Two weeks after the East Coast branch of our family met in
Romulus NY to enjoy some Finger Lakes wine tasting, the West Coast clan
descended on Bend, Oregon to hit the craft beer trail. Not to be outdone by the wine tasting by boat
adventure, this group decided to tour the craft beer establishments by Cycle Pub.
On a gorgeous late summer evening, a group of 13 family and
friends, gathered in the parking lot behind Good Life Brewing Company, and boarded the
cycle pub. Stocked with growlers of
beer, bottles of wine and plates of appetizers, our enthusiastic group was
ready to begin our journey through the streets of Bend.
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| The Bend Cycle Pub - ready for adventure. |
Twelve peddlers lined both sides of the vehicle and one
lucky person tended the bar. The
traveling pub’s driver is provided by the company. Since our son was nursing a back injury, he
was designated as the bartender, a job where he excelled!
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| The Cycle Pub hits the road. |
Off we went to our
first stop, Bend Brewing Company. One
of the rules of the road as you drive through the friendly streets of Bend, is
that when someone honks, you must drink.
Trust me, everyone honks! So
needless to say, our growlers were nearly empty by the time we reached Bend
Brewing and we all hopped off to fill them up at one of our favorite beer
establishments in town.
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| Our growlers are full after a stop at Bend Brewing. |
Our next stop was Deschutes Brew Pub followed by 10 Barrel. Since you are not permitted to carry a single
beer out of the bars, growlers were filled up at every stop. It’s surprising how much beer you can drink
when peddling hard.
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| 10 Barrels Brew Pub is hopping. |
Once we were appropriately lubricated, our driver informed
us we were about to hit the highlight of the trip, the big hill. He asked if
anyone wanted to wear a helmet and we all laughed…until we started to descend
the hill. We had no idea there was a
Disney Land thrill ride included on this adventure. As we picked up speed, then careened around
the corner, we all held on for dear life.
Fortunately, with the exception of a cell phone that slid off the
counter (and was later recovered) we all got through it unscathed.
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| Survived the big hill. |
We rented the cycle pub for two hours, but as our time was
coming to an end, none of us were ready to quit. Fortunately, we were the last group booked
for the evening and our driver was able to extend our trip for an additional
hour’s fee. We gladly paid. Since our group was made up of some seriously
fit peddlers, we were able to climb the hill to Cascade Brewing Company for our
last stop. In truth, by this time, I
didn't care to drink any more, I just didn't want the fun and adventure to
end. When it finally did, I had to admit
I was tired. We had peddled hard for at
least two of the three hours. I have no
idea how much beer I consumed, but it was definitely one of the most enjoyable
workouts I've ever had.
