July 27, 2010

I left "camp" at 4:30am for two reasons: 1) maximize the coolest driving hours; 2) any hours driven prior to 9:00am just don't count. So I logged about 5 hours of driving that slipped in under my "driving-is-a-drag" radar. Those 5 hours were some of the most splendid and beautiful hours, filled with serenity and wonder--a complete, utterly surprising gift!

The landscape changed very quickly from the forlorn and scruffy desert of yesterday's travels to a majestic, timeless expanse of subtly-hued hills, glowing in the rising sun, expelling stored vapors from yesterday's heat. The air carried the scent of time, itself. Time, and earth, and organics. From the earth, I sensed a kind of intelligence, a barter system, an aged agreement with all living beings, a sort of stoic graciousness, and an accommodation. It was truly mesmerizing. And I was the only person on the road for most of that time, intensifying the notion that the earth was a good sport to grant me passage.

The scenery was of two distinct landscapes, split down the middle by the highway. The grey hills looming off the golden valley floor were buckled, folded, and tucked, presenting what appeared to be an impassable border. Though unmoving, they were not inert, like rocks. They were more like slumbering elephants.

As I crept along the outstretched miles, the colors of the land changed with the sun's ascent in the sky, as if watercolor pots were spilled out, staining everything below. I kept the windows open and the radio off. I wanted to breathe in the vapors, inhale the earthy musk, fill my head with the vast silence...

In no "time" at all, I found myself looking down from steep canyon walls to the Columbia River below. I was so in another world that it never occurred to me where I was, on the map. The river was a complete and utter surprise, unrecognizable, and surreal. In moments, the realization that I was approaching the Oregon border spread through me, and I was seized with what I can only describe as delirious delight! Home, Home, here I come!

I stopped to play in the Columbia, which was cold and clear and precious. Life-giver, life-sustainer. The Columbia! The drive into Portland was easy and beautiful, under typical Oregon summer skies--blue, more blue, then some white puffy clouds scuttling by.

I spent the day and the night with my dear friend Stefani and her family, laughing, sharing stories, pizza, and good wine. In the morning, more of the same, swapping out pizza and wine for muffins and coffee. Stefani and her family have provided me haven and support many times during the most "distrauted" moments these past couple years as major parts of my personal life blew to pieces. I am eternally grateful  for the comfort and love of this family and for the endless list of things we can find to laugh about.