September 11, 2015 – Sun, 85 degrees

Miles Today: 10

Miles to Date: 6,695

States to Date: 23

Today I explored the University of Oregon and Eugene. I had morning meetings to discuss tomorrow with the Admissions and International Students office, ate a superb schwarma at Caspian, decided to become an undergraduate again to study Volcanology, and got a personal tour through the art museum with Associate Director Kurt Neugebauer.

Kurt hosted me for the evening. He invited three other friends for a dinner of local delicacies (including smoked tuna and prawns), which we capped off by going out for dessert at Sweet Life, a decadent and popular dessert bar. Then we drove up to Skinner’s Butte to see Eugene in its nighttime glory.

Like many college towns, Eugene is full of interesting people.  Unlike many college towns, it doesn’t have a particularly inviting physical form. Apparently the 1960’s and 1970’s were unkind to Eugene. First, they tore down much of the city center and what remains is a hodgepodge.  Then, they built blocks and blocks of squat ranch houses, which spreads the city out. More recent hillside houses have great distant views. But at a cycling level, Eugene is not a pretty place. However, at night, on a hill overlooking lights with a bunch of nice people after a yummy dessert, those shortcomings disappear.