Home from oregon

Though here's one thing I'll miss: Oregon has no sales tax. That's something you don't notice until you buy a single item and you're charged the price listed.

May you live in interesting times

It's been an interesting day. I woke up planning on heading out to Silver Falls State Park for a six-mile hike that takes you past 10 waterfalls and even behind one of them. Trouble was, it was pouring outside. I considered my other option which was to head 60-miles to the Oregon coast (the opposite direction) to find the Suislaw Public Library in Florence, OR which houses the Frank Herbert Collection. So, I headed for a Starbucks in Eugene to wait out the rain. After having my caramel machiato, stopping by a used bookstore (bought nothing) and The Cat's Meow, a Jazz & Blues CD store (bought a copy of Chet Baker's last concert) the rain had stopped so I opted for the park. Got to the park and guess what, it started raining again. After some prompting from a good friend via txt messaging, I decided to go for it. I ended up doing the 2-mile look under the South Falls. (Pictures available when I get back home.) I got soaked. So soaked in fact, that I changed into other clothes in my car.

I ended up in Salem about four hours earlier than planned and figured out when I got to my hotel that I'd left my dress pants in the Eugene hotel. Off to Target for new pants goes Michael.

Dinner @ Kwans was good. Garlic muscles & rice.

After dinner I found the best little coffee shop I've ever been in. The Coffee Shop Cafe in downtown Salem. If you're ever in town, stop by. The ambiance is just difficult to describe. Lots of different types of people, not just a particular crowd as in many coffee shops. There was even a small group of four guys playing some live music. Spoons, guitar, violin, and mandolin. An interesting group to say the least. One guy was a large and heavily bearded biker type. Another, ska in bowling shoes. The third, punk, with leopard print hair. And the fourth in jeans and a t-shirt. What were they playing, traditional/bluegrass in the vein on Nickel Creek. I had to stay around for a second Latté just to hear their second set.

Hiking oregon

Those of you that have looked at the photos from my recent Oregon trip will know that I climbed up to the top of Multnomah Falls. It's a hard climb up 1070 feet in just one mile. Doing the math, that's about a 18% grade the whole way. Next week I'm looking into the 6.9-mile loop hike in Silver Falls State Park. This one actually takes you through a cave behind the falls. (.pdf map) I won't forget water this time. I promise.

Something about Oregon i forgot to mention…

All gas stations in Oregon are full-serve. I wasn't even allowed to pump my own gas.

The good photos

Those interested in the better (i.e. non-Treo) photos from this week's trip across Oregon may view them via Ofoto.
No, I don't know why I got up at 4:30am this morning...

Koontz book update

Still no word from Dean. In the mean time, my recent trip to Oregon and the smaller of the two main Powell's bookstores found me purchasing a trade hardcover copy of Again Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison which contains Dean's story "A Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village". (It's a second printing but signed by Ellison so it was worth the $24.95 I paid for it.) I also found a first printing of the Berkley paperback edition of The Vision. (My previous earliest copy of this edition was a 5th printing.)