Otter Bench is a scenic hiking trail located on BLM land at the north end of Crooked River Ranch…read more Running parallel to Otter Bench for most of its length lies the Horny Hollow Trail, which runs closer to the river but is closed for wildlife restoration from February to August. Both trails parallel the Crooked River as it makes its way downstream to join the Deschutes and Metolius Rivers at Lake Billy Chinook. As with all rivers and creeks in Central Oregon, the Crooked has cut deep canyons into the overlying lava, creating spectacular vistas. After just under two miles, Otter Bench takes you right up to the canyon, joining the short Pink Trail that descends steeply down to the river. From there, you have the option to continue north on the somewhat longer Opal Canyon Trail. Other than the steep decent to the river - which is not necessary to enjoy this trail - Otter Bench is a fairly easy, flat hike. Trailhead is at the end of SW Horny Hollow Dr/SW Chinook Dr. From Hwy 97, drive as if you're going to the Crooked River Ranch Golf Course and keep driving until the road ends.

We were renting a party boat & went the day before to check it out & came across this place. Very…read morequaint on the inside but lots of outdoor seating. It was almost triple digits & wanted light so 2 BLTS were ordered. Reeser's Potato Salad & bagged Chips & orange slices. Vanilla Shake to keep cool... just enough options to fill a persons desire. Check it out

so overpriced and so bad. I'm sorry to say this place was a huge let down. I was expecting a really…read moregood burger for the price but it was actually terrible. The lemonade was decent at least, and the staff was nice.

OMG, flyboarding is easily one of the most trilling experiences of my entire life. I am so glad to…read morehave found Flyboard of Bend and I absolutely cannot wait to get back out there to do this again. My brother has been obsessed with flyboarding for over a year now after seeing a video of a group of people doing it on Youtube. And so, this year for his birthday I decided to take him to try it out for our first times. After about 3 hours of driving we meet Jason, the owner, and Hunter his assistant down at Lake Billy Chinook. Like skydiving or anything else, the first thing we did was go over safety and a quick ground course. Then it was time to strap up and get in the water. Jason had injured his foot and had to stay on land so Hunter took us out. He was an excellent coach. My brother went first and Hunter was able to get him flying within about 2 minutes. During his hour on the board my brother was able to change direction, turing and circling, raise and lower himself about 15 feet and even do a trick called the Orca. My experience was very similar, although I was less successful with the Orca. The whole time though I felt like a super hero. It was seriously amazing. It was pretty cool to look around and see the audience I had gathered too. Other boaters came closer to check out what we were doing and some cars were even stopping on the road to take pictures. Did I say I felt like a Super Hero yet? One of the other things Jason did which I though was really neat is bring a second jet ski. That way the whole time we were there, whoever wasn't on the board was on the second jet ski. It allowed us to learn from each other and take photos/videos. And being on a jet ski is super fun anyway. By the way, if you have not been to Lake Billy Chinook it is beautiful. Jason seriously picked a perfect location, especially for a first time experience. It just is one more thing to make sure your time is worth while. I would highly recommend, scratch that...it is a must do. You have to check out Flyboard of Bend. It is worth every penny and will be an unforgettable experience. And if you want to go out with a group they have 2 different setups which allows them to take 2 people out at a time. Quick tip. Make sure you reserve at least an hour a person. Anything less and you will leave wishing you did more.

Superbly maintained and manicured daily by a staff of exceedingly competent and caring men and…read morewomen . Along its side there is a memorial sculpture that honors the memory of Prineville's fallen wildland firefighters and it was recently defaced by some of this town's moronic drug dealers or punks. The culprits have not yet been caught but there is a large award leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects. Especially in light of the recent tragedies befalling wildland firefighters, this type of vandalism cannot be tolerated.

Apon my arrival, the camp host was doing a few little minor repairs around the camp sites, as I…read morechecked in. The host said it was his last day. So 2 days with out a camp host was alright as the new camp host gets settled in. 1st night of hosting, a large over sized bus rv squeezed into a spot near by & knocked the sign off my post along with the light for it. Then proceeded to run their generator all night, shut it off at 3am... ran the Generator the 2nd night until 10am the next day & all they did was stay 2 nights along with their family, hardly left their motor coach. People, if your going to go camping. In a motor coach bus, shut the dang generator off so people can injoy their camping, not every one wants to hear that crap. If you have a medical issue that requires you to have medical devices plugged in, go to a camp site that provides you with power so you do not disturb you fellow campers. If your traveling & need a place to stop that has no issue with you running a generator all night, go to a truck stop. Don't ruin the piece n quit that people desire at camp grounds. A store parking lot, a restraunts parking lot, a dirt lot or a rest area out on the hyw. Would be just fine, so stop bing a rich price. Have some consideration & go else were with your generators. So, I give the Ochico Parks n Recs a 6 out of 10 because they were in the middle of transitioning to a new camp host, one that is much suitable & capable for the job. So, now we will return in a yr. To see if the vending machines chips n candy will not be exspired by 3 yrs or more. If the park holds to its no generators after 10pm rule. But most of all, have everything in a cleanly fashion. No homeless coming & going at 3am waking up campers with their loud cars, I'm sure with the rite camp host, this can become a 10 out of 10 camp ground.​​

Alright, wow, well....here I am writing about this PS Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint!…read more Actually, this place is really just a rest stop along the side of the road along US 97 as you're heading south towards Redmond, Oregon. I'm very surprised not 1 person on Yelp has written a review about this rest area!?!? It deserves it's recognition. PS Ogden I mean, for myself, was one of the MOST SCENIC REST STOPS I have randomly ever come across! And that's it....I simply needed to use the restroom, get out of my car and stretch my legs from my cross country road trip. Little did I realize that in the back section of the rest stop was a worthwhile and terrific overlook at not just 1....but 2 different statuesque suspension bridges!!!! How cool! I find suspension bridges to be extremely photogenic....so when after using the bathroom and just spontaneously venturing around the quaint area, I came upon these 2 bridges. And another fortunate perspective for me...was that I came here during late afternoon over the summer time and witnessed a beautiful sunset in either direction gazing out upon both bridges. And of course....I grabbed some terrific photographs not just of the high, free standing bridges....but of their colorful surrounding terrains. I kept repeating to myself....who would have thought that a simple rest stop with bathrooms, picnic tables and green grass would feature such humbling viewpoints?! Well, this was a very nice surprise and now I'm just here writing to let people know that if they're near Redmond, Oregon and headed to Smith Rock State Park, or near Bend, Oregon or venturing south towards Crater Lake National Park....I absolutely recommend stopping at this, PS Ogden Viewpoint to appreciate an overlook not with 1, but 2 fantastic suspension bridges in 2 opposite directions! Yes, so I'm absolutely a fan of this rest stop and in terms of all the rest stops in all the places I've visited in the United States....PS Ogden certainly ranks up there as one of the best!

Nice enough place but avoid the lunches on general principle. Secure yourself a Banquet frozen…read moredinner and come out ahead. Lunches are now $4 and are sorry plates of, in today's instance, over, over cooked broccoli, undercooked yet dry meatloaf, some potato concoction of packaged, dry processed potato shards. Unlovely concoctions served up with a small glass of milk, an insulting stale square of partially edible lemon square? It was more like a woodworking project, as we sawed through the crust with hand tools... We gave up, and scraped bits from the top layer, sensing lemon. Very sad affair and I found myself only one of 6 other diners at the table who were miffed at the obvious botched attempt at nourishing sustenance. If this is what is served to seniors in the meals on wheels program, we would do them greater service to drop off a Banquet or Lean Cuisine. At least those are edible,with minimum gagging, and every bit as nourishing.

This is an amazing studio with an awesome community of moms, coaches and dancers. Miss Kim and…read moreMiss Jamie are blessings to the small community of madras Oregon. At Upa the dancers are taught technique before earning competitive spots and are trained in a two great spaces in downtown Madras

As I was walking to my car, tonight, several people from Madras Athletic Club told me goodnight. I…read moream a woman in my 50s and it never fails to amaze me that the young adults and others at this club are so friendly. I have been a member of several athletic clubs in my life and I have never been a part of a gym that is so welcoming. I like the reasonable fees and I like the convenience of being able to work out 24 hours a day. I have been getting personal training from Pedro and it is worth every penny. My arms are stronger than they have ever been. My posture and self-confidence have definitely improved. I highly recommend this happy multi-facited gym to all.

Update: the location is on J Street, just west of the highway. Also, I've been a member a while…read morenow, so I have some further opinions. It's cheap to belong here, and you can tell why. Some little things, like not enough pins for all the weight machines, a treadmill will stay unfixed (there are plenty of others). But some are big things, like not using the air conditioning. Classes suddenly cancelled. I'd be worried that this is a place that's about to close, but longtimers say it's always been like this. There are no undedicated barbells (each belongs to its own bench press), no squat rack (only a Smith type machine), no rowing machine. For as big as it is, it feels very crowded if there are more than a couple people there at a time. Which is unusual, thankfully. I've downgraded a star after some experience, but it's a perfectly acceptable place.