Gimme Some Eugene

Ahhhhh....Eugene. Nothing is quite like it. We spent 2 weeks in Eugene while we got our first Alpine converted to run veggie and fell in love with the city. Last time, we were there in May, so the weather was beautiful. We rode the trails, played in the parks, went on walks...but not this time. It rained. And rained. And rained. Apparently Eugene in October has a little bit of an attitude problem. But that didn't stop us from having fun.

Since the time we did our first conversion, we have become good friends with Clark, the owner of Green Eye Auto. So this time, we parked our rig right in his backyard to do the conversion instead of at his shop. It was an added bonus that he and his lovely wife Kimberly have THREE girls. And a playhouse. Bella was in heaven.

Matt did the conversion by himself this time...with Clark overseeing and mentoring him along the way. Matt is now a trained mobile installer for Green Eye...so if you've been wanting to convert your diesel to veggie oil...let us know!

We had the opportunity to meet up with another online friend, Bethany and her husband Jordan. We hung out a lot with their family...going out for pizza, coffee, doing photo sessions, going to church (Eugene Christian Fellowship). Such fun. Bethany is the sweet mama who owns One Love Creations (amazing hemp clothing!).

We also met her friend Gillian, who owns Indigo Inspired, another lovely hemp clothing shop. It was so inspiring being around these mamas who create such beautiful clothing and do it sustainably. My wardrobe is now blessed with their artistry!

Monica and her kiddos were passing through town while we were there on their way to see family in Texas, so I got to spend a few more hours with them. She had just gotten her hair dreaded with Stephanie at Akemi. The same salon I had just been to a few days before. Such a small world!  Everyone is connected in some way or another.

We loved exploring around town...even in the rain. The Saturday Market was always a hit with tons of organic yumminess and hand crafted clothes and art. In my opinion, it's one of the best markets in the country. Govinda's Vegetarian Cafe made us BEYOND happy with it's all you can eat buffet of Indian delights. They had a terrific salad bar and this coconut curry that was addicting. There are many yummy Thai restaurants and the coffee is good and plentiful. There are so many quirky and fun shops and restaurants in Eugene, along with the standard chains like Trader Joe's, Costco, etc.

There are a lot of people who ask if Eugene is a place where we would like to live...and honestly, I do love it. I just wish it didn't rain so much! We would love to visit during the summer/fall when it's gorgeous weather every day. Eugene is so close to the unbelievably beautiful Oregon ocean beaches...and to Portland. There are cool people. Lots of organic, local food. And it's full of people who question the norm. What's not to love?

Here is a list of places we enjoyed in Eugene:

• Eugene Saturday Market
• Govinda's Vegetarian Buffet 
• The Beanery
• Wandering Goat Coffee
• Chao Pra Ya
• Ta Ra Rin
• Cozmic Pizza
• Sweet Potato Pie (hemp clothing & fun stuff)
• Down to Earth
• Sundance Natural Foods

The sun came out the day we were leaving...of course. We finished up the final details of the conversion, and headed towards Santa Cruz, CA...where the Redwoods were calling our name!

Photos of Eugene here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr.