We packed up the dog, ski gear and gifts and headed north for Bend yesterday, and decided to break the normally 8 hour trip into two segments.  While the 6-hour drive was anything but soulful and peaceful (what’s with the need for primarily male drivers to weave in and out of traffic in a futile attempt to pass everyone, despite seeing nothing but congestion as far as the eye can see?), we were surprised by what we found in Weed, CA.  It’s nothing more than an interchange for us normally, as we go from the I-5 to Highway 97, but its proximity to Mt. Shasta means that there are enough lemurian lovers and hippies to allow for some authentic, if not crunchy, dining options.  Once we discovered the Buddha Belly, we knew that we no longer needed to make Mt. Shasta our overnight stop of choice.

Even if you’re not a drum circle fan (as we aren’t), you can still enjoy the organic food, including sandwiches, homemade pizza and hearty soups in what appears to be part of Weed’s “Old Towne”.   Heck, it was such a nice change from traditional franchise road fare that we headed back for breakfast before driving northward.  Vegan baked goods + strong coffee = soulfully happy me.