Re-visiting Ashland

I knew I had to hit Ashland before this crazy, winding adventure of mine slowed to a halt. In most of the places I have travelled to these past months I've wanted to make new memories and have my own experiences. Ashland is one of the few places where I accomplished that goal in my younger years, and now I'm ready to relive it. I pull off the turnpike and soon find myself on the same streets I walked on 21 years ago.

Something about me that you may never have guessed is my undying love for the Grateful Dead. As a writer, I spent my college years as an English major voraciously devouring books and listening to music. I never took lyrics at face value and oftentimes stayed in my room listening to my records, jotting down the words that stuck out to me and "decoding" their meaning for hours. The Dead soon became in my top favorites because of their folksy rock sound and the fascinating role they played not only in revolutionizing music but in American history. I was never a hippie or a Dead Head, but I still devoted a special place in my heart to the band. So when I found myself working in Portland when Jerry Garcia died in 1995, I got word that there was to be a huge tribute concert in the earthy, youthful, hippie town of Ashland. As none of my friends were as big of a fan as I was or interested in going, it was my first solo road trip.

Now, I beeline down Mainstreet and smile a satisfied smile to myself when I see it: Lee's Diner. The same place I had the best burger of my life 21 years ago, and the same place I met Cheryl. When I walked in here all those years ago, it was hard not to notice the pretty blonde sitting at a table devouring a burger with a ferocity I'd never before seen, wearing a huge t-shirt and weeks of sweat and dirt. Next to her was a giant pack packed so tightly it looked ready to burst. Being about the same age as her, I asked to join her. I learned that she was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail all the way from Mexico to Canada, all by herself. Talk about a first impression. We hit it off right away and decided to go to a memorial concert together. Learning about everything she was working through on the trail and the sheer bravery she possessed inspired me, still today she is one of the people who made the biggest impression on my life in the smallest amount of time.

My experience with Cheryl reaffirmed my choice to come to Ashland by myself, and was the final push I needed to decide to take this trip after Don and I split a few months ago. I owe her so much, and I'm sure she doesn't even know it - we kept in contact for a while, but fell out of touch for years. I didn't think about her for much of my 40s, that is, until I saw the book Wild on the bestseller shelves of Barnes and Noble. I was in total disbelief as I paged through the book, realizing that it really was her story. I immediately tried to write her a letter, but a week after it got returned to me - she must have moved. A year or two later, I saw the movie. It's crazy how life works, but even amongst her fame I continue to be inspired by my brief time with Cheryl Strayed.