It wasn't my favorite thing, getting up at 330am to take my parents to the airport. But I must say, seeing Lake Tahoe at dawn may have been worth it.
After cleaning and finishing up packing my car, I hit the road Sunday morning. I drove through the backcountry of Northern California - it was all farms, forrests, and huge mountains.
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| Mt Shasta |
Finally I came across this campground. It was one of the few places still open and busy during these winter months. A little stop called Rancheria RV Park. The building was a general store, state park building, restaurant, and most importantly, had bathrooms.
It was like having a picnic lunch in the middle of cold February.
6 or so hours later and I reached my stop for the night in Ashland, OR. A hotel much nicer than the deceptively sweet sounding Strawberry Lodge from last week. In the evening I walked downtown and got dinner at a great place. Ashland is a really cute town. I would've liked to had more time to explore it.
Although we were in three different parts of the country, it seemed like Ashley and Dan I were together for dinner and drinks :) Miss them..
Monday morning I awoke to a pleasant suprise.
Fresh snow had fallen in Oregon over night. So I headed out as soon as I could, because there was another snow storm on the way.
Lovely morning drive on snowy roads. Most of my route was through State parks, which is beautiful.. except when you have to go to the bathroom because you had two cups of coffee during your continental breakfast..
Finally I found civilization and entered this cafe. I walked straight toward the signs that said "Restroom for customers only!!" when the owner of the cafe said, "that's for customers" Without stopping I yelled back, "I'll BUY SOMETHING"
I bought a cup of coffee... It was awful. I should've just given him the two dollars for letting me use the facilities.
Back on the road I headed for the adorable old western town, Sisters, OR.
It was so inviting I decided to take a lot of time to look around.
I went to Sage Antiques. The owner sat in a corner at her desk but talked to me, well more like shouted to me, as I walked throughout her store. She told me things to look for, where she got some stuff, and discounted offers.
..and I might have bought totally unnecessary but totally adorable cat figurines..
Most of the restaurants were closed for the winter or only open for dinner, but I came across a tiny cafe that offered me homemade soup, which sounded lovely on that cold Oregon Monday.
The owner of Ali's Cafe was a vibrant and bubbly Ukrainian woman. She's been living in the US for 9 years and could not be more friendly. She has a thick accent and speaks quickly, calling everyone, "my dear", "my daughter", "honey", and "sweetie". She gave me so many samples I almost lost my appetite for lunch. She picked up that I wasn't from Sisters, and when I told her that I was a traveling nurse she got so excited. Her term of endearment for me became, "my nurse". When I finished my lunch she ran over and offered me food for my drive. I thanked her and declined, then she gave me a kiss on my cheek and a hug. She left this bright pink mark on my cheek then apologized saying, "people might think you love women" then she felt bad that she may have offended me and frantically said, "not that it's bad! I know women who love women that are very nice!" I agreed that there are women who love women that are very nice and thanked her for lunch. She told me that if I ever come back to Sisters I should stop in and say, "I'm the traveling nurse" and she would remember me and give me soup and a sandwich.
I may have to take her up on that offer.
Across the street I found a little coffee shop where I order a latte for the road. The girl working was a really nice, and I came to learn grew up in Hershey, PA. We chatted for a while comparing East coast to West and sharing stories about some of our adventures.
It's people like this that made the long drive nice and not so boring. They didn't have to be friendly or take time to talk to me. I'll probably never see them again, but I so appreciated their kindness and that they made a connection with a girl on an otherwise lonely drive.
A few hours down the road I found snow and the famous Timberline Lodge. The suggestion to visit this place was made by my cousin, Matt, and I'm so glad he did. It was beautiful
Brief history for you - the lodge was built during The Great Depression as part of FDR's New Deal. Using all local materials and local men, it was built in about 15 months, and is famous for being a year round ski lodge, as it is at the base of the massive Mt Hood. And if you are wondering, yes it is the hotel that was featured in The Shining.
For the day visitor, there are museums, films, and the lobby for your perusal. Other aspects of the hotel are behind doors that say,
I was wondering through the gift shop when the cashier asked me if I had ever been there before. She showed me lots of pictures, gave me background info, and most importantly, encouraged me to explore and attempt to open every door I could.
There is so much detail and creativity in this building. Every banister is a carving of some kind of creature or design. There are conference rooms, a huge fireplace, big wooden doors weighing 1000lbs, restaurants, bars, and so much more.
Most of the balconies were closed because of the snow, but I was able to find this patio off of a second floor conference room. When I was standing on the patio, I looked to my left and saw in the clouds, the 11,245 ft peak of Mt Hood.
It's a strange feeling that comes over you when you see something like Mt Hood. It's so big. And I am so small. I'm not sure why, but my heart quickened when I saw it through the misty clouds.
When I think about all that I've been able to see and do since I've left Pittsburgh, I feel humbled. It's a gift to see these places and meet these people. How did I get to be able to do this, to behold up close what has been wonderfully created? It's not a reflection of me or anything that I have done. It's a divine plan, orchestrated by a God so much greater and more powerful than my tiny brain can fathom.
May I take advantage of every day and opportunity I have on this Earth, and may I never take advantage of the grace that has been given to me.
An hour and a half later I was in Portland, OR. While I had plans to explore, I decided to nix them and just grab dinner then leave. Perhaps I will come back another time and get to look around more.
Driving North for about another hour and a half landed me at the doorstep of Matt's house. We said hello, I got a tour, then I crashed..
So here's to the beginning of a two week vacation in the Pacific Northwest. Let's see what new discoveries await this little pig..
SO COOL!!!!!
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