Life at a "Swell's" pace

This is what we call the "tunnel of happiness" under SW Colorado Avenue near the Deschutes River in Bend Whitewater Park (Bend, Oregon). The tunnel follows the Haul Trail and is part of the Deschutes River Trail Project in the Old Mill District of the city. Tunnel artist is Tom Cramer and he created the explosion of color to help brighten your day. The outside of the tunnel was created by Sandy Klein and features spring flowers and birds prominent to the area, including Red-Winged Blackbird, Osprey, and Kingfishers, to name a few.

One more thing. This signage is in the bathrooms around a lot of the Bend parks. I wish all bathrooms would take note of this and add them to add bathrooms. Sometimes people at their lowest point use public restrooms either to go to the bathroom, or take some time to themselves to use, or contemplate their next moves. Just a subtle reminder of these could possibly save someone's life. If you are one of these people, please reach out. As much as it seems like it doesn't help, there is always someone that will do their very best to help you in some way. I've been there. It's hard and I understand. I am not ashamed anymore of my struggles and you shouldn't be either. Let's talk.

Most people we tell that we surf in the Deschutes River look at us like we're nuts. But, believe it or not, you can actually surf a wave here in Deschutes River at Bend Whitewater Park in Bend, Oregon, and I'll tell you, it's a blast. You get a least one minute on the wave each round, and sometimes longer, depending on who's behind you waiting.

This wave was created by Surf Anywhere/Jacob Kelly. It is 40 feet across and 3 1/2-5 inches high depending on the flow of water along the river at that time. It was a project brought together by the city of Bend in order to create a space at Bend Whitewater Park through the bridge for adventures to kayak, tube, surf, or even just to enjoy the river's flow through this area.