Day 4: Bend, Rain, and Reflection

I woke up on Rusti’s couch this morning to a quiet house— Rusti was up early and headed out to walk Piper. I didn’t want to inconvenience her, so the first thing I did was look for a hotel for my next destination.Before leaving, I wanted to thank her properly by taking her out to lunch.

We left Piper behind and took Max with us. First, I made a quick stop at Costco to check on buying a new iPhone, but as I suspected, they only ship to your home, so that plan was a bust. Lunch turned out to be a small Mexican food place—the only minority I saw in town besides myself. The food was delicious, the warm breeze hitting my face made me feel like I was on vacation in Cancun. It was a small, perfect moment of joy.

But the weather had other plans. As we left lunch, dark clouds rolled in and the drizzle became a storm. By the time we returned to Rusti’s, thunder rumbled, lightning streaked the sky, and rain poured down in sheets. Rusti was nervous, but I found it exhilarating. Ashley got a much-needed rinse after collecting bugs on the hood, fender, and windshield from our drives.

It was too late and unsafe to push on to Vancouver, WA, so Rusti graciously offered for me to stay over again. Her husband won’t be back until after the weekend. We spent the afternoon chatting and doing some positive reinforcement dog training with Piper and Max as they had gotten a bit uneasy around each other. We talked until 3 a.m., barely sleeping three hours, catching up on everything and nothing all at once.

As I reflect now, I realize I didn’t really get to experience Bend, Oregon. Between the errands, the storm, and the endless conversation, the town itself stayed mostly out of reach. But in its place, I experienced something just as meaningful: friendship, laughter, and connection—the kind that makes the miles worth it.