Two full zeros in Bend was amazing! We ended up renting a car since this city is much bigger than most of the little towns we have been through. We wanted to be able to see as much of Bend as possible (which really means we wanted to try as many restaurants and breweries as possible!😜). Plus, then we were able to pick Maddie up from the airport and she will be able to drop us off back at the trailhead as well. We went to the highly recommended Victorian for breakfast on the first zero which was fabulous. I love champagne and blackberries, and as luck would have it, they have a blackberry mimosa! 3 sizes to choose from, so of course I had the large one…the “man-mosa”, amazing!

While Maddie took her Physiology final in the hotel room, Link and I went to REI to grab some stuff. Link picked up his new hiking shirt that has a hood like mine…super handy for cool mornings as well as when it’s bug central! We also got a new liter bottle for collecting dirty water (old one had a hole which I had to cover with my finger unless I wanted to get sprayed all over). Plus I got new shoes! I switched to Alta’s which makes me nervous since I’ve only hiked in Brooks Cascadias for the last 12 years or so. But Alta’s have a wider toe box which is what my feet really need right now, so hopefully all goes well these last 650 miles 😬

Then we grabbed Maddie and walked around the Old Mill District area right by the hotel and the Deschutes River. It was a gorgeous day!

View from our room!

We attempted to try a few different breweries for dinner, but it was a Friday night and with the social distancing rules, they were at capacity already. So we ended up at Pine Tavern which was tasty and I had the best hard pear cider I’ve ever had before. The second zero we started with Dutch Bros coffee which Maddie was really interested in trying. Then we went to another fan favorite breakfast spot, McKay Cottage…really cute and super yummy!

THEN…Maddie was craving an adventure. So we drove 2 hours to Crater Lake! Since it was our most favorite sight on the trail so far, we were absolutely game! It was so much more clear today, unlike the day Link and I were there when it was pretty cloudy. SPECTACULAR, as always!

I made Madz pet “my” flower
If you look closely, Link & Maddie are on the cliff on the right 😁

The afternoon consisted of Crux brewery and relaxing in the air conditioned hotel because it was 100 degrees outside…yikes!!

Later in the day we tried 10 Barrel Brewing, and then Mantis & Pants got into town! So we met them at El Sancho for super good Mexican food to celebrate Pants’ birthday which is tomorrow. I love that we get to keep seeing them in towns! Each time we say goodbye I never really know if it’s the last time…thank goodness that hasn’t been the case yet!

Well, we had a great couple of days off with Maddie, but we only have 652 miles to get to Canada so we gotta keep movin’ on! Back to the trail tomorrow and the last week of Oregon…woohoo! Credit for the blog title today goes to Maddie…very creative! 😁 Thanks for sharing our adventure with us…DoubleDown