Travel / Outdoors

Travel news, consumer advice and trip reports for the Northwest and beyond.

Has the toilet flooded the house? Has your micromanaging new boss given you Stage 2 hypertension? For whatever reason, do you really need to get out of town? Here are three ideas to get you on the road:

The Old Mill District in Bend, Ore., hosts this weekend’s Bend WinterFest. (photo by Brian J. Cantwell / The Seattle Times)

GO SOUTH

Bend, Ore., is just down the road from Mount Bachelor ski resort, and Central Oregon has plenty of sporting things to do in winter, even if it just means touring Bend’s dozen craft breweries. This weekend, add Bend WinterFest, with an in-town extreme snowboard exhibition, snow sculpting, ice carving, fire arts, a motorcycle show and more. Friday-Sunday in the Old Mill District.

GO EAST

If that “beer” word caught your attention, keep reading. Several hours closer to Seattle, Leavenworth’s Icicle Brewing Co. hosts the town’s “first annual” Leisure Games, which basically sound like an excuse to drink craft brews (such as Icicle’s Khaos Kolsch and Dirtyface Amber), listen to the rocking bands Pickwick and Hot Bodies in Motion, eat and play indoor games. The website says the games “will challenge your ability to toss various objects underhand…(like) you would play at a BBQ or in a park.” Rule: All games must be played with drink in hand. 3-10:30 p.m. Saturday, $15 admission, beer $4, games extra, at Leavenworth’s Festhalle.

GO NORTH

Another sort of game is on around Stanwood and Camano Island, the Great Northwest Glass Quest, a glass-art treasure hunt from Feb. 15-24. “Clueballs” will be hidden at a variety of host businesses and in community sites around the Stanwood-Camano area.  Find a “clueball” and return it to the location identified inside for a limited edition glass “treasure” hand-blown by renowned glass artist Mark Ellinger. See the website for details.