A year of adventures

I moved from Portland to the Bay Area in 2006. It was a good move for my career, but my heart belonged to the Northwest and I knew it. Since I fully intended to move back someday, I was extra diligent to keep my connections there alive. One thing I started was an annual group trip to Ashland, Oregon, with friends from both places.  Ashland is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a name that really doesn’t do justice to the 8+-month season or the 10+ plays they stage (many plays run for months so you can see 6 in a busy weekend). There’s always at least one Shakespeare show, but the company has evolved greatly to offer so much more!  I’ve gone with a varying group of friends - usually about 12 of us make it - every year since 2007. Naturally our group trips to watch theater wasn’t A Thing during these last two beknighted pandemic years, but in 2022 we made our return! I got to watch one of the warm-up shows (one person played cello while two others made massive soap bubbles); get st

Tuesday I hit the road with my VERY full car and noodled around a little. I stopped by a peony farm! It was a nice little wander. Then I got some lunch, and hit the road in earnest. I spent a couple of nights in a fairly utilitarian cabin, but hiked to see some BIG trees, some pretty great waterfalls, got some paddling in, read a book, and finally (sad to say) broke my crossword streak. The last time I didn’t do the crossword on the day it came out was Jan 20 2020. Amazing! Now I’m off to meet friends in Ashland, see some live theater, and then head on further camping adventures (this time even more rustic).

 First trip starts today. - 2 nights in a cabin/shack at Lost Lake, kayaking & hiking  - 4 nights in a hotel in Ashland, seeing plays & people  - 2 nights tent camping in Lassen Volcanic National Park, more kayaking & hiking - 2 nights tent camping in the redwoods. Hiking, no kayaking.  This means I had to pack: inflatable kayak. Bin of camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, etc). Cot, chair, paddles, PFD, pump for kayak. Borrowed camp stove & bin of camping kitchen gear. Duffel bag of clothes, to cover temps from 40-80 degrees. Cooler and bag of food. Not to mention clothes to wear in civilization when I go see a bunch of plays - I sent that small suitcase with my sister. Oh, also a stack of books and cds, and a sun hat, and a rain jacket, and and and … I’ve been making this list for a LONG time. Wonder what I’m forgetting? Right now I’m getting an oil change (no time like the present?) & mapping my route. Here we go! 

Here's what everyone asks about ... so what will I be DOING in the next chunk of time? First - road trip in Oregon and Northern California. I'll camp & bring my inflatable kayak. I'm going to  Clear Lake Resort - where "resort" is used very very lightly. I have a cabin for two nights, it's basically four walls, a bed with a curtain around it, and a futon for guests. But the waters are famously cold and clear, so it should be great for paddling on.  Oregon Shakespeare Festival - I've gone every year since 2007 (not counting pandemic years, of course), and meet with friends from Portland and the Bay Area there. We'll go to dinner, see plays, and have a picnic in the park. It's fun being in town the same time as 10-12 friendly faces, as you wind up bumping into each other all over.  Lassen Volcanic National Park - specifically Butte Lake Campground . This will be my most primitive camping - no running water, vault toilet, and it was impacted by

I’ve saved money, I’ve given notice at work, my sister will be in my house to hold down the home front, I’ve been building up my miles accounts for years, and I’ve started committing to a lot of travel plans in the next few months. What else do I need to think about? Yep - technology. Staying in touch:  looks like I can buy data plans that will work for my iPhone in all the countries I’m planning to hit so far. Switching to some other plan like Google fi might make more fiscal sense but it’s only in beta for the iPhone and I just don’t want to mess with connectivity. I’d rather throw some money at it and keep it otherwise simple. Also open to having a burner phone or swapping out my SIM card. I have an iPhone SE 2020 and intend to stick with it - sure, the newer cameras are even better, but what it has is really very good.  I have an iPad I can bring with me - I don’t tend to watch a lot of videos or shows, but … I might want to?  I gave away my kindle and haven’t decided if I want to

Hey look! My car hit 100,000 miles and I was even able to safely capture the moment. I was on my way home from a (partly rainy, semi chilly, yet fun) camping trip. It’s gorgeous in Eastern Oregon and I got my second paddle of the year in. Not a bad way to wrap up May!