Joy from Sea to Shining Sea

Aloha all,

this might come as a surprise to some; we were somewhat surprised ourselves: In almost 8 years and over 40,000 miles, we had never been to the actual West Coast with Joy until we arrived on the Oregon Coast last week. In “America the Beautiful”, Joy has seen some “alabaster cities gleam” and enjoyed a good dose of “purple mountain majesty”…and now she has also been “from sea to shining sea”!

Joy made it to the other Shining Sea

Before we made it to the Oregon Coast, we took short breaks in Eugene and at the Laurel Hill golf course and a longer break in Ashland. Laurel Hill is only a 9 hole golf course, but we liked it so much (and we need the practice so much!) that we added another 9 and then another round the next morning. 

Does it count as a hole-in-one
if the ball is in the hole it created?

Eugene seems like a fun little college town. We walked around the University of Oregon campus and their very impressive track & field facilities. Apparently, it helps if you can count the founder of Nike among your alumni. 

Track stadium at the University of Oregon in Eugene

We also visited a great art museum on campus, toured the historic Shelton McMurphy Johnson Mansion, climbed Skinner Butte Hill and took a bike/scooter ride along the Willamette River. But even though it is literally my middle name, we will not move to Eugene.

At the Museum of Art at the U of O

For those of you keeping track: Ashland, Oregon is currently our top spot to move to if we were to leave Maui, which we are not. We spent four days in this delightful little town. We expected to spend the days at the Shakespeare Festival and the evenings in the hot springs at our campground. However, we were so impressed by the quality of the plays at the festival that we rather saw more plays than soak more. And for me to actually skip skinny dipping in a hot spring is about the highest possible praise. 

"Shane" - our favorite amongst four great plays
at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

The first play we saw was “Shane”. We had never heard of the play, the movie or the book, but the write up from the director about the challenge to put a Western on stage was intriguing. Sandra and I were both totally blown away! “Shane” was one of the most powerful plays we have ever seen. Next we saw “Into the Woods”, a much lighter, but very entertaining musical in the open air Elizabethan Theater. 

Allen Elizabethan Theatre in Ashland, OR

Yes, they also have Shakespeare plays at the Shakespeare Festival. We saw a very impressive production of “Julius Caesar”. I have to admit, I was not aware how current and relevant this play is right now: A leader of a republic who grabs so much power that people fear the republic will turn into autocratic rule…sounds familiar? This production was performed by a very talented all female/non-binary cast. And before you think that’s just some woke gimmick: It’s the exact reversal of the way it was in Shakespeare’s times, when female roles were played by male actors. To lighten things up again, our final play was “The Importance of Being Earnest”, which was so lightheartedly enjoyable that it showed us the importance of being silly.

Sandra trying on an old costume
at a behind the scenes tour at the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Just to test whether there is more to Ashland than the festival, we explored several cute restaurants and the delightful Lithia Park, where we also played a round of pickleball with some new friends. Ashland is a small enough town that we ran into them again a little later and had an enjoyable long lunch together. Then it was time to leave this lovely place…at least until next year’s festival…or until Haleakala erupts and we move here.

Lunch with our new pickleball friends in Ashland

For the past week we have been heading north along the Oregon Coast from Bandon to Tillamook. If you have been to this stretch of the coast, I am sure you agree how beautiful, wild, colorful, serene and most of all diverse it is. If not, maybe these pictures convince you:

From rocky shores....

...to wide, sandy beaches!

From Lighthouses...

to towers of water!

From colorful critters....

....to colorful humans!

At the Oregon Coast Aquarium
we met the cutest critters....

...and the scariest. I am not talking about the shark,
but the plastic trash it is made of.

From the most peaceful beach walks...

...to a crazy 60mph dune buggy ride!

From waking up in the woods...

...to ending the day with this view!

Our favorite dinner of this trip
at the Waterfront Depot in Florence, OR

Our favorite lunch of this trip at The Pono Hukilau also in Florence, OR
with Chef Christian formerly of Erik's Seafood Grotto at Kahana Villa!

Critters I did not know existed...
(like this Sea Pen at the Oregon Coast Aquarium)

...to things I did not know could be this beautiful
(like this dead jelly fish)

...to things I don't even know what they are!
(like this whatever-it-is)

And that’s the news from Lake Oregon, where all the waves are strong, all the beaches are good looking and all the plays at the Shakespeare Festival were way better than average.

Aloha,

Chris, Sandra & Joy