Farewell to Oregon and Welcome to California

Ashland is a quaint little town (20.000 people) which breathes Shakespeare and has a lot of young and hip people. Main attraction is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) from February to October. It started in the 1930s and now Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean plays at three theaters attracting people from all over the world. Ashland is also home of Southern Oregon University (SOU) and that explains the vivid, colorful scene on the streets.

The best hotel in town is the Ashland Springs Hotel which we got a chance to see as well. We were invited for dinner there and it was well worth getting dressed up again after our horseback ride. Local cheeses as a starter followed by very creative entrés: Dug leg confit, polenta with blood orange sauce and coconut-creamed leaks; red trout with red spaetzle and kale. Focus in "The Larks" - the hotel restaurant - is on seasonal, fresh ingredients from the season.


On to California on thursday morning after another dip into the healthy mineral water and a hot breakfast in the Lithia Springs Hotel. In full sunshine it's been a wonderful drive on Interstate 5 from Ashland to Redding, always with the majestic, snow-capped Mount Shasta in view.

South of Redding the Central Valley starts and it gets flat and more monotonous with endless plantations of almond, pistachio, olive and fruit trees and rice fields. With two stops (at an outlet mall and at an olive oil factory) we arrived to Sacramento at 4:30 pm having driven a little over 300 mi (480 km).