Welcome to our BLOG. We are on our second trip west. We hope that you enjoy following us on our journey.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Day 31: Ashland, OR

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 Sunny and 85 degrees

Today was an off-the-road day. It felt good. Phil took the Enclave to the Buick dealer for an oil change and tire rotation. They threw in a car wash which was badly needed. Meanwhile I stayed in the room and iced my ankle while I balanced checkbooks and wrote checks. Good job done.

Late this morning we drove to Ashland to visit my cousin, Patty. She hasn't made it to NY for a few years so it was nice to see her. She lives in a quiet neighborhood that seems to be near everything. We went downtown to walk around. The city is home to South Oregon University. It is very clean and prosperous with lots of restaurants and upscale shops. It is home to a Shakespeare Theater that draws people from far and wide to its performances. According to posters on display, ten plays were presented this summer, only four of which were not Shakespearean.

We ate lunch at an organic food restaurant with seating along a babbling creek. It was a beautiful day to be sitting there, getting caught up with each other while we enjoyed our sandwiches. Then we walked to Lithia Park. It is a long, narrow park with the same creek running through it. It is very well kept. The lawns are lush, it is densely shaded, and from all the bushes there, it must be gorgeous in the spring when everything is in bloom. Also various facilities are available to make it family friendly. We drove around the park and past some beautiful homes along it on our way back to Patty's. We enjoyed the time we had together.

I'm getting used to all the mountains, some tree-covered and some with dry grasses, and to the low humidity in the mid and eastern parts of Oregon. With the temps in the 80's, it was very comfortable walking around. I don't know if I could afford to live here, but I sure wouldn't mind vacationing here.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Oregon coast. Everyone tells us that Oregon's coast is the best. We're anxious to see it. We hope to start in Bandon, but we don't know how far south we will get.

TODAY'S ROUTE: From Medford, I 5S to Ashland and back

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