Day 2 of 14.  Last night it started a little chilly in the tent.  Then, chillier.  Then, dang cold!  I had to add a layer to my legs and put my down vest on inside the mummy bag.  I was plenty toasty then.  By the time I woke it had dropped to 40 degrees in Shasta City.

I was up early with the sun and struck the entire campsite and packed it in the Subaru by 7:00am.  Through the trees, I could see a gleaming white Mt. Shasta still covered with a thick layer of snow from a long hard winter.  I thought it might be nice to find some coffee and have a little morning picnic somewhere enjoying a clear view of the splendor.

I Googled “Coffee Shop” on Google Maps and selected my target java joint in Shasta.  It was called Yaks.  Looked like there were some interesting baked goods as well.

As I entered the establishment, I experienced the new deregulated California.  This guy in shorts, a bandana, and dreads coming out was lighting up his cannabis as I was going in.  My friendly weed toting friend held the door for me as I entered displaying a very mayoral gesture seemingly to make sure the town portrayed a welcoming ambiance.

Upon my arrival, it was bustling with no lack of local characters of all types.  Older guys were in the back on laptops.  These were clearly gentleman who were not into blending into society.  They lived here on purpose with purpose.  Who knows what their backgrounds or foregrounds were.  They could have been poets.  They could have been former CEO’s who cashed out and moved out.  They could have been a local professor.  The list of “could have beens” was endless.

Near them was a gigantic community board.  It was full of answers to life.  Spiritual opportunities, meditative, crystals, etc.  If you were seeking something off the beaten path it was likely available on this board.

The younger local mountain town crowd and tourists were in the front.  Some of the local youth were having a study group, and others were just hanging out.  Additional wayward youth were parked sitting on the sidewalk (On the sidewalk mind you.  Not on chairs.) in front of the shop seemingly wanting to be part of the scene, but obviously had a barrier to entry of some sort possibly due to finances, maybe a ban from the establishment, or possibly they were just waiting on a friend such as the self-acting mayor of weed I met earlier.

I ordered my coffee after staring at stacks of giant cookies and baked goods.  She handed me a cup and directed me to a shelf of air pots where there were three selections of brews.  I went for the Ethiopian medium, walked back to my car, and drove up to the street into a dead-end residential area with a clear view of the mountain.

I then popped the hatch, opened the cooler and proceeded to enjoy my coffee, yogurt out of the cooler, fresh banana, and a granola bar in the morning sunshine with the snowy mountain grandeur sitting on the back of the Subaru.  An excellent start to the day.

Stage 1 of my intended day was to drive to Crater Lake and check the box on a 35-mile route around the lake with 4,200 feet of climbing.  An epic ride around a true natural phenomenon that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama.  It would be about a 3.5-hour drive over 150 miles with stops.  This route took me through a combination of mountains, national grasslands, and small logging towns.

Upon my arrival at the entrance to this National Park, the temperature was hovering in the low 50’s and the chance of precipitation said 20%.  A percentage I was willing to chance and temperature I could tolerate.  However, as I approached the ranger at the entrance I could see a small whiteboard that announced the East Rim section of the road was closed due to snow from the winter dashing my dream of riding around the lake.  There was so much, they still had not been able to clear it.  I confirmed this with the friendly park ranger and proceeded to climb up to the visitors center and lodge to view the lake anyway since I had always wanted to see it.

On the way, I thought maybe I would ride around the section of the rim road that was still open.  However, once I arrived my motivation was muted further by an air temperature of 39 degrees and it was actually snowing.

I pivoted my expectations from riding the lake to a more typical tourist experience peering over the side of the crater and reading the educational placards regarding the lake.  But first, it was lunchtime.  I made a turkey sandwich to-go on the wheel of my tri bike that I had put inside to protect the electronics from the elements.  I then set out walking and munching around the park grounds.

Crater lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet.  Scientists consider it to be the clearest and cleanest lake in the word.  This produces amazing views of blue water.  It is only fed by rain and snowfall.  The maximum season snowfall was in 1933 with an incomprehensible 73 feet!  This year it recorded the 7^th highest snow accumulation on record which almost buried the four-story Crater Lake Lodge!

As I walked around with my sandwich, I noticed some interesting vehicles parked along the way.  They were mostly old race cars with emblems on them that said “The Great Race.”  As I talked to a few of the owners, they were on race from Riverside California to Tacoma Washington.  All cars had to be vintage pre-1975 and the winner would get $50,000 of the total $150,000 prize purse.  Your total time to complete each stage of the day is factored against a multiplier which corresponds with the age of your vehicle.  Older cars, therefore, get a little handicap help.

After a few more snow flurries, finishing my sandwich, gazing at the lake from different vantage points, and checking out the old lodge it was time to move on to my next stop in Bend, Oregon.

As I began to drive around the park on my way to Bend, I encountered more examples of the snow impact with more flurries and snow banks that flanked the road.  That descended into more small logging towns until I passed Sunriver and Mt. Bachelor and rolled into the hipster, outdoors enthusiast, and wealthy retirement haven called Bend.

My intended immediate destination was a hostel called Bunk + Brew.  It was an old brick building turned into a hostel.  After you check in they walk you to the beer fridge and handed you a bottle or can of local craft beer as a little welcome.  My host was Matt who ushered myself and two other “Bunkers” around the house showing us the kitchen with the “help yourself” morning breakfast food, dining, and relaxing areas, and the outdoor communal area complete with a deck, hammocks, and fire pit.

It was explained to us that this area can be used by anyone including smokers and you can also enjoy your Oregon legal weed there as well (A feature likely not as commonly available, or at least promoted, at the Hampton Inn I would guess.)  The ambiance and furnishings quality reminded me solidly of a house I would have lived in at college.  Competing with The Marriott was not the goal of this business.

Since I did not go on my ride at Crater Lake, it was only 3:30pm.  A quick check of my weather app showed that sundown was not until 8:30pm in the evening.  It was sunny and almost 80 degrees out so I quickly downloaded a cycling route around Bend and suited up.  I would not be denied my velo experience this day!  I dressed, sunscreen, and checked with my host Matt how to get to the park downtown where my route started.  He pointed to the street out front and said go four blocks.  I did as he said and just a block before the route started I passed a big banner across the street and a blocked road where it announced the daily stage finish line for my friends from The Great Race!

Finally, on my way on my bike, I noticed early that it was taking me on what was called a Scenic Bikeway.  Later I learned it was the Twin Bridges Scenic Bikeway.

I meandered initially through some really cool neighborhoods with great architecture until I started to roll through the more rural country.  Within about 8 miles I was well into small ranches of 5 to 40 acres with horses, livestock, some crops, and some amazing houses here and there.

At about mile 18 I noticed to my left was a large storm rolling in from Mt Bachelor.  I also noticed to my right a similar situation was forming coming in from Sisters.  The wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping.  Knowing that I was on an out and back route, my only option was to go faster and try and outrun the inevitable.  I kicked up my pace more into a survival mode per mile speed.  Keep in mind, it was 80 when I left so I did not bring additional outerwear such as a jacket.  Just bike shorts and a typical bike jersey.

It didn’t take long and I felt the first impact.  It was hail and there were virtually no options to take cover as now I was very much in a rural area.  I had never experienced hail touching my bare skin until this moment at age 55.  It really hurts!  Logically, ice flying down from miles in the sky would do that.  Still, it was not fun, nor were the particles hitting me in the head between the holes for ventilation in my bike helmet.  It didn’t last too long, fortunately.  I would get pelted with hail two more times before I returned to the Bunk + Brew.  However, I never got caught in a downpour.  Just a few rain drops here and there.  If nothing else, that was probably the fastest 36-mile ride in my life!

After a shower and tossing my bag on my bunk (The top bunk in a room with six other people that is), I headed back downstairs to find my host Matt and get that free beer he promised me from the beer fridge.  In addition to the free Silver Moon Brewing Ale, he said that until 10:00pm I can always purchase more for $2 each.  Who would have known that the Bunk + Brew would be the most affordable bar in town?

I sipped down my Silver Moon Brewing Ale as I felt the alcohol effects seep in quickly thanks to little nourishment over the past few hours riding my bike at high speeds for fear of more hail damage.  I decided to walk around downtown Bend on a portion of their self promoted “Ale Trail.” Silver Moon was first on the list.  Matt had said a number of guests and employees had just headed over there because it was trivia night.

I walked through the doors of Silver Moon and it was out of control packed with trivia in full mode.  This was not the experience I was looking for.  I was in the mood for sampling some quality hops and food and there was no way that was going to happen in short order in that environment.

My next stop was one of my favorite breweries going way back called Deschutes.  To get there, I ended up walking down an alley that took me to the back of the establishment.  To my surprise, there three or four tents set up back there and a live band playing.  There didn’t seem to be a way to get in from that vantage point, so I went around the front.  As I entered, I saw a sign that said they were having a 31st-anniversary luau.  I waded through a packed restaurant and bar/tasting area filled with locals and tourist before I found a hallway that took me back to the party.  I discovered that most of the people back there were Deschutes employees.  The rest of the people in the brewery didn’t seem to know that it was back there or were looking for a different experience like dinner with friends.

They missed out.  The band was great, the beer was cheap, the conversation was great, and a heaping plate of pork, rice, and cold mac salad was only $6!  I got a pint of my favorite Black Butte Porter, a pork plate, and I was in heaven listening to the band and meeting Deschutes employees.

The first couple I met pointed out the big photo on the wall featuring the founder brewing beer back in the day wearing old school 80’s OP short-shorts.  Others told me a few other stories as well.

After that, I looked into the Bend Brewery but there wasn’t much interesting on the menu so I headed over to one of my favorite pizza places called Pizza Mondo that I remember from many years ago when I had visited before.  I picked up a slice as they were closing.  I was going to get a whole pizza to bake back and share with my Bunk + Brew friends, but they had already shut down the oven.

Back at the Bunk + Brew I was very much on the tired side and was ready for bed.  It was about 10:00pm now and the backyard scene was starting to get more social and herb-induced.  There were two women giggling holding a huge bag of marshmallows and trying to scrap together chocolate and graham crackers to make smores that would satisfy their munchies.  Yes, the majority of the guests were in their twenties.  Keep in mind my bunk only cost $40 for the night including the beer and the breakfast.  The perfect price for a young person traveling and access to a backyard weed scene if that is their thing.

I climbed up into my bunk not knowing if I could work my 55-year-old body back out of that thing later and dozed off easily.  Later into the night, my five roommates wandered in and were as respectful as they could be digging into their backpacks and duffle bags ending day 2 of the Hack-bbatical with another successful series of new experiences and brushes with people from many walks of life!