Flights at 6:00 a.m. are no fun, but I made mine, this time. Hung out in the Admirals' Club in DFW, just long enough to post a pic on Facebook to chronicle that I had once again escaped the Hub City.
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| Early morning at DFW |
On the way from DFW to PDX I enjoyed chatting with my seat mate, Wendy, whose trip from Florida to Oregon had been disrupted and turned into an overnight affair by storms between Tampa and Dallas. Nice conversation—all the best, Wendy!
After arrival in PDX I first checked e-mails and did other mundane stuff, while sitting within more-than-close earshot of an itinerant musician, who—with his TSA-approved neck-ID—was clad in a white, flowing robe and flip-flops, filling the terminal with eerily beautiful violin and drum sounds. Welcome to Oregon, I thought, where the hippie is still footloose.
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| Alaska's tail fin must be the prettiest in the industry |
My layover was long enough to check out the in-airport location of Laurelwood Brewing Company, where a pint of craft brew will set you back all of $4.50! Who would have thought that prices such as this still exist.
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| About to touch down in Eugene—parched earth here, too |
Once I arrived in Eugene after a short hop in an Alaska Airlines puddle jumper the hotel shuttle took me downtown, where the Hilton staff saw it fit to put me into one of the most spacious two-room corner suites I've set foot in. Bummer that I didn't bring 20 friends along to throw a big party!
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| Part One ... |
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| ... and Part Two of my corner suite |
I spent the late afternoon sitting in the sun at Steelhead Brewing, only 200 meters from the Hilton, watching life pass by and talking to my young server, Ericha (yes, that's the correct spelling) about beer. What a concept: A server who actually knows (and likes) what she is serving! How often is that NOT the case?
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| Enjoying sun and Twisted Meniscus IPA at Steelhead Brewing |
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| Does it get any better? |
The final brews of the day came off a tap at Rogue, about 200 meters the other direction from the Hilton. There I had a long conversation with a local student, Benjamin, about not only beer but topics that defied the scope that most of my former students could have followed.
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| Many happy taps at Rogue |
The entire day was simply delightful in its many refreshing facets, and now I am ready to head to Bend for the Leadman Triathlon.
Jürgen
It looks like I've made the "Jürgen Chronicles" with an honorable mention. Second, of course, to beer.
ReplyDeleteYou sure did, Benjamin. Thanks for refreshing conversation and a bit of insight into your life.
ReplyDeleteAnd apologies to those who read an early version of this entry as there were a number of inexcusable typos--but thus it goes when you're in a rush to get out the door. The typos are now fixed, I hope.