Far and Away

So I've been back in Forest Grove for about a month now. The weather has been gorgeous! Everyday that I wake up and see that it's sunny and warm out, it makes me want to be outside doing something. So needless to say I've been exploring around Portland a little bit.
Last Monday, President's Day, I decided to go to the coast, but I forgot to take money for parking. I parked anyway and walked down to the beach, then I started feeling bad so I only stayed for about twenty minutes. I know, sad, but it was high tide and no one was at the beach anyways. So then I made a spur of the moment decision to go to McMinnville, mainly because there is a Wal-Mart there :)
I plugged Wal-Mart into the GPS and took off. About an hour later I realized something was terribly wrong when I saw a sign, "PAVEMENT ENDS AHEAD." I thought to myself, "Oh geez I better turn around!" Then I decided, "What the heck, it's not like I have anything else to do today." So, I put all my faith in my GPS to get me to Wal-Mart and started down the long dirt road ahead. Turns out, I saw a part of Oregon I have a feeling not a lot of Oregonians have seen! I did not see another car for over an hour as I slowly made my way down the muddy, winding back road. I had no idea where I was, only that I was headed up the side of a mountain and hopefully making my way to McMinnville.
As I drove up the mountain I came to a wall of evergreens. The trees were so thick that my headlights automatically clicked on in the darkness. It started to rain, and fog began to filter down through the trees. I could understand why Stephanie Meyers might imagine vampires living in a place like this. I finally reached the top of the mountain and the fog lifted a little. I was at the edge of a lake, right on the top of the mountain. I stopped in the middle of the road and turned off the car. I got out of the car to snap a picture. It was eerily quiet, and suddenly I felt very alone. I took a couple of pictures got back in the car and then sighed as I began to drive. That's when I realized how much I missed my family, my students, my friends...all the people who love and care for me, people who wouldn't let me go to the coast by myself. The rest of the drive was lost on me as I contemplated my life. I eventually ended up at Wal-Mart, but by the time I got there I didn't feel much like shopping. Instead I drove back to my roommates house.
I have decided that I love Oregon. It is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to live here, but now I know for myself what people mean when they say, "it just doesn't mean as much when you don't have someone you care about to share it with."