James Allen News Center

As Nick and Sarah drove north toward Oregon, they saw some of the most beautiful vineyards and trees—not every road trip was like this.  They were very happy to learn that, as they looked for Medford, Oregon engagement rings, they would also be looking for southern Oregon`s finest wines. 

"Now that I think about it," Sarah told Nick as he steered his way through impossibly beautiful scenery, "My karate teacher used to go on and on about pinot noir from the Willamette Valley.  I used to pay her in wine to sew patches on my uniforms, and it was always `Willamette Valley` this and `Willamette Valley` that."

"Your karate teacher was a wino?" Nick asked.

"Not that I`m aware of," Sarah responded. "But she liked her pinot noir.  It would have been cheaper to pay the place that did my alterations to sew the patches, but it was kind of a bribe, as well.  I figured she might be a little merciful if I helped her get liquored up on weekends."

"How`d that work out for you?" he asked.

"Not well, now that I think about it." Sarah grabbed Bob to see how long it was until they reached the hotel.  Since it was less than an hour away, and she was wide awake and didn`t feel grungy, she suggested a detour. 

"Let`s check out one of Medford`s wineries," she suggested.  "We can sample a little wine, maybe get a bottle or two, and then head to the hotel."

Nick smiled.  "Don`t tell me.  Tell Bob," he said, indicating their trusty GPS.  Sarah started entering the address of EdenVale Winery, 2310 Voorhies Road, Medford, Oregon 97501.

As they pulled into the winery, they were hoping they could arrange a tour, or maybe wander around.  Fortunately, they had left their hotel early, and made it for the 2pm winery tour and sampling.  The best part, aside from the barrel-tasting, was that they got to wander around and check things out after their tour.  The winery had an amazing pear orchard around it, too.  Fidgeting their way through the tour, they finally got to the tasting room and shop, where they picked up a few bottles of the Pear House reserve Collection Syrah.  They called it the "double espresso of red wines", something that appealed to Nick a great deal.  They grabbed an opener and plastic cups from the Jeep and set off in search of a quiet spot to relax and drink their new wine.  They settled under a tree with an amazing view of both the vineyard and the orchard.  Lying on their backs looking up at the leaves moving in the breeze, in the middle of a beautiful vineyard, they were silent.  After about half an hour of quiet contemplation, Sarah spoke.

"Nicky?"

"Yes, babe?"

"I really, really have to pee."

They got up to go back to the shop before they went to the hotel.  They planned to stay only one night in Medford before heading further north to Portland, and they had a lot to do the next day.  Nonetheless, they weren`t going to let themselves leave Medford without experiencing a little nightlife.  They napped at the hotel before heading out to 2980 Crate Lake Highway, Medford, OR 97504, home of the famous Lava Lanes Cosmic Bowling.  Lava Lanes, where the PBA had its Medford Open, also featured a funky little night once a week when things became glow in the dark, the music got loud, and the bowlers got drunk. 

Nick told Sarah, who had never bowled before, that bowling was a lot less fun when you`re stone-cold sober.  After renting shoes, which Sarah found more than a little gross, they set about picking out their bowling balls.

"Do they wash these?" Sarah asked.

"I`m sure they do." Nick told her.

"I`m just picturing some teenager picking his nose and then sticking his fingers in the holes." Sarah cringed a bit as she said this.

"It`s possible," Nick told her.  "You want that purple one?"

She sighed.  "Yep."

Sarah, as it turned out, was a horrendous bowler.  Nick stopped keeping score and they resigned themselves to drinking beer and bowling as badly as possible.  Since almost everyone there was in some state of drunkenness, and since almost all of the light came from glow-in-the-dark bumpers, all thoughts of serious bowling went out of Nick`s head.  Instead, as things grew more and more insane with the Medford locals, Nick and Sarah began seeing if they could get the ball down the lane in various ridiculous ways.  Sarah actually succeeded in hitting a few pins after starting with her back to the lane, folding forward, and tossing the ball from in between her feet.  They stayed until Lava Lanes closed, then went back to the hotel, showered the sweat off themselves, and went to sleep.

The next day was to be a busy one, so they woke up early for the 9:15 am tour of Harry & David.  When Sarah found out that they were based in Medford, she insisted that they go on a tour. 

"Remember that summer after freshman year when I had my knee reconstruction and couldn`t move around much for weeks and weeks?" Sarah reminded Nick, although he was with his parents that summer while she was at her Mom`s.

"I remember you calling and telling me how wonderful I was," Nick responded.

"Clearly that was the painkillers talking," Sarah said.  "My Mom ordered a boatload of stuff from Harry & David so we could eat amazing food with minimal effort.  That place is awesome."

The tour took them through the factory, gave them history, and let them sample a few things.  Before leaving, Sarah arranged for a gift basket—including the world famous truffles—to be shipped to her Mom.  They also got a bunch of things for themselves so they wouldn`t have to worry about road food that night.  Sarah went on and on about how Harry & David is more than a place for food, that it is an institution, and that, until he was laid up from surgery or had to buy a gift for the impossible friend, he would never understand.

"I`m tempted to break both your legs," Sarah told Nick, "just so you`ll have to order from Harry & David.  Then you will understand the magic."

They hopped back into the Jeep to go to Prescott Park.  Therein was something immensely cool—a dormant volcano. 

"According to this," Sarah said, referring to a brochure from the lobby of the hotel, "Roxy Ann Peak may or may not be a 30 million year-old dormant volcano.  Or it might be of volcanic origin.  Or it might have nothing to do with volcanoes at all." 

She slammed the brochure on the dashboard.  "Let`s just say it`s a dormant volcano because it`ll be much cooler to climb one of those."

They put on their hiking boots and raced to the top, thereby scaring the heck out of any wildlife that was native to the mountain.  From the peak, they could see Mount Shasta, Crater Lake, and the Rogue Valley.  There were all kinds of other peaks in the Cascade Range that they could see, but they didn`t know all of their names.  They stood at the top of a mountain, looking down on the world, breathing fresh mountain air and feeling like they could conquer anything.
As she looked out over the Rogue Valley, Sarah inhaled deeply and looked contemplative.

"What`s on your mind, babe?" Nick asked.

"Did you know that Lisa Rinna is from Medford, Oregon?" Her answer surprised Nick, but only a little.

"Is she the one with the huge collagen lips and big fake boobs from that episode of `Entourage`?" he asked.

"Yep," Sarah responded as she headed for the trail.  "Race you down!" she yelled, without waiting for him.

Because of her incessant zig-zag running pattern, Nick was unable to pass her.  Hikers on their way up the trail jumped off to the side as they heard twigs snapping and shrill yelling.  It could have been Bigfoot, for all they knew, until they saw just another crazy girl making noise like a teenager, scaring the wildlife.

As he started up the Jeep, he said: "I can`t believe I bowled badly for you."

Sarah kissed Nick on the cheek.  "I can`t believe you`re surprised," she said.

They changed into nicer clothes in the Jeep before they left the park, since they were on their way to one of Medford, Oregon`s finest engagement ring jewelers.  When they walked in, a woman immediately greeted them and asked how she can help.

"We`re looking for an engagement ring," Nick told her.

The woman smiled and clapped her hands together, causing Nick and Sarah both to jump a little.  "How wonderful for you!" she said.  "Do you know what kind of ring you`re looking for?"

"Not exactly," Sarah told her.  "I`m open to ideas.  I`ve seen so many beautiful things in the magazines."

She ushered them to an antique-looking loveseat and gestured for them to sit.  As they did, she told them that she had an idea.

Looking at Sarah as she pulled up a chair to face the couple, she said: "Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course," Sarah told her.

"What kind of music do you mostly listen to?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow, but responded.  "A little of everything.  Mostly alternative, I guess."

The woman marked something on the clipboard she had in her lap.

"And what are you most comfortable in: jeans, a glamorous dress, or a suit?"
"Is naked an option?" Sarah asked.

The woman blushed a little. "I think we`ll mark down `jeans`, then," she said.  "Do you like camping?" She went on.

"I like being outside, but I don`t like sleeping outside,"

"Would you ever go bungee-jumping or sky-diving, or do you think that`s crazy?" the woman asked.

"I`ve done both," Sarah told her, and another notation was made.

"Okay, one more: Would you rather drink beer, wine, or cola?

Sarah and Nick exchanged glances.  "Lately, it`s been wine," Sarah explained.  "But I think that`s because of where we are.  Usually, it would be beer."

The woman smiled as she made another mark on her clipboard and flipped through some pages. 

"Let me show you some rings that might suit your personality," she said as she led them to a case.  She picked out several rings and placed them in a display on the counter.  Sarah did, in fact, like the idea behind most of them, but found them all to be just a little flashy.  She tried them on nonetheless, and she and Nick cooed over how beautiful they all were.  After more than an hour in the shop, she and Nick were both a little tired.

"I like them all," Sarah explained.  "But it`s kind of like you need to turn everything down a few notches.  If these are a `9` on my scale of what is flashy, then we need to be at about a 5 or 6."

The woman began to take out less ostentatious rings, but Nick and Sarah used their tried-and-true jewelry store extrication techniques and got out without offending anyone.

"Some of those were a little, I don`t know…Beyonce, don`t you think?" Sarah said to Nick.

"Definitely," Nick told her.  "I think their quiz needs work.  But it`s a cool idea."  He wrote it down when they got back to the Jeep. 

They changed into comfortable clothes in the parking lot, as they had so many times before, and then set Bob to get them north. 

"Are you sad," Nick asked, "that we`re leaving the birthplace of Lisa Rinna…and her lips?"

Sarah leaned back and yawned.  "You know who`s also from here?  Kevin Towers, GM of the…"

"Padres."  Nick interrupted.  "I knew that."

Sarah reached out for his hand.  "That`s why you`re so awesome," she said, blowing him a kiss.

Nick blew a kiss back at her and said: "I still should have kept score at bowling."