ROAD TRIP! Morning Glory, a Big Duck, and a Most Beloved Carousel

For breakie, we took a tip from my nephew and his wife and went to the Morning Glory Café (left). Score! Great vegetarian place, excellent food - it is SO good.

We decided to cruise the University, as no visit to Eugene is complete without a visit to the Big Duck on the University of Oregon campus. 

U of O also has a reputation as an arboretum, and many of the beautiful trees on campus were greeting fall in their best colors.

In the workshop

We headed north to a place my daughter had seen on TV, and a perfect example of what people who love where they live can do: the Albany Carousel Museum. In 2002, members of the community came up with the idea of a carousel museum and subsequently volunteered over 160,000 hours to create something magical.

The Albany Carousel Museum was fortunate to have a 1909 Dentzel Carousel Corporation mechanism donated to the project. The Dentzel family became a major supporter; the Dentzels were the first manufacturer of carousels in America, opening their business in Philadelphia, PA back in 1870 (more about the Dentzels and their wonderful business in my Pennsylvania Handbook). The Dentzel family, through the American Carousel Corporation, supplied the antique 1909 mechanism consisting of 52 animals on three rows. 

Bill Dentzel, great grandson of Gustav Dentzel, the founder of Dentzel Carousel Corporation, heard of our project and supplied valuable knowledge that markedly assisted in the restoration of the mechanism; he also carved with volunteers to help make the animals of this community project a reality. Modern carousel animals are usually cast in metal or plastic. The Albany carousel animals are made the old-fashioned way - hand carved and painted. They are gorgeous!

This Big Boy's name is Sampson

It's Quigga!

Volunteer support has ranged from animal and mechanism and building component sponsorships to outright financial contributions. Initial donors were given an opportunity to “buy” an animal of their choice – hence the clever and imaginative animals. 

A local veterinarian commissioned Quigga, the Quagga (and extinct half-stripped zebra). Volunteers come in to assist with carving, painting, tours and the gift shop.

 

 This carousel consists of 52 animals with a variety of animals ranging from a seven foot plus tall giraffe, dogs, cats, zebras, unicorns, dragons, lions, tigers, and bears, (just to name a few. See a more complete list here). The animals are in three rows; the outside row (large animals) are “standers” while the middle and inside row animals (medium and small sized respectively) are “jumpers.” Each row also has two replacement animals (the animals are rotated out for a period of time) and there are also five seasonal animals, bringing the total to sixty-three animals. Admission to the carousel studio tour and gift shop is free, and the carousel itself is only $2 a ride. Don’t miss it!

When we returned to Eugene, we stopped at an extraordinary bakery famed for its mix of gluten and gluten-free baked goods. I wanted to order one of everything, but settled for just a few. Sweet Life is justifiably delicious! We would have pictures of the goodies, but they mysteriously disappeared.

image: A.N. Smith-Lee

A spin around the river walk was on the agenda after snacks, and it was literally right outside our hotel room. The upper part of the walk sometimes butts up against the busy freeway, and there are a disconcerting number of folks popping out of their temporary homes in the bushes alongside the river (yes, there are homeless of all ages in Eugene, including a few young druggies who end up sleeping extra rough on the damp sidewalks. However, since this is Oregon, everyone we met - no exceptions -was friendly and courteous, homeless included). It's life in America these days. By contrast, the far side of the walk skirts a pleasant park and the exceptional Owen Rose Garden which was in full bloom when we visited.

The next morning, we planned to set out early for home, so, after an unexceptional meal at a local fast-food joint, we decided to get a closer look at something that fascinated me since we rolled into Eugene: a pedestrian bridge over one of the freeways. It's lit with bright red neon, and led from one housing tract to another. The picture doesn't do it justice.

All images, unless stated, are by Joanne Orion Miller