THE GORGE-WA~Bucket List Drive

June 30th: Today is my grandson's 10th birthday - he's half grown now; the last time I saw his handsome face, and felt his happy hug was July 2nd, 2020; I has been asked to come celebrate his 6th BD & spend the weekend with him … and instead, we were all treated to a Hell storm; from which there would be no recoup:

EDUCATION OF THE ROAD VIRGIN:

http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2020/07/education-of-road-virgin.html

I have weathered this Day every year pretty well since 2020; but the intense missingness got through today because my guard was down due to all the emotional upheaval that this year has dragged into my Life, making me vulnerable to the creeping sadness of loss.

I drank two cups of coffee while Holland snoozed, thinking I was holding up relatively well with a silent toast congratulating my little prince on his Special Day … and then … the tears started rolling down my face, and I couldn't rein them in. They just poured out until I was crying hard with a fist in my mouth (so I wouldn't wake Holland - he needs his sleep), and feeling a pounding headache coming on.

I knew I had to get away.

I would drive up the Gorge: empty my thoughts and become a sponge to the life happening around me. I would find peace along the long drive, and enjoy the happiness of a sun-drenched nature drive.

If I stayed in this motel room crying all day long, I would go crazy with grief.

So, I jumped in the shower - and when I came back out of the bathroom, Holland was sitting on the bed. I was still trying to stave off the burning tears behind my eyes while I ate a hurried breakfast - but the tears wouldn't stay hidden. When Holland noticed them, I started gathering up my purse, phones, Tablet, and light fleece pullover; and said I was going to drive up the Gorge to get out of my head, and relax. As an after thought, I asked if he'd care to join me.

He didn't know why I was crying so hard, but he said he would: and he did.

Neither one of us were dressed fancy - the windows would be down to enjoy the breezy warmth.

We left Woodland around 12:30'noon, and I didn't say much until we were well past Washougal. I don't talk much about my family; there is too much sadness woven through it; but not wanting my husband to think the tears were related to anything he'd said, or done, I finally said, "I'm missing my grandson." Holland doesn't know the situation, so he said, "Why don't you just call him?" Fresh tears fell before I said, "I'd do that if I could; but Stacey won't allow it - last time he tried to talk to me on the phone, Stacey angrily shut the phone off while he was happily chattering. Building bridges isn't Stacey's thing - setting fires is." Bless Holland, he said, "He'll grow up and try to find you." I just smiled weakly, and replied, "You don't know my daughter: Azariah is growing up without any mention of me; he probably doesn't even remember me, he was so little last time we saw each other. I don't want to think - or talk - about it anymore. My eyes burn, and my head aches. I just want to drive up the Gorge and forget the sadness."

CATHARSIS: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/11/catharsis.html

Lenny Kravitz - 'I Want To Get Away' song:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewfVFBqOLgw)

By the time we reached Washougal, the headache had abated, and Holland had me laughing :-)

The Gorge is practically unrecognizable - there's so much development going on, and new housing going up … since this time last year, when we were in Washougal to get a bed box; it's like another world here. Rooftops along the skyline, everywhere you look :-(

There's walking trails, new Parks, new marinas being built: this end of the gorge is definitely being annexed into Portland's outskirt area.

We are working things out - Holland is fighting hard for US.
Lenny Kravitz - 'It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqK0FhPTyxU)

I miss my grandson; I need to fly the coop for a while …

Lyle-WA from Woodland-WA; 1 hr. 44 min (93.5 mi) via WA-14 and WA-14 E

I hate these kind of cliff-&-sky-hanging roadways; but I braved it Solo Lobo a few years back.

Beacon Rock-WA: (https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Beacon_Rock_Hike)

Beacon Rock Plaque #1

Beacon Rock Plaque #2

Lewis & Clark Trailblazing~Beacon Rock-WA: (https://lewis-clark.org/the-trail/down-the-columbia/beacon-rock/)

Charles E, Ladd; Beacon Rock, 1904: (https://www.yakimaherald.com/magazine/outdoors/beacon-rock-conquer-a-chunk-of-northwest-history/article_5bfba282-0d14-5786-afd6-337a67ea471b.html)

Beacon Rock polygons: The rock has great exposures of columnar basalt. As this lava cooled, it created five- or six-sided massive columns that can be as big as 9 feet in diameter and 90 feet long. When viewed from the top, the lava flow can look like the honeycomb of a beehive.

Henry Biddle; Beacon Rock, 1915 to 1918: (https://dedemontgomery.com/2017/03/23/biddles-rock-a-beacon-of-the-gorge/)

The hillsides, all along the gorge from Stevenson; were abloom in colorful arrays of wild blue asters, bright orange poppies, wild pink & white sweet peas, Queen Anne's Lace, cattails … and someone had planted Tiger Lilies up one sweep off the side of the Highway near the Bonneville Dam.

Bonneville Dam (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonneville_Dam)

A freight train was blocking the gorge view …

Thankfully, Betsy's horsepower kicked in, and we outpaced it ;-)

I like seeing these train bridges - and I told Holland there are subsequent upcoming train tunnels.

The train tunnels run parallel to the highway tunnels …

Wind-surfing hydrofoil surfers; Holland had heard of them - this was the 1st time he's seen them.

We nipped into the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery parking lot to watch the surfing dare devils ;-)

An anchored catamaran with a dinghy (WA Gorge = my pic today) & Internet pic showing the two pontoons.

Hood River Bridge.

Not as rugged as the high backcountry - but still a bit wild ;-)

Chamberlain Lake overlook Rest Stop-WA

Chamberlain Lake overlook Rest Stop-WA

We are just about to Lyle …

We made Lyle by 3 PM - weather was pleasingly hot, even with a breeze whipping up white-tipped waves on the river. The warmth felt good on our skin.

There's nothing special about Lyle-WA … it's just the furthest end of the Gorge, that I could run from my heartache this afternoon.

Lyle is just a little high country shot-gun-town in the Washington Gorge.

A milkshake was a fair exchange for the lovely drive ;-)

I like this drive up the gorge … and I'm glad Holland agreed to come along with me. Holland had done union construction jobs in Camas and Washougal, but the little towns we traveled through the gorge to Lyle were new to him - and it's been decades since I've visited them.

We did not cross the Hood River Bridge; Holland opted to treat me to the longer WA side all the way back to Woodland :-)

This drive has been on my Solo Lobo Bucket List for at least 3 years; this year it happened, and I had a traveling companion ;-)

A day that started out badly, ended with sunny happiness :-)