There is a famous anomaly in Southern Oregon that Katie and Jordan finally physically find themselves in this week.

The Oregon Vortex has confused, frustrated, and mystified people for nearly a century. People appear way shorter or taller than they usually do! Things roll uphill! A broom can stand by itself! By. Itself. This mysterious sphere of a vortex has even inspired a Disney animated series.

Katie and Jordan discuss what it was like to visit the legendary place in Oregon that is equal parts science experiment and roadside attraction.

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Battling intense allergies and/or a sinus infection, Katie discusses her first solo outing as a traveler: the Galápagos Islands. She journeyed from Colombia to Quito, Ecuador before hopping on a plane and a boat to the archipelago, which is an excellent word.

Jordan throws out the trivia nugget for the old definition of “galápago” then proceeds to make two excellent puns on the word that impresses nobody.

Katie’s first time snorkeling was off the islands and when she wasn’t in the water, she was obsessed with the marine iguanas and has dozens of photos to prove it.

While in South America (which someone once debated Katie that she wasn’t “really” in South America because it really doesn’t start until Peru), Katie describes her Spanish ability as “mal” which translates to bad as in “evil” and not bad as in “bad”.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!

The river is calling Katie and Jordan’s name this week as they head south along Oregon’s Highway 138 (a.k.a. “The Highway of Waterfalls”) along the special North Umpqua River!

Katie takes Jordan whitewater rafting on a “ship of a raft” for his birthday and she is still unsure if he could do a full day on the water. Jordan is moved as they navigate downriver along an area important to the Umpqua people, which is a tribe he is allegedly descended from.

They soak their aching bodies in the Umpqua Hot Springs after and feel like the hot springs can have more of a party vibe than they’re into. To get into the birthday spirit, however, Jordan decides to get into his birthday suit.

Katie and Jordan end their Umpqua River journey at a historic inn that boasts a 14-page, 7,000-word history, featuring about 17 main characters on its “About” page.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!