First we need some food not really wanting to cook or drive into Bend. We went up the road to Sun River and ate at Café Sintra. The prices were good and food top notch I’ll be back there again.
After breakfast we walked over to the Country Grocery Store to pick up some vitamin I for my aching muscles. If you normally stay in or near Sun River and have not been to the Grocery store there in a while. It is completely remodeled very modern and a lot more product. Before it was very crowded, packed and dated looking.
Now off to Benham falls where the water is really flowing. Temps were perfect not to hot and had a nice breeze coming off the water.
Rolling out of the trail there are many great views along this trail mixed with some fun trail sections. With multiple entrances to the trail for hikers, runners, rafters and riders to connect to the trail. There were very few sections where we did not run across anyone. We even came across a group we had met the day before at Phil’s.
The trail for the most part is not technical, it flows up and down with a few quick climbs. We rode conservatively with the expectation that there would be a lot of climbing on the way back.
Along the way you’ll find informative signs. The way the weather was looking I was expecting we would be sitting out a rain storm in one of these caves. We made one wrong turn and biked up to a new housing area.
We shot back down the trail and found the correct trail to follow. The last section of this trail would be the most technical section of the entire ride, lots of popping sounds from the tires as we worked our way through the rocks. The trail then opened up into a parking lot with some picnic tables near the river.
Took a break to have a snack before heading back the way we came.
Riding towards Bend we did question, if it would have been better to start in Bend instead. After reaching Bend and riding back we figured out really fast that starting at Benham Falls was the way to ride this trail.
The trail just flowed and seemed a heck of a lot faster this way. About half way back we stopped to watch the River Rafters coming through.
We came across a young scout troop on Mountain Bikes that had started in Sun River and heading to Bend. They looked strong and we also stopped to talk to some folks visiting from Texas. They had rented some nice bikes at Hutch’s and were checking out the local trails. Everyone local or out of state is so friendly in Bend, must be the clean air and great trails that brings it out of everyone.
Getting Dark we better pick up the pace
There was one long switchback climb on the way back, but we just powered through it. Other than the one climb everything else was short and quick, overall with our multiple stops to visit it took less time to get back to Benham Falls.
At the completion of the ride, Godzilla approved of the Deschutes River Ride.
A stop for lunch at Deschutes Brewery is also required.
Tomorrow is our last day and more rain in the forecast. We’d like to sneak in one more ride before heading home, maybe a Ben’s – Kent’s Loop.
