Day #55 - 5/6/2011 - Eugene, OR to Portland, OR - 111 miles

After yesterday's 383 mile drive, today's 111 miles was a breeze...as well as unremarkable....as was the rest of the day.   

Hmmm...Morning Glory...why name a restaurant for this semi-obscure flower?  Because of how their
flowers unfurl in the early morning?  Maybe.  Because it is the title of British rock band Oasis's second
album.  Nah...that's beyond obscure.  Because it is popularly used as a green vegetable especially in
East and Southeast Asian cuisines. I think I doubt it.  Does it have anything to do with the fact that
the seeds have an LSD-like effect and 10-20 of them will have you tripping?  I report...you decide.
( In the USA it is a Federal Noxious Weed, and illegal to grow, import, possess, or sell.) 
Anyway, Lani, moseys on over.

Actually, Morning Glory is popular with the college crowd, the hip, the young, those looking for a wide variety of vegan meals and organic fair-trade coffee.  You know...liberals.

Waiting for her vegan pancake and me for my oatmeal, Lani contemplates Eugene beyond the window as I wonder why the young man on the left has a ginormous hole in his right ear.  Maybe it came with the tattooed arm? 

Before leaving Eugene, we made our obligatory bookstore visit, stopping at Smith Family Bookstore.

Lani tears through the shelves, leaving mayhem and destruction in her wake.

In a world going digital, there's something comforting about being surrounded by books, all sorts of books.

Lani pulled a couple of 19th century books off the shelf, including this 1849 printing of Burns Complete Poetical Works.

And, with that, we pulled out of Eugene, stopping in Corvalis, the home of Oregon State University where Lani had been offered a full scholarship pack for grad school.  The campus had a nice feel, but Lani was favoring Boston University.  Still, it was nice to see the campus and the scene in the surrounding area.