A lot of people who arrive at The Real Oregon get here because they’re looking for things to do when they visit.
Here are some of our ideas for your vacation.
We’re not, as a rule, that fond of golf resorts. But Sunriver — outside Bend near Mount Bachelor — was so Christmasy during the holidays we had a ball staying there and skiing for a few days. Fresh snow blanketed the desert and it felt like a true winter wonderland.
The lodge was thoroughly decorated and even had a room full of gingerbread houses. How cool is that?
Rasmus Petersen, a Dane who came to Oregon in 1900 and died here in 1952, loved rocks. To see what he managed to do with them as an artistic medium, you need to travel pretty much to the middle of nowhere — OK, a few miles outside of Redmond, Oregon — and drop in on Petersen Rock Garden, the delightful folly that Rasmus built.
Petersen’s four-acre home is run as something between an informal public park and a very low-key tourist attraction. There’s no one selling admission tickets; drop $3 a head in the box by the gift shop to cover the family’s costs.
Then wander, amid a handful of peacocks, around the incredibly weird estate, decorated with Rasmus’ strange houses, castles, and even a replica (apparently not by Rasmus himself) of the Statue of Liberty.
Almost anywhere else in the world this would be considered valuable folk art and protected; here it’s just part of the community. A must-see for anyone within 100 miles. Or more.
