First, a stop at the Ashland Farmer's market. Hot hot hot! We stopped at the tent of a guy selling carnivorous, tropical plants. They had one that curled up the moment you touched it. I wanted one. But I thought it might die in the car on the way home. I haven't had good luck with flora lately. I don' t know why.
Hot!
Hot!
Did I mention it was hot?
Hot!
About 11 a.m. it was well into the 90s. (Ha, I almost wrote '90s. It was well into the era of Hammer Pants when we left town...)
We stopped at Paschal Winery in Talent, about 15 minutes out of town. Tasted their wines. Again, some really good stuff. Seems like there are a lot down there. But we just didn't have the time, money, or wherewithall (what is wherewithall, anyway?). I would like to go back to southern Oregon and do an Ashland play/southern Oregon wines long weekend at some point. Anyone game?
Me outside winery:
Next, it was up to Grants Pass, to check out Rogue Creamery and Lillebelle chocolates. Yes, our trips do tend to revolve around food. Deal.
I was kind of disappointed by Rogue. Not their cheeses (oh to have brought any of it home!). But the place itself. I had thought it would be more like a factory, like Tillamook. I also thought there would be more in Grants Pass. Lots of nothingness, again.Then it was time to hit the road again and stop by the Oregon Vortex.
I've included the link above because I'm too lazy to explain it fully. Basically it's a place in southern Oregon that's built on a hill and so everything looks different in an optical illusion sort of way. And this is supposed to be all Ripley's Believe it Or Not/That's Incredible/X-Files/Woo-Freakin'-Woo.
The whole thing annoyed me. Is there a term for beyond bored? Stupefied? It was about 110 degrees, you're standing in a house that's leaning, feeling claustrophobic, and dude! the reason everything looks different? you're standing on a hill! Can I get our $ back now?
Okay, at least mine?
The guide was a good guy, and used all of us in various demos of how this place doesn't conform to any physical properties (things rolling uphill and such). But you can pretty much tell how much I want to be back in my car's a/c right about after my demo:
Justin, on the other hand, bought a t-shirt.
Back in the car, heading home. Starts to look like the Oregon most know:
No more photos after this one. We stopped in Eugene for dinner at Cafe Yumm (the same one that I ate at before the Eugene half, so it had good energy. I love Cafe Yumm). I took the wheel, and we headed home, got home about 7 p.m. and immediately turned on the a/c...but I think it got cool around 2 a.m.
Am I glad we did the trip? Hell's yes. Did it take time away from home projects and other work to do Yeah, it did. But when else were we gonna go? August is full, September's getting there.
We may travel again sometime in January, if I have anything to say about it.
Maybe next time I'll even take my computer. And can actually devise interesting posts along the way.
This one is showing its age.
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