Day 22 Sunday July 15

Sunday- church day for some. But today, our religion was the road, our temple was the trees and evidence of a Higher Power rose with the awe inspiring Mt. Hood.

We got a taste of the real Northwest weather as we left Woodland. Threatening skies of huge stormy clouds led us out, but bright blue patches kept raising our hopes, only to have them dashed in the next curve when cold misty rain caused us to stop and put on rain gear.

We rode back up the Lewis River toward Mt. St. Helens, then cut off to Carson and the Columbia River. Along the way a remote sledding area gave us our picnic spot, lonely in the forest.

Sun on the river, but gusting wind kept it cool and also kept Jules hard at work maintaining the bike in an upright position. The chop on the river matched a stormy day at sea. Waves and white caps stirred the river into a turbulence that seemed impossible to navigate .... unless you were an extreme wind
surfer! Watching young and old surfers ride this wind was more of a thrill for us than them, I think. Vintage vans with boards strapped on top lined the river bank and seasoned surfers waited to take their chances on the Columbia.

As we were leaving, the clouds lifted on the other side of the river and yet another volcanic peak awed us - stately Mt. Hood. We crossed the river into Oregon, leaving Washington behind. A state we never knew before, but grew to love in the past week.

We headed toward Hood, and it too teased us with its false proximity. Riding through forests so tall and dense that the sky was often blocked, we would come to an opening that shocked us with the immensity of the mountain before us.

The wind and the altitude chilled me to the bone, so when Jules turned off at the Timberline Lodge, I was so grateful that we might get a cup of coffee.

The Timberline is a testament to the quality of work a man can do. Built as a WPA project in the 1930's, employment was offered, but the job was on a mountain that had snow, 365 days a year. Men left their families and were based at Government Camp, located in the valley, for the duration of the lengthy project. The entire building is created of wood from the mountain and the pride of craftsmanship is evident everywhere.

And the surprise for me is that we are staying here tonight in a designated Federal Historic Landmark. Huge fireplaces warm the three story lobby as I write. From our bedroom, the mountain is framed by our window. Now we are locked in by fog and all we see are the lights of the groomers on the slope where there will be skiers tomorrow. It's a tiny bit creepy because this is where part of "The Shining" was filmed!

As I sit under the vaulted ceilings of giant beams carved from native Douglas Fir and listen to big band music from a vintage radio, I'm taken back to another time. In my past life, I would be sitting in an alcove, at one of the many hand carved desks, writing my correspondence to send back home. Now I blog, and at the end of every day, I am nostalgic for all that has passed, but anticipating all that is yet to be.