The arid landscape east of the Cascades differs dramatically from that on the lush, wet western side. Crossing the mountains, you enter a high-desert plateau with scrubby buttes, forests of ponderosa pine, and mile after mile of sun-bleached earth. The booming resort town of Bend is the most prominent playground in central Oregon, but within the region are dozens of other outdoor recreational hubs, many of them blissfully uncrowded.
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