Choose Your Own Adventure

As M. and I hiked along the Pacific Crest Trail today on Mt. Ashland, he said, "When I was a kid and liked playing in the woods behind the elementary school, I would've freaked about trees like these." It got me thinking: If I look back, I now see indications that maybe I've always been the type of person who would enjoy pushing through knee-tall grasses on a foot-wide, dusty trail on top of a mountain. "There were decision points, I see now," I told him. "You know, like if I'd been in a Choose Your Own Adventure book, I could've turned to a different page."

M. on the PCT near Mt. Ashland in Southern Oregon

We were quiet for a little bit, until I spoke up again. "I turned to the more familiar pages, because this"--I swept my arm at the forest around us--"was completely inaccessible to me. It was as foreign to me as the friggin' Taj Mahal."

Flames

Oregon and Northern California are on fire.

Oregon is not Portland.

Up until about eight months ago, I suffered from a misconception common among East-of-the-Mississippi folk: All of Oregon is The (capital T) Northwest (capital N).

Let's start by establishing what exactly The Northwest is, according to the Rest of America (also in capital letters):

Medford Moments #2

Overheard in the Rogue Valley...

Random Stranger 1: "I bought a Four Runner. And then my kid wanted it, so I gave him that Four Runner and bought another Four Runner."
Random Stranger 2: "Where do you live again?"
RS 1: "[Name of suburban town easily accessible by the highway and not located in the back woods or high on a mountain]"
RS 2: "You go up to the mountain lakes a lot?"
RS 1: "No, not really."
RS 2: "...  ...  ...  ...  ... Oh."

Happy Independence Day

To my fellow Americans, happy Independence Day! United States, you're almost 240 years old, but darling, you don't look a day over 225.

M. and I heard that Ashland, a little offbeat city a few miles to the south, was holding a festival for the holiday, so we decided to take a peek.  Despite the 100+ degree temperature, we hit the road and drove down the 5. Within a half hour, our car was parked in a public lot--five hours for only $2--and we were trekking toward Lithia Park and the blocked-off city streets that were the hub of all the action.

Medford Moments #1

So many daily utterances that escape my and M's mouths, or tiny moments we randomly experience, capture our new life in Southern Oregon just as well, or maybe better, than any long blog post can. I now share with you this blog's first Medford Moment.

M.: "Today, I had a burrito from a taco shop attached to a gas station. It was pretty good."

California Dreamin'

Last weekend, M. and I decided to act upon a moment of strong wanderlust. We took a day trip down to Redwood Country.