Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Melanie

Katie D.

July 7, 2009 - 11:00 AM

We snap a picture, and moments later we are fifteen feet away from Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, the original Mark and Roger from the Broadway musical Rent.

My best friend from high school came to visit, and we spent a charmed four days exploring Oregon together. Melanie is three years younger than me, but that has never slowed us down a moment. My extra three years of life and travels are all that keep us on an even keel: she is an incredibly gifted writer, musician, leader, and friend. We met my senior year in high school marching band, and have been fast friends pretty much since day one. We've been talking about a trip to Oregon together for almost three years now, and it finally, finally happened.

We started in Portland with some of the best the city has to offer: VooDoo Doughnuts in the middle of the night, then the Saturday Market the next day. A walk by the waterfront and a tour by city bus of the city's main attractions. Then a matinee of Rent, with the most amazing tickets possible: day-of sale folding chair seats in the section in front of the front row. There was nothing between us and the action, just like a private show.

Then we went to Powell's City of Books. If you've been, you know what I'm talking about when I rave about this place. An entire city block, multi-story bookstore, offering both new and used books of every kind imaginable. The place is massive, beautiful, and unique to Oregon. For two avid reader/writers, this place looks a lot like Paradise. We even managed to calm down a little from our excitement at seeing Rent to do some serious browsing, hot chocolate drinking, and people watching in the largest independent bookstore in North America.

Then we sat out on the street a while for some people watching, and witnessed some of Portland's finest walking past. Since it's summer, we didn't get to see the assortment of raincoat styles usually in evidence around the city. What we did see is that Portland is a fabulously quirky place. There were the stylish women with tiny designer dogs, then there was a man singing Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" at the top of his voice while he walked down the street. There was a big group of people who turned out to be a group of YouTube video artists on a walking tour of the city for no reason other than to spend some time off the computers.

The next day saw us heading down to Eugene by Amtrak bus. Now, if I can help it I'd take the train any day. But the bus was the only option that worked with our schedule, so on we went. I tried to remember the first time I was traveling along I-5. It was a college visit trip with my mom during the spring of my junior year. The weather couldn't have been more different: during that earlier trip we never once saw dry pavement in the whole state. That first highway trip was semi-giddy: I had just visited the UO for the first time and had fallen instantly and passionately in love. Riding the bus with Melanie I thought about this and other things, about the landscape and the summer weather, and about how deeply happy I was to be on this trip with my high school friend.

Another friend of mine picked us up from the bus station, and the three of us spent a more standard college evening: hanging out, talking, eating pancakes (my favorite bribe for car rides or other favors), and watching movies. We also schemed up a plan for the next day. We debated a hike up Spencer's Butte, but when it came out that Melanie had never seen the Pacific Ocean we knew what we had to do.

Our day at the coast was both a comedic mess and an idyllic experience. We went to Florence, which is a gorgeous drive west of Eugene. We ran the last hundred yards or so to the ocean and stood gazing upon the expanse of water under a brilliant blue sky. Now just add gale-force winds to the image and you'll have a true appreciation for the day. It was beautiful, but so extravagantly windy. We shared a blanket between the three of us to break the wind and wandered up and down the beach. Then we hopped back in the car and drove north, pausing for pictures of big waves, sea lions, a light house, and dramatic cliff faces. We also drove up Cape Perpetua, a huge hill and cliff right up to the ocean. I had never been up there before, and it was excessively gorgeous. It was windy up in the cloud layer too: watching the clouds blow out of the forest was like a time-lapse video.

Our final day together was split between Eugene and a return to Portland. In Eugene we went to the Masonic Cemetery near my house. This sounds creepy and morbid, but this cemetery is in fact one of my favorite places in Eugene: the trees are huge and old, the grounds are wild and full of flowers, and there are informational signs everywhere about interesting dead people and native plants. Next we went to campus so she could see my normal stomping grounds. This included a trip to Café Roma (my favorite near-campus hangout) and Smith Family Bookstore (just as cool as Powell's in my opinion: smaller, but with a wonderful atmosphere of ordered chaos and books in piles all over the floor). Then we boarded the train to Portland. Did I mention that I love the train? There's something about traveling by rail that is completely different than a highway. I feel more connected to the landscape somehow. And it was a beautiful, beautiful day.

Melanie headed home early that next morning. I'd taken some of my very favorite activities and crammed them into a concentrated time for her. I got to introduce her to my friends, show her my Oregon home, my university, my region. I think both of us were both thrilled and exhausted from the whole adventure.

This is also some of the best of Eugene: that the people who live here are amazing, that the natural beauty is breathtaking, and that all these wonderful cultural and outdoors activities are a short distance away. Beauty heaps upon beauty and life is so wonderful.