, with other sweaty concert goers by the stage. We had a bleacher seat and short beach chair. Folks had Tommy Bahama chairs they could wear to carry and recline in. Bunny went down and stood in the stage area for Jason Aldean's performance. She ended up holding up a drunk girl for most of the time. Choose wisely.

Next From Nashville
The tented Next From Nashville stage was a great place to escape the sun, but could also warm up quickly with body heat. Lesser-known artists performed here, but it was a good break from the big crowds. We attended a sparse Rae Solomon performance and it made Bunny's whole trip when Rae grabbed Bunny's phone and took a selfie with it.

Performances
On the Main Stage, the performers really fed off the enthusiasm of the crowd -- 25,000 fans can be very loud and rambunctious. Eric Church's performance was the big hit of our weekend. He did his finale song and left the stage - and no one moved. We weren't leaving. He came back on stage and said as long as he was having fun he would keep playing. We loved every minute. The confetti drop after Keith Urban's performance was very fun, too.

Some gals just walked around in bikinis and flip flops. I opted for shorts so I could sit comfortably in the grass and on the carnival rides. Closed-toe shoes are ideal for the walk - rocks!

Schedule
Watershed has an app that we downloaded before the trip, but we learned quickly that the schedule on the app didn't update when the live schedule did. Some said the website lineup was the most up to date, so we followed that and the timeline on the screens on the Main Stage. It wasn't a huge issue.

For updates before and during the festival, we loved the videos and posts by the Watershed team here.

Verdict: I'm 110 percent in for next year. Camping was rough, and we'll make some adjustments there to be a bit more comfortable. Perhaps, we'll stay at a camp site away from the concert venue that we heard has a shuttle and hot showers. Darling Husband wants to take a boat and spend the daytime hours on the river instead of reading. That's OK. Bunny and I can read on a boat, too!

Bellevue Square Shopping Trip + Watershed 2016 Outfit

The Watershed 2016 countdown is on! The annual music festival, held at the Gorge Ampitheater in George, Washington, is almost here. Darling Husband and I are going for the first time.

The lineup is fantastic for country music fans. Headliners include Keith Urban, Eric Church, Jason Aldean and Kacey Musgraves.

The weather should be HOT, the view should be beautiful and we'll spend three fun days camping and hanging out.

We have most supplies ready to go, but I was missing a few key items to wear - mostly, denim shorts.

A girlfriend and I made the trip north to Bellevue Square, yes it took us two hours to get there. This is the mall I grew up at. I worked in two of its retail stores in college and I have wonderful memories of back to school shopping with my sister and trying to talk Nana and Bompa into buying me the giant Winnie the Pooh in the Disney Store.

I had some major successes last Saturday. Here is what I took home with me from some of my favorite stores.

Nordstrom
It was the Anniversary Sale! I tried on jean shorts at Free People and American Eagle but no luck. Plus, I didn't want to spend more than $35 on them. They're shorts. I scored a pair for $26 in the BP department at Nordstrom. The fit is stretchy enough to be comfortable and long enough for this 30-year-old.

These STS jean shorts at Nordstrom were a steal! So comfy and on sale for $26. Photo courtesy of Nordstrom.com.

BCBG
BCBG has amazing quality items. And it had a great sale on accessories, buy one get one free. I was ogling a tassel necklace like the one I had seen months ago in Seattle and again on Poor Little It Girl. When I saw the scarf, I fell in love and was able to get the tassel necklace for free.

I couldn't take my eyes off this beauty in the store!

Both are definitely more of a bohemian look than I usually go for, but they will look awesome at Watershed paired with my white t-shirt and denim shorts.

This lightweight scarf is exactly what I have been craving this cool summer in the Pacific Northwest. It'll keep me warm when the sun goes down at Watershed.

Lush
I had no intention of buying anything at Lush because my budget needed to be spent on Watershed clothes, but I got sucked in by the wonderful sales ladies. Having suffered from bad skin since I was a teenager, I'm always looking for products that keep my skin as clear as possible so I can wear as little makeup as possible - especially in the melting sun at Watershed.

I bought a couple of items: a face scrub, called Herbalism, that's green and doesn't smell great but leaves skin incredibly soft, a spray toner, called Eau Roma, with lavender and other calming ingredients to curb redness (from all of the harsh chemicals I put on my skin) and a new product called Grease Lightning with tea tree oil that is supposed to help reduce shine, unclog pores and treat breakouts.

Early favorites: face scrub (after one use my face is SO SOFT) and the toner spray. The toner spray is simply refreshing after a day out on the golf course.

Verdict: I have what I need for a fun time at Watershed. A cute outfit to wear and hopefully beautiful skin. What do you think?