Again I planned to leave at 5 and again I left at 6. When I woke, I felt like it had been a long night’s sleep. I checked my phone — it was 11:45 p.m. I went back to bed and when I woke again, it had again felt like a long night’s sleep. I checked my phone — it was 12:30. The night continued on like this, but when my alarm went off in the morning, I was comfy and warm and didn’t want to go out into the dark and the wind. Plus, overnight, the best van parked next to me so I was hoping to meet up with them when it was later.
We made our usual many stops to pee, get gas, give Henley water, eat a snack, feed Henley, get coffee or something to sip on just to stay awake. It’s nice when many of these can be checked off at one stop, but it often doesn’t align this way.
We drove to Pendleton where we got a good walk in. It was very quiet on a Sunday morning. It seemed like a pretty typical, weird, Western town. We did visit the Pendleton Woolen Mills store, though. Then we drove along the Columbia River and turned off at the town of Hood River. This area has the Fruit Loop drive. I didn’t see signs for this or advertised at all, but they do have a website, which is how I knew to stop. It’s not an exact loop drive, so that's confusing. The area has many fruit stands, wineries, country stores, orchards, and flowers.
Mount Hood. What can I say about Mount Hood? I live in Colorado so I see mountains. But Mount Hood… It is the most majestic mountain I ever did see. I think it’s because he is all alone and not mixed in a range of equal value mountains. You’re just driving along and all of the sudden, Huge, perfect-mountain-shaped, white-snow-covered Mount Hood is there standing over you. I don’t know how people from there get anything done.
We got back on 84 West, went past Portland, and on toward Cannon Beach. I don’t know why big ass rocks in the water make this place so much more magnificent than a regular beach, but they do. I was in jeans and boots and not dressed warm enough for the wind that was there, but we just started running, so happy to be on the coast, any coast, never mind this perfect specimen of a coast. It was a busy little beach town, but we only spent time on the beach before leaving.
We headed up the 101 for an hour to Ilwaco, Washington. We are camped at Cape Disappointment, the most south western point of Washington. This is the first time I’ve ever paid to stay at a campground and man, am I glad I did. I am still going to sleep in my car though! I brought all my camping stuff, but I’d have to set it up then take it down and probably be less warm, comfortable, and dry out there. From where I am sitting in the back of my car, I can see the ocean and the darkening sky through the trees. We walked about one and a half minutes through the trees to get to the beach and it only took that long because you have to scramble over huge tree-size drift wood. We walked a long time, wanting to be out there when the sun set.
I’m going to read and eat chocolate and spoon Henley then fall asleep to the lullaby of the waves.
No comments:
Post a Comment