Friday, June 6, 2014

All’s Well In Bend

 

Common snowball bush.

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The cystoscopy went fine, in fact the test is a breeze. Not something I’d want to do every day, but really not uncomfortable in the least. The anticipation was much worse than the actual procedure itself, and it only took a few minutes. So my bladder (a place no camera should have to go) is healthy.

But, that still doesn’t rule out something going on in the kidneys, so I had a CT urogram this afternoon. Except for the IV and the dye injection, which caused a very disconcerting warm sensation, there was nothing to it either. But since it’s Friday afternoon I won’t hear from the doctor about the results until next week. No big deal, I will enjoy the weekend and will deal with whatever news I get. I’m confident it’s nothing.

We did get to go mountain biking on the Phil’s trail system just west of town. There are many miles of trails of varying difficulty, easy to get lost on when you’re new. But it seemed like every time we stopped to check the map some nice biker would go by and stop to ask if we needed help. We only did a 6 mile loop, which was plenty since there was some climbing involved. Coming back down was loads of fun, though, and the trail we returned on was one way going down so we didn’t have to worry about anyone coming towards us. I only had to stop once to let a fast guy pass me but Jim was way ahead of both of us. For an old guy he is a crazy fool on downhill runs and just loves it. I’m rather cautious, especially on a trail for the first time until I know what’s ahead. Jim just lets it rip, which is why he falls more than I do!

Art on the trail.

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Last evening we went for another walk downtown and along the Deschutes River, starting at Drake Park. There are some lovely homes on the river, a great location to live but probably pretty pricey.

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Then it was time to try another brewery, this time Mcmenamins Old St. Francis Pub, located in an interesting old Catholic schoolhouse in downtown Bend. Very good beer and a decent vegan hemp burger.

After leaving the imaging center late this afternoon following my CT scan we dropped off an old computer for recycling at Best Buy, then decided it was time for happy hour and another brewpub. There are 19 breweries in Bend alone, so it will take some time to check them all out!  Riverbend Brewing Company was on our way home, so that’s how we chose it. Again the beer was very good. I think Jim liked the Coconut Porter a little better at Mcmenamins last night, but the Riverbend Stout he had tonight was quite tasty. I like really hoppy IPAs and so far I don’t think I’ve ever met one I didn’t like, no matter who’s brewing it.

We have a little creek right next to where we are parked. Every day we see this family of ducks float by. Actually we aren’t sure if it’s the same family.

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They spotted me outside with Sophie so they took a land detour on the other side before getting back in the water.

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We hope to do some more biking and maybe hiking this weekend. More beer tasting is also a real possibility. The weather has just about been perfect here and we are glad to be back in low humidity after our time spent on the damp coast.

18 comments:

  1. Bend is a neat place. It's probably wiser to take it easy on unknown trails. Hope your tests come out OK. Speaking of the coast, I'm at the Oregon Dunes NRA tonight.

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    1. We visited Oregon Dunes on our first visit to the state in 2009. Very impressive!
      There seem to be a lot of bloggers in Oregon this summer.

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  2. Congratulations on a clean bladder. (Does that sound weird?)

    Oh my gosh, I just said to Paul on Wednesday, I need to find somewhere to recycle these two old computers. I didn't know BB did that. I will call and see if ours will take ours. Thanks for the idea.

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    1. Jim did remove the hard drive before we took it to Best Buy. Here is a link to their recycling program. That is where we always take old phones, batteries, computers, etc.
      http://www.bestbuy.com/site/global-promotions/recycling-electronics/pcmcat149900050025.c?id=pcmcat149900050025&type=category&DCMP=rdr0000181&id=pcmcat149900050025

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  3. I'm enjoying these posts about Bend as there's a small chance I might be in that area next summer.

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  4. I'll be thinking of you as you await the test results. Only good energy! Isn't it wonderful to have some pleasant weather to enjoy?

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  5. Glad the tests weren't uncomfortable and that you'll get good results, Gayle. I can remember running downhill when I was a kid and not being able to stop. I can't tell you why we did it, but we did and it usually resulted in some bruises and scrapes! Jim must have good balance. Glad you're still enjoying my favorite state.

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  6. Your last couple of blog entries have been awesome since this is one of my favorite places in the world!! The trail system there for mountain biking is great (the Phil trails are so much fun with not too many climbs if you know which direction to head). If you haven't hit this one, I'd highly recommend the Deschutes Brewery tour (I'm a huge Porter fan and their Black Butte Porter is off the charts!....

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    1. The Deschutes tour is on our list! We are definitely planning to go back and ride more of the Phil's trails.

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  7. Glad you got a god result from your bladder test. Sounds like you're having a great time in a wonderful area. We love Drake park - Bend is a great little city. There are lots of guided raft trips down the Deschutes so if you get too hot, try that. Tons of fun!

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  8. Which trail is downhill only? One of the things, other than prudence and old skin, that keeps me from really going fast is the fear of hitting someone riding up. We generally go down via Phil's, it's got some nice swoopy bits. Have you done Whoops? We missed it last year, opting for Storm King, instead. It's all good, though, except for the black diamond trails. I am just not good enough for that. Your RV parking looks really good. Glad the procedures are not too daunting.

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  9. It appears that now Ben is one way up and Phil is down. We picked up Phil off of KGB. We have not done Whoops but we aren't done yet.

    Know what you mean about old skin but I think Gayle exaggerates a bit about how fast I go down. I do love it but I don't think I am taking too much risk. My falls are generally going up and much slower.

    Jim

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  10. You can't beat Bend for all the breweries they have. Great stuff!

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  11. Glad your test results were okay! If you're checking out breweries be sure to go to Crux - that was our favorite one when we were there. Bend is one of favorite places!

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  12. Glad the tests went ok. The waiting is always the worst for me. You have the right attitude about it and I'm really hoping your results will show no problems. I am such a chicken about down hill on a bike. Now way I can go whizzing. Speed is the one thing I guess I"m a bit afraid of.

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  13. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

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  14. After a brief motorcycle visit to Bend and then, Hans and Lisa's wonderful stay, and now yours. This is a place that is on our short list of must get back there to spend some time.

    Glad to hear test #1 went well with good results. Hope test #2 results returns the same:)

    Tell Jim to take it back a little. Bones heal slower at this "young" age!!! Be careful out there.

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  15. Fingers crossed on those test results.

    So glad you are enjoying Bend, there is so much outdoor stuff to do there I would love to live there! The winters are mighty cold though...

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