THOSE MAGNIFICENT MOUNTAINS

Mountains are the majestic part of my pilgrimage journey that I never seem to tire of. Of course, if I am on non-interstate roads as I traverse these giant masses of earth, rock and trees, the attentiveness required can be quite tiring. Yesterday morning I was driving East on Hwy 2 from north Seattle (Monroe, actually) at a very early hour of the day. The mountains of Stevens Pass were still hiding the morning sun. The black silhouette of the evergreen-covered mountains loomed large in front of me, ever so gently turning gray as the sky began to 'pink and yellow-up'. Without warning a streak of bright white flashed from behind the silhouette. What a spectacular show over the next 5 minutes. With more regularity I have seen the sunset as I drive, but this early morning drive was a rare treat.

Five states have seen my finger tracing on the atlas that lies on my drivers side-table over the past 8 days. I love maps. It is something that reminds me of my Dad. He was an avid studier of maps. My Dad left his earthly home when I was 19 years old. The last words he said to me were, "I wish I could go with you." (in response to the news I'd shared with him that I was moving to Seattle, Washington to attend school). On more than one occasion over the past 3 months of travel, I have thought of Dad and hope he is smiling on me as I run off the miles of this country. He would have loved it!

When I need a Starbucks or a public library, my GPS is invaluable - otherwise, my atlas is my friend. As I study my route, I note the names of the mountain ranges I will pass through. The song -- "I've Been Everywhere Man.."-- has come to my awareness of late. I'm thinking I should write a song with all the names of the mountains I've seen!! Remember the part in the 'I've Been Everywhere' song where the singer starts rattling off about 30 names of towns - it's a linguistic feat to be sure! Wonder if I could do that with the list of mountains I've seen, which reads like... 'Siskyou, Shasta-Trinity, Sapphire, Salmon, Smithe Redwoods, Humbolt Redwoods, Grizzley Creek Redwoods, Scott, Trinity, Cascade, Rocky, Garnet'... so many mountains, such variety of trees, smells, rock formations, grasses, shrubs, wild flowers, and riverbeds.

Mendocino County lies just north and west of the well known Sonoma/Napa wine region of California. The mountains of Mendocino are babies compared to the Rockies, but beautiful, nontheless. Mendocino has wonderful wineries - none better than Parducci, where my friend and I spent two days . Their wines are terrific. Ninety-year-old vines hug the patio area where we lunched on both days. Interstate highways do not bisect this rugged county, thus the narrow roads are one curve after another, hugging the hillside and revealing hidden farming and vinyard treasures as Pedro makes the 1-1/2 hour trip from Willits to the small town of Mendocino on the coast. The treasure of Mendocino, other than the cute shops of the town, is the sprawling Botanical Gardens that sit on a piece of land that meets the ocean's surf. The view from a bench I occupied as I studied the pounding surf and the masses of rhododendrons behind me, was mesmerizing. I wonder how I might encapsulate this feeling of euphoria forever?!! Leaving Mendocino I began my 8 days of mountainous exploration.

The intoxicating smell of the redwoods through my open windows not far north of Mendocino is ingrained in my consiousness. There is nothing quite so wonderful as that smell! This day's travel saw a 50 degree change in temperature from the coastal winds to the inland mountains of northern California. Driving from noontime and into the late evening of the Trinity Mtn range and descending sharply through dozens of curves as I enter the city of Redding is intense, a test in focus and stability. The promise of tomorrow's freeway travel into Oregon is indeed welcome as i lay my head on my pillow on this night.

The days tick off my calendar and the mountains change from massive walls in front and beside me, which I experienced in Washington and Idaho, now giving way to level plains of grasses that pave the way for the rise in the distance of the rounded-top mountains in mid Montana. Today I will arrive in Yellowstone. A special treat for me will be a bus tour of 'the park' with a busload of other folks. I look forward to all I will learn and see tomorrow.

As I contemplate the images of mountain and forest, I think of the metaphors they are to human life. Some are rugged, tough, difficult to navigate - quite like life at times. Some are gentle-sloped rises and descents with occasional trees and greenery - a pleasure to glide over. When the denser forests collect too much decay, fires are the great purger of the debris. Our earthly journey sometimes must face the purging of debris in our lives - not pleasant to be sure, but one can be assured of new growth to come when nurtured with the great soft rains and sunshine of tomorrow's day. I have been blessed with the nurture of friends and dear ones in my days of the scorched earth of my soul. They have been the sunshine and gentle rains of my life - blessed am I.

Intothewind - Naturegirl