Took off Tuesday at noon from Sac bound for Karyn's house in Bend. About a seven hour trip. The drive to Redding was pretty unremarkable except for the almond orchards... OMG so many almond orchards to suck up all the water we don't have... and lots of new ones. But once you get a bit further north the scenery starts to show itself off. The flat lands are a carpet of golden yellow leading up to the green foothills that roll into the purple mountains. All just shine and shimmer in the summer sun.
Almost every corner you turn there is another unique spire to gawk at or a different view to take in. The mountains are glorious and the pallets of colors nature uses to paint them are so vibrant and inspiring. I have always been attracted to the energy of the mountains. It's hard to keep my attention on the road sometimes.
Once I got onto 95 I stared following a Forest Service fire truck. I was about to pass him when he turned his lights on. I thought this is great! I'm on a one lane highway following a fire truck with his lights on. All the big rigs and were pulling over for him and I was tagging right behind passing everyone! This went on for over 30 miles! I thought, I'm gonna make great time if this keeps up! But I kept wondering where this guy was going so fast so far away??
A few minutes later I found out. I turned a corner to find a wall of grey in front of me. One of the strangest things I have seen. It looked as if someone photoshopped out the landscape. Just the road into a grey abyss. So I followed the truck into the grey and found something that looked like the apocalypse. It was a crazy storm, one like my mom had warned me about. At first it was a torrential downpour. People were driving about 15mph or some had pulled over it was coming down so hard. Then there was lightening all around. Then it would be sunny for a few minutes then I'd drive into another downpouring storm cloud. The lightening was increasing and I could see it coming down and hitting the ground all around me. Sometimes I little puff of smoke would come up where it hit! I know that cars are grounded so it one of the safest places to be in lightening so I kept on. Then I found out where the fire truck was racing to. In front of me was a wall of smoke and fire.
The highway was shut down because of fires started from the lightening, there were firefighters all around. We were then detoured thru over an hour of farm land back around to Klamath Falls. I saw about five other fires along the detour route that had been started with people scrambling to get them out.
Out of the grey abyss, I regrouped at Klamath Falls and headed out for the rest of the trip into the exquisite colors of the sunset. Oregon is so undeveloped, lush and green with it's endless supply of pine trees. I arrived in Bend much later then expected but most importantly made it safe! Karyn and Wiley greeted me with a big hello and we stayed up too late catching up on life. Excited to be here, grateful for the opportunities and for this land we call home!
