Sisters, OR Rest Day

Miles: 3.6
Total Miles: 1028.2

The first thing we saw on getting up this morning was about 15 mule deer next to the parking lot! A motel employee had just dumped several piles of corn to feed them and they all came trotting over for breakfast. The chipmunks and ground squirrels also had a great meal!

Coming in for breakfast

Kathie and I also ate breakfast early and then did chores like bike cleaning and maintenance. I have noticed several loose screws on the bike after all the rough pavement of the last week. They are now all tightened up, ready for the next ride tomorrow. Tomorrow, we will be riding across McKenzie Pass, the last big pass on the trip (I think) and will be leaving the Cascades behind and heading for the Pacific coast. The trip is rapidly coming to the end with 7 more days of riding and one more rest day.

I was going to walk downtown but decided that I would ride since it was almost a mile! I visited the quilt shop again but did not buy anything at all. Oh what self control! The shop was awesome with samples, patterns, fabric packs, and books but I resisted! After I met Kathie, her sister, and niece downtown, we ate lunch together, and then I headed back to the motel to meet Nola for our trip to Bend.

ANOTHER picture of the Three Sisters!

She had said that I could bring another cyclist if I wished so I asked several people if they were interested. Only Valerie said she would like to go, though several others had already arranged a ride to the High Desert Museum.

The museum was fantastic! It housed both indoor and outdoor exhibits including an old sawmill, an 1880’s homestead ranch, a Native American Camp, otter exhibit, and a raptor center. Inside were galleries with Indian artifacts, and multiple other galleries and exhibits. It was really a wonderful afternoon and not nearly as hot as yesterday. As we were getting ready to leave, there was a bluegrass band playing in the alcove where we were in the museum. Apparently, they are playing for an event tomorrow and were testing out the acoustics. It was delightful to hear music that reminded me of home!

Willow branch corral, how they made enclosures before barbed wire

Anne and Nola in front of the wire horse sculpture

I guess Carolyn had enough museum for the day

Nola then suggested that we go eat at a restaurant on the Deschutes River, which runs right through Bend, OR. We had a nice Italian meal on the river on an outdoor patio. It was a wonderful evening with a quick visit to REI and a little window shopping. I enjoyed my day off thoroughly and it was nice to catch up with my friend. After dinner we had a short tour of Bend and then came on back to the motel. Thanks for the day, Nola. I hope you get to Tennessee sometime! Our door is always open.

Sunset picture of the Three Sisters