Bend

We set off for Bend, OR late Wednesday afternoon to visit Aimee, a friend of Paul’s from Seattle living there. The drive brought us past Mt. Hood.

Once we left the mountains and drove through the lowlands of Central Oregon, the highway continued to offer beautiful views, with large arid cliffs to the left and the Cascades off to our right with Mt. Hood still visible. The sunset washed the sky in bright oranges, blues, and purples. The sun was setting just to the left of Mt. Hood. It was so beautiful, I made Paul pull over so he could see it also.

Shortly after arriving in Bend, I started to feel a sinus infection. That combined with the lack of sleep was making me cranky so we called it an early night. I crawled into bed and slept really well, though the next day, I felt even sicker. Damn. We had planned a float trip, but the weather had turned unseasonable cold for August and even a drizzled a bit so it became a great day to stay in bed and watch movies, which was fine with me and my mucus filled sinuses. I stayed in bed most of the day, missed happy hour downtown with Aimee and Paul. When they came back, we grilled up some steaks and corn for a great dinner. Afterwards, powered by Sudafed and ibuprofen, we went out disco dancing at the Bendistillery!

The car is packed, but empties a bit when Paul and I take out our clothes and stuff we need for the night. Paul drove, Aimee took the passenger seat, and I sat India style behind Paul. It was only a two mile drive, but that was enough to get pulled over by the coolest cop ever. After making a left we saw the red and blue flashing lights. The cop came to window and told Paul his back left blinker and one head light was out.

“I’m not going to give you a ticket, just wanted to let you know. But let me see your license, registration, and insurance.”

Back to his car, comes back, checks the car and says “Whoa, you’ve got a lot of stuff! Even have another person back there.” I got a little nervous with that, but still just let us off.

Coolest cop ever.

The Bendistillery makes its own gin and vodka, including several fruit infusions. I had the mango vodka and yes, it was delicious. Disco themed nights usually bring up notions of bad weddings for me, but the DJ kept is fun: Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, Car Wash, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson. When we arrived at 10, the place was empty, but filled up when a cycling club arrived after their ride. Paul and I danced and danced amid the locals dressed in their bell bottoms. Bend knows how to have a good time. The DJ didn’t wear out the disco fun. After about an hour, he played the Humpty Dance and then reggae…it worked though! With one night to see Bend, we didn’t stay much longer. We left for the Wall Street Grill and some dollar jello shots and ended the night at Velvet.

Velvet was a chill spot, slow for a Thursday from what we were told: hip décor, good sound system, two levels. Aimee ran into some friends and we chatted for a bit before heading home. We had thawed a chocolate pie and it was waiting, yes, it was delicious.

Bend seemed to be a great little snowboarding town. Vibrant downtown. Paul had seen Aimee a few times this past year since she’d left Seattle, but I hadn’t seen her in several years so it was great to catch up. Thanks for everything Aimee!

States visited: 2

Dogs met: 2

Cats met: 3

Necessary urinations in unauthorized locations: 0