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 :-)

As we backtracked, we could see Mt. Hood on the OR side, peeking over the Hood River area.

Heart clouds around Vancouver-WA … affirmation that our comings and goings, are heavily guarded by our heavenly Father; Psalm 121:8

It was a good day~no milkshake … but Holland got his ice cream 'fix' ;-)

A page turner, hard to put down; I probably won't be in bed until dawn lights the morning sky ;-)

LORD, PLEASE~I Need A Touch; Kingman-AZ to Barstow-CA

April 10th: This morning we pulled stakes at Zuni RV Park, in Kingman-AZ … with a stop in Bakersfield-CA planned before aiming Betsy towards WA

But first, we wanted to make a short detour drive to Aunt Gaye's before leaving Kingman - we love this lady; we're gonna miss her :-)

Woke up to cheerful birdsong :-)

Ponderosa Pine; Kingman-AZ

Ponderosa Pine/Pinus ponderosa:

 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_ponderosa)

Pulled stakes in Kingman-AZ

Stopped by Aunt Gaye's, 1st thing; the Harris's love Holland. Holland says his Aunt looks like his Mom; the Native America features are very prominent. Holland's mother must have been a very attractive woman.

The drive from Kingman-AZ to Barstow-CA was filled with roadside color - the desert looks so beautiful when it's in bloom. There were plentiful patches of yellow flowered bushes - in several of the median {draws} I spotted desert rose cactuses (aka, 'prickly pear cactus'); ocotillo cactuses were beginning to green up, and bud with bright orangish-red 'flames'. The roadsides were also hosting bushes with pretty little pumpkin-orange corkscrew flower stalks … as well as patches of bright orange california poppies, and little clumps purple lupines.

Today's road route to Skyline RV Park in Barstow-CA, from Kingman-AZ~This stretch of the highway is new to me - not to Holland: he's been all over the place in this region, but he took this route to show me new scenery - he's the greatest guy :-)

Interstate 40~I-40: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_40_in_Arizona)

It was a lovely, warm, enjoyable drive.

UNTIL …

A sudden asthma flareup threw everything into chaos :-(

I am not encouraging a breathless relationship with asthma - I want it to go away and stop it's infatuation with my lungs!

The breathlessness asthma causes is not a flirtation I want to experience; and it is a burdensome worry for my husband.

It was unexpected - and it happened when I was laughing; apparently tripping my funny bone will also trigger my faulty lungs.

My face was on fire with broken blood vessels; tears were blinding me when my body went into automatic spasmatic overdrive (not quite convulsions, but close) in the struggle to keep me alive; my chest ached from the coughing and strenuous attempt to suck air in; my heart felt like it would burst; and my throat was so sore from swelling up due to all the strenuous activity of trying to get my rebelling lungs under control … choking on mucus while trying to suck breath down a throat that is closing very rapidly (similar to anaphylaxis = which I also experience when stung by wasps) because it is raw from coughing, and trying to expel the asthmatic mucus.

Lord … I need a Touch.

What Is Athma? 

(https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/learn-about-asthma/what-is-asthma & https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323523)

This can be hidden behind sunglasses … until it fades.

It's very strenuous trying to breathe with faulty lungs: this strenuous attempt to stay alive, can't be hidden at all. I hate being the object of curiosity 😕

It's an awful experience to undergo.

My poor husband - all he could do was watch, pray, and calmly talk my overdriven body down to a relaxed state whereby the emergency inhaler could effectively be utilized.

I feel most bad for him when he has to experience these flareups with me. They are very scary to watch.

It could have been a thousand little things that led up to the big thing; the "thing" with asthma is that you never know exactly what set it into motion. In this case, my lungs were no doubt already in trouble before I started laughing hard - which caused a major asthma flareup.

My chest and left arm ached a good half hour following that strenuous asthmatic episode.

Poor Holland.

Asthma takes it's toll on relationships when worry sets in.

Entering CA, from AZ

Tomorrow, we'll be heading to Bakersfield-CA to get tires fixed; then off towards WA

Desert carpet of gold; apparently we are enjoying our USA Tour during the Mohave Superbloom Period - which only happens every 10 years ;-)

Superbloom:

 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superbloom#:~:text=The%20rare%20concatenation%20of%20these,due%20to%20persistent%20state%20drought.)

Asthma takes a toll on relationships.

Barstow Drive-In Theatre: #31175 Old Hwy 58, Barstow, CA

Overnight rest; Skyline RV Park, Barstow-CA

Silver glitter-speckled rock; I'm always looking for the 'silver lining' in everything ;-)

I don't let my limitations handicap me: life is for living, not worrying about dying.

I asked for prayer from my close friends that are also on FB; I asked them to please pray that Holland can find some humor in bad situations - not in a morbid way, but in a way that relaxes him as it does me.

Pray also for a healing of my lungs 🙏

#Yeshua said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)

##"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

###"I will bless Yeshua at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in my Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify Yeshua Ha'Mashiach with me, and let us exalt His name together.

I sought my Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34:1-4)

####Yeshua said, "Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)

I am praying Elohim will lead me to a Fellowship that believes in divine healing, like I do: I need Yeshua's Healing Touch.

"Is any sick among you? let him/her call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him/her, anointing him/her with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him/her up; and if he/she have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him/her." (James 5:14 thru 16)