CHEAP
Continued from Page 7B
The negative here is that you're
stuck with short driving times II
going from L.A. to New York m five
to seven days sounds like fun, call
a travel agent and get a list of the
reputable firms around the country
Most are, but it's better to hear it
Irom someone with current knowl
edge
Hitchhiking Of course, for the
meek of thumb, thumbing for ndes
on the nation's highways is com
mon fare Od you know that thumb
ing for ndes on planes is also
possible?
Like weaseling your way into a
passing Toyota, squeezing into a
DC-10 requires an innocent face
and the ability to build trust.
It also requires something good
to bargain with, like original art.
good photos or some quality wine
The best people to approach are
pilots who fly smalt planes They
tend to be less inhibited about tvv
tenng for plane odes
II this avenue ol travel sounds
uncommon, it's not There are sto
nes abound about air hitchhikers
from Seattle making it to Tokyo m
a day and the Ph*ppmes a week
Anyone interested in trying this
approach should realize that air
ports frown on it. just like the police
frown on hitchhikers on the free
ways Another negative is that you
could spend a couple days in the
airport i! you’re not lucky
If you are, though, you could
spend your money in a place a lit
tle more suitable to your taste.
Most ski slopes stay open until
Labor Day.
Mount Hood SkiBowl, about
three hours away from Eugene,
otters cha*engng sking kx just $20
a day, for example Hoodoo Ski
Area and Willamette Pass offer
equally good slopes at equally
cheap pnces.
Several ski resorts offer package
i *ea*s for we**tong stays, whet1 are
great if you don't like skiing with
crowds.
Camping and hiking also prove
cheap ways to have an excellent
vacation Gear rentals and food for
a whole week can be as cheap as
$200
Another outdoor rfea oomes from
the U S Forest Service They rent
cabins at about $20 a day and are
comparable to staying at a much
more expensive resort, except with
a better view and more privacy.
Contact the Oregon Tounsm Divi
sion at 1 -800-543-8838 or the For
est Service at 465-6521 for more
information
— Edw ard Klopfenstein
Plug into a
partnership
for
efficiency.
Join Lane County's Public Utilities
in Promoting an Energy Efficient Future.
“The Energy Outlet"—a new energy conservation information center sponsored
by Lane County s public utilities and the Bonneville Power Administration—will open in down
town Eugene in spring, 1994
The store will help Lane County electric customers make wise energy chorees by
promoting energy conservation, energy education and electrical product efficiency Bonneville
is working with Eugene Water & Electric Board, Springfield Utility Board, Emerald People's
Utility District and Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative in developing and constructing the new
information outlet.
The outlet will look much like a standard retail store. However, unlike a retail
store, the outlet will not sell products, but will inform customers about where and what to buy
for energy efficiency. The Energy Outlet will display and promote energy-efficient products —
many of which are not commonly offered — and show how best to use these products and
where they can be purchased.
In an effort to forge a ‘partnership for efficiency,” Lane County's public utilities
are looking for donations of items to be used in the displays such as building materials,
lighting, and the most energy-efficient products sold by local retail businesses. Sponsoring
businesses will be featured in a display at the Energy Outlet when the store opens next spnng.
To team more about how you can contribute, call EWEB Energy Management
Services at 484-1125 for a complete packet of information.
the Energy Outlet
r
INDOOR
Continued from Page 6B
ol Books in downtown Portland. If
you haven't been there before, just
imagine Eugene's Smith Family
Bookstore multiplied by six, and
that's Powell's.
Big deal, you say. A lot of books.
But let me ask you a question:
Where else are you going to find
cut-out paper dolls of Jimmy Carter
and his family? Nuff said.
• Movie theaters
Boy, bet you wouldn't have
thought ol that on your own. It's only
the most pathetically cliched place
to go in the history ot the world,
especially (or couples
WARNING It you happen to
know the words to that Cinemark
song they play belore the main fea
ture — it’s about popcorn, Front
Row Joe, things like that — buy a
VCR. You're just spending too
much time at the movies.
• Bed
It's perfect It's safe, it's warm,
and there aren't any nasty outdoor
hazards like tree branches or bugs
There are no tiny little teenaged
boys strung out on their own testos
terone zapping neon invaders from
Mars, and it requires no light to
enjoy, unlike a good book On the
other hand, it is perhaps the sec
ond-most cliched place to go in the
history of the world, especially for
couples.
• The Alvadore Store
Located northwest of Eugene in
the tiny metropolis of the same
name, the Alvadore Store offers all
of the traditional trappings of a con
venience store and gas station, but
oh, so much more. But it's kind of
like The Crying Game we can't tell
you what it's all about You’ll just
have to expenence it for yourself.
OK. a little hint: blue cream soda,
Joe Camel and tanning beds
• Funky, pseudo-Bohemian
coffeehouses
There's one in every North
western city these days, it's just
a matter of finding it. And once it's
found, what a trove of fun and joy
lies within.
Whether your taste runs to lattes
or lemon tea, a coffeehouse might
just be the place to go. Eaves
dropping possibilities run rampant,
because nearly everyone around
you has a more interesting, or at
least more angst-filled, life than you
do, and coffeehouses tend to be
intimate — read "small" — so you
won't strain your ears.
Furthermore, there's usually a
good selection of alternative papers
in stacks by the door, so you can
not only expand your hearing range,
but also your education.
(That last suggestion came from
my incurably outdoorsy colleague.
I haven't decided if I ever want to
go somewhere that doesn't have
Pepsi on tap. Organic colas don't
count.)
So all is not lost. Just because
you live in a natural wonderland,
replete with all of nature's splen
dor, doesn't mean you have to
enjoy it.