"Dis-O: a JV vacation"

For the national branch of JVC, Disorientation is its own retreat near the end of the year set up as a time for JVs to find closure to their year of service and living in community. For JVC Northwest, we plan our own Disorientations as individual communities. My Community decided to take advantage of this opportunity to do a “Tour of Oregon” savoring time spent with each other and seeing all the things we wanted to see in Oregon and never got a chance to.

In true Gresham style (we’re known for going all out – no short cuts in Gresham), Disorientation included taking two days off of work and driving over 600 miles as we circled the state of Oregon. We left Friday morning heading east through Mount Hood National Forest. We stopped in Bend for an amazing sit-down lunch at the Deschutes Brewery, taking advantage of the local fare on the community dime – the years almost over, and we’ve got money to spare. Then back to the cars to our destination for the night: Crater Lake. I’ve flown over “the big blue dot” before, but Tomas, Sinclair and I couldn’t contain our excitement when we first got a glimpse driving up to the rim road and just started screaming “AAAAAHHHHHH!”

We set up camp for the night, only to discover that this is peak mosquito season. Adequately lathered in repellent and layered in more clothes than the weather warranted, we spent as little time as possible outside the tent, just enough to grill up some hot dogs and brush our teeth.

In the morning we hiked Garfield Peak behind the Crater Lake Lodge to take in the full experience. Standing on a small snowfield at the summit, we could see Mt. Shasta, and The Sisters, and Three Finger Jack…. Beautiful.

After brief stop and the biggest single scoop of ice cream I’ve ever had in my life, we were in Ashland being treated to dinner by Renata’s old family friends. She hadn’t seen them in 15 years, yet they were probably the nicest, most welcoming and accommodating people I had met. The treated us to a gourmet meal and delicious micro brews at the brewery/restaurant they owned then gave us a tour of adorable little Ashland.

We spent the night at my college roommate’s family’s house in Medford nestled between pear orchards and wineries. This set a beautiful stage for some time we’d set aside to reflect on our year together on Sunday morning. In the afternoon we went to the resovoir – the first time I’ve swam in a body of water in over a year – back to Medford for an amazing steak dinner, and finally off to Ashland again to see Shakespear’s Henry the IVth.

Monday morning, after a breakfast of home made oatmeal waffles (Beth, you’re amazing), we packed up our things and headed back to Portland. A brief stop in Eugene for lunch, and to check out the U of O campus where Sinclair will be an AmeriCorps volunteer in August, and we were back home in Gresham.

Gresham knows how to go out in style. We were spoiled, we got tan, we saw beautiful things and spent time with beautiful people. I can only hope to half as hospitable as the families who hosted us.

Disoreitation? A JV vacation? Perhaps both.