Shady van lane

Hello Everyone, 

"Where are you guys camping tonight?"

"We scoped out a spot earlier today just past the Phil's trailhead."

"Oh, Shady Van Alley. Yeah, that's a nice spot."

"?"

"It's where you often see shady guys in camper vans. Don't worry though, shady for Bend isnt that shady."

As much as I love this town, that wasn't super reassuring. We did stay there, and it was beautiful, but I kept an eye peeled when I went out to the bushes in the middle of the night. 

So far, we've been fortunate to avoid any mechnical problems despite the amount of riding we're doing, but yesterday we encountered a few issues. Specifically, a broken stem, a busted brake lever, a wonky dropper post and a flat tire. We patched it together enough to keep going, but this morning is given over to repairs. Tonight I'll try my hand at cutting a hydraulic brake line. What's the worst that can happen?

We rode in the afternoon with a couple Marie had met when she was in Bend a few years ago. They showed us some cool trails, then we went to a fun local brew pub. It was a great afternoon and evening. Those are the guys who told us about where we were staying.

The guys we met at the brewery, friends of the couple we biked with, were just returning from a snowmobile outing in the mountains around Bend. This is kind of place where you can do snow sports and summer sports in the same day. It's also the kind of place where you see little girls wearing fairy dresses overtop of their scuffed up riding pants. 

You can be whatever you want, sister. 

Wes