Day 6, 2022 - A Zero Day in Bend, OR

July 22nd

Beau woke me at 0500 whining so I put on some clothes and got him out for a stroll around the campground. It was still fairly quiet and the skeeters weren’t really active yet. I could here a small child talking with his mom in a tent with all the questions and wonder of being in nature in a tent.

Back in our trailer Runningbird was ready for coffee and was hungry again - a good sign. Coffee and two egg burritos in bed and she was happy. There are some times when going off Vegan a bit is necessary. After a leisurely start to the day and I had a sea-shower we were off for Bend. REI opens at 10AM so we headed that way with a plan to stop for cafe’ and use the internet. The mountain drive was again beautiful and there was a small lake in a beautiful shade of aqua with many paddle boarders already out.

Devil’s Lake off the Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway, Oregon

So Wow! I really hadn’t been to downtown Bend in over 20 years. What a change! When I was last there it was pickup trucks, cut-offs, t-shirts, and ball caps. Now it was stylish clothes, Ferraris and Porsches, and Tommy Bahama sunglasses. It looked more like Montecito or Santa Barbara than the Bend I knew. We didn’t find the Starbucks but the popular place for a latte’ was Sisters. It was definitely the place. Beau had a great time getting lots of petting, sniffing more than probably 4 dozen other dogs, watching the sparrows swoop down for fallen crumbs, and oh so many smells. Peggy went into REI to get new shoes, spork, a cup, and a new water filter. She also got to shop in a number of fancy dress shops while Beau and I chatted with so many folks who wanted to stop and visit.

Sisters Coffee at the Old Mill Mall, Bend, OR

Stacks of the REI Store at the Old Mill Mall, Bend, OR

From there we got help from Google Maps to find the Safeway to get a few groceries. Peggy even came out with a six-pack of beer. Runningbird is guessing it has a bite to it. Ha!

Vicious Mosquito IPA. Seems so appropriate.

Back at the Elk Lake campground Runningbird employed the picnic table to layout her supplies, groceries, and the contents of her backpack for re-organization. Beau crashed under a tree after all the excitement of the morning. And me? I’m ready for a nap. But, instead we all walked to the Resort and had an ice cream cone. They were out of vanilla so Beau had mango but it didn’t seem to bother him at all. We ordered veggie-burgers for dinner and while waiting walked down to the boat ramp. Runningbird wanted to let Beau off leash to play in the water. Hmmm, not a good idea but it was her choice. He immediately went into the “crazy puppy” mode and was all over the place. In the lake, after the guy paddling the inflatable raft, out of the lake, through the bark, rolling furiously in the dirt, around the beer garden, back in the lake, and on and on it went. Fifteen minutes went by and he was still making the loops. I went to get the food. Eventually Beau slowed a bit and the smell of food lured him close enough to grab hold. I can’t really blame him as it has all been on leash, in the truck, or in the trailer. He needed a bit of time in hyper-drive. Definitely more training needed.

Back at the trailer just after 7 PM, I put my head down on the bed and that was it. I was gone.