Weather, bugs, water, culture in Bend area (Sherwood: vacation, quiet)

[ukiyo-e]

Originally Posted by k9coach

I'd hate for her to disturb a dangerous snake or spider as she is small and the venom would do her a lot more harm than if the spider or snake bit a person. If it was just me and no dogs I would not be as worried about such things. I've read that Oregon does have black widows as well as a couple other spider species whose bites are dangerous.

I have this one spider that I've let live in my house for a long time... I know it's weird but she's up in a corner upstairs where I never spend any time, she's not bothering anyone and I figure she'll eat any bugs that come through.. at this point she's like a pet in a way, I don't have the heart to get rid of her! I was even thinking "what am I going to do with her when we have to show the house for sale?" I want to let her stay!

Heh, I usually leave spiders in my house alone, too, unless I start too see too many. I don't seem to get many in my house here, which is kind of odd as I live right inside one corner of a 300-acre wooded area.

I can understand the concern about your dog. Mine is a 25-pound mutt and she's "nosy," so I can see her disturbing a spider or snake, too. The best thing to do about black widows is to keep your garage clean. They tend to be found more in garages (and outhouses, though hopefully you don't have one of those) than inside houses for some reason. When I lived in California, both areas I lived in had them so I used to just vacuum my garage every couple months or so. It also helps if you keep the garage uncluttered so you can vacuum in the corners. I vacuumed the inside of the garage door, around the inside of the window frames, up in the corners, etc. There was a Simpsons episode years ago where Marge was being painted as an OCD housekeeper for vacuuming her garage, but I could see why she would!

I found this site which has a lot of good info on black widows. Some people don't really react much to their venom, and others have a severe reaction. Fortunately, the bites are rarely fatal, but I do have one friend who was bitten by one and he had a pretty nasty reaction which landed him in the hospital for a couple days.

Black Widow Spider Bite Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention on eMedicineHealth.com

[whirnot]

Originally Posted by ukiyo-e

My degrees are in entomology

As an avid Fly fisherman, I need you to move next door to me. I bet you could tie some wicked flies!

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

Don't be fooled. Ticks, Spiders, and Fleas are common in Bend and the surrounding area. And those lakes you are being told of do exist. They are snowmelt fed lakes, and if you think they are swimable, guess again.

As to strip clubs, most smaller communities only have one or two. Just enough to poison the liveability. There is more than one though. You have "Stars", "Showgirls," and "The Fan"

P.S. I weigh 300 pounds. So much for no Fat people.

But I am good looking.

Steve also lives in Salem. Yes, there are fat people in Bend. But, overall, the majority of the town is generally fit or cares about eating well and staying active.

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

I just have to ask. "How much swimming do you do in all those Cascade Lakes?"

Three (Strip Joints) is not one, and Deschutes County had a flea and tick epidemic just a few years ago.

Lyme Disease in Oregon and you might ask here Vector Control - Deschutes County, Oregon

What is it you find odd?

Ticks & Rattler on the Deschutes - www.ifish.net

This poster seems to have an issue with the bugs and stuff so why minimize them?

Steve, the link you provided for fleas and ticks shows maps of the state. On those maps it shows there are no known cases of fleas or ticks in Deschutes Co. Yes, both fleas and ticks are prevalent in Western Oregon (west of the Cascades) but they are very unlikely to be encountered here in Bend. I have 2 dogs and a cat and I've never treated them here in Bend for fleas or ticks. When we travel across the mountains to go to the coast, we treat.

Bend only has 1 strip club, Stars. The other two you mentioned do not exist. I searched for Showgirls and it appears that it used to be part of the old Boondocks, which is now called Liquid Lounge and they are a live music venue. Part of the reason Boondocks closed down was because of the patrons that frequented the place. They weren't a strip club, just hosted some events that some people have issues with. Liquid Lounge does not. I could not find any information about the other place you mentioned, The Fan. If it exists, it's top secret.

There is not an overwhelming amount of strip clubs in Bend. If you don't like them, don't go.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by k9coach

I have questions about Bend and the surrounding area:

1) What months are included in each season?

2) Are there any swimable lakes to live on or near? (Not necessarily in Bend proper, but general area.)

3) Are strip clubs prevalent? (There is a stat claiming Oregon has the highest # of strip clubs per capita.)

4) The PNW always gets sited for having the fewest bugs in the USA. Tell me what nuisnace wildlife you encounter around Bend, with a focus on insects in particular. Do you find black widows on your property? Are ticks an issue? Fleas? Mosquitoes? Venomous snakes? Any other dangerous wildlife for a dog owner to be concerned about?

5) Does it make sense to have a swimming pool in Bend? Or is the swimming season too short? Is it rare to find housing inventory with inground pools?

6) Is everyone there in amazing shape? I live in Buffalo now, and I have the "hot in Cleveland" effect going on here. If I move to Bend will I be surrounded by models? I kind of picture you all that way...

1) For me, I consider March, April, May and June to be spring (although February felt like spring too); July & August to be summer; Sept, October fall; and November, December, January, and February to be Winter. Of course, within those months there is about a 2-3 week period that could fall into one of the other shouldering seasons. It just depends on the year.

2) There aren't really any lakes to live on here, but plenty that are swimmable in the hot summer months when it's 90+ degrees in town. They are snow melt fed, but it's like swimming Lake Erie in June. I've done that plenty as my husband grew up on that lake. You don't want to spend hours in the water, but just go up to Elk Lake on a busy summer weekend and try to find a piece of sand to sit on. It's crowded! You can also float the Deschutes River through town and take a dip to cool off. It's a summer past time here.

3) There is one strip club, Stars. I don't know anything about it, but easy to avoid.

4) We've had a few black widows in our garage and crawl space, and occasionally come across a Hobo spider as well. I was concerned about those with my cat, but our vet said it's pretty uncommon for them to be bit. Mosquitoes can be an issue in early summer, especially in the mountains once the snow starts melting. However, it's usually on a short period of time and they don't carry things like West Nile out here. There are rattlesnakes, especially on parts of the Deschutes and out east in the desert, but again, not really a problem. As others have said, coyotes are probably your biggest concern with animals, especially if you decide to live outside of town.

5) No, honestly, it doesn't make sense to have a swimming pool. Summer is just too short and there are lakes and a few community pools you can use for those hot days. We have a kiddie pool that we set up for our dogs in the back yard. I'll soak my feet in it when it's really hot and I don't have time to head to the mountains for a dip.

6) Bend does have it's share of health nuts, uber athletes, and generally fit people. But, there are also plenty of other folks in Bend. Whether you are fit and trim or overweight, you can find your niche here. I have friends of all body types and athletic ability.

[ukiyo-e]

Originally Posted by whirnot

As an avid Fly fisherman, I need you to move next door to me. I bet you could tie some wicked flies!

Funny you mention it, because I've always wanted to take up that hobby and never had time. Maybe when I finally completely retire!

[Snownut]

whirtnot, I would love to try this too... maybe you won't get to retire? you will too busy teaching new Bendites how to fly fish..

Originally Posted by ukiyo-e

Funny you mention it, because I've always wanted to take up that hobby and never had time. Maybe when I finally completely retire!

Originally Posted by whirnot

As an avid Fly fisherman, I need you to move next door to me. I bet you could tie some wicked flies!

[whirnot]

Originally Posted by Snownut

whirtnot, I would love to try this too... maybe you won't get to retire? you will too busy teaching new Bendites how to fly fish..

Not me, there are experts there. Bend was voted one of the top fly fshing towns by Fly fisherman magazine! But I do build high end custom fly rods.......

[kapetrich]

Just dropping in to validate most everyones facts. Won't cover all the questions since most were answered thoroughly, just side with the people who obviously actually live in Bend.....

Bend has one strip club. I would know. I'm 27 year old male and when my friends come to visit they make me take them so they can laugh (not laugh at the women).

Bugs are all but none-existent in town - when you get up to the lakes or rivers during certain weeks they can be bad. Haven't had any flee problems with my husky at all. I've never heard of anyone getting a tick (very comical that a poster claiming the opposite would post a website that DIRECTLY refutes his claim, btw). Compared to what I came from (east coast) there are almost zero bugs. It's all relative.

I also swim in Elk Lake allllll the time during the summers - along with a few others past it. We have tons of lakes for a high desert climate just 20 miles up the road.

Hope this helps!

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Things are pretty quiet and easygoing on the Bend forum lately.

Is somebody on vacation?

[Sherwoody]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

Things are pretty quiet and easygoing on the Bend forum lately.

Is somebody on vacation?

ALL of CD is on vacation.