9th October 2013

I've been in Eugene, Oregon since leaving San Francisco on Sunday a week later than planned thanks to a bout of flu that knocked me out for a couple of days. My original plan on departing San Francisco was to visit Portland where there are a wealth of co-operatives. But having missed my original booking I decided it would be better to spend some time in a more tranquil environment where I could collect the abundance of thoughts floating around my head from the many interviews I'd conducted with co-operatives in the Bay area I'd visited, and write it all up without the distractions of hostel life. To that end I booked a week in an RV (recreational vehicle, motorhome, Winnebago or whatever other name you may choose) via the wonderful website that is AirBnB – if you're not aware of it check it out now (https://www.airbnb.com/).

The highlight of the last few days I spent in San Francisco following my recovery was The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival held in Golden Gate Park. I was hoping to hear the thrum of banjos, washboards and pedal steel but sadly our rather late arrival meant we only had time for a bite to eat at our friend Turtle Smasher's food truck: Me So Hungry (http://mesohungrytruck.com/) and a couple of bands. Happily this was ample compensation.

Me So Hungry serves up gourmet sliders (mini burgers for those not in the know). I opted for a couple of Cali sliders which consisted of burger, gorgonzola, balsamic sautéed onions and smoked applewood bacon. Delicious doesn't even begin to describe and the taste sensation and the sweet potato fries with spiced sour cream were on pretty much the same level. Of course it all tastes better when its free and thanks to Turtle Smasher's offer of trading Eva, Audrey and I food for beer our bill amounted to a little over two bucks each, which in my book is pretty close to free!

Once we'd finished with the sliders we headed to the stage Connor Oberst was curating and headlining. He also goes by the name of Bright Eyes and was at some point the latest “new Dylan”, I'm sure they've found someone else to hand that one of now. The stage was set in a beautiful tree lined dell with the stage nestled at the far end. I should quickly mention the festival was entirely free (see previous paragraph for my thoughts on free stuff). There's a pretty longstanding tradition of free music festivals in San Francisco and given the generally bohemian populous, clement weather and vibrant music scene here its easy to understand why. The first band to play were First Aid Kit, a Swedish folk duo who are apparently sisters. Their songs were sweet and pastoral not unlike the Fleet Foxes if a little more stripped back. I haven't been to many festivals where the tempo is quite so slow but on a day like that Friday it seemed entirely appropriate and its pretty great to watch the band lying on the grass without the usual obstructions (i.e. other festival goers jumping around boisterously). Sadly this didn't last as Mr Oberst's arrival on stage triggered what seemed like a couple of thousand young women's arrival, who were almost to the last one stood on tip-toes with tearful expressions on their faces. I resisted the temptation to join in with the waterworks but rose to my feet and enjoyed his brand of emotionally charged contemporary folk music, albeit not quite as much as the rest of the audience. Good times indeed.

I'm looking forward to returning to San Francisco later in November to see some of the friends I've made and hopefully discover a few more of the treasure trove of hidden gems this city has to offer. For now its onwards and northwards...

Eugene, is a smallish city that lies pretty much right in the middle of the Interstate 5 corridor. The road connects California to Portland in the very north of Oregon and is where most of the state's, well at least its more liberal members abide, running northwards, charting a course that runs parallel to the coast around 50 miles inland. The western half of the state is for the most part tree covered, with Sequoias, Douglas firs and all manner of pines covering its hillsides. Eugene keeps this theme going, although it has rather more deciduous trees than the conifers that dominated the landscape on the journey here. My timing weather-wise has been less than perfect (it rained pretty much all day the last two days) but these trees have put on a colourful display with pinks, auburn, gold and green that offer some compensation. Rain or shine each day I've bicycled into the centre of town along the banks of the Williamette river who's banks are lined with trees proudly displaying their colourful canopies. There's a pretty sleepy sort of feel here, although I'm sure if I was to venture towards the part of town where the University of Oregon resides I'd find a little more action. But I'm not, so I won't.

The RV is perfect for my needs, I have gas, electricity, wifi and running water. A comfortable bed and desk to write at and best of all peace and quiet. It really is blissful, especially now I've figured out how to fit in the shower. Perhaps I'll do a little more exploring here before I go but for now the best thing Eugene has to offer is the sanctuary that is my RV.