After Bend I had something of an epic drive. I drove to my sister's house on Whidby Island via Yakima, Washington.
The portion of the drive northwards had a few straight stretches through towns but was primarily characterized by grand sweeping curves around, up and over hills until reaching a large plateau area covered with farmland. The towns along the way had a very old feel to them and it was hard to resists being a tourist. The range of sight was also expansive during much of the drive, such that I could see Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams constantly on the horizon. This was all before Biggs junction and crossing the Columbia river. Immediately after crossing the river into Washington there were gigantic windmills on the right, slowly gathering energy with their massive blades. I like those windmills.
After driving through Yakima, I curved westward to drive through Bellevue and then further northwest to Mukilteo for the ferry. The Yakima to Bellevue portion was simply incredible. The mountains... they were beautifully with evergreens and clean air but then I'd see a lake and that just put the whole view above and beyond. I think I got a little shaky from shock, that and I kept saying, "No way!" aloud to myself. I don't talk much while driving.. in fact, I think the only other thing said during this drive was "Llamas!" when I unexpectedly spotted a few.
I made it in very good time to Clinton and spent two weeks with my sister Joy and her family. This was meant to be the furthest part of the trip, but an old high school friend invited me to come up to see him in Vancouver BC, so I did that (and enjoyed good fellowship at his church) and then saw another friend in Tsawwassen, BC whom I'd met while in Korea. Good visits all around! (sorry, no pictures from my time with the northern neighbors.. spent more time "being")
Sister Joy's house served as a bit of a base for me to go see people, the next up was heading out to see Philisha and their kin. I spent two nights with them and we saw parks, made the obligatory (and necessary) visit to Vivace and they showed me some other favorite areas around north Seattle. Their kids are at a really interesting ages and beg for lots of interaction. I interacted a lot! One highlight was playing a FULL game of Chutes and Ladders with N. The game went for about an hour. It was tough for N. to really feel exuberance from winning because he was so worn out. Yes!
Time with Joy and her family was really nice and I got to help her at her job as an off-season chef at a nearby camp. We served a large and appreciative group of Canadians and that was a lot of fun (and nice to earn some money!). While I was at their house, Joy's car got backed into by a hasty and not-particularly-responsible old man. Not cool, but it ended well with some money in the bank. Hanging out with the nieces and nephews was a lot of fun as well and I love seeing their personalities grow and develop. I didn't take very many pictures here, as I was doing more "just being". But here are a few of the few that I did take. They're from a watermelon war.
I headed back south both sad that I was leaving but also feeling happy that things were going well with Joy's family and that I'd had such a good visit. The advent of summer up north is so wondrous and uplifting, it's easier to leave in sunshine and warmth than in the winter cold where there are many more dark days.
I drove due south, through Seattle and Portland all the way back to Eugene to spend an evening at Wilrah's. This was another time where I'm so thankful that I brought my bike. Though my visit was so short, we went out for a evening bike ride that was just. so. good. Eugene is a fantastic city for bicycling. And local food. The next morning started yet another blitz drive through the winding mountain roads and passes, past Yreka, Weed, Mt. Shasta, all the way to San Jose. I drove fast because I'd another dinner scheduled with Lem and Jess. I made it in remarkable time.
Wrapping this up because it's going long... I had a great visit in San Jose with Lem and got to see his brother Tim and their newest son! Went skating with Sharkie of San Jose Shark fame. Met friend's of Lem from photography school days and had church with the Walkers! Phew! On Memorial Day I left SJ for Bakersfield to have lunch with an old church friend, and then basically drove west to Ventura to see yet another family for dinner and overnight. Tuesday brought me home to my grandparent's house.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment