What’s the story behind “Forever On Our Mind?” Start with the About page for a little background, then read these essays for an idea of what’s to come:

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It’s Always Sunny at Smith Rock recounts my first experience at one of Oregon’s most popular hiking (and rock-climbing) destinations:

The rusty canyon at the heart of Smith Rock State Park, with its sprawling web of hiking trails, daredevil rock-climbing routes, and mesmerizing rock formations, captivated my imagination before I knew much else about the park or why it mattered. The outback playground I’d observed on YouTube and Instagram mirrored my mind’s platonic ideal of the Wild West.

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A good friend and I celebrated at Providence Park after the Portland Timbers won the MLS Cup in December 2015. I documented the moment in And When I Go!:

All the money spent on merchandise and tickets, the time spent traveling to out-of-town matches, and the scratchy throats after screaming amid the Timbers Army have paid off. For the first time since I started following this or any other team, I don’t have to fall back on the cliché: “There’s always next year.” Here and now, there is only this year. We are champions.

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Every March, the most sought-after beer in Oregon is an amber-hued ghost in the night from California. And, after years of missing out, I got my hands on four precious ounces. From Finally, the Younger:

Here in line, my friend Phil and I marvel at Pliny the Younger’s rare public appearance. At this point, the beer possesses a quality like a reclusive star spotted in public. Once at the bar, I expect it to have been brewed with unicorn tears or fermented with yeast strains culled from Sasquatch hair. A brief disappointment overtakes me when D.B. Cooper himself doesn’t pull the Pliny tap behind the bar.