After hitching into Bend, Oregon from rainy and cold highway 20 I figured that I would hang around and see what the weather was going to do. If if looked like it might get better then I'd plan to finish Oregon. If it looked like it would get worse, I'd call it a hike for this year and go about the business of figuring out where to go and what to do next. Luckily for me, Bend has a healthy population of active couchsurfers, so I got into contact with two of them who invited me into their homes. The above photo is of the second place I stayed in town, up on Aubrey Butte, an ancient volcano. Well, everything in central Oregon seems to be a volcano, but it's neat to say.


Skinny little Bobcat after enjoying a nice shower. It seems that I can get myself clean but as for the stink in the foam pad of my backpack, I don't know if it will ever come out.


This is the first cool cat who hosted me in Bend. His home was south of town and the property was right against some federally protected land. Some of the ancient lava flows from the Newberry Crater area lay in jumbled black and gray piles right on the property, and amidst the lava he'd made little pathways with secret barbecue nooks and places to sit and read in solitude. Super nice guy, beautiful wood and stoen decorations throughout the house, and he treated me to a video and slideshow of his trip to Burning Man last year. Looks like something I'll probably do one of these years.


Leaves showing off outside of his house.