I feel like an insider here, having attended the University of Oregon for my undergrad years, going so far as to take a class called "Walk on the Oregon Coast" while at college. From that I fell in love with a little town called Bandon by the Sea, which is as quaint and lovely as the name implies. The class had such an impact on me that I spent every weekend I could driving out and camping along the coast, reading War & Peace while in a tent being pelted by rain, exploring lighthouses, stopping at Mo's for chowder and merrionberry pie (yum). But the best part of all was simply being able to unwind, slowing down to the pace of the ocean, feeling the Pacific against my shoulder. Time stands still here, to borrow the words of Neil Peart (RIP), the legendary drummer from Rush. Wherever I am in the world, I remember the Oregon Coast as the place I most feel human again. Like wearing a pair of faded bluejeans or a baggy knit sweater -- it's how I restore my sense of sanity..
