August 9, 2018 to August 11, 2018
Sizzling in Sisters
Holy crap it's hot!
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We rolled into Sisters in the middle of another heat wave (a summer trend, perhaps?), so decided to stay put for a few days. Fortunately we had everything we needed to stay relatively comfortable.
The hiker-biker area at Sisters Creekside Campground is situated next to cool Whychus Creek and there is a dishwashing sink and several hydrants available for filling water bottles and soaking bandanas. The campground also has 4 showers which are handy for both keeping clean and cooling off.
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The best spot we found for beating the afternoon heat was the Teen Scene reading nook at the library, which is 3 blocks from the campground. There are 2 chairs with little swivel tables, each next to an electrical outlet. So, we were able to charge our devices while reading, writing, and searching the internet for places to see between Sisters and Eugene. We should have a few more pretty photos to share before we wrap up this little bike ride!
The other air-conditioned place where we spent a few hours was Hop & Brew. The food is great and the prices are acceptable, considering that Sisters is very touristy. We ordered the appetizer bread sticks and were surprised when the server delivered what was really like a mini pizza. They also have a delicious selection of beverages: excellent coffee, fountain drinks (we consumed a few gallons of lemonade), and beer/cider/kombucha on tap.
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To stay active through the Simmer in Sisters, we took a couple of early walks. The first morning we walked with Gay to Ray's Food Place, a big grocery store about a mile from the campground. Even though we weren't burning many calories, we were still food-obsessed and walking through the produce section felt (to me anyway) like a trip to Disneyland. I was tempted to buy one of everything, but we left with only what we could consume or would survive the heat - a bag of spinach, an apple, an orange, a few carrots, an onion, and a couple of bananas.
The next morning, after Gay left to return the car in Eugene, we took a walk in the neighborhood by the library. All of the homes are beautiful and new, and it appears that the expansion of Sisters continues. We stopped to talk with a lady who was out in her garden and she said the development over the past 10 years has been crazy. Another lady at the Deschutes National Forest Ranger Station said she left Sisters years ago because it was growing too fast and becoming unaffordable. She said that many houses are people's second homes and sit empty most of the time. What I wonder is .. who are these people who can afford $400k+ vacation homes? And if they're still working, will they be able to retire before they're 75 years old?
The population of Sisters was 2,038 in 2010, and one of the librarians told us that the population in Central Oregon is growing by about 6% every year. Does that mean that we should take this area off of the list of a potential future Grumby home? Or will there be another recession that causes a mass exodus, creating good real estate deals for opportunistic nomads?
Population growth and economic development trends have become very interesting topics for us, but the highlight of our time in Sisters was catching up with Gay and meeting interesting hiker-bikers. One of the things that makes Sisters special is that it is on/near the Pacific Crest Trail hiking trail, the TransAmerica cycling route, and a few bike packing loops.
Thank goodness for the Creekside Campground, which makes Sisters a great destination/rest stop for adventurous budget travelers.
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