Having not taken a zero (no hiking) day since I stopped by my parents’ house in Lake Tahoe a month before, I decided the small town of Ashland would be the perfect place to kick up my heels and relax. Located just 10 miles from the PCT, the city is perhaps most famous for hosting the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. For long-distance hikers, of course, one of the highlights of spending a day in town is the simple availability of hot food. A big breakfast at the Morning Glory Cafe preceded a visit to the all-you-can-eat Taj Indian buffet where I filled my bottomless hiker stomach with steaming samosas and tandoori chicken (washed down with multiple glasses of mango lassi). Completely stuffed, I strolled over to the park and lay down in the sunny grass for an afternoon nap.
On my way back to the hotel where I was splitting a room with Radek the skies suddenly opened up in a torrent of pouring rain. Having gotten used to walking through all kinds of weather, I enjoyed feeling the cool drops of water fall on my face. When the rain let up a bright double rainbow appeared over the city, guiding me toward the evening’s event. I was excited to see the showing of Macbeth at the Elizabethan-style theater downtown. Curtain wasn’t until 8pm, however, and I made the tragic mistake of ordering a glass of wine while waiting for the play to begin. Accustomed to going to sleep around 9pm each night, the wine and my body’s natural rhythm soon worked their magic and put me under for most of the show. The sharp noise of the audience giving a standing ovation stirred me awake as the actors bowed on stage. I may have missed the play but I certainly had a restful zero day.
Russell on the Road 