Salem➡️Rickreall➡️Medford➡️Arcata➡️Oakland
Another week in the books! This tour has provided so many new and wild experiences. The memories are all stacking in our mind, it is difficult to verbally express the exact feeling, being in a new spot daily. We have been in a constant state of awe and wonder. This week was primarily spent along the coast. First the Oregon Coast then the California Coast. We inhabit such a beautiful planet. Grand views of the ocean and cliff sides to giant redwoods and rivers.
The beginning of the week was vastly different than the end of the week though. We tasted both preserved beauty in nature and trashed streets in the cities. Completely different sceneries. It is hard to grasp how humans have the capacity to ravage and destroy everything. It was disheartening to go from being in vast nature to pulling up in Oakland, stepping out of the van to literal piles of garbage on the streets. Being jolted so rapidly from scene to scene was a whole experience in itself. Each day had its charm though.
We started the week in Salem, OR. Our first night was chill. We got in around dusk so we went to Taproot Lounge & Cafe for a pot of tea. The following morning, for UaZit, a skatepark. The session didn't last long though as he broke his board. The skatepark did have a huge, beautiful wild cherry tree though. Upon inspection, the trunk was leaking an abundance of tree gum. A natural resource that can be used in the paint-making process. For watercolor paints, it can be processed into a binder. I scraped a few chunks off and we were on our merry way. We stopped at a small Mediterranean restaurant and ordered some hummus & falafels to go. Took them to Riverfront Park and had a picnic. Lavash bread stuffed with our fresh hummus, falafels, and a ready mix bag of greens from Trader Joes. Once the afternoon rolled around, it was time for us to drive to Rickreall to meet up with our friend Amy and her friends Sarah & Lars. Rickreall is a super small town right outside of Salem that reminded us a lot of Attica. We got the crash tour from Amy and it was actually quite cute. A lot of laughs and home made vegan pizza later, we were ready to crash.
Tuesday morning Amy drove us to the Oregon coast. It was fucking spectacular. We drove from coastal city to coastal city, experiencing different sceneries. From cliffs to beaches. Pictures below will have to suffice. It was such a good day that ended with super tasty vegan fajitas at a colorful Mexican joint.
Wednesday morning we departed Rickreall and drove to Medford. Another beautiful drive. We have a dear friend that lives in Medford, Pam. We met Pam while couch-surfing on tour back in 2019 and we've stayed in touch since.
Thursday morning was the first time all tour I was able to enjoy a warm bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, which is an absolute staple daily when we are home. It was a busy day. Together with Pam we went to the farmers market, made kale chips, went to a grateful dead themed restaurant with incredibly vibrant art, carved pumpkins and watched Belfast. Ended the day with a moonlit soak in the jacuzzi tub. A perfect day.
The highlight of Friday, besides the show, was watching the full moon rise over the mountains. We posted up on top of a parking garage and felt like we could reach out and grab the moon. Our show that night was at Johnny B's. We played there last time our tour took us through Medford and it is a great space. Over lockdown during the pandemic, Johnny B's held a weekly open mic and we used to hop on there to be present. Being back in the space felt good.
We departed Medford on Saturday morning for Arcata, CA. About halfway through the drive, we went from mountains and sunny skies to cliff side driving with thick fog. Which, we learned, is very typical of the area. That drive was one of the more eerie drives we've made, but beautiful in itself. We got into Arcata fairly early before our show so we drove to the dunes for a picnic lunch. Some dude threw us the hang loose sign and we also saw a couple dressed as a witch & clown. It's those little blips of time that hold so much space in the mind. Their faces and smiles offered so much joy. Post picnic, we drove to downtown Arcata to exist on the plaza. It was pretty packed but we finally found a parking space right on the square. Turned the van off and chaos broke loose in the plaza right next to us. Dogs started barking and a few street people got into a fight. One lady was accusing another dude of stealing her puppy. It got pretty out of hand so we just sat in the van for a bit and watched before we decided to circle around to find a new parking spot. By the time we parked again, the plaza had calmed and we had a great time. It is filled with all sorts of vintage shops, bookstores, coffee shops, dispensaries and galleries. All small businesses. The whole plaza felt like time stood still in the 70s. The vibe, architecture, the way people were dressed and even the goods in the shops.
We left the plaza and made our way to the venue for the night, Blondies Food and Drink. It is right next door to a laundromat and we still had some time to kill so we washed/dryed a load of laundry with F-ETHER. The show was a blast and we met some really kind people. We were also reunited with a friend in Arcata that we met in 2019. Andy. We crashed at his house post show and he sent us off the following morning.
Sunday was our drive from Arcata to Oakland. A drive we've made before so we knew to drive through the Avenue of Giants. Which is a highway that takes you through MASSIVE Redwoods. Scattered along the road are pull off spots so you can get out and explore the woods with no bounds. We made the drive with F-ETHER following closely behind so we pulled off together to adventure out. WaZeil tripped on a stump and wiped out pretty good, a core tour memory. We all made our way through the woods and climbed down a cliffside to play in the river. The water was so warm and the weather was perfect. The whole experience was one of a kind. Truly stunning. It was hard to get ourselves to leave. With a four hour drive ahead still, we got back on our way and drove the coastal highway as much as we could to Oakland.
We drove into Oakland and were immediately greeted we massive amounts of garbage littering the streets. We have never seen anything like it. Literal piles of trash, 1-2 feet high every direction you look. It was so incredibly disheartening after being surrounded by such beauty during the drive. We've never ventured over to Oakland before, we had always stayed on the San Francisco side of things and it is vastly different. We pulled up to the venue, Stay Gold Deli, and it was a warm greeting. We were offered complimentary vegan deli sandwiches, drinks and sides. The show was intimate, but the energy was still amazing. Full of love. A nice way to end the week.
