Twisted Tour Guide : Central Oregon

Evade the Tourist Herds and Enter Into An Insider's Central Oregon.

Renowned and unknown history, hidden delights and fascinating stories pervade the history of central Oregon. This kaleidoscope of discovery, architecture, personalities, egos, scandals, conflict, are surrounded by sheer natural beauty creating a vivid tapestry defining over nearly two centuries.

This guide transports you geographically and photographically to the precise famous and infamous locations where history occurred. The scenes may sometimes appear ordinary, weird, but often illuminate the physical background and descriptions behind events. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true.

This Twisted Tour Guide is your alternative to conventional travel. It accommodates the restless visitor, tourist and resident seeking a unique and different perspective to traditional tourism. Central Oregon remains one of the most naturally stunning, beguiling, historic and fascinating regions within the United States. Welcome to one on the most useful, eclectic and enlightening introductions.

NATURAL WONDERS

Devil's Churn, Oregon Sand Dunes National Park, Devil's Punchbowl, Paulina Falls, Hosmer Lake, Green Lakes/Soda Creek Trail, Sparks Lake, Devil's Lake/South Sister Trailhead, Elk Lake Resort/Guard Station, Cultus Lake, Yaquina Head, Corvallis Riverfront, Tahkenitch Creek, Seal Rock Wayside, Neskowin Beach and Spinreel Campground

INFAMOUS CRIMES, CRIMINALS AND MURDERS

Jeremiah Mahoney, Delaney House Murder, Prineville Frontier Justice, Alonzo Tucker's Lynching, Lava Lake Campground Murders, Serial Killer Richard Marquette, Jerry Brudos, William Scott Smith, Bobby Jack Fowler, John Charles Bolsinger and Ted Bundy, Judi Reeder, Mary Jo Templeton, Dick Kitchel, Holly Holcomb, Diane Downs, Michael Francke, Thomas Lauri and Barbara Cunningham, Harry Charles Moore, Kip Kinkel, Christian Longo, Brooke Wilberger, Officer Chris Kilcullen, Chris Harper-Mercer, Kaylee Sawyer, Jason Scott Williams, Jonathan Peters, Dr. Craig Jackson and Bend Safeway Mass Shooting

HISTORICAL AND EXCEPTIONAL ARCHITECTURE

J. K. Gill Building, Reed Opera House, Adolph Block Building, Busick Building, Gray Building, Capital National Bank Building, Deepwood Museum and Gardens, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Eldridge Block Building, Grand Theatre, Oregon Building, Bowman Historical Museum, Bend Old Stone Church, Masonic Building, McGilchrist Building, Liberty Theatre, Hayward Field, St. Francis Church, Elsinore Theatre, Capitol Center, Tower Theatre, Animal House Filmed Landmarks, Brook-Scanlon Mill Complex, Wildland Fire Fighter Monument, Old St. Francis School, Bend 65 and 69 NW Newport Avenue Building and Newport Whale Bones Sculpture

SCANDALS

Ladd and Bush Bank, John Newton-Williamson, Fairview Training Center, Bull Flat Dam Fiasco, Congress Apartments Bombing, Mass Poisoning at Oregon State Hospital, Eugene Ferry Street Village, Desert Sun Development, Summit Accommodators and Oregon Representatives Mike Nearman

NOTABLE PERSONALITIES

Klondike Kate, Elisha Barnes, Conde McCullough and Former Bend Mayor Craig Coyner III

RENOWNED BRIDGES

Van Buren Street Bridge, Cape Creek Bridge, Umpqua River Bridge, Yaquina Bay Bridge, Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge, Bullards Bridge and Beach and Marion Street Bridge

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions.

He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86.

Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com.

Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography.

His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism.

He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.