Is Bend Ready for Summer?
For the past year, the world has been living in unfamiliar territory, full of uncertainty and change. Travel, at least overseas, has been nonexistent for most of us. Very few countries abroad have opened up to tourists. People are opting out of plane travel. Yet most Americans are ready to leave the house, take a trip, and explore. All this pent up energy has to go somewhere.
2021 will be the summer of road trips. In fact, this may possibly end up the biggest tourist season ever as people across the country, still curious, still alive, and yearning for a release, choose to discover their own backyard, meaning the United States. Especially popular will be outdoor destinations.
Beautiful Bend, an already celebrated pre-pandemic outdoor destination, will be packed this summer, perhaps overwhelmed. Tourists and locals galore will hit the trails, drink the beers, eat in the restaurants, and crowd the roadways.
On the positive side, as long as our governor doesn’t enforce more lockdowns or stringent restrictions again, many businesses will make up for loss revenues. What was lost during 2020 will be regained and perhaps surpassed. Jobs will again be available for those who will work, meaning honestly earned money in the pockets of individuals and tax revenues for the powers that be.
But what about the negative consequences? What will become of the river, the trails, and all of the beautiful outdoor spaces? I have nightmares of visitors creating their own parking spaces, dogs shitting everywhere without owners bothering to pick it up, trash strewn along the trails and overfilling the bins, bumper to bumper traffic, and waiting an hour or more at the restaurants. Can you imagine the traffic at Reed Market Roundabout!?
This may sound like a worst case scenario, but it is extremely likely. And true, these are first world problems compared to issues like homelessness and affordable housing, but they still matter and hold weight. We care about our community. We care about the environment.
Is there any plan in place to address these issues? Should the city government, the Forest Service, and others who oversee the area do more to discourage visitors? Should they be implementing policies and plans to protect it? Are the new downtown parking regulations enough?
Visit Bend is still closed. Their website encourages tourists to “wait until the time is right” before they visit. If anyone thinks this will deter people, think again. We saw people flock here last summer with heavy restrictions in place, and this summer, with pent up demand, will be more crowded.
Preemptive action might help mitigate the issue, but in truth, everybody, even Californians, have a right to enjoy Central Oregon and its amenities. We also have a responsibility to protect the community.
Individually, we can make sure we are not part of the problem. We can encourage others to do the same. Adhering to the Bend Pledge is certainly a start.
We can form or volunteer with cleanup groups to keep our area clean. Businesses, government, and other organizations do a great job in this respect — Wanderlust Tours, Ultimate Scavenger, Deschutes County Sheriff, and others. Thank goodness for a strong community!
And no need to spread the word about how great Bend is. Coming from a travel author this sounds contradictory, but the mission of responsible writers should be to protect what we write about and encourage others to do the same. Believe me, I have plenty of secret, not as well-known spots that I will never share with anyone. Sorry folks!
Ultimately, we have to trust individuals, a difficult task when we see a beer can floating in the Deschutes or several bags of dog poop along our favorite trail. Our instinct is to judge and place blame, but this only aggravates the problem. Instead, tough as it might be, let’s educate rather than exacerbate.
Central Oregon is our home. Let’s please respect it. Most importantly, let’s respect each other.
