Never been to Bend but moving there in 2 months!! (Portland: transplants, apartment)

[creativekristy]

@PhotoGirlie, we just did the move from nearby you as well, and just be careful once you get into Oregon - in their driving culture, left lanes are for passing only, and they are pretty serious about keeping to their speed limit. We drive 80, 85 in SoCal and a creeping 55 in Oregon. It's an adjustment!

And if there's one thing there is TONS of up here, it's secondhand furniture, so you'll have no problem furnishing your new place.

[PhotoGirlie]

Originally Posted by creativekristy

@PhotoGirlie, we just did the move from nearby you as well, and just be careful once you get into Oregon - in their driving culture, left lanes are for passing only, and they are pretty serious about keeping to their speed limit. We drive 80, 85 in SoCal and a creeping 55 in Oregon. It's an adjustment!

And if there's one thing there is TONS of up here, it's secondhand furniture, so you'll have no problem furnishing your new place.

Hey, thanks, Kristy! 55?!? Adjustment is right.....even on the freeways? What area did you come from? And when did you move up there?

[skypros]

PhotoGirlie.... I moved to Crestline in 1989 then to Twin Peaks in 1993.... and then to Big Bear in 1999 I then moved to Eugene in 2008 (could not wait to get out of eugene)..... then to Bend-Sunriver next to LaPine State Park in 2009..... then out of the blue I decided to move back to Big Bear in 2011.... and Then moved back to Bend in 2012..... As I really missed Central Oregon
For 12 years I was a Satellite Dealer and worked the entire mountain.... so Yes I kinda know the area

Originally Posted by PhotoGirlie

Great guess, Skypros! More specifically, Lake Arrowhead........Do you know the area?

[PhotoGirlie]

Originally Posted by skypros

PhotoGirlie.... I moved to Crestline in 1989 then to Twin Peaks in 1993.... and then to Big Bear in 1999 I then moved to Eugene in 2008 (could not wait to get out of eugene)..... then to Bend-Sunriver next to LaPine State Park in 2009..... then out of the blue I decided to move back to Big Bear in 2011.... and Then moved back to Bend in 2012..... As I really missed Central Oregon
For 12 years I was a Satellite Dealer and worked the entire mountain.... so Yes I kinda know the area

What a small freakin world!!!! I live in Twin Peaks near 5 pts! Hahaha. Been on the mtn since 2003... really looking forward to getting out of here. Sooo tired of So. Cal.
So!!!.......Here's my big question: How is it there vs our mtn? Do you like it there a lot more? I'm still shocked there's someone in Bend from my little town, let alone on this forum. So crazy

[skypros]

I built a cabin on Mid Ln in Strawberry Lodge (over by the court house / Antler Inn / Mtn High Market)
TP vs Bend..... Very little if any fog, Usually we do not get much wind, It's Level here, People don't drive insane here, In TP there are a variety of trees / Shrubs.... Here not so much, It can get below Zero here (and has every year that I have lived in Central Oregon), I find it is hard to make friends in Central Oregon (in that matter the state as a whole, it was so much easier in Calif.... But people are very friendly here!!), We are a tourist town also..... but nothing like the bernardino mnts, Lots of outdoor stuff to do.... Hike, Bike, Rivers, Lakes, Ski, X-country ski, ETC, We have allot of gray skies fall / winter/ spring (and it gets old quick), Not very much snow here, BEAUTIFUL blue skies when clear, Although we do not have all the stores like a major city..... we have all the stores that we need, Most Restaurants are very good here (although, Mexican food is my favorite, there isn't any "good" ones in Oregon IMHO, but there are "ok" ones

If you would like, I can private message you on your move trip here..... as I have done it TWICE here, and ONCE to there (so I know where the 1/2 point of the trip is, where the gas is usually the cheapest, and how to avoid LA traffic and the Grapevine).

Originally Posted by PhotoGirlie

What a small freakin world!!!! I live in Twin Peaks near 5 pts! Hahaha. Been on the mtn since 2003... really looking forward to getting out of here. Sooo tired of So. Cal.
So!!!.......Here's my big question: How is it there vs our mtn? Do you like it there a lot more? I'm still shocked there's someone in Bend from my little town, let alone on this forum. So crazy

[PhotoGirlie]

Originally Posted by skypros

I built a cabin on Mid Ln in Strawberry Lodge (over by the court house / Antler Inn / Mtn High Market)
TP vs Bend..... Very little if any fog, Usually we do not get much wind, It's Level here, People don't drive insane here, In TP there are a variety of trees / Shrubs.... Here not so much, It can get below Zero here (and has every year that I have lived in Central Oregon), I find it is hard to make friends in Central Oregon (in that matter the state as a whole, it was so much easier in Calif.... But people are very friendly here!!), We are a tourist town also..... but nothing like the bernardino mnts, Lots of outdoor stuff to do.... Hike, Bike, Rivers, Lakes, Ski, X-country ski, ETC, We have allot of gray skies fall / winter/ spring (and it gets old quick), Not very much snow here, BEAUTIFUL blue skies when clear, Although we do not have all the stores like a major city..... we have all the stores that we need, Most Restaurants are very good here (although, Mexican food is my favorite, there isn't any "good" ones in Oregon IMHO, but there are "ok" ones

If you would like, I can private message you on your move trip here..... as I have done it TWICE here, and ONCE to there (so I know where the 1/2 point of the trip is, where the gas is usually the cheapest, and how to avoid LA traffic and the Grapevine).

Harder to make friends, huh? That sucks......I find it VERY hard to make friends here in California. Too superficial and everyone always trying to keep up with Jones'...It drives me nuts.......I have my select few friends that I've kept, and even they moved out of California. I'm one of the last ones left. Almost my entire family fled the state, as well. The people here, more than anything, disappoint me the most. I've been scammed and swindled by too many here. Looking forward to some fresh faces

Hey, I'm just happy to have "Stores"!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANYTHING is better than what we barely have here. A grocery store and 4 pathetic outlet stores that somehow survived the Village Apocalypse. More than half of the Village is empty storefronts now. I'm so SO tired of eating at the same 3 places. The "what should we do for dinner?" conundrum is one I surely won't miss once we have more options. Just to have a chain restaraunt within a few mins of me gets me more excited than most things, haha. I feel so remote up here, and I hate......and I mean HATE, driving down to San Berdo to get to anything. We go from beautiful mtn to one of the US's worste cities in the nation. It's gotten so bad, too. Right now, since the cop level is so low and the crime rate is out of control, they city issued an "Everyone fend for themselves" notice to all SB residents. Mainly, lock your doors and protect yourself, because law enforcement probably won't be able to. IMO this mtn is going down the toilet. Way more crime everywhere, especially in Ctown. My neighbor's were just burglarized and had a lot of valuable things stolen. 3 cars on my friend's street were vandalized and destroyed this summer. The FB forums on the area are full of people talking about how their house was broken into, or thier car, etc. Not to mention all of the halfway houses that are opening up on every corner here. Right in the middle of the neighborhoods in regular houses. I've gotten two notices saying one will be coming in within a mile of me, so I am to keep my doors locked at night and keep an eye out for any weird/ strange behavior. WHAT?!
A little off topic, I know, haha. Just explaining part of my reason for getting the heck outta here.

So happy to hear that there will be less fog. That's one of the banes of my mtn existence. I'd rather drive in a crazy snow storm than drudge through one more night of fog on hwy 18. I've almost died several times due to fog. It's so bad here sometimes.
Plus, less wind and flat driving. If I wasn't sold already, I am now

I would love to hear how your moves have gone! Any tips would be very helpful. This is will the first time Ive ever driven past Humboldt county Thanks!

[crazyme4878]

A tip for keeping food costs down: prepack food. I've moved across the country more than once (four?) and road tripped with kids on a budget too many times to count. I buy or prepare snacks and use them throughout the day instead of eating lunch somewhere (taking up time and money) or buying gas station snacks. I try to keep it pretty healthy (nuts, pretzels, apples, etc.), but also buy sweet stuff, since this is what I crave and will break me down faster than you can say Snickers!

Don't forget about shipping a box to yourself if you can't fit it all in. Send it in your name, "general delivery", Bend, OR. They will hold it for 14 days, I believe.

[creativekristy]

Wholeheartedly agree with crazyme4878 that there is no food in the middle of CA, except fast food. If you want to eat healthy, pack a whole cooler. We did the trip 4 times and for us, Sacramento or Redding were the halfway points (with Sacramento having way more food and hotel options), but we did make the drive in 14.5 hours one time, when we had our pets and didn't want to stop.

Also, instead of going up the 5 to Sacramento, if you can take the 99, you'll miss the big stinky stockyards and avoid a whole hour of the poop smell. The 99 smells a little, but it is a huge improvement over the 5!

[Hawk J]

They are talking about putting an "In N' Out Burger" in Medford.....hahaha.....

[PhotoGirlie]

Originally Posted by crazyme4878

A tip for keeping food costs down: prepack food. I've moved across the country more than once (four?) and road tripped with kids on a budget too many times to count. I buy or prepare snacks and use them throughout the day instead of eating lunch somewhere (taking up time and money) or buying gas station snacks. I try to keep it pretty healthy (nuts, pretzels, apples, etc.), but also buy sweet stuff, since this is what I crave and will break me down faster than you can say Snickers!

Don't forget about shipping a box to yourself if you can't fit it all in. Send it in your name, "general delivery", Bend, OR. They will hold it for 14 days, I believe.

Great tips, Crazyme! Thank you so much! the shipping idea is a good one if we run out of room!

Originally Posted by creativekristy

Wholeheartedly agree with crazyme4878 that there is no food in the middle of CA, except fast food. If you want to eat healthy, pack a whole cooler. We did the trip 4 times and for us, Sacramento or Redding were the halfway points (with Sacramento having way more food and hotel options), but we did make the drive in 14.5 hours one time, when we had our pets and didn't want to stop.

Also, instead of going up the 5 to Sacramento, if you can take the 99, you'll miss the big stinky stockyards and avoid a whole hour of the poop smell. The 99 smells a little, but it is a huge improvement over the 5!

Thanks, Kristy! I think we might stop overnight in Redding. I don't want to drive into Bend at night, especially if we run into any weather. I'll just be traveling with my cat.....how did that go for you? I'm worried about the litter box and bathroom situation..... can't just let him out in a parking lot to "go" like a dog. I've never gone more than 2 hours with him in the car. I found a few pet friendly hotels there, as well.
We bought a cooler just for our road trips....it has saved us so much in the past. Mainly to keep my drinks cold, haha. but we always pack sandwich stuff, too

Thanks for the awesome "smelly" tip! We'll have to do that!

I'm so excited to get there! Ready to play and ride in the snow!