I walked over for breakfast and found Bob & Nancy eating.  I asked if I could join them and we talked some more.  I bought their breakfast this time and they got the tip.  They said that they already told a few people back home about their encounter with Rat Bike Milo.  Bob had given me his work name badge last night and I put it on the front of my bike this morning.  They are riding to Salt Lake City to visit a relative and should have good weather.  Joni called me while we were sitting at the table and said that she would like to ride and meet me in Bend.  I suggested Diamond Lake and that was good.  When we got back to my bike there were a few ladies checking it out who were quite surprised to see me as the owner.  They pictured someone kind of scary.  I told the story about the two gal’s ashes that I am spreading around the country in my travels and one of them said that she wants me to do the same with her ashes.  Another one of the ladies told her that she wasn’t ready to be turned into ashes for quite a while.  We got a group picture and one of the ladies gave me a cool wooden handmade necklace with a wooden cross on it.  I put it on my handle bars after I showed her the wooden cross that one of my daughters made for me when they were three or four years old at Bible school.

When I was getting ready to go a guy came up and started to talk to me.  His name is Bill and he has been riding an Ultra around the country since May 11th.  He has ridden three and a half months and 20,000 miles so far.  He looked to be in his late 60’s.  He said that he went to Redwood Run #9 and did 6 or 7 more and stopped going and that he remembered seeing me at every one of them.  I told him that I was very proud of what he is doing and I will be on the road that long someday with my wife when the time is right.  He also said that he quit his job and sold his house and went riding!  He started in Santa Rosa, California, and he asks someone what’s cool to see wherever he goes.  I wish that I had more time to talk to him but I told him that I was going to meet my wife today and had to get going.  130 miles later and I got fuel in Bend and then off to Diamond Lake to meet my honey.  

She got there just a little bit before me and was reading a book.  We went to the café to eat lunch and enjoy the beautiful area.  We have often stayed at the lake in either the cabins and or the motel.  The summer stays provide a great place to take off from and ride the short 30 miles or so to Crater Lake and then ride the rim road around the famous lake.  There are great roads to ride on all around the whole area.  Diamond Lake is also a great place to go to during the winter for snow play (not on a motorcycle). We then went out to a picnic table by the lake to enjoy the spectacular surrounding beauty that the mountains and the lake have to offer.  There are almost always other motorcyclists doing the same thing that arrives from all over the states and the world.  After talking for quite a while we decided that it was time to go up to the dining room for some dinner.  The whole lodge system is well worth visiting as they have a lot of fun filled family things to do year round.  The dinner was very good and we got back to our room at about 9:30 p.m.  It was pretty cool knowing that I didn’t have to get up at dark thirty to start the long riding day off.  No alarm to set tonight!