When I was a student at Walla Walla they spoke highly of the Shakespeare Festival (and Ashland in general), so it was definitely on my bucket list. The town is delightful, and I got to attend the OSF’s production of Once on This Island. (They don’t have any Shakespeare going yet–I get the impression that’s more of a summer thing.)
Ashland is also where I first saw a Mach-E on this trip! California: 0, Oregon: 4. (Unless it was the same one four times, which is possible since they were all white.)
Dinner, which I was too ravenous to photograph, was from Taj of Ashland and was easily the best food on the trip so far. This is the garden-park area next to the restaurant.
An update on traveling with cats: so far, so good. They stay in their backpack when they’re in the car and are completely silent. There were moments on the first day where I was thinking, “I didn’t forget the cats did I?” They seemed afraid of the Airbnb in Sacramento (they hid under the bathroom sink), but they seemed braver in the Ashland hotel room. Here Violet helps me watch National Treasure.
I’d postponed the trip a week because of a snowstorm in the Pacific Northwest. I was worried about two passes–the one through Mt. Shasta in California (pictured), and the Siskiyou Pass in Oregon (supposedly the highest and steepest point on the 5). Neither had even a hint of snow when I went through, but, going up the Siskiyou Pass, the car started an increasingly violent shaking during acceleration.
I was in denial at first, but then thought I should get it checked out before I tried driving this morning. Luckily Valley View Auto Repair is open seven days a week and got me in first-thing. It was the front-right axle, which they said definitely wouldn’t have made it to Centralia. (They called the Siskiyou Pass a “car killer.”) They got the new part and did the fix today, and I probably could have made the drive to Centralia, but by that point I felt drained and exhausted (I’d still be driving now). So I’m staying another night in Ashland, and I’ll hopefully make the drive tomorrow.
The picture of the garden park near the Taj restaurant is gorgeous!! So, so pretty. And love to see that Violet is acclimating so well. Good job on the car repair. Now, on to Washington.
The picture of the garden park near the Taj restaurant is gorgeous!! So, so pretty. And love to see that Violet is acclimating so well. Good job on the car repair. Now, on to Washington.