Portland-Columbia River Gorge-Mt. Hood-Portland-Oregon Coast-Cannon Beach-Eugene-Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area-Bandon-Crescent City-Redwoods!-Arcadia-California Coast-Santa Rosa-Monterrey-Carmel-Santa Cruz-San Francisco
9 days, 14,185 miles, a mother, a father, a daughter, a husband, a wife, 7 hotels, 100s of pictures, many meals, a marathon game of rummy, wine, hot tubs, hikes, windy roads, redwoods, farmland, cliffs, mountains, sunshine, waterfalls, rocks, sand dunes, cities, laughter, sea lions, sunsets, and stars =memories that will last a lifetime.
Thank you mom and dad for making this trip possible.
Samuel C. Lancaster (1915) outlined the vision of a scenic highway where “tired men and women may enjoy the wild beauty of nature’s art gallery and recreate themselves.”
A canopy of leaves covers over me as we drive through the windy valleys of Oregon. Golden yellows and darting reds pierce my heart beside the shinning sun. I find that I am slowly losing all my thoughts as I stare up into the trees. Thin, airy clouds dance over the mountaintops as dreams float through my mind. The barren trees stripped of all their leaves, expose the ugliness hidden inside of me. The steepness of the mountains make me want to dive through my thoughts, allow the rocks to cut through me as I search for my wings to lift me up so I can fly away into the eternal sun and leave my worries in the blue sky behind.
Nature can heal one of the deepest sadness and steal away all pain. Its ever-flowing stream pours into me peace. It reminds me that we are one and that we can only be one when I leave behind that human part of me. So I allow the waves to wash away my thoughts as I stare out into the sea and become a part of His divine scheme.
The earth below me and the heavens above are constantly showing me just who I am. As I play in the mud and watch the setting sun, only then do I begin to understand who I am. The mountains remind me of my smallness; the ocean depths lift me up off the ground and as I dive down deep into its darkness, I am flooded with light from above. The trees beside me make me want to stretch into the eternal sun. I want to grow from this mud under the warmth of the Son and freely give all of His love.
I long to find a place where I can ride my bike down the street, feel the earth beneath my feet, see the stars between the trees and live in Your magical peace.
It’s funny how sometimes you and I connect more with the trees than all these people in the streets. Maybe if we sit among their leaves for as long as we’d please, we’ll begin to see what they see. Perhaps we’ll begin to understand what life is supposed to mean. Maybe only then we’ll really begin to be.
Sometimes I want to capture the beauty that surrounds me, I try to do this through pictures and words, but can never quite capture its essence and even if I could-would life really be that exciting-if I could somehow hold onto in the palms of my hands? No! I love that its beauty and wonders can so easily take my breath away as I lose myself and all the mundane things that fog up my mind as I watch the birds fly across the sky.
So as I lie in bed, images run through my head. My body and mind are tired, but my imagination is wild and chasing the sun. It takes me back to His undisturbed beauty, jumping out of bed as my body begins to sleep. Perhaps I’ll explore the ancient shores in my dreams tonight. I’ll wander the waters calm until the sun wakes up the world, and then I’ll row to a thick forest, make my bed among the leaves and sleep in the warm breeze.
This is for you dad-
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
Woody Guthrie
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me
I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me
The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me
As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!
In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.
My hope is that God will give us a vision. A desire for oneness with all He has made. Oneness with each other, where blood will no longer stain our clothes and hatred and fear will no longer contaminate our minds. Oneness with the earth where we will see how it abundantly gives to us all we need, so that we would be pleased to take care of its trees and no longer litter our streets.
If you find yourself lost in this big vast world, I encourage you to find a tree. Sit yourself beside it and watch its falling leaves. Take your shoes off and feel the heart beat of the earth. Walk beside a stream; watch the birds fly across the sky and the sun shine through the clouds. Become a part of His beauty. Connect yourself to the earth. Eat some wild berries, plant a seed and watch it grow. Sleep under the stars tonight. Listen to the whispers of the wind. Watch the sun rise and set. Wait up all night for a shooting star, hug a tree and jump in some leaves! I guarantee that your soul will be filled with His divine peace.
