Tracktown, U.S.A
Hello adventurers! I have returned and hopefully to be more consistent. A big life change - I graduated college and moved across the country to Portland, OR! One of the things that excites me the most about being on the West Coast is the sense of possibility I feel, especially when thinking about adventures. It seems that the outdoors are abundant and the view of Mt. Hood’s white glacial peak floating above the city just teases me to disappear into the woods every weekend. One day I’ll write a blog post about summiting that peak (and many more) but this post is actually about city exploring!
The city of Eugene holds many things but none more important and iconic than University of Oregon’s campus, including Hayward Field and Autzen Stadium. I went to go check it out because if you’re going to live in Oregon you better know your Duck stuff! I was given a tour by the biggest Puddles fan I know, who explained what makes up the O symbol and how many great athletes and business people call U of O home. Ever heard of Nike? The owner went here which means Nike dominates the campus and donates tons of money to build incredible things like the world renowned track stadium and football complex.
As you can see in this picture the O of Oregon and the symbol of the university, other than Puddles, is actually an overlay of the track and football stadiums together. You cannot experience U of O without appreciating the athletic legacy that this University is built upon. While we were wandering through town, Eugene was getting ready to be a world destination and live up to its nickname of Tracktown, USA. This year for the first time ever the World Athletics Championships will be hosted on U.S. soil (in Eugene!) and the greatest track and field athletes will compete on Hayward Field! Unfortunately, that meant that we could not get into the track stadium but just seeing it from the outside you could tell why this was the mecca.
As much as it was cool to learn about U of O, the best part of seeing the city was having your own tour guide and taking “home” videos! Of course when you know facts about the place it helps to tell newcomers but it is just as fun to simply read signs out loud or make things up! Universities often have signs in front of buildings that display a name so you really seem like you know a place if you point to a building and read it’s name out loud even if you’ve never been there before. And honestly, that’s half a tour guide’s job - just pointing and naming!
We set off to explore the campus and before we got far I pulled out my new camera, flipped it to video mode, and began recording. Making sure to take in the surroundings I then just started peppering questions at my friend who took on his new persona of tour guide with gusto and began explaining and naming everything; even referencing “everyone watching” as if we were creating a movie or streaming to our audience. There were no grumbles about hungry bellies or eye rolls at questions because we created an atmosphere where wandering and giving long explanations was a must, simply by hitting record.
We finished off the day in a very classic way, googling nearby hikes to get a picturesque view of Eugene and the internet did not disappoint! Spencer Butte Park has a gorgeous trail that is less than a mile to the top of a grassy knob where you can look out over the city of Eugene and, on a clear day, see multiple glaciated peaks of Oregon!
Adventurers, I hope you’re ready to explore the PNW with me because I cannot wait to plan some incredible trips! In the meantime… open up those atlases and go city ‘sploring - just remember, hit that little record button every once in a while and become an eager tour guide because you just might make a forever memory.