Gimme Some Eugene

Ahhhhh....Eugene. Nothing is quite like it. We spent 2 weeks in Eugene while we got our first Alpine converted to run veggie and fell in love with the city. Last time, we were there in May, so the weather was beautiful. We rode the trails, played in the parks, went on walks...but not this time. It rained. And rained. And rained. Apparently Eugene in October has a little bit of an attitude problem. But that didn't stop us from having fun.

Since the time we did our first conversion, we have become good friends with Clark, the owner of Green Eye Auto. So this time, we parked our rig right in his backyard to do the conversion instead of at his shop. It was an added bonus that he and his lovely wife Kimberly have THREE girls. And a playhouse. Bella was in heaven.

Matt did the conversion by himself this time...with Clark overseeing and mentoring him along the way. Matt is now a trained mobile installer for Green Eye...so if you've been wanting to convert your diesel to veggie oil...let us know!

We had the opportunity to meet up with another online friend, Bethany and her husband Jordan. We hung out a lot with their family...going out for pizza, coffee, doing photo sessions, going to church (Eugene Christian Fellowship). Such fun. Bethany is the sweet mama who owns One Love Creations (amazing hemp clothing!).

We also met her friend Gillian, who owns Indigo Inspired, another lovely hemp clothing shop. It was so inspiring being around these mamas who create such beautiful clothing and do it sustainably. My wardrobe is now blessed with their artistry!

Monica and her kiddos were passing through town while we were there on their way to see family in Texas, so I got to spend a few more hours with them. She had just gotten her hair dreaded with Stephanie at Akemi. The same salon I had just been to a few days before. Such a small world!  Everyone is connected in some way or another.

We loved exploring around town...even in the rain. The Saturday Market was always a hit with tons of organic yumminess and hand crafted clothes and art. In my opinion, it's one of the best markets in the country. Govinda's Vegetarian Cafe made us BEYOND happy with it's all you can eat buffet of Indian delights. They had a terrific salad bar and this coconut curry that was addicting. There are many yummy Thai restaurants and the coffee is good and plentiful. There are so many quirky and fun shops and restaurants in Eugene, along with the standard chains like Trader Joe's, Costco, etc.

There are a lot of people who ask if Eugene is a place where we would like to live...and honestly, I do love it. I just wish it didn't rain so much! We would love to visit during the summer/fall when it's gorgeous weather every day. Eugene is so close to the unbelievably beautiful Oregon ocean beaches...and to Portland. There are cool people. Lots of organic, local food. And it's full of people who question the norm. What's not to love?

Here is a list of places we enjoyed in Eugene:

• Eugene Saturday Market
• Govinda's Vegetarian Buffet 
• The Beanery
• Wandering Goat Coffee
• Chao Pra Ya
• Ta Ra Rin
• Cozmic Pizza
• Sweet Potato Pie (hemp clothing & fun stuff)
• Down to Earth
• Sundance Natural Foods

The sun came out the day we were leaving...of course. We finished up the final details of the conversion, and headed towards Santa Cruz, CA...where the Redwoods were calling our name!

Photos of Eugene here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr. 

Unexpected Connections

Oregon is one of those places where we just wanted to stay and stay and stay. We had already been there during our first tour, and had a blast...so this time we wanted to see some different stuff. We traveled through the Columbia River Gorge...which is beautiful (and sometimes claustraphobic), and came out on the other side into a city we love, Portland.

(L to R: Jessamyn, Sara, Denise, Stephanie)
We set out on a very rainy Saturday morning...our first stop was to meet up with a friend I had met online but never in person, Denise...aka Boho Girl. She had flown up to Portland from San Diego to meet her friend, Jessamyn, and everyone was going to Akemi Salon for dread maintenance with Stephanie, "The Dread Goddess". I was up for that! We had an amazing time ... even though it was just for a short visit. The love and acceptance in that place was sunshine to my soul! It set the stage for even more fun with these ladies in San Diego and Phoenix (more on that later!).

(L to R: Shauna, Monica, Sara)
We spent the rest of the day exploring...lunch at Laughing Planet, cupcakes at Saint Cupcake, and a quick stop at REI. As we were heading out the door that morning, my friend Monica whom I had known for several years online had messaged me on Facebook because she saw that we were in Portland. It didn't work for us to meet up during the day, but as the day was coming to a close, we connected again via texts...and made plans for her and another one of my online friends, Shauna, to meet us back at the RV that night. And oh we had such fun! The next day, Monica and her friend Ryan (who just happens to be an amazing photographer...yay) met us at Imago Dei and then we went out for Thai food together.

This is why I love technology. If not for that quick message on FB and that text, we may have never met up with Monica and Shauna. But we did. And these two amazing women have become dear, dear friends over the past couple of months since we were together there. 
It makes my heart all warm just typing this. Monica is an amazing mama to 2 and works with YWAM in Salem, OR...and Shauna is the mastermind behind Mama's Herbal Soaps. If you haven't tried her amazing concoctions...run to her site now!

Before leaving Portland, we spent time with some of Matt's extended family, and enjoyed catching up with them. The next day we headed south to Eugene to start our 3rd veggie oil conversion in 2 years!

Photos of Portland are here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr.