Ashland, OR

Ashland, OR, was one of the most pleasant surprises on our travels so far. We knew almost nothing about the area when we drove in on a Friday night. Not far north of the California border on Interstate 5, the city is a hot spot for theater.

Ashland is the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Oregon Cabaret Theatre. Because it was during spring break, the town was humming! We managed to get tickets to two plays, one at each venue. We saw Dead Man's Cell Phone, a play written by Sarah Ruhl. In a world where the cell phone has become ubiquitous, the play centers around a woman who answers the cell phone of a man who has just died. The intrigues resulting from her retaining that phone are hilarious and a telling comment on the role cell phones play in our society.

At the Cabaret, we saw "Kickin' the Clouds Away," a musical with songs from the early twentieth century, with a singing and dancing cast of only six people. The Cabaret is a dinner theatre setting. 

Ashland is located in a mountain valley a few miles south of Medford. The last picture looks from Ashland to the east across the valley. Many of the homes in Ashland, cling to the steep sides of the mountains. 

In the really small world we live in, we ran into old friends from Bismarck. Bill and Nancy Walz were also visiting the area. We enjoyed an evening with them before we moved on again.