From Sage to Pine

Dee Wright Observatory at the summit of McKenzie Pass

Starting my morning yesterday interviewing Dana Whitelaw was invigorating. She leads the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, and visiting her was a fitting way to transition from spending the past few days amongst the arid plateau breathing in the sage before rolling into the lush coastal valleys filled with evergreens and rivers.

She and her team provide the public with an amazing interactive interdisciplinary perspective of the lands, peoples, flora, and fauna that make up the High Desert. Two exhibits stuck out. First was the wing dedicated to the Native Americans who have resided on the plateau for ages. The second was a technological cornucopia for the senses that is Burning Man.

Museums are having important conversations because of the racial injustice conversation that has come to the forefront in recent weeks. They are natural convening points for people of divergent opinions. So how does one tell the story of a vast stretch of land in a way that acknowledges its complexity and challenges?

I cut across to Eugene along the McKenzie Pass and McKenze River before arriving at the University of Oregon to claim the bicycle my son left on campus when he went back to Atlanta for Spring Break. It turned out I had to stay overnight here and try again this morning (successfully).

Colleges and universities are empty and leaders there are trying to nail jello to the wall when it comes to figuring out how to adjust their well worn playbook for the Fall semester. The meteor’s shadow looms large and the acceleration of the disruption will play out soon enough.

As for now, I’m glad I have reclaimed a bicycle and met a new friend, Mario Tucci. He is a multi-faceted artist in Eugene who is going to jam with us in the coming weeks.