Roots, Rock, Four-Twenty | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Roots, Rock, Four-Twenty

The day in the life of a low-key 4/20

Ancient lore has it that in the 1970s a group of high schoolers would meet daily at 4:20 to smoke weed. One of these kids would eventually go on to become a Grateful Dead roadie, which would propel the ritual into a mainstream event. We all know some iteration of this story, amongst other hard-to-verify tales.

Today, 4/20 is nationally recognized. Large groups gather at festivals to celebrate weed. Corporate sponsors pump money into cannabis events. There are weed competitions, celebrity endorsements and infamous memes. Pot is pop culture.

Roots, Rock, Four-Twenty
Credit Dylan Guernsey

So what to do on 4/20 if you're looking to lay a bit more low? My ideal 4/20 consists of a celebration of relaxation—hanging out and throwing a Frisbee in the sun. Kicking it and sharing stories with buddies. If this sounds of interest to you, follow along for how I spent my ideal 4/20.

9:30am

Edible for breakfast, anyone?

Don't mind if I do.

The morning munchies hit early, which means scrambled eggs and a huge smoothie are in order.

Since it's a day to celebrate relaxation I'm turning on a movie first thing. For every generation there's a stoner flick and my pivotal stoner movie is "Pineapple Express." Is that me or Rogan laughing? Either way, it's the perfect way to start blasting off.

Noon

I save my dishes for tomorrow and fix up the bike to get in riding order. My chrome cruiser is straight glowing and the stoke is high.

12:30pm

Hit the road and I'm cruising. Yellow tinted shades give a warm glow to the day. Sun in the face. Breeze just right. The cosmic cruise commences.

1pm

A refreshing cool down after the ride is in order so I meet up with the buddies who agreed to help document today at The Podski. Sawyer, a product designer, acts as the creative director for the photoshoot. Dylan, an architect, is our photographer. Sawyer hasn't partaken in smoking the bud in years, but it feels as if he's down to be convinced for the sake of the holdiay.

We trade all the classic weed stories: "One time I was so high that..." "The edible wasn't hitting, so you know, I ate a little more..." "I probably won't eat that again but damn it was good at the time."

After a while we find our sleeves rolled up and beers empty. It's time to start the day. We grab eye drops and sunscreen from Market of Choice. Then to our next stop, Tokyo Starfish, to snag the essentials.

2:15pm

The heat is at the peak of the day as we roll into Miller's Landing Park. I'm starting to think we aren't going to travel far today. The photoshoot is on.

Sawyer fixes positions and Dylan snaps away as I do my best to pose. Snapping photos isn't on my list of ideal 4/20 activities but trying to get the crew to play model for the day is entertaining.

3pm

4/20 without a Frisbee feels wrong. The shirts are off and sunscreen applied. Sawyer shows some skill catching it between the legs. I miss a catch completely and got dinged in the face. Dylan nabs the disc and gets lost in creativity trying to line up the perfect Frisbee photo. If Frisbee is the only thing on the agenda come 4/20, it's not a bad way to spend the day.

3:30pm

With arms thrown out, the group eyes a dock by the river. Scanning the park, there's a scene of kids eating popsicles, sunbathers, bros playing Spikeball and a sea of walkers and bikers. Of course, plenty of dogs. From my side of the sunglasses everything is pure bliss.

4pm

At this point all the cliches have been hit with no complaints. Wake and bake, check. Stoner flick, check.

Frisbee, check. And of course, reggae's been playing all day.

Sitting on the dock, staring into the water, there's a feeling that the only thing missing from the scene is a fishing line hanging in the water and folks putting on a string band jam blowing smoke into the air. An osprey building a nest overhead puts us in awe for a moment. Nature appreciation time, check.

4:20pm

...

5pm

One of the last agenda items is diving into trippy conversation. Luckily, a man approaches with a chair and his dog. He's not shy and jumps right into talking about our virtual universe, while he FaceTimes his friend. Cosmic connections are brought up. The conversation lulls along with no direction for a time. Once the fourth dimension is brought up my mind is spinning and I'm out. Was that conversation gibberish or genius?

6pm

Finally the munchies have arrived and can't be ignored. Treating ourselves, we walk to Jackson's Corner for some high-end chow and order everything on the menu. Not actually, but the temptation is there. Plates are polished, munchies defeated.

The End

I'm tapped out now. Back home, it's time to flip on an episode of Action Bronson's "F***k, That's Delicious" and pass out.

Going into the day I didn't know what my ideal 4/20 would consist of. Felt like something that can't be on a schedule. Turns out for me it's a day of being content and relaxing right where you are, and a little more THC than I thought I could still consume. A live music show might've been the icing on the cake, but honestly, I could celebrate the day like that year after year with full satisfaction. Here's to finding the chill on your 4/20!

Comments (0)
Add a Comment
  • Junaco

    @ Bunk+Brew

    Fri., March 29, 7-11 p.m.

View All Our Picks
For info on print and digital advertising, >> Click Here