HOTEL REVIEW

We stayed at the Red Lion Hotel in Bend.Pros:

1. Very clean.

2. Comfortable beds and comfortable pillows.

3. Easy to find. It's on the main road, so you can't miss it. Although it is on the main road, it is very quiet.

4. The staff were very nice.

5. They have Bath and Body Works shampoo and conditioner.

Cons:

1. Looks like a motel. Nothing wrong with that, but I was surprised. But, looking back at their reservation home page, it shows it is set up like a motel. I just wasn't paying attention to that fact. It was the first Red Lion I've stayed at that looks like a motel.

2. The flow of our room didn't work due to the placement of the desk and office chair. You had to keep your shoes on, or you'd stub your toes. It would be a nit-picky con if there was a way around the toe stubbing situation, but in our room there wasn't.

3. Although the front desk staff were super nice, they couldn't recommend a vegan restaurant.

We would stay there again. The price was very reasonable, it was clean, comfortable, quiet and located only six minutes away from Cafe Yumm!, which serves vegan dishes.

Our rating 3 out of 5 stars.

ZZZZZZZZZ....

Are you one of those people that can take a nap anywhere. I'm usually not, but the atmosphere at the Les Schwab Amphitheater was amazing, we had perfect weather, and in spite of the growing crowd, it was relaxing. I almost joined him for a cat nap before the concert but thought taking pictures of him would be more fun.

AND I QUOTE, "BEST BURGER EVER!"

Larry got a burger from the Pilot Butte Drive-In Restaurant in Bend. Not just any burger, he got the 50/50 burger.

The 6 oz patty is made up of 50% beef and 50% bacon. It is topped with pepper jack cheese grilled onions, jalapenos, lettuce, tomato and chipotle mayonnaise on a pub style bun.

He was full for the rest of the day and still talking about the burger. My man was one happy camper.

BEN HARPER

Larry and I drove to Bend to see Ben Harper. I'm so glad we did, it was so much fun.We met up with Etienne, Paul, Spencer and Cassie.
Jenny O. opened for Ben. Her band wasn't with her, unfortunately.

Haven't heard of her? Listen here - this is one of my favorite songs of hers.

There was a huge crowd up at the front of the stage. My brother-in-law, Paul, took my camera and delved into the crowd to snap a few shots. The above photo and the two below are what he got. I was so excited!

Top 5 Reasons We Loved Ben Harper's Concert

1. Ben is SO genuine and gracious.

2. Ben changes instruments for every song.

3. The amphitheater was amazing.

4. Ben played a couple of unreleased songs. Masterpiece made me swoon.

5. Ben played a one hour encore. Seriously people. One hour. How cool is that?!

P.S. LongBoardLarry has limited edition Ben Harper longboards in the Ben Harper Shop. Go take a looksee, it's a rad board!