Blogs from Eugene, Oregon, United States, North America - page 4

by Leslie Never having been to any part of Oregon before, I only heard rumors of what to expect - the greenery, the coffee, the laid-back population, the Pinot Noir. As if to set the tone, Michael's cousin Bob called us as we pulled into town to let us know his favorite bar is right next to the Amtrak station and he'd meet us there. We did and within 2 minutes each had a glass of some fabulous Oregon Pinot Noir in our hands. Now let me just take a minute to tell you this: I am not normally a fan of Pinot Noir. Nothing wrong with it, but given a choice I'll take a darker, fuller-bodied potion. But since we're deep in PN territory I've decided not to resist. Little did I know that ... read more

The day dawned with Ky recovering from her chesty cough and blocked sinuses while I developed a sore head and a temperature. The kids kept themselves (and us) amused in the morning before we headed off to Eugene and Skinner's Butte (Jas assures me its pronounced "Bute" not "Butt" as I had joy calling a number of other 'butts' around the place). Skinner's Butte is a (relatively) small mound of dirt and rock near the river in Eugene. The rock is a formation of magma that was pushed out of the ground and then cooled, leaving characteristic columns of basalt. These are exposed in one spot, making a rock climber's dream, with something like 30+ different routes to ascend with varying levels of difficulty. Matt, the experienced climber started us off by tying off at the ... read more

Geo: 44.0499, -123.089Did about 700K today through rain, hail and then more rain. Add in the wind and heavy traffic through Seattle and Tacoma. Tomorrow California and hopefully warmer weather and a more peaceful drive. Car runs well. Got my unofficial beer rep badge at a neat restaurant where we had a great Thai salad with beef marinated in ginger - lemon. Very tasty. Lots of ewes along the way in Oregon with spring lambs. Land is quite flat. Will have a look at Eugene tomorrow before heading south.... read more

Unfortunately I have no photos to post. My cell phone died as I was coming out of the station and I didn't yet have a camera. So this will have to do. I hope my description is enough to let you know what I am talking about. I arrived in Eugene but did not leave right away for Florence. I met my mother at the train depot and we went to lunch. We went to a Japanese restaurant near the station only a few steps away. The Sushi Station near by. It was very good, as always I ordered the caterpillar roll and I also orderd some fried roll that I do not remember the name of. The caterpillar roll here was unique though as it had cream cheese and not avocado. After that we left ... read more

The Human Face of Islam at Eugene Zendo on March 20 The Human Face of Islam—a one hour slide program with live narration by photographer Donald Lyon will be presented at 7PM on Friday, March 20, 2009. The Zendo is located at 2190 Garfield in Eugene. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, yet most Americans are ignorant of the origins, precepts and common threads that Islam shares with Christianity and Judaism. Brownsville travel photographer, Don Lyon, shares images from over a dozen Islamic, or formerly Islamic, countries from Spain to Indonesia and Poland to Greece. It is a colorful, intensely historic, often humorous and quite beautiful journey of understanding. There is no admission charge but contributions for the Zendo’s programs are gratefully accepted. Telephone 541 302 4576 or visit www.eugenezendo.org for information about ... read more