Southern Oregon: A Whirlwind Trip

I was born in Ashland, Oregon. In the heart of the Rogue Valley, it is home of the hippies, the Shakespeare Festival, and Southern Oregon University. It is also home to Lithia Park, where you can drink disgusting mineral water from the drinking fountains, and feed millions of ducks (well, not legally, but we do anyway).

I went – on a whim, isn’t unemployment wonderful? – with my Mom since she was headed down to see some family. We stayed in this adorable little cabin with too many Aunties crammed into one room. The home was one of three or four on a farm, passed down since the 1800’s to the family who filled all the walls with books from their travels.

We visited Lithia Park, reminiscing about all the times we’d been there when I was little, watching the gorgeous wood ducks skimming around, nipping up the bits of bread a nearby family was parceling out into the pond. We also snuck into the Shakespeare Theater to look around.

We took a trip on my cousin’s jet boat tours, Rogue Jet Boat Adventures, even though it was pretty chilly for May, and threatening to rain. It *did* rain, after all, but they were prepared with jackets and blankets, and it was a thrilling experience. We went up the river, into “celebrity territory,” as our tour guide put it, passing Jim Belushi’s house (and Jim Belushi!) as well as Ginger Rogers’ old cabin, with Wayne Newton and Kim Novak’s places further up Rattlesnake Rapids. We also got to see Table Rock, and stop by Emily’s Island (my cousin’s name is Emily) in the middle of the Rogue River, where we picked up a bunch of rocks for the garden.