I woke early, like a kid on Christmas. The sun had not yet risen yet, but the smoke filled sky was already transitioning into daylight. I was sleeping out, without a tent, in a shallow ditch beside a seldom used access road. With great anticipation I rose up out of the ditch, shouldered my pack in the growing dawn, and hiked the remaining 3.5 miles to interstate 5.
I was excited because today I would get to stop at Callaghan's, a restaurant and lodge half a mile off trail. They have a hiker special that includes a shower, laundry, breakfast with endless pancakes, dinner with endless spaghetti, a pint of beer, and a place to camp out. All this is $50, and I was eager to get at it! More important (to me at least) is that the lodge is a short hitch to Ashland, where the Shakespeare Festival is in full swing.
I arrived in time for breakfast with Norm, who had skipped Seiad Valley and was on his way out. After breakfast I showered, did laundry, and set up my tent on the expansive lawn behind the lodge. I planned to leave my stuff there while I spent the day in town. The girl working the front desk, who Norm had insisted was making eyes at me during breakfast, offered me a ride if I could wait until she got off work at noon. Unfortunately I wanted to attend a lecture on Romeo and Juliet at noon, before seeing the performance. I thanked her, but managed to hitch a ride instead. I don't remember my ride's name, but he was a surfer from Hawaii who came to Ashland to go to college and to snowboard. After college he loved Ashland so much he decided to stay. I can see why.
Ashland is a bit like Chico, but because it has the university, the ski resort, and the festival, the downtown is more prosperous. I walked amongst great restaurants, galleries, and shops. I wandered along the creek and cut through Lithia Park before arriving at the theaters.
The lecture was given by a visiting Shakespeare scholar from Utah who lectured on the role of the sonnet in Romeo and Juliet. He had some fascinating insights into the history of sonnets and the way Shakespeare crafts them to advance subtle messages buried within the dialogue. Afterward I was excited to see the show, and the cast did not disappoint. I was worried Elizabethan English and the structure of the prose would prevent me from getting absorbed in the plot. To the contrary! The acting was so good that it was as if the play were written in contemporary style and with a modern lexicon. I had trouble hitchhiking back to Callahan's, but it was all WELL worth the trip. I'll be back after the PCT for sure.
After the show I hit the Standing Rock Brewery, where I tasted all the colors of the rainbow (pictured). I ended my day with endless spaghetti and a beer on the patio. Now I lie in my tent, writing my blog and listening to the live music in the restaurant. What a great and much needed day!
