I was glad that Brooke took over the driving. We had about a 17-mile drive up a nearby mountain road. Although Brookie did a great job, I was still a bit nervous. The road was narrow, windy and steep with plunging drop-offs on the passenger side. It took about 35 minutes to get to our destination.
It reminded me of our daily mountain route from home in Half Moon Bay to work at the San Francisco Airport. Not bad once you learn the nuances of the road, but a little harrowing when it's your first time.
Our destination was WELL worth the scenic drive. Green Springs Inn (definitely check their website) is a rustic/modern resort lying in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (website or Wikipedia). The junction of two mountain ranges--the Southern Cascades and the Siskiyous--meet here. It was the first national monument set aside solely for the preservation of biodiversity and includes an unusually high variety of species in the geographically small area. The monument also includes the Pacific Crest Trail.
After the geography "lesson," Brooke led me on a 1-mile trek down a dirt road to see all the sights of the resort. First stop was the hen house. This was actually her senior thesis project. Her art specialty is linocut, where you carve out a pattern in linoleum and then print that pattern onto paper.
She wallpapered the hen house, built the egg laying boxes, carted the huge contraption down the 17-mile road to the university, and earned an "A" on her project. Yahoo! She said the chickens seemed to like it, had not destroyed the wallpaper, and did not produce any less eggs. Sounds like a winner to me!
Along the rest of the trail we saw five gorgeous wood homes built by her special guy, Paddy, his dad and some talented friends. Each was unique and custom-designed with lovely vistas, private settings, and luxurious appointments. They are set up for vacation or long-term rentals, but I wouldn't mind moving in permanently.
Next we drove a few miles further down the road to the smallest school district in Oregon. The district has only this one school with 19 K-8 grade students. Brooke will be teaching Art here part-time in September.
As we pulled in the school driveway we saw at least six deer wandering around the premises, not bothered by us human visitors. There was a thriving garden project and several buildings that make up the school. Brooke listed a number of ideas she has in mind and is pumped to start teaching. What a way to start a career!
It reminded me of our daily mountain route from home in Half Moon Bay to work at the San Francisco Airport. Not bad once you learn the nuances of the road, but a little harrowing when it's your first time.
Our destination was WELL worth the scenic drive. Green Springs Inn (definitely check their website) is a rustic/modern resort lying in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (website or Wikipedia). The junction of two mountain ranges--the Southern Cascades and the Siskiyous--meet here. It was the first national monument set aside solely for the preservation of biodiversity and includes an unusually high variety of species in the geographically small area. The monument also includes the Pacific Crest Trail.
After the geography "lesson," Brooke led me on a 1-mile trek down a dirt road to see all the sights of the resort. First stop was the hen house. This was actually her senior thesis project. Her art specialty is linocut, where you carve out a pattern in linoleum and then print that pattern onto paper.
She wallpapered the hen house, built the egg laying boxes, carted the huge contraption down the 17-mile road to the university, and earned an "A" on her project. Yahoo! She said the chickens seemed to like it, had not destroyed the wallpaper, and did not produce any less eggs. Sounds like a winner to me!
Along the rest of the trail we saw five gorgeous wood homes built by her special guy, Paddy, his dad and some talented friends. Each was unique and custom-designed with lovely vistas, private settings, and luxurious appointments. They are set up for vacation or long-term rentals, but I wouldn't mind moving in permanently.
We also saw the workshop, the pow-wow circle, a wooden yurt conference center (also built by Paddy), the 2-story lodge and matching restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining. I'm sorry to miss the music festival that is playing here tomorrow.
What a spectacular facility for lovers of nature, hikers, researchers, birders (over 200 species), Indian archaeologists, botanists and other outdoorsy folks. Winter with snow outside and a warm cozy fire inside must also be a slice of heaven. A remarkable place...
What a spectacular facility for lovers of nature, hikers, researchers, birders (over 200 species), Indian archaeologists, botanists and other outdoorsy folks. Winter with snow outside and a warm cozy fire inside must also be a slice of heaven. A remarkable place...
Next we drove a few miles further down the road to the smallest school district in Oregon. The district has only this one school with 19 K-8 grade students. Brooke will be teaching Art here part-time in September.As we pulled in the school driveway we saw at least six deer wandering around the premises, not bothered by us human visitors. There was a thriving garden project and several buildings that make up the school. Brooke listed a number of ideas she has in mind and is pumped to start teaching. What a way to start a career!
In the miles driving back down the road to Ashland, we saw the "extreme forest fire danger," as well as numerous handmade signs offering thanks to the fire fighters who had been battling local fires. It was so sweet.
Brooke also said each night these guys eat dinner at the Green Springs Inn cafe. I even met Gene Davies, the local fire chief in charge of managing fire issues in this important ecological area, as he waited for them to show up.
Brooke also said each night these guys eat dinner at the Green Springs Inn cafe. I even met Gene Davies, the local fire chief in charge of managing fire issues in this important ecological area, as he waited for them to show up.
Back in Ashland we proceeded to the Peerless Restaurant. I was treating Brooke to a "fancy" dinner there for graduation. Mike and I had been to the Peerless B&B several times years ago and loved it. To this day I use an egg casserole recipe they gave me on our first visit. The B&B looked the same, but I was shocked at the changes in the "cafe."
No longer was it a breakfast joint. Now it is a high end restaurant with elegant indoor and outdoor seating. The pre-theatre dinner crowd (Ashland is known for its Shakespeare Festival - website) had gone, so we were seated in a quiet cove overlooking the patio. This was great cuz we could gab and laugh to our heart's content without bugging anyone else.
The menu was gourmet. Brooke had Caprese salad and mussels. I had the best French onion soup ever and Hawaiian sumotome fish with garlic mashed potatoes and shitake-morel mushroom gravy. We shared nibbles and every bite was delectable.
After stuffing ourselves, we drove around this/her neighborhood and then back to my motel (not particularly worth mentioning). We said our good-byes there. Just too little time.
PS - Paddy, sorry I didn't get a chance to give you a little hug. Thanks for holding Brooke so dear to your heart.
PS - Paddy, sorry I didn't get a chance to give you a little hug. Thanks for holding Brooke so dear to your heart.
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