May 31
After work today, Kelly and I had drinks with Brian and Leigh at their place Airstream, before moseying into town for pizza and salad at the super informal Martolli’s – one of our favorite places to eat in Ashland.
Over the course of the evening many stories were shared … all which are securely situated in the vault.
Brian and Leigh are good people and it was a stevie wonderful evening.
May 30
Like most days, Kelly and I worked all day. Normally, this routine plays itself out as we sit in office buildings miles apart. Here in the Airstream this week we sit at a table working 42 inches from one another, yet hardly exchange a word. We are too busy pounding away at our laptops and remotely participating in meetings, all while bouncing in and out of instant message chat sessions with co-workers.
Sadly, I’ve accepted this mundane repetition of ours as the new normal … the quid pro quo of working for the man … we push the corporate rock uphill (a seemingly never-ending hill mind you) in exchange for a regular paycheck every two weeks.
Working remotely this week was supposed to shake things up a bit. Alas, even here in our beloved Ashland, we cannot escape the whispers of work as it peaks over our shoulders, it’s stale breathe an unwelcome reminder of what awaits us back in California.
It is what it is I suppose.
And, it sucks.
Oh the irony – here we are situated smack in the middle of natural beauty. Stunning 360 views abound and I hardly looked out the window.
On a more positive note, the day concluded in a lovely manner – Mother Nature gracing us with fabulous dusk lighting as the sun made its way elsewhere for the evening.
Our silver neighbors
Tomorrow is Friday and once Kelly and I close another work week, our first order of business will be to hit the town with Brian and Leigh; they too will likely be itching to step away from the responsibilities of the real world.
Surely they will be sufficiently bad influences … exactly what Kelly and I need.
May 28
On Monday Kelly and I drove about three hours, crossing into Oregon before settling-in for the week near the outskirts of Ashland. The winding roads, luscious green pine trees, and alpine fog made for a beautiful drive. If you are ever in the area, it is definitely worth diverting from I-5 and exploring the backroads of the national forests surrounding Mount Shasta.
Passing a jack-knifed truck along I-5 a few miles south of Ashland, OR
We’re at Emigrant Lake currently, a location we’ve been once before. It’s a fabulous spot, made even better as we’re here with friends Brian and Leigh for the week. Our jobs require that we all remain busy with work during the day, but the change of scenery is welcome, as is their company.
My office view this week.
Kelly and I adore Ashland; something about this place seems to fits us well. It will be nice to share our time here with others who will appreciate all this great little town has to offer.
I wish every week was like this.
May 27
The plan yesterday morning was to visit McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park (MBFMSP), which is located about 20 minutes from our current BLM location. MBFMSP is California’s second oldest state park, its main attraction being the whitewater falls of Burney Creek.
Anticipating holiday weekend crowds, we arrived around 9am which is crazy early for park standards. The combination of a Sunday morning and campers operating on “park time”, things were eerily quiet while we had trails and other popular lookout points mostly to ourselves. Like most large parks, there are a few “must see” attractions at MBFMSP. Here, the main event is the waterfall and I understand why. Unlike many waterfalls, the majority of the water does not ‘fall’ over the edge. Rather, a significant amount of water is routed through underground channels which end abruptly at the wall of the falls, sending 100 million gallons daily cascading below.
Water descends 129ft at Burney Falls.
The popular Burney Falls loop trail seems to be a common route for most visitors – it is short, focused on the falls, and conveniently located to the parking lot. Seeking a bit more walking, we opted for the lengthier trail which continues another 1.5(ish) miles towards Lake Britton.
The river trail to Lake Britton
Lake Britton
As was the case earlier this weekend, all this calm water had me bemoaning my lack of canoe or kayak. A park concessioner does offer rentals, but the steep fees coupled with our time constraints quickly squashed any illusions of a morning paddle I had swirling in my head.
Suffice it to say, we continued to walk.
Returning from the lake, we chose to continue back to the truck by way of the main park road. Because the park was so empty, we enjoyed a nearly car-free saunter, making a point to enjoy our surroundings as we viewed the area. Eventually we reached the main campground, which only served to reinforce how fabulous our BLM location was in comparison. Unlike this relatively crowded state park, our 10-acre campground contained only 7 sites (plus one for the host).
Kelly, practicing her balance routine
Kelly missed the landing
On a whim, we decided to visit the General Store before leaving the park. Not surprisingly, the selection was mostly junk, but I was struck with the beauty of a handmade bench outside the main door. Too awesome to be sat upon, I could only reflect on its exquisiteness.
The bench of all benches
As a general rule, dogs are not allowed in California state parks … at least not on any of the interesting trails (yet another reason this state drives me crazy). This being the case, following lunch back at the trailer, we made plans for an afternoon hike with Lilly – our destination being a trailhead along the Pacific Crest Trail. For those who don’t know, the PCT is a single continuous walking pathway extending through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Other than its close proximity to our camping site, the section we visited wasn’t anything overly impressive. It seems that the more time we spend in nature, the higher our expectations bar continues to rise. Oh how we’ve come so far. Back when we were living in Chicago as urban condo dwellers, I’m quite certain Kelly and I would have found this particular trail to be amazing. Now it is simply a nice location to walk the dog.
That said, we love being outdoors and time spent in nature’s playground is always a precious treat.
Wild flowers in bloom along the Pacific Crest Trail
Relaxing and snacking under the shade-cover
Overlooking the Pit River Valley
Transporting hydroelectricity power from the Pit River
Wandering With Purpose 