Aug 11th - Bend, OR, to Ashland, OR

​Our route took us off Highway 97 across two-lane country and mountain roads over the Cascades. We arrived at our lakeside campsite to find that the level of Emigrant Lake was only about 10% of normal. A neighbor told us that they have been draining the lake to support a salmon run in nearby creeks.

Angie had never been to Ashland before. Ashland is one of Hank's favorite towns. He has visited the Shakespeare Festival there numerous times, dating back to the early 1980s. We had a delicous dinner downtown, then made our way to the Green Show in the plaza outside the theaters. The Green Show used to be Rennaissance music and dance. The new artistic director has changed it to modern acousitic performers. We opted instead for a walk through beautiful Lithia Park, where we saw many deer casually grazing. There was also a concert in the park. The town's orchestra was playing jazz music.

Under the festival's new artistic director, who has been in the role about three years, Shakespeare plays make up less than a third of the season. There is an emphasis on minority and LGBTQ+ plays and cast members. It makes you wonder why they still call it a "Shakespeare Festival".  The play we saw, "Once on This Island", was a very good musical - a love story steeped in the colonial history and culture of Haiti. There were several strong performances, including the lead role played by Ciera Dawn. I wouldn't be surprised to see this woman on broadway and film in the future.