HotelTonight – La Pine, Oregon Hotels Near You
Everywhere you go in Oregon, you're going to find something new. This is not one of those parts of the world where you can drive for hours and feel as though you haven't actually gone anywhere. Instead, it's just the opposite, in that driving through the state is exciting, interesting and intriguing to the point where when you reach the other side, you know you've been on a journey even if you haven't gotten out of your vehicle. I've done that many times, as I travel a lot for work. I've also passed through a lot of communities over the years that prompted me to wonder what life was like there. I never really got to answer that question, but on my last trip all of that changed. Some of my meetings canceled and others got rescheduled, opening up an entire day for me. I decided I was going to stop before my final destination and explore a place called La Pine. I hadn't been there before, but I looked forward to seeing it. I wasn't concerned about lodging, either, as I would book a La Pine, Oregon hotel room with my HotelTonight app when my day of exploration was done.
The Hiking
La Pine sits about 30 miles from Bend, which means that it has just about every sort of natural beauty going for it that you can imagine. If you look one way, you see mountains everywhere. If you turn around, you see rivers and streams cutting through pristine forests. I wanted to see all of this at once, so I jumped on one of the many hiking trails that lead out of town and stayed on it for a couple of hours. I don't know how many photos I took, but I hope at least a few of them do the beauty I experienced justice.
Downtown
La Pine may be a relatively young city – they dub themselves Oregon's Newest City as it was incorporated in 2006 – but when you walk around downtown you feel like you're sort of in the Old West or some other historical period. The buildings have facades that look like something from more than a century ago, and everything is very quaint, quiet and neat. The people who are out walking around all seem to know each other, which makes sense in a city of fewer than 2,000 people.
The Dining
I never expected to find several dining options in such a small community, but I did. I chose a Mexican restaurant that did not look fancy, but in my experience those are the best places to enjoy this cuisine. Once again, that theory held true. The carnitas plate I enjoyed was fantastic, and the tortillas had clearly been made right there and at some point during that day. The salsa was fresh and had a kick to it and the service was tremendous. It was a great dinner.
HotelTonight – La Pine, Oregon Hotels Are Available
I had really enjoyed myself that day, and now I needed a place to sleep. I opened my HotelTonight app and booked a La Pine, Oregon hotel room in seconds. That was remarkable to me considering where I was, but I couldn't wait to crash and head out the next day, happy with what I had done with my free time.