Miles of birthdays

We drove over to Bend yesterday. Although I've been here a couple of times this summer, Jon hasn't been here since last December and he hasn't seen Whitney and Micah's new Bread LaVoy operation. He also wanted to get in a couple of higher elevation bike rides in preparation for Cycle Oregon which starts next weekend. Whitney was somewhat taken aback at Jon's tired face and thin body. Other people have told him he looks tired, too. He says he is sleeping well enough, but undoubtedly the stress of the last few months has taken its toll on him. He has also been putting in many miles on his bike which can be harder on a 61 year old than on a younger man's body. Although she is still alive, I know in my heart that Jon is also grieving the loss of his mother. And his sister. Today would have been Bonnie's 53 birthday. Since Daniel's birthday is Sept. 10, we often celebrated Dan and Bonnie's birthdays together when Dan was younger, usually over Labor Day weekend.

I decided to go with Jon on Cycle Oregon, not as a rider obviously (I don't even own a bike) but as a guest. I'll sleep in the tent with him and have breakfast and dinner at the campsite, but otherwise I'll drive from campsite to campsite each day doing my own thing. I think this trip will be really good for both of us to get completely away for a week with just the beauty of southern Oregon's back roads with us.