Sometimes adventure is in the beauty of appreciating the moment, sometimes we dig just a little below the surface and find gold. sometimes the line between acknowledging intuition and facing fears is one in the same. If my Mimi knew the adventures I'd been on in the last few days (today especially) she'd kill in fear that I might've died! But I didn't and I'm hear to tell the story. (Love you Meem!)
I spent a few days at my friend's new vacation home in central Oregon. It was a stunning place to be, truly it was like stepping into a hot, quiet, summertime heaven. The silence was unbelievable and the relaxation that settled upon me, most welcome. I barely managed to complete homework assignments, I even gained kudos from one professor for having the "issues of a smart person" in attempting to do my essay three levels deeper than most would've. That was satisfying. Especially considering I'm also dealing with a professor who seems to have a very large stick up... never mind. I lounged on the deck and in the swing, napped in the hammock and on the futon, walked through the forest, biked through endless sandy fire roads, and trekked to a stunning lazy river surrounded by lush marshland. Oregon is so darn beautiful! I noted how easy it was to sit, silently observing, with no need to DO anything amidst a body of water. This river was especially clear and cold, tempting me to take a dip.The rest of my experience was filled with friendship, support, giggles, conversations, connection, and love. We had snuggly naps in the middle of the day, reading 39 Ways to Open Your Heart -- I highly recommend this book to anyone intrigued; it has gorgeous watercolor images with sound wisdom encouraging living life from a place of surrender and acceptance. We shared scrumptious meals and delicious snacks. At 11pm last night I was intrigued by the (only) 30 minute bake time on the back of a package of brownies that called to me from deep in the cupboard when I was supposed to be doing homework...they were delicious! During lunch today we observed a fawn and herd of does bounding along the property, exploring and appreciating the shade. Her little whimper was so sweet and sounded a bit like a cat. I wouldn't have heard it if it were not for the dead silence of the surroundings- it's a truly amazing place.While I insisted I never wanted to leave, responsibilities called and around 4pm I started to make headway on packing. I found many distractions.
By the time I did get on the road the sky was thick with grey clouds, the air still, hot, and humid, a storm lurking on the horizon. As soon as I got to the highway out of the trees I was stunned at the gorgeous cloud-scape. I found a place to pull over across a railroad track where I could lie on the hood of my car and look up at the bubbling clouds and lightening streaking across the sky. The sound of the thunder was phenomenal. It was confirmed then and there that one of my most favorite things in the world is a thunder storm (ironic, as in the movie, the song is meant to soothe the children during a storm!) As it wasn't raining I took a few pictures but they didn't even compare to the sunset I witnessed a couple hours later! With the clouds still billowing? pillowing? poppleing? They were growing from within themselves, a fantastic kaleidoscope of shapes forming before my eyes, and the sun shining up at them high in the sky from it's settled spot below the horizon I could see, it was like magic. Truly, there were so many moments today when it just felt like I was in the right place at the right time. Whether that means I'm on the right path, or I have good karma, or I'm simply grounded and in tune with each step, or all coincidence, it doesn't matter, because it was a beautiful day!
By the time I did get on the road the sky was thick with grey clouds, the air still, hot, and humid, a storm lurking on the horizon. As soon as I got to the highway out of the trees I was stunned at the gorgeous cloud-scape. I found a place to pull over across a railroad track where I could lie on the hood of my car and look up at the bubbling clouds and lightening streaking across the sky. The sound of the thunder was phenomenal. It was confirmed then and there that one of my most favorite things in the world is a thunder storm (ironic, as in the movie, the song is meant to soothe the children during a storm!) As it wasn't raining I took a few pictures but they didn't even compare to the sunset I witnessed a couple hours later! With the clouds still billowing? pillowing? poppleing? They were growing from within themselves, a fantastic kaleidoscope of shapes forming before my eyes, and the sun shining up at them high in the sky from it's settled spot below the horizon I could see, it was like magic. Truly, there were so many moments today when it just felt like I was in the right place at the right time. Whether that means I'm on the right path, or I have good karma, or I'm simply grounded and in tune with each step, or all coincidence, it doesn't matter, because it was a beautiful day!
The part Mimi wouldn't like (other than lying on the hood of my car on the side of a backroads highway to enjoy a storm and sunset) was the waterfall... I had a couple hours to go on a straight road lined with tall pines when I saw a sign for a waterfall a mile up the road; I spontaneously turned off. It was a very rough road and I told myself these were the type of adventures Subarus are made for! It was a two mile bumpy jostle to the car park (as they would say in Australia!) A bit of the way down a truck pulled out of a driveway and turned in behind me. Instinctively my guard was up and I locked my doors - because who else is going down this way to a waterfall at 7:30 at night (it gets dark at 9) and I am a woman alone in my car with no phone service. Hannah-alerts activated.
I drove on though, searching for inner confidence, as there was nowhere to turn around anyway. I saw the turnoff for the car park and signaled off and drove slowly down the road. When I parked my car I waited a few minutes to see if anyone was coming, but no one did. It was then I took in the beauty of my surroundings. Stunning forest, dense, damp, dark. I checked the time, 7:50. I remembered it was still light at 8:15 last night while exploring the fish hatchery, so I set off, bounding down the path toward the waterfall, flashlight and keys in hand. I felt like a fairy child, leaping over branches, breathing in the fresh air. It was wonderful! I could hear the crashing of the waterfall and my excitement grew. As the path wound around I caught glimpses of a river and felt the air grow cooler and wet.
As I came to head of the waterfall I was reminded of the book: one of the ways to open your heart is to climb to the source of a waterfall. My heart opened and grew! I felt so clear and confident and happy. Grateful for my sense of spontaneity and adventure, along with my confidence and willingness to take risks with basic precautions. I tried to take a picture but seemed to have failed. I wanted to linger and enjoy but was afraid of losing light and the mosquitos were viscous!! It seemed the storm caught up to me just as I began to head back up the hill. In a downpour of rain, I charged back up the pineneedled-path, leaping with joy and satisfaction. It isn't every day one sees the power of a massive waterfall. It must've been one hundred feet up! I actually nearly slipped on the log climbing away from the overhang and it occurred to me that if I slipped it would be a long shot that anyone find me...(but I didn't, Mimi.)
Driving the rest of the way home was a breeze, so gratifying to be amidst Oregon's beauty. I hope to make it a habit of making a trip here every year. There's so much more to say and yet so much that cannot be conveyed. I don't have any major plans for this summer, but seeing as tonight was so spontaneous, maybe plans aren't necessary to enjoy the heck out of life! I am off on the rogue river tomorrow, better get some sleep...
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| I didn't try too hard, the beauty was meant to be experienced. |
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| (I think you can enlarge these) The colors were stunning, storm to the right. |
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| The storm and the moon! |
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