~Shalom From the Hollow~

*Dress . Drive . Adventure*

So for any of you who live in the Northwest, you know that it’s been a pretty dry {abet foggy} winter, so far. The rain is coming, according to this weeks forecast, and heaven knows we need it. Some of you {my mother} are already beginning to lament on the lack of sun with rain on hanging over the horizon. She has so far, tried to run off to Hawaii, drive to where the weather forecast predicted sun, such as the closet beach, and the most comical, contemplate creating a personalized miniature sun {an episode of Eureka comes to mind}. Anyway, before the massive rain hit, I decided to try and take advantage of the local hiking trails with my little dog Jonah.

Fox Hollow is a area of Eugene that is inhabited by massive amounts of bikers {the human powered kind} and first, second and third generation hippies. Along with them are masses of heath food junkies and more solar panels than seem practical for a place that gets most if it’s sunshine only three months out of the year.

The plus side to all this is our hiking trails and other wildlife has been very well preserved {in comparison to other nameless places that come to mind}. So, we have hundreds of trails, and though some like the one I hiked yesterday have a fair amount of traffic and tourism coming through, others are undiscovered gems. Portland has a similar phenomenon, because the city {as a whole} is more into rebuilding {and building upwards} rather than spreading outwards, most Portlanders drive only thirty to forty-five minute in most directions and poof, their in the country.  This is a blessing many {I know I do} take for granted. Those of you who live in places like Texas or New Mexico {depending on your exact location} wonder what living so close to trails and mountains is like. It’s awesome, and though I sometimes forget I live smack in the middle of an outdoor buff’s dream, I try and take ample advantage of it.

Like today yesterday when I drovthree states away only five minutes away and  viola,  I was in the middle of nowhere. The sun was shining, the air was wonderfully fringed with the biting cold, and I soaked it all up like a sponge, loving every minute of it.  The small parking lot was packed to the gills with people, but there are several trails that begin in the same area, so my favorite trail {so far} was surprisingly empty until we reached round towards the end.  The trail starts out uphill {like so many things in life} and tapers off to a steady incline and pleasant curves. Its nice not always being able to see whats ahead. No? The whole area around us was lush with greens, heavy with rain soaked moss, and twisted branches hanging in varying lengths above like your walking through a woodland entrance to a Castle, or Legolas’s homeland {Not the twisted dark woods from The Hobbit, but all the beauty it was before darkness began to invade}.  For the avid hiker, this trail is a breeze, and even for the casual weekender this hike, though a nice challenge, won’t cause any wheezing along the way. Its amazing what nature offers as a playground in this area, and it makes me all the more blessed to be a part of it. Oh, and for those of you who have furry little friend, the trails are very pet friendly {with some practical rules posted on the info board} so feel free to bring fido along. Connecting trails wind all around eugene { maybe even Springfield} so the possibilities are endless for you to wander and explore.  If your passing through, I highly recommend this little gem and if you plan to stay awhile, take a day and pack {or buy} a lunch, it will be well worth it. U of O newbies, this is a place to remember! It’ll help you unwind {unless your one of those people that wear heels anywhere} and its a great place to go with a group of Friends. I saw a few students jogging along the smoother part of the trail {track town USA} and a group of neoteric Oregonian’s starting out just as we reached the lot. If you want to bike, there’s trails practically next door that allow bikes on them.  You can find out exactly which trails allow bikes and which don’t by going to the website here and finding the trail map PDF. There is no parking or day use fee {lets just hope it stays that way} but parking is limited, so if you decided to go with someone or as a group, carpooling might be a good option. The best nearby food is the Amazon Shopping center, where there’s Eugene restaurants such as; Laughing Planet {vegan and vegetarian options}, Market of Choice {with an amazing deli that boasts a wide variety of tasty selections} pizza and a frozen yogurt shop at the far corner. The shopping center address is located here. Don’t be fooled by the lack of official website, its a fun and friendly place to eat  with oodles of choices. I’ll be doing some posts on more hiking trails and other destination Eugene area attractions.

So, if you like hiking, nature, or just simply want to de-stress from the rush of the city, pop out to Ridgeline and enjoy what this lovely little slice of Eden has to offer you.

Happy Hiking,

~The Apartment Princess