Of mind and of
place.
As well
as I can remember, my mental portal travels began when I moved to Oregon.
I would drive by a place or walk by a place, and it would remind me of
Michigan. A flat swampy area with dead trees sticking up would take me
home immediately. For a brief moment I would feel as if I were in the
Great Lake State again. Homesick, I would squint my eyes and savor the
feeling for as long as it would stay. I learned to snap up, hold on to,
and enjoy these place portals whenever and wherever they occurred. Usually
they are trips to Michigan, my childhood home. Sometimes, if it was a
rocky lake, I would travel to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area -- an all-time
favorite and my "happy place." Occasionally, farm scenes would
take me back to Iowa. For six years this has been going on.
 |
| Sunrise from the ridge. I love this about mornings. |
On my way down to Seiad
Valley, I was, for the first time, taken to Oregon. We were in a canyon,
a creek below. Douglas-fir, big leaf maple, vanilla leaf, trillium,
Oregon grape, wild ginger, ducks foot, saxifrage, violet ... all plants native
to my Oregon home. Walking along the rim, I caught the feeling of Silver
Creek Canyon. I held on to it. I hiked the Trail of Ten Falls in a
random order. I honestly expected to see Middle North Falls at one point
as I rounded a corner. I expected Carl Shepherd (a ranger and fixture at
Silver Falls State Park) to come bounding up the trail at any moment. I
spent over two hours at the Park.
 |
| Seiad Valley mini-mall. :) |
And then I started to
wonder about my portals. Does everyone do this? Mine are only
outdoor natural places ... it doesn't happen indoors and not with man-made
structures. Why is that? Is this travel healthy? I do not
have answers yet.
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| Our flamingo has found a new home! Thanks, Patch! |
That was the first
different state of the day. The second was arriving in Seiad
Valley. "The State of Jefferson." The area would like to
make its own state, along with Southern Oregon. There were signs
everywhere for it -- and for NO MONUMENT. (I did not get the full scoop
on that part.) Seiad Valley, population 350, was wonderful. It
reminded me of Kennedy Meadows. PO, store, and cafe all rolled into one
building. The RV park was extremely accommodating -- movies,
Olympics, showers, laundry, fridge, and gathering space. They
accepted packages ... but mine did not arrive! A special thanks goes to
Pam Reid for sending a care package at just the right time! (It DID
arrive!)
Next state up?
Oregon!
We are glad that it made it on time. If we had known the other one wasn't going to make it, we would have put in more pop tarts ;-) ha, ha.
ReplyDeleteI think you are OK with your portals. I say this because I feel I am OK with mine. Mine differ from yours as they are "time portals". Something in the environment will trigger a memory or historical event. These can be very realistic. I did think that this was probably another sign of age! Lou
ReplyDeleteHello from Sublimity. Congratulations for completing California! My wife Bonnie occasionally walks in the afternoon with your friend Katie F. They got to talking about the PCT and Katie mentioned you had an on-line journal. We’ve been following along and were happily surprised that you had bumped into Patch and Lampshade. I section hiked from Agua Dulce to Tuolomne this year and played leap frog with Patch and Lampshade from Walker Pass to near Muir Trail Ranch! Small world. Say hi to them from Lance!
ReplyDeleteWill do, Lance! What a small world.
DeleteWill do, Lance! What a small world.
DeleteWelcome to Oregon! Myself and members of the Cascadia Women's Hiking Group are doing Trail Angeling near Govy and norh of Carson this summer. We will meet you somewhere along the way with Peanut Butter Bacon Bit cookies ... keep up the wonderful journeying. Chris (also a friend of Wired)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait! They sound delicious. :)
Delete