I had originally thought to spend only one night in the Timbers Motel in Eugene, OR, but ended up booking a second night so I could spend an entire day catching up on work on my laptop. I’d like to say the downtime was relaxing and the indulgence of a motel room was like a mini-vacation, but in actuality, this felt more like work than my 5am to 8pm days. The upside was that when it was time for meals, I went for a walk and checked out some of the most recommended places in Eugene.
I could barely utter or type the name Eugene in Oregon without someone or a web site bringing up Voodoo Doughnut. And this wasn’t just a vegan thing, Voodoo has both vegan and omnivore donuts and are adored by fans of both. On my way to pick up lunch, I walked by Voodoo and picked out two donuts for desert later in the day.
For my actual lunch I hit the renowned vegan food truck “Viva! Vegetarian Grill”
Organic Soy Chai Tea, Vegan Philly Cheesesteak, Chili Cheese Fries and Cashew-based Ginger Soft Serve. I don’t think I’ve eaten so much at one time in years. I had an early lunch and donuts for dinner. I couldn’t have eaten more that day if I wanted to. Delicious and not at all good for you. I had to go for another walk to lessen my guilt over the abuse I’d just done to my body. hah
The rest of my day was filled with work, which I kept at until 11 pm. In the morning I worked for another hour and then checked out.
When I had arrived, I’d stashed my food in the mini fridge, making sure that it felt cool and that it was plugged in. I hadn’t eaten in at all during my stay. So, the fact that the fridge wasn’t actually on escaped my notice until I opened the fridge the evening before to get a water and was assaulted by the smell of bad food. I’d never been in a motel/hotel where the fridge needed to actually be turned on via a switch/knob inside, so I assumed it was broken. Nope, just not turned on. Lesson learned, but I still feel the motel should have some sign, even a small one on the side of the fridge telling people to turn it on. I polled some friends and its about 50-50 those who are familiar with the trend of switching fridges off and those who just think to make sure its plugged in. I also wish the front desk could’ve done a little more to mask the fact they thought I was an idiot. Ah, well.
After checked out, I headed to Morning Glory Restaurant for some vegan lunch. Closed for the day for an employee party. I then tried Cornbread Cafe. Didn’t open until 11. Third choice won because they were open.
Keystone Cafe is a little place with a lot of character. They have the regular fair of eggs and pancakes, but also a separate menu selection with options like tofu scrambles, soft tacos and polenta. I went with the vegan biscuits and mushroom gravy because it was the most recommended, by vegans and non-vegans alike. They were the best thing I’d ever ingested, hands down. They had only half a cup of coffee left in the pot and though I felt like I might have to tackle the waitress to the ground and pin her there to get her attention for more than a millisecond, but I didn’t much care, because OMG those biscuits!
After that I hit the road, heading for Crater Lake National Park and places where my focus could be on photography rather than my laptop and food. 😉