Monday, May 1, 2006
We drove out to the same farm where we had parked the day before. This time we met Marvin Miner, the resident farmer who greeted us with a friendly smile and let us park again next to the big barn while we walked.
Knox Butte Road continued east, curving southward to join Highway 20 in about two miles at Cottonwoods Store. There was relatively little traffic, allowing us to enjoy the bucolic scenery on a chilly-but-sunny May Day. The road was flat, and most of the houses along the way came complete with a red or white barn, a field of crops or sheep or horses, and a shady lawn with blooming flowers. Highway 20 here runs south by southeast all the way through Lebanon.
Lebanon reminded both of us of Central Point when we were kids, the place we grew up. The main drag through town consisted of modest, old businesses, including an old theater that still operated and a roller skating rink. Side streets were lined with early-1900s houses of fading elegance, having great potential for restoration but lacking the finances to pull it off.
The walk ended about three-quarters of the way through town. We drove back to the Miner Farm, where Joe changed into running clothes. He wanted to run two miles IN ADDITION to the 9 miles he had already walked. I drove him to the base of Knox Butte and dropped him off. He then ran back to the other car at Minor Farm while I drove back to his place in Albany.
