Not all journeys need to lead you far away. Living in West Seattle, I frequently took the scenic route home or would just take a scenic drive around the neighborhood. The West Seattle Blog posted this video from a West Seattle resident who did just that.
Deception Pass New Year Photo of Me
A rambling preamble first: As mention in my previous post, I had developed a tradition of picking up copies of the Washington State Park Calendar on the first day of the year at Deception Pass. As also mentioned, I was unable to make it there on the 1st due to pass closures. I had a few adventures (see future post about trip to Fort Simcoe) trying to find a state park gift store that I could buy the calendars at.
Meanwhile, since I felt that I needed to go to Deception Pass in January, I made plans with Critter and his parents (20 month olds need parents so they have a social secretary) to go there on the 24th. In addition to getting a calendar myself, I always get one as a birthday present for Critter’s daddy.
I had given up on my romantic notion of getting the calendars at a state park and ordered them on the internet. (It’s just not the same!) They arrived the day before our planned excursion. And, in serendipitous moment, I opened the calendar to discover that January’s state park of the month was … Deception Pass!
So the next day we all went to Deception Pass and I got my annual spirit renewal and we were all able to mark January’s park as visited. I may have not mentioned this before but we make an attempt to visit every state park featured in the calendar in the month they are featured.
Friendly Forest Critter
We parked at the main beach area. Wandered on a trail for a little while, walked down pass the big fire pit to the beach facing north, on the west side of the bridge. We created all kinds of havoc – throwing rocks in the water, moving large rocks around, sending logs out into the water to watch them move with the swift currents. Then we wandered off into the forest and walked around for a while.
Then we went home and ate dinner and watched the Muppet Movie. There are two bits from the Muppet Movie that really speak to my rambling self. First – the entire song Movin’ Right Along – it’s an excellent road trip song. Secondly – the part where Fozzie sings America the Beautiful, which is my favorite song about America, and then says “patriotism swells in the heart of the american bear”. Patriotism swells in me whenever I hear that song.
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Get the smelling salts – this here is an actual new post. I know! It’s crazy but it just might work.
In the past few years, I have established some traditional new years activities.
When I need to find my equilibrium or unload mountains of stress you will find me at a beach, on a ferry, in the mountains, or one of our groovy state parks. I start my year feeling peaceful and relaxed. The extended time alone with my brain (eek!) without all the distractions of life can lead to life epiphanies, personal growth, or just interesting, creative thoughts. I like starting my year this way.
Now, as some of you know, though a Seattlite I am, I have been living in Ellensburg recently. (Some good friends are kindly letting me stay with them until I kick this unemployment problem.) It’s been a lot of fun exploring the middle part of the state a discovering new cool places. As the end of 2008 drew near, however, I really felt that I needed to go to Deception Pass State Park on the 1st. Thinking that I’d drive there on the morning of the 1st and crash at a friend’s house in the Seattle area. Then the snow that wouldn’t stop hit the area. Conditions were looking uncertain. On the 31st I was thinking I probably wouldn’t go since it sounded like driving conditions would be sucky and stressful. At the same time I was mentally beating myself up for being such a wuss. (An intrepid explorer (it’s true, my car is a Dodge Intrepid) I have been known to be stubborn to the point of stupidity.) I felt like my year would be off kilter if I couldn’t get to Deception Pass. Woke up on the 1st to discover the pass had been closed due to poor conditions! Instantly I was absolved of wussiness since it was the pass closure stopping me from getting there and not myself.
Funny thing, despite being 180 miles from Deception Pass, I started off the new year with a sense of peacefulness. Most of the day I spent upstairs in my room – playing computer games, organizing job search stuff, cuddling with my puppy, and gazing out my window at the snowy covered fields and hills that surround us. New Years Day perspective had shifted from looking out towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca to gazing at the foothills that surround the Kittitas Valley and yet was the same.
I have greater ability to create an environment needed to let go of life’s distractions than I had believed. An epiphany about myself that I welcome!
(all that being said, I will be going to Deception Pass sometime this month just to quell this nagging sense of incompleteness.)
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