1/1 University of Oregon Tour

I have been VERY lazy and sitting on these photos throughout the holidays. A very kind lady who teaches at the University took me to lunch and gave me a short walking tour of the campus. It was a short tour because it was cold and damp, as is usual for this time of year.  Some day when I am here, and it is warm and sunny, I will take advantage of Eugene's many bike trails and do some exploring on my own.  And, I confess that this happened way back on December 13!! 

The University of Oregon is the largest university in Oregon and its flagship, so to speak.  It was founded in 1875 and currently has about 19,000 undergrads and almost 4,000 graduate students. Their teams are the Ducks, and you can see a lot of Duck memorabilia on people and around town.  One thing that having such a substantial university in town is that there are more cultural programs and a lot more upscale stores than you would expect in a city the size of Eugene.  

This is where we had lunch.  It is a very interesting looking bed and breakfast and restaurant.  

Looking from the commercial area into the campus. 

Just a sample of some of the buildings.  Looks pretty much like a lot of other colleges. 

I thought this building was interesting because it looked a bit like it came from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. 

Those of you who are familiar with my alma mater, U of Michigan, can you imagine actual street parking right in the middle of campus???  Amazing!  

Apparently, a lot of the trees were planted on campus.  What is surprising on this one are the ferns growing on the large branches.  The tree was labeled as a large-leafed maple, and these ferns look a LOT like the ones they call resurrection ferns in Florida.  They are called that because in dry weather they dry up and look dead, but in a few short hours after a rain, they become green and look alive again.  I will have to check these out in the middle of a dry summer.  

Directly behind this tree, as shown above, is Deady Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus.  This building is said to be haunted and it looks like a good candidate for a horror movie, but very interesting architecture. 

The fern tree is in the background, just in front of Deady Hall. 

This is a statue of "The Pioneer" and was dedicated in 1919, so almost a 100 years old.  

If this looks familiar, it is because it is the main library.  Reminds me of a lot of libraries, including the main Detroit library and the one in Ann Arbor.   

 Eugene is an interesting town that is enriched by having a major university.  I have been given a map of its many parks and bike trails, so someday I will do more exploring.