Exploration

I am working my way back across the union and am camping at a place where Lewis and Clark went through on their return journey. I am leaning against a downed tree along the Touchet river in southeastern Washington state.

Across the river are ferns of every color of green. This is a swift flowing river right now that has places of rapids that make a smooth gurgling sound. Birds of all types are singing before the impending rainstorm comes. The sky is an ash gray and resembles smoke from a wet fire slowly flowing overhead. Sparrows dart all around me and over my head then skim the waters surface and swiftly and gracefully dart above a felled tree in the water.

Earlier a hummingbird fluttered under my tarp and sounded like a giant bee before I realized what was there. It then perched on a branch and tried to look in every direction at once - natures ADD animal. Robins walked the ground near me and all seems oblivious to my presence.

From this location I can't make out the sounds of the highway. The long blast from the semi that went by me as I turned in here seems ages ago. I can visualize Lewis and Clark and their group exploring this unknown frontier. They hear the same sounds I do and have seen many of the same trees I have. I had similar visions at the Deschutes river - the last river crossing of the Oregon trail. A trail that was heavily used merely 150 years ago on wagons and livestock, without the amenities of graded roads, a/c, and rv's.

It reminds me that it was the toils of those people and their vision of things greater than themselves that made our nation what it is and gave them the character admired by so many. I often feel it is the lack of similar toils that make us nowadays not so stubborn or interested in the forming of our still young nation and the lack of commitment in so many realms, including family.

An experience like mine will undeniably build character in the one who partakes it. I'm not saying mine is the only type of experience that will do this. Working in outdoor leadership I see it all the time when people are challenged and pushed outside their comfort zones. I hope I never become so comfortable I grow stagnate. Ok...enough philosophy.

The ride today was short and through picturesque rolling hills with beautiful white clouds and blue skies. Behind me, however, a storm was brewing and those skies eventually grew gray. The wonderful part about that was the tailwind I had. It made the ride a lot faster than I had originally planned.

My time in Walla Walla was enjoyable and I had a great time getting to know my hosts and share stories of the road. They did a mom, dad, daughter, son tour on two tandem bikes across the northern US a couple of years ago and had a great time. They showed me a slide show the dad had put together and it was great. I am currently filled with a renewed energy to continue on and can only hope and pray it stays and gets me through the next few mountain passes I have before the plains.