Leaving Bend and Oregon for California

Hi there,
Bend is a lot like a dry and dusty Juniper-scented version of Bellingham on steroids. So I guess it's not much like Bellingham at all, except that it has massive opportunities for outdoor recreation and the restaurant culture is booming.

After 9 days of commiseration on why relationships fall apart, playing with Lucie and Nancy, and rest from the road, I met Caryl and Aundrea at Breitenbush for a night. What a beautiful place to be, so comforting to see  the forest plants again. Caryl and I took an amazing walk along the Pacific Crest Trail, and after toying with moving to Sandy because of it's excellent bookstore, where I picked up a copy of Jared Diamond's Collapse (don't worry, I also got some lighter subject matter - Toujours Provence) and a tearful goodbye, I came back to Bend to follow up on contacts at local and other goat farms in California. I'll let you know how it goes, and please send good vibes to the little red Honda.

Here's a few photos:

 How often do you get to pet a camel? This is in Waitsburg at a car show where I said goodbye and thanks to Mary, who along with Cathy, helped me so much.

 This is Mary with her dog, the friendliest looking Pom in the world.

 Nancy, Luci and I in Bend. Yes, Lucie, you are a rad princess girrrrl....

 Caryl and me at the end of our trip.

 Some super beautiful hike in camping along the Clackamas River after saying goodbye to Caryl.

I must have balanced that camera on the rock and ran in front of it 6 times to get this photo!