Subterranean Wonderland
Channel your inner spelunker at Oregon Caves
Jellyfish-like 'Drapery' form the walls of oregon caves Continue reading
Travel: Page 5
Women Who Wander
Website targets stigma of women traveling solo
Jennifer Heuett gazes out at Crater Lake Continue reading
Roam Oregon
Ten fall events worth the journey
Eugene and Springfield have a lot to offer in terms of activities — one look at our weekly events calendar will tell you that. But since this is the travel issue, we’re encouraging you to take a step outside Lane County and check out what the rest of Oregon has going on this fall. From storytelling festivals to boat parades, hop on a bus or carpool to these autumn escapades. Oregon’s Alpenfest Joseph, Oregon Sept. 24-27 Continue reading
Mermaid Beach
Lincoln City offers hidden treasures and tasty seafood
The rocky entrance to mermaid beach. Photo by Kory Bowlin. My little brother didn’t believe me when I told him I was a mermaid. Of course, that was before I led him on an adventure to Lincoln City’s secret beach. Continue reading
The Freedom of Two Wheels
Motorcycle road trips in Lane County and beyond
Of the many patches strewn across Billy Scannell’s black leather motorcycle vest, it’s certainly the one saying “Dr. Asshole” that demands immediate explanation. “The doctor part is because I have a Ph.D. in physics,” Scannell says. “The other part should be self-evident.” Here is a man who could easily be mistaken for one of The Black Widows accosting Clint Eastwood in Every Which Way but Loose. Continue reading
Lost In The Desert
The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is the ideal place to find your bird
Last spring at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge birdwatcher Tim Blount saw a bird that brought him back to his childhood in Nebraska. Up in a cottonwood tree was a black and white warbler, a small songbird with a high, piercing call (“weesy, weesy, weesy”) stopping on its way to northern Canada. Continue reading
The Road Shows
Lesser-known museums are worth the trip
Instead of scouring national park gift shops on your next vacation, try wandering into a small-town art museum. Local Eugene painter Jon Jay Cruson has stumbled upon several museums during his frequent jaunts through the Oregon and Washington countryside searching for images for his works. Check out his suggestions for hidden Northwest museum treasures. Trip #1: Salem and Philomath Travel time: Eugene to Salem: 1 hour; Salem to Philomath: 53 minutes; Philomath to Eugene: 1 hour. Continue reading
A Dark and Stormy Beach
Bandon in winter is a blustery good time
With what felt like 100 mph winds slamming into us, my parents and I stood on a rocky outcropping overlooking the thundering waves and sandy beach of Bandon, Oregon. We’d visited Bandon many times over the years, usually in summer, when glorious sunsets silhouette iconic Face Rock and fat harbor seals bask on rocks. Though the experience left us with hopelessly tangled hair, we discovered that the colder months in Bandon are no less delightful than what summer has to offer. Continue reading
Slab City Revisited
We first heard about Slab City more than 10 years ago from Mike, an alley neighbor in the Whit. Mike, a retired man of 60-something, had been wintering annually at Slab City for many seasons. Mike’s tales of a community of travelers enjoying free camping in the California desert near the Salton Sea intrigued us. A few months later, in November 2003, my husband, Dan, and I set out pulling “Big Al,” our 30-foot 1982 silver Avion trailer (Airstream’s lesser-known cousin), for a year’s trip around North America. Continue reading
Festival of Lights
Shore Acres State Park becomes an illuminated holiday wonderland
You won’t find any lights decorating the exterior of David and Shirley Bridgham’s Coos Bay home this December. That’s because the couple is far too burnt out from months of spreading holiday cheer throughout the decadent formal gardens of Shore Acres State Park for its annual Holiday Lights event. For 27 years, the couple has worked to transform the park into an illuminated wonderland. “We started with 6,000 little white lights,” Shirley Bridgham says. “And now we’re up to 300,000.” Continue reading