May 8th
PCT mile 266
Today’s mileage: 0
Big Bear Lake got roughly 3 inches of snow last night. We’re glad we’re in town. We intend to buy food today for 5.5 days to Wrightwood.
We enjoyed a Mexican restaurant for lunch, and then meandered over to a Walgreens and a Vons. We both bought $5 blankets to help augment our sleeping bags for the next several nights. We briefly stopped in to the main backpacker’s hostel. The guy running it definitely had a grudge against the hostel we were staying in. We both felt that our hostel was much better value for the same price. We returned again to Murray’s for another hilarious final night of karaoke. Being that it was Friday night, the place was slammed and it brought out all kinds of talent. One girl sang her signature song, Redneck Girl, twice…including with a wardrobe change. Another local sang his signature Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Lil Jon’s Get Low, much to the delight of the entire room.
I asked the barkeep if she could tell me what the question mark tap handle was. That was only $1.50, while the rest were typical $5 range. She said, “Why no…that’s the mystery beer. I can tell you, though, that it won a blue ribbon…”
Hey Husk –
Looks like a great place to take a couple of zeroes! I’m home from Bend. They’re closing Mt. Bachelor on Sunday – earliest in decades. They had the all-time lowest snowpack this year there (though the snowfall was only the fourth lowest). Bend’s big race coming up next weekend – “Paddle-Pole-Peddle” – they’re canceling the “Pole” (cross country skiing) part of it and substituting a footrace. No snow. I know that you have more pressing concerns at this moment, but I just wanted to let you know that things are clear up here. Hang in there! I hope that rest and maybe reducing your mileage for a few days will help your legs and achilles.
I have to say that the photo of the tap handles is every bit as beautiful as the scenery shots you’ve posted. And I don’t have to load up my backpack to find a sight like that. …
So the question mark tap handle…$1.50 pints! I asked the lady if she could tell us what it is, and she said she cannot…that it’s indeed a mystery beer. But it may have won a blue ribbon, hehe.
Cannot imagine snow this time of the year!! We do what we can to escape it. But it is fun to think of you wallowing in it!