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PACK UP AND GET OUT!
A vacation that works
Dream of never going back to your job?
Here's a holiday to help.
by
T imothy K rause
ager at the beautiful Oregon Garden in Silver-
ton, about an hour south of Portland. This guy
cracks the whip early. His team is already at
work by the time 1 hop in the truck for an
8 a.m. cruise through the garden’s 240 acres.
With New Yawk accent and East Coast salt, Al
reminds me of comedian Dave Attell. It’s the day
time version of Insomniac and we’re about to hit
every bar—er, planting bed— this side of Salem.
I slip him my business card, just to let him
know of my ulterior motives as investigative
reporter. He laughs— his lesbian daughter is
gonna think it’s a hoot to see her old man writ
ten up in the queer rag.
We get coffee and drive to the highest view
point. Al jumps out of the truck, giving me the
Horticulture manager A1 Shay shows you what lay of the land. Short in stature but long on
it’s like to be a professional master gardener
words, he explains how the garden displays
when you take a working vacation at the
nursery specimens, processes Silverton’s waste
Oregon Garden in Silverton
water and serves as a destination for both
ou usually take a vacation to get away
nature nuts and strolling blue-hair bonnies.
from your sucky stressful job, but a
We stop by a trailer where I meet the guys—
new kind of travel package actually
mostly women, actually. Nearly all have gone to
puts you to work...exploring that
college for this sort of thing, putting my high
career change you’ve been fantasizing about.
school biology class to shame. I might plant
Vocation'Vacations is a new concept devel
petunias, but I’ve got nothin’ on these guys. It’s
oped by 36-year-old gay entrepreneur Brian
like they’re speaking Latin or something.
Kurth. He’d been working a high-stress job
May is a busy time at the garden because
that just didn’t reward him deep down. You
know, that gnawing feeling you get sitting in
traffic three hours a day, wondering about life.7
Like you, Kurth knew there’s gotta be more.
“It suddenly occurred to me to test the waters
in one of my dream jobs while on vacation,” he
says. He traveled five months, ending up in Port
land, where he now lives his own dream, working
for a local vintner while launching this new biz.
Vocation Vacations lets people spend some
hether you work hard or play hard,
time shadowing a professional in the career of
shuck it all at Breitenbush Hot Springs
their choice and get a better sense of whether they
to commune with nature au natural.
really want to give up their cushy 9-to-5 job. Each
Rustic, restful and gay-affirming, this peaceful
month Kurth introduces a new package, such as
retreat offers more than its holistic, earthy-
chef, zookeeper or Portland International Raceway
crunchy reputation might lead you to believe.
worker. Available now are brewmaster, vintner
Especially if you want to do nothing at all.
and the one I experienced, master gardener.
Two hours southeast of Portland, Breiten
bush sits on a remote site in the Willamette
pictured a meditative process, delicately prun
National Forest. Tall forests, crisp air and rugged
wilderness inspire deep thought, while the river's
ing bonsai in a romantic greenhouse while
rejuvenating sound softens the stillness.
sipping iced tea, hardly soiling my snow-white
gloves and certainly not breaking a sweat. What I
Artesian hot springs supply three natural-
got was a fun, raucous kx>k behind the scenes of a
rock pools that face a meadow. A “medicine
hybrid botanical garden/amusement park.
wheel" offers four tubs of different tempera
My mentor was Al Shay, horticulture man
tures, along with a cold plunge. A natural-
winter construction projects are still being
completed even as new plantings arrive. Our
chain gang weeds and waters, prunes and
plants. They create a new path, replace a drain
and use a backhoe to sculpt new terrain with
rocks bigger than my car.
As much as he disses the politics, A l’s job as
master gardener is almost more brains than
brawn. He’s the go-to man for what needs to be
done. Yet, Al immediately transforms into arbo
real ambassador to lead a tour of municipal tree
huggers. Eavesdropping, I hear tree terms that
mean something totally different to me— tight
crotches, bound balls, trimming the bush...I
never knew horticulture had such sex appeal!
Now with better appreciation for a master
gardener’s mix of management and mud, I can
immediately think of at least one thing I’d
rather use my hands for than pulling weeds. But
the intimate experience of seeing what’s really
involved, even for just a day, was a hell of a lot
of fun and something I can’t wait to try again.
I wonder if there’s a Vocation Vacation for
gay bathhouse attendant.7
iguring out what you really want to do in
life doesn’t have to be all work. Each
Vocation Vacation package includes
F
comfy accommodations where you can kick
back and take in nearby attractions. After
spending the day tearing up the garden, for
example, I slept soundly at downtown Silver-
ton’s Water Street Inn.
This old Victorian has seen its share of his
tory, I’m sure, but it’s been beautifully restored
by friendly innkeeper Sheila Rosborough and
family. Five guest rooms feature private baths
and other amenities, and you can walk down
town to restaurants, art galleries, a movie the
ater and shopping. (Yes, this all-American
small town is in vogue for countryside charm;
the Asian import shop Stone Buddha, for
example, is owned by a lesbian couple.)
A short drive away is the quiet and thoughtful
Silver Falls State Park. This natural oasis features
more than 25 miles of trails for hiking, biking
and horseback riding. The lush Canyon Trail par
ticularly draws you past cool earthen walls, along
the creek and through the woods past 10 magnif
icent waterfalls, many of which you actually walk
behind. In addition to day-use access, the park
offers camping and RV space, cabin rentals and
group accommodations. Guided horseback rides
are available during the summer. Pets are wel
come, but not on the Canyon Trail. J H
For details about VOCATION VACATIONS call
866-888-6329 or go to uuw.wxxiaonwcaaons.com.
Visitor information for the OREGON GARDEN is
available at 503-874-8100 or
uwui.oregongarden.org. The WATER STREET INN
can be found at 503-873-3344 or
uuw.thewaterstreetinn.com. Contact SILVER FALLS
S ta t e P a r k at 503-873-8681 , ext. 31.
Relax, it's natural
Strip away the stress
and soak In the hot springs scenery
steam sauna offers yet another way
to unwind.
Breitenbush plays host to many
events, but individuáis can visit fair
a personal retreat, which includes
access to daily well-being programs, B art C hurch, Breitenbush’s new gay director o f m arketing
such as yoga. Other services include and events, says a visit to the hot springs relaxes the body
and rejuvenates the spirit
hydrotherapy, massage and reiki.
Hiking trails wander from the campsite, con
optional bathing areas, vegetarian meals and
necting to ancient forests.
no phones. JTJ
A historic lodge now houses a library, func
tion room and dining hall. Guests either pitch
B reitenbush H o t S prings welcomes the boys-oniy
a tent or choose a geothermal-heated cabin,
Northwest Radical Faeries from Aug. 13 to 17 and
some with bathrooms and some sharing a com
die ghb-only Women in the Woods from Aug. 21 to
mon bathhouse.
24. For details call 503-854-3312 or visit
Other benefits (or caveats): clothing-
www.breitenbush.com.
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Bryan
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