Exceptional thoughts on Oregon the world according to Cosmos : Oregon Reflections by jake cosmos aller

Oregon Reflections https://wp.me/p7NAzO-2C0 On Travel next Three Months taking a break These are my reflections on Oregon. I have been to Oregon many times over the years. My father was a college professor at SF State, and we spent our summers at the family cabin near Mt. Ranier and winters too. I quit going to the cabin with my family when I was in college. We kept the cabin in the family until my mother sold it after my father passed away in 1985. Uncle-in-law managed the family's fruit farm near Yakima until he died in the early nineties. On the way to and from Yakima, we frequently stayed in Medford. Later in 1990, I bought a property in Medford, two duplexes, and a house. We still have the duplexes which we renovated in 2017, We sold the house at the market peak in 2007 My brother was going to move to Oregon and manage our properties for us but his plans fell through so we were stuck with the properties which provided good income once we paid off the mortgages back in 1996 or so. The plan was to spend our summers in Oregon with side trips to Northern California, Portland, Seattle, and Las Vegas. COVID put a stop to that and we finally got back after three years. We are back on our summer plan. Unfortunately, our tenant trashed our furnished apartment, so we had to change our original five-week road trip to two weeks â?" Oregon Coast, Portland, Seattle, Yakima, and Bend including a side trip to Crater Lake, and then a trip down Highway one to the Bay Area and stay in the Bay Area for about a week â?" with an optional trip to Las Vegas, Arizona, and Utah provided the heat is less than 105 every day. Right now, with temperatures over 120, it is simply too dangerous to drive. Ashland Ashland is a nice college town and the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the oldest Shakespeare festivals in the Western United States. We usually try to take in a show when we are in the area. The University has an award-winning English literature department due to its long-standing connection to the festival. There are lots of trendy restaurants and bars in the city. During the winter it is a base for people going to Mt. Ashland for skiing. Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 census. The city is the home of Southern Oregon University (SOU) and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). These are important to Ashland's economy, which also depends on restaurants, galleries, and retail stores that cater to tourists. Lithia Park along Ashland Creek, historic buildings, and a paved intercity bike trail provide additional visitor attractions. Ashland, originally called "Ashland Mills", was named after Ashland County, Ohio, the original home of founder Abel Helman, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other founders had family connections. Ashland has a council-manager government assisted by citizen committees. Historically, its liberal politics have differed, often sharply, from much of the rest of southwest Oregon. Oregon Shakespeare Festival 75th anniversary banner The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has grown from a summer outdoor series in the 1930s to a season that stretches from February to October, incorporating Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean plays at three theaters.[42] The OSF has become the largest regional repertory theater in the United States.[14] The Oregon Cabaret Theater features musicals and comedies throughout the year.[43] Opened in 1986, the dinner theater occupies a former First Baptist Church built in Mission Revival style.[44] The Ashland Independent Film Festival, which shows international and domestic films of almost every genre, takes place each April in the Varsity Theatre downtown. About 90 films are shown during the five days of the festival.[45] In 2009, Ashland was the setting for the film adaptation of Gaman's Coraline.[46] The Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University focuses on academic programs including creative arts (art, emerging media, and creative writing), music, and theater. Affiliated with the center is the Schneider Museum of Art, which has rotation exhibitions of works featuring professional contemporary artists. Also affiliated with the center are chamber music concerts, a Shakespeare institute, a piano series, and other art-related events.[47] The annual Ashland New Plays Festival (ANPF) is a nonprofit organization that encourages playwrights to develop new work through public readings. Each year, the ANPF holds an international competition that winnows hundreds of submissions to four plays that are read to live audiences by professional actors during a five-day festival in October (Wikipedia entry) Microsoft Bing Travel - Ashland Ashland Co-Op Ashland Co-Op is a great natural foods store in Ashland. They used to pre-covid have a great make-your-own sandwich bar. My favorite was their loaded BLT. Sam Adams, favorite sandwich Was the make it your own sandwich Served at the Ashland, Oregon, Co-Op A modified BLT sandwich on Gluten free bread Cheese, roast beef or pastrami, bacon Sprouts, lettuce, tomatoes, dill pickles, peppers Mayo, mustard, ketchup Just heaven in every delicious bite Lithia Park Lithia Park in Ashland is a great park that follows Lithia Creek. It was designed by the NCY and Golden Gate Park designer Olmstead. Lithia Springs Lithia Springs is a small hot springs resort just north of Ashland. It has been operating as a spa since the 1880's. â?¢ ashland.or.us https://www.ashland.or.us/page.asp?navid=14083 One Night in Lithia Springs One night in Lithia Springs We soaked away our painful life And fell in Love again Eight love senryu based on my true love story for details see my web page https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com © Feb 2019, Lithia Park - Parks Division - Parks and Recreation Within the hub of downtown sits Lithia Park, Ashland's crown jewel. Lithia is a 100-acre vista of emerald lawns, pickleball courts, a sand-pit volleyball court, the Swim Reservoir at the ... o Back to Ashland's Parks Ashland Pond Tentative Construction Schedule and Access Disruptions One ... o Maps & Trails Dog Park Dog Friendly Parks Dog Walks near downtown Ashland Hald-Strawberry ... o Community Gardens APRC provides recreational community garden spaces for non-commercial ... See results only from ashland.or.us o Lithia Resort AshlandOregon " Lithia Springs Resort Ashland ook Now https://lithiaspringsresort.guestreservations.com Lithia Springs Resort in Ashland, Oregon. Low Online Rates - Book Today! Lithia Springs Resort in Ashland, Oregon. 2165 W Jackson Rd. Book Now. Astoria Astoria is a town at the mouth of the Colombia River about an hour from Portland. I went Salmon Fishing there with my dad when I was 16. It has a nice Lewis and Clark museum as this was the farthest extent of their legendary trip in the 1810s. Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.[6] The county is the northwest corner of Oregon, and Astoria is located on the south shore of the Columbia River, where the river flows into the Pacific Ocean. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, an investor and entrepreneur from New York City, whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site and established a monopoly in the fur trade in the early 19th century. Astoria was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 20, 1856.[1] The city is served by the deepwater Port of Astoria. Transportation includes the Astoria Regional Airport. U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 101 are the main highways, and the 4.1-mile (6.6 km) Astoriaâ?"Megler Bridge connects to neighboring Washington across the river. The population was 10,181 at the 2020 census.[7] Bend Bend is a hip town about an hour southeast of Portland on the edge of the Oregon high mountain desert, it is the mecca of artisanal spirits, beer, and Kombucha. There is a good museum called the Oregon High Desert Museum which is worth a visit. There is also an Oregon Cascade scenic bypass, a 66-mile drive through the Cascades that I am looking forward to driving. L Bend, Oregon - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bend,_Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, up from 76,693 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, and 52,029 at the ... See more THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Bend - 2023 (with Photos) - Tripadvisor Brandon Beach Bradon Beach is a nice beach town on the Oregon Coast. We have stayed there several times. Coos Bay Coos Bay is a nice town on the Oregon Coast. We stayed at the Mills Casino which is an old mill that has been turned into an Indian-run Casino. Coos Bay, Oregon is article is about the city. For the body of water, see Coos Bay. For other uses, see Coos Bay (disambiguation). Coos Bay, Oregon Here the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or Oregon's Bay Area.[7] Coos Bay's population as of the 2020 census was 15,985 residents, making it the most populous city on the Oregon Coast. Oregon's Bay Area is estimated to be home to 32,308 (Coos Bay Census County Division).[8] Crater Lake National Park i have been to Crater Lake at least ten times in my life. It is always impressive. We tried to go to Crater Lake, but our car had other ideas. Fortunately, a good Samaritan came along and helped out. We went the next day. And a good day touring the park. We stopped off at the Oregon Natural Bridge just before entering the park. That was very impressive. Crater Lake National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) [caption id="attachment_10054" align="alignleft" width="225"] Crater Lake one[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10055" align="alignleft" width="225"] crater Lake 2[/caption] o o [caption id="attachment_10058" align="alignleft" width="225"] rogue river gorge[/caption] Good Samaritan Rescued Us Fan story. I am grateful for today. A good Samaritan Rescued us at Crater Lake When our car died Naani Poem Write a Naani poem. A Naani consists of 4 lines, and the total lines consist of 20 to 25 syllables. ï?§ Klamath Falls, Oregon From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Klamath Falls (/Ë?klæmÉ?θ/KLAM-É?th) is a city in, and the county seat of, Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was sited. The name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1893.[5] The population was 21,813 at the 2020 census. The city is on the southeastern shore of the Upper Klamath Lake located about 246 miles (396 km) northwest of Reno, Nevada, and approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of the Californiaâ?"Oregon border. Logging was Klamath Falls's first major industry. We drove back through Klamath Falls, which is a dying city, not that prosperous looking. There is an airbase there as well as the Oregon Institute of Technology but overall, the city seems to be depressed economically speaking. There are two dams on the Klamath river which are scheduled to be removed and the whole river re-wildered next year or so. There is a small downtown business district that has seen better days. Central Point Central Point is a small community north of Medford near the airport and COSTCO. There is an industrial zone on the west side of the city that abuts the west Medford industrial zone. I went there frequently when we were doing the epic remodeling of our four Medford units in 2016; We go there almost every day to go to COSTCO but have not explored the rest of the city. Central Point, Oregon - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Point,_Oregon Table Rock Mountain Table rock mountains are two Messa mountains north of Medford that are great places to hike. But during the summer it is best to go in the morning as it often gets about 100 degrees in the late afternoon. Upper and Lower Table Rock - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_and_Lower_Table_Rock Upper Table Rock and Lower Table Rock are two prominent volcanic plateaus located just north of the Rogue River in Jackson County, Oregon, U.S. Created by an andesitic lava flow approximately seven million years ago and shaped by erosion, they now stand about 800 feet (240 m) above the surrounding Rogue ... See more Geology and climate Starting approximately 40 million years ago in the middle Eocene, a braided river system called the "Ancestral Rogue River" flowed through the... See more Agate Desert Park Another great little park north of Medford, famous for natural agates. Agate Desert agate-desert-arabians.webs.com 300 W Antelope Rd, White City, OR 97503 · ~6.3 mi Eagle Point Eagle Point is a small-town northeast of Medford. It is on the Rogue River and is a popular staging area for river rafting trips. There are several award-winning golf courses there. It is also settling for some reason for most of my horror stories where I construct an eldritch Lovecraftian haunted mansion that Sam Adams of the Cosmos Institute inherits. Eagle Point, OR - Official Website " Official Website (cityofeaglepoint.org) Eugene Eugene in the University of Oregon campus town. It reminds me of Berkeley and Boulder -both college towns. It has a good co-op that had great sandwiches back in the day. University of Oregon (uoregon.edu) Grants Pass Grants Pass is a nice little town on the Rogue River. It is a popular place for winery tours. It is also the main staging area for raft trips. Grants Pass, Oregon - Wikipedia Roseburg Roseburg is another little town on the rouge river. There are lots of wineries nearby. But what it is known for is Oregon's wildlife safari which is worth a visit. It is also the northernmost extension of the Northern California climate zone and the southernmost extension of the Pacific Northwest climate zone. Once you go north you enter into the Pacific Northwest climate zone. Roseburg, Oregon - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseburg,_Oregon Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is in the Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon and is the county seat and most populous city of Douglas County. Founded in 1851, the population was 23,683 at the 2020 census, making it the principal city of the Roseburg, Oregon Micropolitan Statistical ... See more Wildlife Safari Jacksonville Jacksonville [caption id="attachment_10065" align="alignleft" width="225"] Jacksonville[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10067" align="alignleft" width="225"] Jackonsville Trolly[/caption] Jacksonville is a historical 19th-century Gold Rush town. A lot of people don't know that Oregon had a gold rush and silver rush as well â?" just not as well known. And there are working wines to this day. The town reminds me of Old Town Alexandria and old towns across the country, including downtown Medford, Bend, and Old Town Sacramento. It is a popular retirement community. Ten miles to Medford, and Ashland. Lots of nice restaurants and classic bed and breakfast country inns, and easy access to wineries. Welcome to Jacksonville, Oregon a National Historic Landmark (jacksonvilleoregon.org) Britt Music & Arts Festival Facebook (2,000) · Festival 350 S 1st St, Jacksonville, OR 97530 · ~5.7 mi [caption id="attachment_10069" align="alignleft" width="225"] brit festival[/caption] The Brit festival has an amazing lineup for a minor out-of-the-way music festival. They attract a lot of acts who add on a night at the Brit Festival which is becoming a big thing to their Portland, Eugene of Sacramento bookings. We just missed Diana Ross We saw Big Toad and the Monsters and Blues Travelers. Both were pretty good. Big Todd was a bit more mainstream rock, blues travelers remind me of The Grateful Dead, Phish, and Rush, with similar style and fanatical fan base. The lead singer is a great blues harmonica player. Phoenix Phonex Oregon is a suburb of Medford just south of the city. It has Home Depot and a few other big box stores and a few wineries and truck stop and RV parks. It was heavily damaged in the 2020 fire. Phoenix, Oregon Phoenix is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 4,538 at the 2010 census. Phoenix is a part of the Medford Metropolitan Statistical Area, in the Rogue Valley, and is 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Medford on Interstate 5. History The area was settled in about 1850 by brothers Hiram and Samuel Colver. Samuel Colver laid out the town in 1854. Early residents included Milton Lindley, who operated a sawmill that provided timbers in 1855 for a blockhouse as well as a flouring mill owned by Sylvester M. Wait. For a time, the settlement was known locally as Gasburg after a talkative employee in the kitchen serving the mill hands. Wait, who was an agent for the Phoenix Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, assigned the official name, Phoenix, to the community and, in 1857, to its post office. Waitsburg, Washington, was later named after Wait.[6] 2020 fire On September 8, 2020, much of Phoenix, along with neighboring Talent and parts of Medford and Ashland, were destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire.[7][8][9][10] On September 11, 2020, authorities said they were preparing for a mass fatality incident.[11] On September 11, it was reported that 600 homes and 100 commercial buildings have been destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire,[12] but on September 18, that number was updated to 2,800.[13] Officials stated that the Almeda Drive Fire was human-caused.[12] On September 11, a man was arrested for arson, for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed multiple homes in Phoenix and merged with the Almeda Drive Fire.[14] A separate criminal investigation into the origin point of the Almeda Drive Fire in Ashland is ongoing.[14] Portland The biggest city in Oregon and a very hip and trendy town. Center of Oregon's Asian, African-American, Hispanic, and LGBTQ communities. Because Oregon does not have a sale tax and Washington does not have an income tax, many savvy retirees live in Vancouver, Washington just across the river from Portland, and do the bulk of their shopping there. Portland is one of the few cities that still has a vibrant shopping center near downtown. It also has the world's largest bookstore â?" which I will visit on my next trip, several innovative universities including Lewis and Clark and Reed, as well as Portland State and Oregon's sole medical university the Oregon State Medical University which has dental, both oriental medicine, western medicine, Physical therapy and nursing schools. 80 percent of the State lives within the metro area, which has the only real mass transit in Oregon. It also has one of the best urban park systems in the world, great local beer and Kombucha breweries and hundreds of nearby wineries, and of course lots of cannabis shops everywhere. It is about an hour's drive to Bend and an hour's drive to the coast, and four to five hours to Medford. Portland (/Ë?prattling/PORT-land) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated in the northwestern area of the state at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous county in Oregon. As of 2020, Portland had a population of 652,503,[9] making it the 26th-most populated city in the United States, the sixth-most populous on the West Coast, and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle.[10] Approximately 2.5 million people live in the Portlandâ?"Vancouverâ?"Hillsboro, ORâ?"WA metropolitan statistical area, making it the 25th most populous in the United States. About half of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.[a] Named after Portland, Maine,[11] which is itself named after the English Isle of Portland, the Oregon settlement began to be populated in the 1840s, near the end of the Oregon Trail. Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, and the timber industry was a major force in the city's early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering. After the city's economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Beginning in the 1960s,[12] Portland became noted for its growing liberal and progressive political values, earning it a reputation as a bastion of counterculture.[13] The city operates with a commission-based government, guided by a mayor and four commissioners, as well as Metro, the only directly elected metropolitan planning organization in the United States.[14][15] Its climate is marked by warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. This climate is ideal for growing roses, and Portland has been called the "City of Roses" for over a century.[16] Talent, Oregon Talent is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2020 census. History[edit] 1883. P. Talent, an East Tennessee native who settled in Oregon in the 1870s, platted the city in the 1880s. He wanted to name it Wagner but was overruled by postal officials, who preferred Talent, dropping one of the L's. The post office opened at this location in 1883. Earlier names for the settlement were Eden District and Wagner Creek.[5] 2020 fire[edit] On September 8, 2020, roughly a third of Talent, along with neighboring Phoenix and parts of Medford and Ashland, were destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire.[6][7][8][9] On September 11, 2020, authorities said they were preparing for a mass fatality incident.[10] As of September 11, 600 homes and 100 commercial buildings have been destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire,[11] but on September 18, that number was updated to 2,800.[12] Officials stated that the Almeda Drive Fire was human-caused.[11] On September 11, a man was arrested for arson, for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed multiple homes in Phoenix and merged with the Almeda Drive Fire.[13] A separate criminal investigation into the origin point of the Almeda Drive Fire in Ashland is ongoing.[13] White City White City is a small but upcoming city. It is based on a World War 11 Army camp that closed down in the 50s. There is a big regional Veterans hospital center and because of that has drawn a lot of military retirees to the valley. There is a rumor that the city was called White City and was supposed to be a whites-only city. It was the center of KKK activity between 1880 and 1940. In any event it has the largest minority population in the Rogue Valley due to the relatively inexpensive rents. Thankfully the KKK movement died out in Oregon. White City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 7,975 at the 2010 census,[5] up from 5,466 at the 2000 census. White City is about 9 miles (14 km) north of the center of Medford[6] and 4 miles (6 km) south of Eagle Point.[7] Oregon Demographics Oregon is mostly white about 80 percent but there are a lot of Hispanics and Asians in Portland a thriving African American community of 80 percent lives in the Portland Willamette Valley down to Eugune and Salem the State Capitol. Indian Casinos There are numerous Indian casinos in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California, and over the years I have lost money in many of them. This summer we will visit at least two. An Indian Casino is planned for Medford, opening perhaps in 2025. The nearest casinos to Medford are about an hour or two northwest and southwest of the city along the coast. Indian History The Indian tribes of Oregon and California were almost wiped out in the Indian wars of the 19th century. Most of the tribes were forced to move to Idaho or Oklahoma. The remaining tribes struggled with getting Federal and State recognition, benefits, etc. Almost all of them have been recognized by now. Many of the tribes are teaching their language and culture and tribal communities have come back from near death. Many of them have become wealthy due to casinos and the decisions by most tribes of giving every tribal member a monthly stipend and full scholarships for college and tech institutions. Many tribal members live off their stipends, which depending upon the tribe can be quite generous as they usually tax the casinos about 10 percent of their income stream, returning it all to the benefit of the tribes, and investing a lot of it as well... Native American peoples of Oregon - Wikipedia Southern Oregon Wine Country Complete Guide to Southern Oregon Wineries - Wine with Paige Southern Oregon has emerged as a major winery region with over 125 between Roseburg and Ashland. Most are in the Applegate Valley west of 1-5 and west of Jacksonville and Medford. Some are nearer Roseburg-Grants Pass. There are a number in a town near Ashland, Jacksonville, Medford, Phoenix, and Talent. Southern Oregon is also a craft beer town and an kombucha town. and there are lots of farmers markets and organic groceries in town including several 24/7 groceries. There are cannabis shops everywhere now. Roxy Ann Winery [caption id="attachment_10071" align="alignleft" width="225"] roxy Anne winery[/caption] roxyann.com 3283 Hillcrest Rd, Medford, OR 97504 · ~2.3 mi (541) 776-2315 Paschal Winery and Vineyard www.paschalwinery.com 1122 Suncrest Rd, Talent, OR 97540 · ~7.3 mi (541) 535-7957 [caption id="attachment_10073" align="alignleft" width="300"] paschal-winery-ashland[/caption] Owned by friends of our friends. They have a good menu as well as wine tasting and they often have live music. Three swans live on the lake. And a goose who was raised with the swans and thinks he is a swan. The winery also has cottages for rent. Oregon Poems Wagontire Oregon 1973 In 1973, I went on a road trip With my father We left Berkeley to go to Yakima Where my father had a summer cabin He was a college professor And had July and August off And we spent the summers Every summer from 1968 to 1978 Our whole dysfunctional family Our annual road trip to hell and back As we did not get along at all We decided to drive through Eastern Oregon Just my father and me Just for the hell of it The rest of the family was already there in Washington waiting for us My father and I shared a travel lust One of the few things we shared This was one of our best trips We got along Which was unusual Normally our relationship Was fraught As we were so different We left Klamath Falls A real nothing burg in those days And headed east along Highway 395 As we entered the desert of eastern Oregon We entered a different world High mountain desert Almost no one on the road nothing on the radio but country music and talk radio from KGO in SF my father and I bonded Learned a lot about his past What he liked And did not like He hated country music But loved news radio And we talked about politics And life in general Just a father and son Enjoying a rare Father-son Bonding moment We usually did not get each other I inherited too much Of my Mother's wild Irish personality To suit his dour Norwegian Germanic personality Then we saw the sign Wagontire Oregon 100 miles ahead Burma shave We counted down the signs Miles after miles As we drove into the gathering dusk along with the wagon tire countdown were other signs last gas for x miles and the Burma Shave roadside signs with their classic cowboy poetry slogans which in 1975 were already becoming a thing of the past had not seen those since this road trip but on this road they still had them every mile Burma Shave signs We speculated that Wagontire Must be a giant truck stop In the middle of nowhere And we drove on Counting down the signs Listening to dreadful country music And endless political news Wagontire 100 miles ahead And we drove on Counting down the signs Listening to dreadful country music And endless political news Wagontire 100 miles ahead ............................................ Burma Shave Wagontire 1 Mile ahead Last Chance Gas, Food, lodging next gas 200 miles Welcome to Wagontire, Oregon Population 2 ½ humans 10 dogs, 50,000 sheep We pulled into the town Nothing there but a gas station Motel and café We decided to stop Last gas for 200 miles According to the highway signs In the morning We chatted with the owner He was the sheriff, the fire chief The owner of the motel, gas station The only business in town And the only place open For two hundred miles Until the next town John Day I believe I asked the Sherriff Say, who is the ½ human? My idiot son! And we left. 200 miles later We finally left Eastern Oregon 2016 In 2016 my wife and I drove through Eastern Oregon As part of our epic cross-country trip first time for her in Eastern Oregon Idaho, Montana Wyoming and many other states last time I had visited was during my epic road trip with my father summer of 1973 10,000 miles 31 states in three months to celebrate my retirement from the US Foreign Service On the way from Medford to Yellowstone We drove along Highway 395 The signs for Wagontire were gone And we drove through the town The motel was abandoned Nothing there at all And that sign was gone too and the Burma shave signs long ago faded into lost Americana On the radio Nothing but country Right-wing talk shows And Christian radio I said I suppose the idiot son Never took over the business And we speculated about Wagontire And all other nothing burgs We drove through that summer Heart of Trump's America True fly-over country Travels with my Father Prose Poem Version I grew up in Berkeley, California in the 60s and 70s, graduating from high school in 1974. My father was a local politician, college professor, and economist who served in DC under President Kennedy and Johnson. He and I did not get along that much, he was a distant aloof person hard to get to know, although I admired him and agreed with him on political issues for the most part. He was a moderate democrat which in Berkeley made him a conservative a curse word in the hyper-partisan Berkeley political scene. One thing we did share was the love of travel and road trips. My father had inherited a summer cabin near Yakima, Washington, and from an early age to when I was 20, I spent most summers in the cabin with my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sister and visiting my uncle and his family. We were a dysfunctional family, always bickering and did not get along at all. Our road trips were fun actually despite our dysfunctional family dynamics. We made several memorable trips over the years. We drove across the country twice from DC to California both times taking the northern route and stopping off in Yakima before returning to California. Along the way stopping off at Yellowstone, Grand Teton, etc. On one trip we went through Canada stopping off in Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, the Canadian Rockies, and Vancouver. We were 90 miles from the Alaskan border and my father decided we were not going to go to Alaska although we all begged him to do so. It took me almost 50 years before I finally got to Alaska, on a cruise, and I thought Meh was overrated and not for me. But still, I would have liked to have seen it when I was 11 years old. One summer we drove just my father and me to Yakima and we drove through eastern Oregon just for the hell of it. We drove down a lonely country highway dubbed the loneliness highway in America that started in Nevada and goes through eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington the Nevada and Oregon sections are among the least densely populated areas in the United States. We started noticing signs for Wagon Tire, Oregon, with signs like 99 miles to Wagon Tire's last services for 200 miles. 99 98 97 every milepost had two signs to Wagon tire and a Burma Shave sign. Burma Shave signs were a feature of the American West from 1920 to 1974 when the interstate highway system ended most roadside billboard advertisements, and the Burma Shave company ceased as an independent company the Burma Shave billboards were cowboy poetry at its best three to five short tanka like advertisements like Drivers, You must remember this Driving fast Kills you fast Burma Shave When we got there, we found a run-down motel/gas station, cafe, and general store. We spent the night; we were the only customers as it was mid-week. We had noticed a sign-out front "Welcome to Wagon tire Population 30,000 sheep 20, 000 cows 10,000 pigs 5,000 chickens Thousands of bears, coyotes, deer, elk, and antelope two and one-half people We asked the owner who had identified himself as the owner, fire chief, sheriff, and landlord what the sign, two and one-half people meant. He said, "Oh me, my wife, and my idiot son, that's the half person." In 2016 when I drove across the country with my wife to celebrate retiring from the foreign service we drove through Wagontire, which entire was now a ghost town with signs for sale. I wonder if anyone bought the store? And whether anyone lives there anymore. In any event, the idiot son never carried out the family business. Travels with My Father Free verse I grew up in Berkeley California My father was a local politician, college professor, we did not get along that much he was a distant aloof person hard to get to know, although I admired him and agreed with him on political issues One thing we did share was the love of travel and road trips. My father had a summer cabin near Yakima, Washington, and from an early age to when I was 20 I spent most summers in the cabin with my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sister and visiting my uncle and his family. We were a dysfunctional family, always bickering and did not get along at all. Our road trips were fun actually despite our dysfunctional family dynamics. One summer My father and I drove through eastern Oregon just for the hell of it. We drove down Highway 395 dubbed the loneliness highway in America the Nevada and Oregon sections are among the least densely populated areas in the United States. Outside of Klamath Falls As we entered Oregon High desert outback We started noticing signs for Wagon Tire, Oregon, with signs like 99 miles to the Wagon tire last services for 200 miles. 99 98 97 every milepost had two signs a sign to Wagon tire and a Burma Shave sign. Burma Shave signs were a feature of the American West from 1920 to 1974 when the interstate highway system ended most roadside billboard advertisements, and the Burma Shave company ceased as an independent company the Burma Shave billboards were cowboy poetry at its best three to five short tanka like advertisements like "Drivers, You must remember this Driving fast Kills you fast Burma Shave" When we got there we found a run-down motel/gas station, cafe, and general store. We spent the night. we were the only customers as it was mid-week. We had noticed a sign-out front "Welcome to Wagon tire Population 30,000 sheep 20, 000 cows 10,000 pigs 5,000 chickens Thousands of bears, coyotes, deer, elk, and antelope 2 and one-half people We asked the owner who had identified himself? as the owner, fire chief, sheriff, and landlord what is the sign, two and one-half people meant. He said, "Oh me, my wife, and my idiot son, that's the half person." In 2016 when I drove across the country with my wife to celebrate retiring from the foreign service we drove through Wagontire, which was now a ghost town with signs for sale. I wonder if anyone bought the store? And whether anyone lives there anymore. In any event, the idiot son never carried out the family business. Note: according to Wikipedia there are still a few people living in Wagon Tire. When we drove through in 2016 it sure looked like a Ghost town. Wagontire, Oregon - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagontire,_Oregon Wagontire is an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States, along U.S. Route 395. The community was named after the nearby Wagon Tire Mountain. From 1986 to at least 1997, Wagon Tire was home to just two people: William and Olgie Warner. The Warners' property included a gas station, cafe, motel, general store, and r... Wikipedia · Text under CC-BY-SA license BING AI seems to think that Wagontire might be a Ghost town but as far as I know, it is not yet listed on the state list of ghost towns. Oregon has a rich history of frontier towns, many of which have become ghost towns. According to several historians, the state contains over 200 ghost towns1. Some well-known ghost towns in Oregon include Shanika, Golden, and Sumpter2. These towns were once thriving communities, filled with people who followed their dreams to Oregon. Now they remain as a window to another time, full of places to ponder and history to discover2. Is there a specific ghost town you would like to know more about? According to my sources, there was a business called Wagontire Cafe and RV located at 53358 Highway 395 South in Riley, OR that offered services for RV and Camper Repair1. However, I couldn't find any recent information about whether this business is still open or if there are any other businesses currently operating in Wagontire. Is there anything else you would like to know? Burma Shave https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=NWLS01&PC=ATNW&q=burma+shave+road+signs Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its advertising gimmick of posting humorous rhyming poems on small sequential highway roadside signs. Burma-Shave was introduced in 1925 by the Burma-Vita company in Minneapolis owned by Clinton Odell. The company's original product was a liniment made of ingredients described as having come "from the Malay Peninsula and Burma" (hence its name).[1] Sales were sparse, and the company sought to expand sales by introducing a product with wider appeal. the Burma Shave signs were written in cowboy poetry style three lines with Burma Shave as the fourth tag lines. The signs were everywhere as the automobile era commenced. The last signs disappeared with the opening on the interstate highway system which banned outdoor billboards. Seattle UW Blues I have a long history with the city of Seattle dating back to my grandparents who met there at UW and my father who attended UW and became a student leader fighting to integrate the University I first visited the city when I was a young man when we spend the summer in Yakima where we had a family home decades later I visited the city before I went to the Peace Corps Before I went to the Peace Corps then my wife and I lived there for four years while we were attending graduate school at the University and we fell under its seductive spell living and Breathing Seattle falling in love again with the city we left the city and traveled the world came back twice once to take and pass the foreign service oral exam and once decades later to take a cruise to Alaska and found that the city had changed in many ways but the old Seattle remained and I wanted to come back and now my nephew lives there adding another element to our family's ongoing Seattle family history why I had been there before I cannot say, but this much I do know Seattle remains a part of me and I a part of its history Because of You, I'm In A Seattle Kind Of Mood Because of you, I'm in a Seattle kind of mood When I look out my window And see the rain drops gently falling all around And I feel that special Seattle kind of chill In my bones I think of you with a Seattle kind of mood In the morning Wherever I am in this crazy world if I see raindrops Gently falling all around Blue mood dissolves in the rain's gentle mist And I cry out with all my heart Because of you I am in a Seattle kind of mood As I walk down the street In distant foreign lands Whether I am in Bangkok, Taipei, Tokyo, or Seoul New York, Moscow, Rome, or San Francisco Whether I am in India, China, Thailand, or Europe Whenever I feel the rain's gentle embrace I get into that Seattle kind of mood Seattle, a Seattle kind of mood Fresh Salmon sizzling over a hickory smoke fire Ivar's clam chowder And Red Hook Ale Pike Place market Bums in Pioneer Square And angry hippies preaching in Red Square Yuppies drinking downtown Geeks in Redmond Making the world safe For the Microsoft King And the Mariners lose again While the Huskies dream of Rose Bowls to come And everywhere rain falls down oh yeah A Seatt1e kind of mood Because of you I get into that Seattle kind of mood In the morning As I fight the horrendous traffic And breathe in deadly, killer air I cough, cough, and remember The green, green air of Seattle And because of you, I get into that Seattle kind of mood Seattle, Seattle, kind of mood The Huskies are number one in my heart While the Mariners are always last in the nation But what the hell I'm in a Seattle kind of mood I sit in the International District Eating Dim Sum and drinking Ballad bitter Watching the crowds dodge the ever-present raindrops Seattle Kind of mood As I wake up each day in crazy foreign lands I hear the falling raindrops calling me home Oh why did you leave me they cry out In a Seattle sort of voice Whispering in the gently falling rain Seattle, Seattle kind of mood And so my Dear Wherever I roam in this wide planet of ours From here to entreaty And beyond To the red plains of Mars Whenever I hear the gentle patter of raindrops I'll get into that Seattle kind of mood And dream of spending eternity with you Watching the Seattle rain Gently falling on our bumbershoots As we walk down the beach hand in hand Digging the gooey ducks while drinking Rainier Ale All because of you I'll always be in the Seattle kind of mood Medford Beckons Once boring, humble Medford Oregon and I have a long history dating back to my childhood when we would drive through there often spending the night back and forth to Yakima from our family home in Berkeley with my father during our summer vacations Medford back in the day was a sleepy little town but the biggest town around Ashland was more famous but Medford grew on me decades later my wife Decades later my wife and I drove through there as we yo-yo up and down the coast going from Seattle where we were graduate students and Berkeley to visit my family we bought five pieces of property in Medford in 1990 and were absentee landlords for almost thirty years coming back every few years finally coming back in 2016 renovating the property and now we are spending our summers there and preparing to become Oregonian residents Medford humble boring Medford has become a trendy place we have become part of Medford and Medford is part of our hearts and soul I am now an Oregonian complete with a beard, no ties, and Western shirts and my love affair with this humble city will continue to grow as my life winds down in Medford city of my soul Yakima Dessert Blues Yakima, Washington The ancestral home of my father's family since 1920 Kept alive in my family's history Went back and forth like a Yo-Yo between Yakima and the Bay area, mostly when I was a young man In 2019, I visited the ghosts at my father's grave I did not realize how much Yakima had not changed Ever since I was a child I thought that Yakima Simply was too much of a desert outpost Even then I knew why my father had led the town Rarely did I think that my father would want to return That he did over and over until the day he died But for me, the Yakima of my childhood no longer remained The lesson learned from all of this is Yakima remains in my heart Until the day I die, I know that my family's history in Yakima Even now Yakima the desert town of my father will not be Remains a foreign outpost and is not anymore for me The Lighthouse of Whispers 35 Sam Adams, a paranormal researcher For the Cosmos Institute in Berkeley Received reports Of a mysterious event In Brandon, Oregon Along the coast A mysterious lighthouse Appeared one night Flashing red lights Several locals went inside To investigate And came out different Sam and his team Arrived and talked To everyone in town But no one wanted To say what Was going on They went to the lighthouse And found inside a gateway With a sign "Gateway to other worlds Enter at your own risk For madmen only." Saying, "what the hey" They entered the gateway Author Notes spending the summer in Southern Oregon's Rouge Valley

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