Florence, a Retrospective

Florence, a Retrospective

For those of you taking notes, we actually left Oregon a few months ago. Since then we’ve done a lot of traveling, family seeing, and campground hopping, so we haven’t had a chance to wrap up our beaver state time. Although we did not always love the coastal weather, we did truly enjoy our time in Oregon.

Oregon is full of hidden gems and local wonders. It is a state best experienced on foot, which is to say up close and slowly. We found so much beauty in the microcosm of Florence, a blink town that most tourists drive through without stopping to fill up the gas. We could have expanded this list to include the Oregon scenic byway, which is a gem; Portland, so weird; and Bend, perhaps the worlds most perfect outdoor mini-metro. But—we only spent a day at most in any of these Oregon hot spots. If our time in Florence is any indication, a day is not enough time to know the very best of what those versions of Oregon have to offer. Your time is best spent in Oregon going deep, rather than seeing widely. Read on for our central Oregon coast to do list!

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Verdant vs. Vile: Keeping the Trailer Clean

Verdant vs. Vile: Keeping the Trailer Clean

Ive said that Oregon is lush, fertile, verdant, but then the mold began to take over and I stopped feeling poetic about the PNW.

The situation came to a head when I discovered a pair of shoes, unworn for 5 days, completely covered in mold. I am not an allergy prone person, but it turns out, mold is rather potent. The shoes had been next to the bed, and I had awoken each morning with increasingly painful headaches and clogged sinuses. A cursory investigation revealed that everything hanging in our closet had become moldy. Unused backpacks were covered in a green film. The freaking windows were moldy. I have a high tolerance for gross, and it turns out that moldy windows is my low bar.

We went into attack mode. Here's our step by step on mold battles:

 

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    Some thoughts on Voting

    Some thoughts on Voting

    I love voting. I think all NH natives do. We participate in the first primary in the nation (caucuses are a democracy hoax). We can register day of. We can meet all the candidates for state and national offices at town hall q and as. Many Presidential hopefuls strut their stuff in our Fourth of July parades. We may be one of the most homogeneous states in the union, but these libertarian hippies commuting to Boston and paying no sales tax continue to swing elections with their 4 electoral votes in all sorts of directions.  

    Even beyond NH’s primary, voting is fun. Voting is an opportunity to reflect on what you think, and why you think it. Reflecting is fun! Also, voting is your voice. If you don’t vote, you really can’t complain about politics. Complaining is super fun, you love complaining—so vote.

    Bonus: Can you tell what's wrong with this picture???

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    OREGON, ORESTAYIN

    OREGON, ORESTAYIN

    Sometimes we meet nurses who were travelers, but they fell in love with a place or a person and decide to stay at that assignment permanently. That is not what happened to us. Oregon is nice, we like Oregon, but we do not love Oregon.

    Read more to hear exciting radio, food, and weather updates!

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    An Oregon Food Chain

    An Oregon Food Chain

    Oregon is an eat or be eaten state. A live off the land state. A nature is a cycle of vicious and unapologetic destruction state. Based on my observations, I’ve created an Oregon specific food chain to help visitors.

    Berries, especially Huckleberries<<

    Oregon is lush! There are berries everywhere! There are so many berries that they rot on the tree, without people or other woodland creatures bothering to harvest them. Paul and I have made several pies, crisps, and buckles out of Oregon berries.

    I had never seen a huckleberry before, so I wasn’t 100% on what I should harvest. 

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    Coastal Radio Report

    Coastal Radio Report

    The weather report for coastal Oregon this morning? Foggy. Every morning is 48* and the visibility is less than a half mile. Driving over the drawbridge to town is eerie and romantic—maybe the rest of the bridge isn’t even there anymore—it’s impossible to know for sure.

    One of the new joys of Oregon living is the regular appearance of Downtown Deb, the DJ for “Dead Air,” which has had a regular spot on Oregon Public Radio for over 20 years. Deb takes over airwaves from 7:00 to 9:00 on Saturday evenings. She cannot believe how great it was to hear that jam, just so great, and she really hopes that you’re feeling it too.

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    The Road Trip to Glory: live coverage of our PNW drive

    The Road Trip to Glory: live coverage of our PNW drive

    In honor of Paul’s obsession with the Olympics I give you a breakdown of the points and deductions awarded on our most recent road trip.

    Road trip enthusiasts will recall that the NY to AZ journey featured several 14 hour days in a bucket seat. The tuck is comfortable, but no truck is that comfortable. Since then, we've made it a priority to take jobs that are an easier distance—this one was 12 hours as the Google map drives. We had a week to get there and the result was a blast. We researched our route a little, but let whim dictate where we went and what we did. +5 points for flexibility

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