Moved On, Feeling Better, and Loving Ashland

The few days of rest were great and re-energized us...

Went on to Crater Lake -- another Natl Park with gorgeous features, a colorful mountain lake

BUT it was cold, colder, coldest. We drove the park loop, got out at various scenic viewpoints, appreciated and took some photos, chatted with a traveling young man -- carrying both a road bike and an off-road bike and two surfboards -- on his futon-filled, biodiesel car.



The weather pushed us forward again. The coast was cold and rainy and the mountains, colder and grey. So checking forecasts, we decided on a place in-between, one we had been to before.



On the way, we were initiated into the special RVer's group, the Walmart parking lot crowd. Our one night there was actually quite pleasant -- after leaving the comfortable but "primitive" Crater Lake, we wanted cell phone and internet service -- both which were great there in that parking lot. Sometimes when we close up for the night -- draw the curtains and cozy up, we can't really tell where we are...and watching a DVD (that we rented from the convenient Walmart Red Box -- current movies for $1 a night) we couldn't tell that night.



And I had made reservations for the next night in Ashland, OR at a place that sounded sublime...looked great too --

connected to a spa and with mineral pool and tubs. Look at the place:



http://www.jacksonwellsprings.com/



and it was the most misrepresented place on the trip.



I wish we had taken photos of it -- but we scurried out too fast for that. It was a -- slum. Really run-down with sorry looking Rvs and piles of garbage and a fading canvas geodesic dome for the massage area.



Found another RV campground via the AAA book which has turned out well. Initially we registered for one night and have extended to four nights here.



Alan and I had been in Ashland in 2001 -- and I enjoyed the two plays we went to at the Shakespeare Festival then. But we both were not drawn into the Ashland mystique. We found it stuffy and people generally unapproachable and it was steamy hot and August crowded.



This time we have fallen in love. In four days, we have seen an indie movie and I saw three plays. Alan accompanied me to The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler. And I, the theater-crazed of us two, also saw The View from the Bridge and the most outrageous performance of A Midsummer's Night's Dream. And since they were all presented in the same theater, I got to see the festival's amazing changing sets.
There are free pre-performance concerts in the festival square; Disco Organica put on a great show the last couple of nights.



Ashland has a great bike path, a city park, library and bookstores, great reasonably-priced eateries -- we tracked down some that were featured on Rachel Ray's $40 a Day TV show.

Polenta pancakes with berry sauce at one, fantastic paninis and salads at another. And one of the staffers opined that although the piece on the show was positive publicity, Rachel herself was mean and rude....



It is a artistic place -- many galleries and shops, and classes in things we are interested in -- including weaving and glassblowing. Alan also went to an Ashtanga yoga class at one of the two yoga centers here.



A liberal feel in many of Ashland's offerings. While looking for the bike path on Tuesday morning, we stumbled into a great Farmer's Market and later in the week, shopped at the Food Coop -- both a little bigger than those we love in Ithaca.

And this is the only town that Ive seen a sign that said --

Every person in every house on this block is voting for Obama!



I end my love poem here, with thoughts of moving on again later this morning...
there are many more places to fall in love with.