My husband and I and another couple are renting a place on the Deschutes River in bend for 5 nights in July. Their daughter lives out in Bend so we are visiting her and doing some hiking and relaxing. We were thinking of driving through Hood River on the way to Bend from Portland and maybe stopping at a winery. We don't have to be to Bend until the evening. After our 5 nights there, we were going to drive over to the coast to Newport and then up through the Willamette Valley and into Portland for the flight home. We'll have 4 nights after we leave Bend to split between Newport, Willamette Valley and Portland (not much time I know!) Any suggestions on lodging, or on wineries we should not miss or any other advice is appreciated.

I am sure the Bend people will have advice on what to do there- and there is a lot to do. I would do a river raft- the Big Eddy is a fun and easy one for sure. If you go to Sun River Resort, it's a great place to rent bikes- they have miles of paved trails. For a unique hike, try Smith Rock. It's best known for rock climbing but there are some interesting trails. It's actually closer to Redmond- but not a long drive.

Leaving Bend, I would head for the cute western town of Sisters maybe stopping for lunch. Take the McKenzie Hwy towards Eugene. There are some great places to spend the night if you want. Black Butte Ranch, the Metolius River are and Camp Sherman, the lodge at Suttle Lake. I luv the Metolius area.

I think one of the prettiest parts of the coast is between Florence and Lincoln City. Much to see and do. If you want to stop at a winery, not far off 126 between Eugene and Florence is one of my favorite wineries- Sarvers. If you happen to be coming through on a Fri night, there is live music until 10pm. One of my favorite spots.

At the coast my favorite stop is Devils Elbow State Park ( also known as Heceta Head) which is just north of Florence. There is a nice trail to the lighthouse and the lighthouse keepers former home is a B&B. If that interests you, it does book up early in the season.

In Newport I recommend Local Ocean for a restaurant.
Make sure you bring a fleece jacket as the coast can be chilly in the summer.

I think one of the prettiest hikes in Oregon is at Silver Falls State Park, east of Salem.
There are 10 waterfalls- some of the trails go behind the falls. You can swim at the base of some of the falls.

The possibilties are endless

Here are the wineries to check out: http://www.columbiagorgewine.com/visitors-guide.html
You may want to see the waterfalls easy of Portland including Multnomah before seeing the winery.
It is your choice as to whether you want to go up Rt. 35 on the east side of Mt. Hood or go to The Dalles and south on US 197 to get to Madras.
If you skip the winery in the Columbia Gorge, there are plenty around McMinville in the Willamette Valley.
While in Bend see the High Desert Museum and the Lavalands visitor center south of town.
Check and see if anything you want to see is at the Tower theater.
For a great view of the Cascades take Rt. 242 out of Sisters and stop at the Dee Wright Observatory at the top of the pass.

The Dee Wright is great, however it's up the Old McKenzie which is a windy twisty road and it takes a long time. It all depends on how much time you have I guess.

Thanks for the ideas. I wish we had more time!

Using US 20 it is 4 hours to Newport from Bend.
If you go over the McKenzie Pass on 242, count on 6-7 hours with the stop.
During your time in the Bend area, you might want to drive up to Dee Wright and then come back down to Sisters for lunch. Bronco Billy's in Sisters is a great place.