Homeward traffic jams cap busy Sisters weekend

It was a beautiful day to end Memorial Day weekend, but it did not end without some traffic.

According to several people in Sisters, the traffic from Bend to Sisters and on to Santiam Pass was bumper to bumper Monday afternoon.

It cleared up as the afternoon turned into evening.

Sisters’ Pumphouse and Country Store gas attendant Jim Hopwood said they were insanely busy all weekend. The store said their sales tripled over the weekend.

While traffic may have been bad leaving town, business owners welcomed the crowds.

“Today there was a lot of traffic, and it was backed up for an hour to Bend,” Hopwood said. “Some of the people said this is the worst traffic they’ve ever seen.”

And travelers saw the same thing over Santiam Pass.

“Going west from Bend to Portland, starting five miles west of Hoodoo, cars were backed up maybe crawling at 20 miles an hour, and they were bumper to bumper all the way to here, about Sisters,” said Mark Meyer, who was traveling back to Bend. “Then it started to open up. It would be maybe six to seven hours from Bend to Portland.”

All those cars meant one thing for Central Oregon: A lot of travelers and potential shoppers, which Sisters businesses welcomed with open arms.

“Last year the smoke was horrible (from wildfires) so we are really excited for this summer, and hopefully there’s no fires this year,” said Michaela Cornis, who works at Martolli’s Pizza of Sisters.

The beautiful weather and crowds of visitors made everyone excited for this summer.

“It was constantly full of people, and our sales were the best it’s been each day this weekend in 20 years,” said Garden of Eden Gifts Manager Brooklyn Haken. “Last year, it was really busy — until all the smoke hit. So, it kind of died down. But I think this year is going to be one of the best summers we have had in a long time.”

Lines of cars were still traveling west through Santiam Pass Monday evening, heading home from a blue-sky weekend on the High Desert.