Wiz in the Woods

also posted on 360*

Jerry and I drove to Eugene Friday afternoon for the Gordon Lightfoot concert that evening. It was a four hour drive and we hit some of the Portland weekend traffic. Not much fun but it had to be dealt with.

We did make good time and arrived in Eugene about 4:30 - just enough time for Jerry to take a power nap before a long evening.

Dot had made a dinner reservation at a place down the street from our motel so we packed our concert gear in a bag and walked there. When she and her friend arrived we put our stuff in her car. We then proceeded to have a feast at the steak house.

Arriving at the venue, we found a spot of level ground to park our blankets. There was time to walk around before the concert began, which it did promptly at 8:00. Mr. Lightfoot’s voice had certainly aged but the talent shown through. He did some of the old favorites and some new compositions. Very nice. As the sun went down, the moon came up over the stage. The stars started peeping out and the bats were active in the air.

The song right before the break was “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” I have heard this song many times. I have envisioned the storm which blew early that November. I have known fishermen who have been in like storms and survived, and some who have not. But hearing Mr. Lightfoot sing it, oh my, I felt we should stand for a moment of silence to honor the 29 men who went down with the ship.

After the concert we pretty much collapsed at the motel. It was way past our bedtime.

Saturday morning we headed north again but spend only a brief amount of time and miles on I-5. We took back roads to Vernonia!!!

A little history here… When we drive to and from Portland, we always pass the cut-off to Vernonia. We also vow we will go there one day. But when we are passing the cut-off , we are always hell-bent to get to our final destination, hence no trip to Vernonia.

Estelina - you may “meet” Vern from Vernonia in Shanghaied next week.

It was our goal to discover this little town and play golf at their course. We did have a delightful lunch at a cafe: a fresh garden sandwich and a chicken wrap. Then it was off the play a round of golf.

Fun course if a bit challenging. I was shooting for a “double-par” score, a good way for beginners to score shown to me by my niece Michaela. I did OK. The sun was shining, there was no one behind us on the course, and I was with Jerry. Can’t beat that! We ended with superb scores on the final hole: birdie for Jerry and par for me.

More back roads toward home. This was the Hood to Coast weekend and the roads they take are the back ones also. Having participated in the relay many times, I knew how the traffic could be an absolute nightmare. However, a quick peek at the time and I knew that they would have already cleared the roads we wanted to travel. Excellent!

So! The concert was well worth the trip. Not only for the music but for the time with Jerry.

I had a bit of an “adventure” yesterday.

I drove to Vancouver to meet Estelina for lunch and a walk. The weather was such that we were able to enjoy lunch outdoors. We then went for a walk on the grounds and in the woods. Very, very nice.

I departed with plenty of time to make it home to get to soccer camp which I needed to do because I had the campers’ snack in my van.

Traffic moved right along on I-5 and on the spur into Longview. As I turned onto Industrial Way, there was something in the intersection which I could not avoid. I ran over it though I could not even tell you what it was. It sounded horrible.

I made my way through Longview and waited what seemed like an inordinate long time at the signal to turn onto the bridge. Finally, a green light. Making the turn I knew something was wrong. I was able to pull off the road before the ramp to the bridge. Flat tire. Whatever I had run over damaged the tire. The long wait at the light was probably a very good thing; it gave the tire enough time to deflate to get my attention.

So! Whip out the emergency cell phone and AAA card. I had a tow truck there within an hour. The guy changed the tire but only after we had to use the van manual to find the spare. It was under the van between the two front seats. The spare is just a “limp along” tire to get you somewhere so you can fix the flat.

Enter Les Schwab Tire Center, a mere 1/4 mile away. I queued up with the seemingly masses of people there and awaited my turn. It was determined the tire was not fixable. That did not surprise me so I authorized two new tires and waited for the installation to be complete.

On the road again at 5:20. Snack time at soccer camp is 6:30. OK, I can make that without any crazy fast driving. And I did make it, with two minutes to spare. I did not stay at the field to do any admin work, I needed to go home, I was pooped.

What a day! But it will not ever deter me from making another whirlwind drive to Vancouver to visit with Estelina….