Oregon Vortex!! Squee!!!

[fenchurch]

I have always, always, always wanted to go to the Oregon Vortex, but when I was a kid my parents would never stop... and as an adult, I would end up driving past Gold Hill, OR way too late in the day to go. I assumed that it would probably be just a bit cheesy, but I didn't care... and it was SO worth the visit. Very funky with the visual perceptions, however it's done... and just great cheesy fun. And yes, I bought a t-shirt. And an Oregon Vortex book. I also suspect the the employees were a little weirded out that I was so excited to be there. Heh.

Backing up a bit and speaking of cheese... After a gorgeous drive past Mount Shasta, we stopped in at the Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon again, where we picked up some of their Oregonzola and Oregon Blue, and were very pleased that they had some fresh cheese curd sitting on the counter (it was a really yummy cheddar with fresh rosemary). There is nothing better than cheese that squeaks when you bite into it. We picked up a few more of the Smoky Blue Cheese truffles and were told we should really check out the store next door, the chocolatier that made them: Lillie Belle Farms. We wound up buying about a dozen chocolate truffles... they're small, but oh so good (at least so far) and really quite beautifully shaped.

We'd hoped to maybe swing out to Crater Lake on this trip, but it was a bit too late by the time we got to the turn off... especially since we still hadn't eaten dinner. We're thinking of just doing a four day weekend sometime and running down just to go out there, since Rackham has never been and I haven't gone since just after I graduated from High School.

Speaking of which, we reserved a room at the Best Western in Roseburg, OR before we left Red Bluff... and it turns out to be the same hotel I stayed at on my Big Road Trip after high school graduation (my dad gave me the money to drive down to Sacramento from Spokane to visit my grandparents and great-grandparents -- and I ended up also making a run down to Oakland for WesterCon 40, but that's another story). It's an old building, but they've updated it marvelously... and even though it's an "outdoor" style hotel, it's probably the nicest one we've stayed in on this trip.

And if you ever find yourself in Roseburg, OR then I highly recommend you try Alexander's Greek Cuisine. Excellent food and service (our waitress got really excited when she saw the "Tick" t-shirt I was wearing, because she'd only ever met one other person who knew about the show)! And to prove that it's a small online world... when we got back to the hotel room after dinner, I went to look up the name of the soup I'd had (I can never remember how it's spelled), and when I loaded the first webpage that looked to actually have it listed (the soup is Avgolemono, btw), I was surprised to see julesong smiling back at me, wearing Jayne's cunning hat! Now I'm wondering if this recipe made it into the Big Damn Cookbook. I'll have to check when I get home.

Comments

[taradaktyl.livejournal.com]

Huh - I've never heard of it (but never drive by there either). Actually sounds like fun. :-)

[shaddyr]

Sounds like a good time! I think that place would be a hoot! I bet the kids would enjoy it.

Mmmm, Greek food. Yum.

[codyne]

You make me nostalgic for my college days! I went to Oregon State, and had a friend who lived in Central Point that I used to visit. Lots of good times there!

[pmgoose.livejournal.com]

Oh, yum! *craves squeaky cheese*

[corellian-sugar.livejournal.com]

If you ever get out to Oregon, I'll take you to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and you can snack on squeaky cheese to your little heart's content. Mmmmm. Squeaky cheese. ;)

[geojlc.livejournal.com]

mmmmmm Tillamook squeeky cheese and ice cream cones. Not at the same time, of course. I loooooove that stop!

[ukamikanasi.livejournal.com]

I've never been to the Oregon Vortex, but I love stuff like that. When we went to the Mystery Spot, I told the group I was with not to tell me how it's done. I know it's all trickery, but sometimes it's more fun to not think about it and just enjoy it. :)

[corellian-sugar.livejournal.com]

Well done bleu cheese truffles are to die for. I was lucky enough to learn how to make them at Pix during my externship -- and while rich and lovely, they absolutely remain the favorite truffle I learned to make there. Yummy. :)

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

Man, you've done ALL the things I want to do in that area, from the Winchester Mansion to the Oregon Vortex! Not to mention Tillamook cheese. Mmmmm.

And Greek food, of course.

[mlgm.livejournal.com]

It used to be only we here in Wisconsin understood the joys of squeaky cheese, well except of those Quebecers who put gravy on them which just wrong. It's good to see curds have moved to conquer the entire country.