I met up with Sue, the mother of my friend Christine Stanley, in the late morning at REI. Sue was just returning from Portland and had graciously offered to put me up while I was in Bend. I felt super lucky to have a friend in town who could show me around, not to mention I was just plain happy to have someone to talk to after spending so much time with just myself and those little winged-vampires!
I was able to get some much needed gear at REI: new pair of hiking pants, bug shelter for day use, new socks, and other miscellaneous things. REI is my favorite store in the world no question. If you ever buy something there that does not meet expectations you can return it for a refund no questions asked.
Sue and I grabbed lunch at a nice riverside seafood restaurant. We watched hundreds of people float by on inner tubes on the Deschutes River. I was impressed by how well the city of Bend managed to control development of the river in a way that did not spoil its charms.
Sue took me back to her lovely home to clean up myself and my clothes. By the way, I was stinking pretty bad. It was nice to be in a place so clean and orderly after spending the last two weeks on the trail.
Later in the day, as Sue and I were making some dinner, I noticed that my throat was hurting. I took my temperature and sure enough I had a fever. Being sick wasn't great news, but at least I wasn't stuck in a tent on the trail with the same condition. I went to bed hoping that I would feel better in the morning.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Funny... I went rafting on the Deschuttes river in 1998 and our guide was smelly too! I blame the river.
ReplyDelete