Lots of questions... Bend and Redmond are close. The whole area is high desert. It's a relatively flat area surround by mountains (the three sisters). Within the area you have snow in the winter and heavy winds throughout the year. Because it is flat, the streets are almost always accesible. However driving towards the coast or to Portland might not be possible at all times.
Bend is a very popular and hence expensive area (great brewery), so people with less income settle in the surounding areas, especially Redmond. Redmond is still significantly cheaper, but is catching up.
The area around Bend and Redmo nd is mostly farmers. The majority of which does not share the same values as people living in Bend or Redmond, especially those who moved there in the past decade, or so.
The airport is one of my favorites. It takes two or three minutes from entering the airport to go to the gate. The airport is right in the city of Redmond.
Expensive in Bend is housing, especially in areas like the old mill district, and going out, if you are into restaurants, bars, and the like. Cost of living is otherwise average ranging from Costco to Wholefoods.
Kayking can be difficult in the immediate area. Being in the high desert it is not like the are plenty of rivers in a bikable distance. There is the Deschutes that is in Bend, Tumalo Creek a bit outside and Crooked River that goes through Smith Rock and doesn't have a lot of water in the summer.