March 15-20, 2024
Rival college town time!!! Go Beavers - Go Ducks! I happen to appreciate sports & both schools. Joel could care less. :)
We rocked into Corvallis (home of Oregon State University) close to sunset. At first drive, we were impressed with the tree-lined streets and quaint Victorian-style architecture. Pretty city, for sure.
We found the Benton Oaks RV Park - which happens to be at the Benton County Event Center & Fairgrounds. While it appeared to be a nice place to park, we hoped to be within walking distance of the downtown area. So, we decided to look at hotels instead. Turned out to be a smart, but not such a great plan after all...
The hotels were expensive, especially for winter. We settled on the Super 8 - but that was the most awful and awkward check in process (won't go into detail other than I would not let a child near the front desk attendant) so we bailed and cruised next door to the fancy Rodeway Inn. We figured it would be okay - close to the hub of Corvallis and a Chinese restaurant. At this point, we probably would have stayed in a zoo - we were so tired and hungry. We hauled a load of our crap from Max to the palatial hotel. Turns out - room was actually fairly spacious (larger than the RV) and okay for a one nighter (if you don't mind paper-thin walls). Shower was decent and the fridge worked.
We meandered over to China Delight where we were greeted by the lovely owner, Ester (probably not her real name, given she's originally from Hong Kong). The tasty food made up for the restaurant's struggling ambiance - TVs, way too much lighting from everywhere and no music - not even Cantonese. They use really fresh ingredients, though, and the menu is quite extensive to accommodate all palates. The moo shu vegetables still had a bite, egg flower soup (served with ol' school crunchy noodles) was the way you want it to be, Joel's garlic chicken with veg was one of the best he's chowed...and I dug the Vegetarian's Happy Family - seitan, tofu, tempeh and gluten (not my fave part) with veg. The gluten had an impossibly nasty taste & rubbery consistency - Gak. But, it washed down with an O'Doul's. Definitely recommend...but take it to go.
After dinner, we returned to the room and slid under the sheets. Then...the evening took a turn for the worse. I was up at 2 am knocking on the wall of the party room opposite ours and we listened to some drunk shmuck-nut (just outside our front door) having a loud intelligent conversation with himself about ball sizes and God's plan. Because our plan was to sleep, Joel busted up at 3 am to say please shut the f up...only to result in him yanking the hotel fire alarm 20 minutes later. Yes...he did. And then he pulled it again 20 minutes after the first piercing noise stopped. Needless to say, we missed our routine - called for a late check out and requested to leave Max parked at the inn lot for the day. Glad there was no debate from the staff. :)
We fumbled out of the room at noon and headed to Wise Cracks for a phenomenal breakfast! This cafe is a MUST STOP SPOT! Attentive, friendly and competent service, four menus (two of them pictured) to satisfy even the most discerning eater, fun vintage and collegiate decor and yummy grub. Totally cool vibe - eat there if you are hungry for a solid meal! Grandma's jam isn't too shabby either!
We also toured the downtown square with all of its cool restaurants + shops +community vibe...
...eventually heading back to unhook our bikes. We rode all over the place - around Riverfront Park, Avery Park, Shawala Point, the OSU campus, Reser Stadium (gate was open - had to capture the $$$ shot), etc. Stopped at Dutch Bros for a couple of nitro coffees and granola bar. Couldn't have planned for a more beautiful weather day to explore - 65 and not a cloud!
The campus was swarming with autonomous Starship delivery robots - we watched four in action at one intersection! Interesting how they quietly and steadily roll along (even handling students trying to confuse them). Although fairly common, it's still unbelievable that robots deliver food!
From the Starship site:
Our robots have been operating since 2016, have now travelled over 6 million miles in 20 countries and over 100 cities, encountering millions of people. They have completed over 4 million autonomous deliveries commercially and they cross more than 140,000 roads safely every day.
We returned to Max a few hours later. It was time to to get back on the road...time for Eugene!
On the quick pastural 45-minute ride to Eugene from Corvallis - took Route 99E - Passed the city of Dodge Island - more hoard, a lotta moo, a little farm.
At this point in the trip, we're finding that some of the inland Oregon RV parks are further from city centers than we had anticipated (different from the coastal communities). So, in a couple of places, we've settled for location practicality over a spot with perhaps more enticing scenery. This is one of them. Definitely. No sugar coating. It felt like we were starring in an 80's film somewhere deep in the San Fernando Valley in a nice ride. No bench, nearby construction, poor communication with park, kids, dirty laundry and showers, less than desirable neighborhood, run down...on the good side - no mud and relative proximity to things.
Utilizing the last bit of day glow, we bounced on foot to the nearest food establishments. We walked over the historical Main Street Bridge just in time to view sunset magic at Island Park over the Willamette River (a little reminder that the universe is working with you):
Via maps and sign guidance, we discovered Springfield - the charming town bordering Eugene. We walked the glamped downtown strip and voted unanimously for Tavern on Main. We were elated to find a restaurant we could walk in and sit down at without a reservation on a Saturday night at 8 pm. Good stuff. This is a MUST STOP SPOT! A little on the pricey side, but good. Excellent food & service. Clean bathrooms, upscale bar with TVs, top-notch acoustics - could actually engage in conversation, fresh and modern decor, a designated non-alcoholic space on the menu (would order the Pathfinder Spritz again - pictured). And fancy black napkins.
Tip: If you appetize here ... the crab corndogs with fennel slaw and crispy, yet digestible glazed brussels with crispy onions were delish. Sea bass and beef tenderloin passed the taste test (wish they had pureed the beans from a textural standpoint, but whatever). Strongly recommend.
Next morning, I walked out of our Glenwood neighborhood about two miles to the beautiful University of Oregon campus - thought I'd scope out the area and trails a bit so we could jump on the bikes later that afternoon.
Clock forward, we jumped on the bikes and cruised all over the Alton Baker Park's labyrinth of river trails. Lots of others and pets had the same idea. Odd that women's bathroom stalls at the park had no doors - kind of like how they are in China. Beautiful nonetheless. A MUST STOP SPOT! if you're in Eugene.
Although the weather was nice, we worked for an entire day In Eugene. Made a little progress on this journal / diary and on our own stuff.
We ventured out on the bikes again to retrieve our new hands-free walkie-talkie sets for the bikes (so Joel can radio "turn here" instead of a last-second hand command)...and cruise the downtown area. Yes...the Whole Foods parking lot there is just as much a scramble as everywhere else, however the store itself wasn't - it was practically empty! Curious.
The Amazon package situation took longer than usual, but it all worked out...well, everything but the headset microphones - the "VOX" mode (where the walkie-talkie automatically turns on when you talk) only works about 10% of the time, which defeats the point. They were only $30 for the pair though, and might come in handy at some point, so we'll keep them while Joel researches a better set...
We kept riding - downtown and then through the university campus again, by Hayward Field...people were out and about enjoying the weekend!
We stayed on mission to visit Pre's Rock in the Fairmont neighborhood. Great to see it after we were commanded by a family member to visit. And the views from the hill on the way up extend out to Autzen Stadium.
We know a few Ducks...they are all proud to have lived in Eugene. Beautiful scenery, cool nature trails. We get it. Aside from the overall traffic, construction, mounting homeless, etc..
Feeling anxious to depart our stifling site, we eagerly anticipated a return to the coast.
Before leaving, we made a couple of key stops to Autzen Stadium, Trader Joe's and the 76 Station.
On to Florence...
Note: Eugene marked the end of our 'Inner Oregon' segment, so this humble reporter will take a few days to refresh, reset and catch up on this blog by the ocean. Stay tuned!
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