Wild is my Favorite Flower
Posted on June 18, 2018
by Bonnie Rae
2 Comments
14 and a half hours and 400 miles after leaving my house this morning, I was safely back home on the couch.
Oh, and did I mention “wiped out” ?
What an awesome day !
47-202-103 to get there.
101 and 30 to get home.
That’s a lot of highway.
I have put, what I can only describe as blind faith, into my WAZE traffic app. I log my destination and it finds me the best way to get there. I don’t use any other navigation. I don’t carry a book or a map. Today was an adventure in every sense of the word.
On the road just after 4 am I was able to travel during civil twilight. God, I love that time of day. The skies in my rear view went from creamsicle to tangerine to full-on peach salsa. It was a glorious beginning. Breakfast sky ♡
After leaving I-5, I found myself on a route I’ve never taken. It was a series of twists and turns, along with deer and bicycles. Oh, and the logging trucks. It must be a back door route for truckers because I passed plenty. Scary.
I drove through countryside where there were silos and barns and “Believe in The Lord” signs nailed to trees. There were pockets of harvested forest, clusters of rural mailboxes and fog-filled fields. Was it lavender I saw beneath that layer of linen white ?
The sky was clear and blue, but these fields in the valley had a layer of fog hovering over the green. I was fascinated. The next turn took me through a tiny town called Mist. (Of course, I’ll have to get a little history about that name…)
Maplevine Rd
Neverstill Rd
Jubilee Rd
So much to love about my morning.
I hit the turn-off to Saddle Mountain Natural Area just before 7:30. Another 7 miles up the road is the trailhead.
(Fairly large parking area and decent bathrooms. Always a good beginning.)
I’m going to let these pictures tell the story of my day, but I’ll say this: it’s a challenging climb and the summit trail is up, up, up. I’ve read it is a fairly busy hike but today was perfect. Enough people to know you aren’t completely alone, but few enough that you could forget they were there.
The flowers were everywhere. I can’t pick a favorite anymore, I just love them all.
The trail shots were quite other-worldly. I know that every time I hike I seem to have a new favorite, but honestly, the PNW is that special. I feel so grateful to be able to spend my days taking it all in.
The last 2 miles or so have this chain link over the loose rock on the trail. I wasn’t crazy about it at first, but I quickly became a big fan. It is steep in parts but so, so worth it.
Silly me thought I might hike TWO mountains today. Neahkahnie will have to wait. Instead, I drove to Seaside and walked the beach, then sat in the sand awhile. My head in the clouds in the morning, my toes in the Pacific in the afternoon. Not a bad way to spend a day *
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Category: Saddle MountainTags: Adventure, art, Beach, Changes, Choosing, Finding joy, hiking, Joy, Love, meditation, Mountains, Oregon, Oregon coast, process, Randomness, Seaside, sky, Spring
Love love love! the description of your drive. Especially the sky. Thank you.
Thanks, Gretchen. If I know one thing to always be true, it is that “the journey is the reward”. Cheers to road trips and surprising discoveries !