Once upon a time and about a 2 hour drive
south of Portland lies a town called as a place out of a fairytale, Cottage
Grove. A princess called Nikki grew up there and it is the place here parents
still reside. Her knight in shining armor, Jeff, went to college in the
neighboring town. For some reason that town didn’t sound all that magical. It
sounded more like an overweight guy with grease stains on his shirt and a trucker
cap. The name: Eugene.
On Saturday we set out on a trip to this
enchanted land and a magical trip it turned out to be. Just the journey there
was great. The road led through a valley with the coastal mountain range in the
distance on the right and the Cascades on the left. Divided by rolling hills
covered in lush green forests and endless farmlands. Just take the roads and farmhouses
out. Add some Tatanka and Kevin Costner and it was a scene out of Dances with
wolves. Nothing I’ve ever seen before save for on television. It was quite a
sight. Halfway down we were greeted by the 3 sisters. 3 white capped mountains
all about 3000 meters high towering over the Cascades mountain range which they
belong to. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Range)
Further down vineyards lined the mountainside
and we passed an amusement park called ‘The enchanted forest’. I then knew we
were getting closer and closer.
First we stopped in Eugene to check in at the
hotel Jeff and Nikki had arranged. We took a short stroll through the campus
where Jeff fed his brain for several years and had a drink at the bar where he
lost a lot of that food for thought.
Little Zoey was with us to and it was time to
head to Cottage Grove where grandma and pa were waiting eagerly to babysit
their granddaughter as we were getting our party on later that night.
Nikki’s parents, called Steve and Candace,
live in a beautiful large white house. A neatly maintained garden at the front
and about 7 acres of forest at the back of the house is what they called home.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting then just briefly during Jeff and Nikki’s
wedding in Curacao 2 years ago. They made me feel right at home. We chatted a
bit as Candace was preparing a delicious meal. Mashed potatoes with sweet green
peas and oven roasted chicken. She was being very modest about it, but credit
is given where credit is due. It was delicious.
After Nikki made sure Candace and Steve were
ok with Zoey and smothering her little girl with kisses (this was only the
second night she left her daughter) we left for the stained shirt, trucker cap
wearing fat guy town Eugene.
Eugene is actually quite a pretty town. A lot
of green patched laced in between the buildings. We met up one of Nikki’s
childhood friends named Jaala and went to a bar called Rennie’s. One of Jeff’s
friends worked there and he hooked us up with some glasses filled to the rim
with the liquor of choice, free of charge. My drink of the evening would be a
beautiful 10 year old Bushmills Irish whisky on the rocks. A drink they carried
in every bar we went to, so it is safe to say I was very pleased. The whisky
definitely added to the enchantment of this already magical trip.
We decided to swing by Taylor’s. The bar
where Jeff used to work as a bouncer during his college years. There was a line
out front and I feared we had to wait like everybody else. As patient as I am,
I wasn’t looking forward to that. And then with another touch of fairytale
magic Jeff noticed a friend working the door and we could skip the line and
enter the bar like true VIP’s. After a few more drinks surrounded by drunk
young girls and guys grinding as if their lives depended on it we decided to
head back to the hotel. But no night out is complete without a midnight snack.
My midnight snacks over the past years usually consists out of pita with shoarma,
a Kapsalon or a frikandel special (Dutch snacks rule). I’ve seen my fair share
of greasy, unhealthy but at that moment most awesome midnight snacks. But
nothing could have prepared me for what Jaala had ordered for me. We got the
food at a place called Burrito boy and I got the wet burrito.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when we returned
to the hotel room and in opened the Styrofoam box. A burrito filled with rice,
beans and steak covered with sauce and cheese the size of my head! (http://files.campus.edublogs.org/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/e/64/files/2012/07/P1010332-29evfkd.jpg). It
was mind boggling. I ate maybe one third of Burrito boy’s evil offspring and
people who know me also know I rarely leave food on my plate. So I decided the
best thing to do would be lying on my bed and pass out.
The next morning I didn’t feel all that
magical or enchanted. Still groggy and hung over we made our way back to
Cottage Grove were Candace was working her magic on an extensive brunch.
Luckily it still took some time to prepare it all since solid food didn’t seem
appealing to me at all.
A hot shower and a tall glass of milk brought
me back to the land of the living and it was time to chow down on this amazing
meal. Egg casserole, strips of bacon, hash browns, blackberry pie, biscuits,
bread and butter, fruit salad, veggie sausages, jam and fresh orange juice. The
one tastier then the next. It was a meal to remember. It didn’t take long for
the food coma to kick in. So I found a bed and took a nice long nap while Nikki
had a reunion with some friends down town.
I actually found it hard to say goodbye as we
packed our things for the journey back. That brings me to probably the most
magical part of this little road trip. Steve and Candace are such loving,
caring people. They opened not just their house to me but also their hearts.
The way they interact with each other and how they are so down to earth is
inspiring. Even though we met twice I feel like I could knock on their door any
time and feel welcome.
It was great weekend with lots of laughs,
beautiful views and people to match.
And they lived happily ever after.
The end
No comments:
Post a Comment