The Rhythm and Rhyme

First of all, know that I had to look up the spelling for the title of this post because those two words trip me up more than any other two in the English language. I know which is which, but rhythm never looks right...ever. Now, on to the travels...

This trip has confirmed that I really like the driving aspect of our trips. While I thoroughly enjoyed getting to Seattle in four hours, it almost felt like a time warp. These last few months have been moving at break-neck speed for me. Juggling the responsibilities of closing out the year at Southwest Middle and planning for next year at South Middle has been hectic. Don't get me wrong, I've loved every minute of it, but I've definitely had my head in two places at once--my heart as well, but there's enough of that to go around--my brain--not so much. :)

The driving allows us to slow down. When we drive the whole trip, it usually takes us a day or two to "get where we're going." Long drives across Kansas and Colorado, Illinois and Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas...that's the decompression time. That's when we work out the toxins of the everyday. We reflect, and we reset. We anticipate, and we dream. We laugh at each other's corny jokes, and we get a little slap happy silly. We spend some quality down time with each other, then we focus on the fun.

I don't like to fly, so the four hours on the plane just didn't cut it for down time. We hit the ground running in Seattle. We experienced the crowded, bustling Pike Place Market with all its visual, aural, and olfactory stimuli--bright colors, sharp smells, a cacophony of sounds, fresh fish, fresh flower, not-so-fresh humans, vendors hawking their wares, people conversing and laughing, and just plain close quarters. The Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit started the slowing process. It wasn't nearly as crowded, and the combination of natural and man-made beauty was a great transition. After eating the best oysters I've ever eaten, in a cool restaurant in Ballard (an industrial part of town that is up and coming in the food scene), we were both exhausted. I was able to get the photos uploaded (which by the way, is no fun, so you're welcome). So as Paul Harvey would say, "Now, you know the rest of the story."

With all that said, I can tell you that today was much different. Instead of getting up at 3:00 a.m., we slept in. Instead of traveling at 34,000 feet at 600 miles per hour, we were at 4 feet and 70 miles per hour. We headed out of Seattle on some of the back highways to the east of Mt. Ranier, Mt. Baker, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens. The clouds parted here and there to give us a glimpse of a couple, but really we were just headed to the Columbia River Gorge. We stopped in Ellendale and ate at The Porch, a local restaurant with really good fish and chips and a really average burger.

So many of sites we visit are about scale that pictures just do not do them justice. As we moseyed along the river, we were amazed at the heights and sheer vertical lift of the gorge walls. Even in person, until you can find a semi or a car on the road across the river, it's difficult to put the size in perspective. We also saw some beautiful waterfalls--Multnomah Falls being the best.

I am in awe of human ingenuity and the human spirit. It really does amaze me that airplanes fly, and I've seen people overcome heartbreaking circumstances with humor, humility, and grace. But as we traveled along the edge of the river, watching the fast-moving current, choppy waves, and blowing wind and marveling at the gorge walls, it occurred to me that I am also inspired by the grandeur of the creation of this earth. God created us, and we are his greatest creation, but he created this earth for us. He created it for us to enjoy. Not all of you reading this will agree with my theology here, but it brings a sense of peace to me to know (that I know that I know) that he loves us enough to give us this gift (along with so many others).

With that being said, that's what Tim and I will be doing for the next several days--enjoying creation. Hope you enjoy it with us.