We’re Paige and Mason. The Bend Banner is our way of keeping tabs on this wild, beautiful place we call home. To the mornings that start with coffee and mountain air, the trails that somehow always lead to a brewery, and the kind of small-town stories that remind you why you chose to live here in the first place.

This week's sponsor is Gringo Language Academy. Started right here in Bend.

Most Spanish programs hand you an app and wish you luck. You do modules. You get streaks. You forget everything by Thursday.

Gringo Language Academy is built differently. Every week, you're learning with other students. Real people. Practicing together, not just watching videos alone at 11 pm, wondering if you're conjugating correctly.

And because it started here? There are local meetups here, too. In-person hangouts with Bend locals who are figuring it out right alongside you. Grab coffee. Butcher some verb tenses. Make a few friends.

Learning a language is hard. Learning it with your neighbors is a much better thing.

Check it out at gogringolingo.com

There's a place 30 minutes from your front door that people fly across the country to see.

You've probably driven past the exit a hundred times.

Smith Rock State Park sits in the high desert like it was put there on purpose. The Crooked River bends around the base of 800-foot walls of ancient volcanic rock. Eagles nest in the cliffs. Climbers dangle off routes with names like "Morning Glory Wall." And somehow, on a Tuesday in March, you can walk in and feel like you have the whole thing to yourself.

That's the part that gets you.

Not just that it's beautiful (it is, obviously, stunningly beautiful), but that it's ours. That we get to just go. No plane tickets. No hotel points. No planning. Just a thermos of coffee, a decent pair of shoes, and 30 minutes of highway.

The easy loop is about 1 mile, but Misery Ridge is the hike you want. It drops down into the canyon, hugs the river, climbs back up through the switchbacks, and rewards you with a view that stops you mid-step every single time. You'll see people from Tokyo and Berlin and Texas with their cameras out, trying to describe this place to someone back home. You'll nod at them and think: yeah, I know.

Spring is when Smith Rock is at its most alive. The scrub brush goes green. Wildflowers start poking through the basalt. The light in the late afternoon turns the rock face a color that doesn't really have a name. Something between rust and gold and the feeling of being exactly where you're supposed to be.

Go on a weekday if you can. Bring a dog if you have one. Pack snacks. Take the Misery Ridge route, even though your legs will hate you halfway up. The view from the top earns it every time.

And when you're standing up there, looking out at the Cascades lined up on the horizon like they've been there forever (because they have), just let yourself feel it.

We live here. This is our backyard. That never gets old.

🐶 Luna – 7 years, Chinese Shar-Pei/Saint Bernard 
Luna is friendly and affectionate and can’t wait to be a part of a new family. She is housetrained and has previously lived with young kids.

🐱 Domino – 1 year - Australian Cattle Dog/Mix
This 1-year-old Australian Cattle Dog is an absolute love bug who is ready to find his forever home.

🐶 Harley - 1 year- Pitbull/Mix
This sweet boy is just over a year old and still very much in his puppy era, playful, loving, and full of energy. Harley has been a little shy meeting new pups here at the shelter.

The Bend Banner is as local as it gets. Written here, for the people who actually call this place home.

No big media machine, no out-of-town editor guessing what Bend cares about. Just a weekly letter built from real conversations, real places, and real curiosity.

If you choose to support it, every bit helps me bring you more of the good stuff. The stories, the characters, the weird corners of this town that deserve a spotlight.

Appreciate you, friends. Thanks for being part of this.

Want more event tips every week? Follow The Bend Banner on Instagram.

Bachata Dance Classes – Beginner Level @ Foundation Health & Fitness | 7:30 pm

Follow the Beaten Path Film Screening @ Volcanic Theatre Pub | 6:30 pm

Paper Wings & Hannah Mayree @ Silver Moon Brewing | 6:30 pm

T5 Jazz @ The Commonwealth Pub | 7 pm

Irish Rainbow Paint & Sip @ The Bend Wine Bar | 6 pm

Tango in Bend @ Sons of Norway Hall | 6:30 pm

Nature Night: The Water Remembers @ Tower Theatre | 7 pm

Howard Hughes Live Music @ Mountain Burger | 6 pm

250 in the West: Back East @ High Desert Museum | 6 pm

Slow Flow Yoga & Sound Bath @ Hanai Center | 6 pm

Wheel Throwing for All Levels @ Camp Clay | 5:30 pm

The Pisces Party @ Silver Moon Brewing | 6:30 PM

John Lloyd Young @ Oxford Hotel | 6 pm

Mari & the Dream EP Release @ Silver Moon | 7 PM

'Til the Wheels Fall Off @ McMenamins Old St. Francis | 7 PM

Dr. Brady Smith Comedy @ Volcanic Theatre Pub | 7 PM

Makers Night @ Craft Kitchen & Brewery | 6 pm

OAS Ski For All @ Mt. Bachelor | 8 am

Hoodoo's Winter Carnival @ Hoodoo Ski Area | 9 am

St. Patrick's Day Dash @ Old Mill | 12 PM

Paper Flowers: Remembering Fleetwood Mac @ Silver Moon | 7 PM

Luck of the Irish Celebration @ Juniper Preserve | 4 pm

John Lloyd Young @ Oxford Hotel | 5 pm

512: The Selena Experience @ Tower Theatre | 7 pm

Possibly Irish @ The Domino Room | 7 PM

Comedy Show at the Moon @ Silver Moon Brewing | 7:30 pm

Irish Whiskey Dinner @ Currents Restaurant | 6 pm

Comedy at Craft Kitchen & Brewery @ Craft Kitchen | 8 pm

John Lloyd Young (Late Show) @ Oxford Hotel | 8 pm

Guided Snowshoe & Tracking Tour @ Wanderlust Tours | 8 am

Boneyard Backcountry Bars (w/ DJ) @ Mt. Bachelor | 11 am

Free Kids Ice Skating Party @ The Pavilion | 12:30 pm

BendFilm Gala @ Tetherow Event Pavilion | 3 pm

Lespecial @ Volcanic Theatre Pub | 8 PM

Mitchum Yacoub & Jungle Fire @ Tower Theatre | 7:30 pm

Until Next Week,

Paige & Mason

PS. Fields Farm (East Bend near Whole Foods) still has a few CSA slots open. Get some delicious local organic produce while supporting your neighborhood farm.