Central Oregon Weekend

South and North Sister

Just got back from a long weekend in Central Oregon; some much deserved R & R for R. It had been a long while since we last stayed at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) just west of Sisters, OR and I thought we'd give it another try so I booked Lodge room 29 for three nights. We were a bit unsure how the weekend would play out because of the Rooster Rock wild fire just south of Sisters, but aside from seeing smoke clouds to the southeast on Thursday and Friday, there was no real threat to Sisters nor to the Ranch.

Lodge room 29, all 160 square feet of it, is within easy walking distance to the lodge restaurant where we had many of our meals. Though room 29 has a private deck, it has no real view-despite BBR claims (unless you stand at the bathroom or next-to-bed windows; then you see trees, lawn and the next cluster of rooms), no A/C (but it did have an oscillating room fan), has an antiquated 3/4 bath with possible fungus problems in the shower, antiquated carpet and was "newly furnished" with pine furniture. R thought the King bed a little too soft, and after the first night, my back started to agree. At $1.05/sq. ft./night, I would not recommend this room unless you know all you're going to do is go right to sleep after a full day of activities and showering at the recreation centers. We ended up lounging at the lodge because it was more inviting. And last, we had no power this morning (Sunday), nor did the lodge restaurant, so we drove into Sisters for breakfast.

Though the accommodations were less than stellar we did have a good time walking along the paths ($33-Community Recreation Fee) and taking our one-hour bike ride ($18). The scenery, however, after the smoke and haze cleared, was stellar. I also booked a half-day raft trip down the McKenzie River on Saturday afternoon that was wet, wild and fun.

It was nice to get away for the weekend and experience the beauty and fresh air of nature; not to mention get a little exercise too. It's unfortunate that my choice of accommodation did not live up to the locale's grandeur, but at least we'll know better the next time we spend some time in Central Oregon.