I dated this guy in my 20's who said, "You always have some crazy story." I was indignant at the time, but at this point, I've come to accept that this is just part of who I am and it's okay as long as I don't intentionally create drama. (I think drama is different than having weird stuff happen to you.) My new friend Katy and I had a long talk about how much we love being this age because you stop trying to make yourself like certain things or do certain things and you just accept who you are and embrace it. I do always have some crazy story, and after 35 years, I don't think that's going to change.
Yesterday I left Portland and headed straight for Spoon Creek Falls. It was pretty far out of the way for a .8 mile hike, but the pictures looked pretty and the falls did not disappoint. When I got to the bottom of the falls, I discovered a couple making out. It was super awkward because they didn't hear me coming, so I'm sure I startled them and looked like a creeper. I apologized profusely, snapped some pictures, and left quickly. (This is another perfect swimming spot that it was just too cold for.)
When I got back to my car, I realized the keys were locked inside. The couple emerged from the woods a few minutes after me, and I figured Step 1 of this process was to get a ride back to some workers I'd seen on the forest road a few miles back. Maybe they'd have some tools. The couple was actually really nice; they were both teachers, so we had plenty to talk about.
The workers did not have any helpful tools, and the lady kept laughing at me and apologizing and then continuing to laugh. Our next stop was a camp down the road. There was only one guy there and he suggested the dam because they would have a phone. The teacher couple drove me several miles to the dam, and I insisted they just leave me there. They had done enough. If there was no on at the dam who could help, I'd just try to hitchhike to the nearest town, Montesano, 35 miles down the road.
Luckily, the guys at the dam were extremely helpful! I used their phone to call roadside assistance, then called the towing company to confirm my location. (This was a good thing, because Subaru had been very vague about my location and the guy never would have found me. He had enough trouble, even with my directions!) Estimated wait time was two hours; he was coming from 70 miles away. In the meantime, I chatted with the dam workers.
Really, of all the places I could be stuck, this was kind of perfect. I am very passionate about dams. Well, about one dam in particular. So, it was interesting to learn more about how small dams work and some of the purposes and benefits of dams beyond what I already knew. I came to the conclusion that this was a good dam. :) There are 77 days out of the year that they have low flow days (or something like that) to help the salmon!
The guys all live in homes on site provided by the government, so it was nice to know there were people around. When it was time for them to go home, one guy stayed to give me a tour. I've never been in a dam before!
When we were on the elevator going down down down into the dam, I had to take some deep breaths and try not to think about what would happen if there was an earthquake.
It also occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't be following a random man into a secluded, enclosed space.
Look how big this door is! And imagine the echo it makes when it slams shut. It was pretty creepy.
But I got an amazing ground level view of the water coming out of the dam.
And the view from the top of the dam wasn't bad, either.
Chris got me some snacks, and I settled in at a picnic table to wait.
A little while later, a girl my age approached me. She introduced herself as Katy, one of the dam guys' wives. She was worried about me waiting out there and brought me an organic PBJ and water and some fruit (which she assured me was clean because she is a germophobe). It was so thoughtful!
We started chatting and within a few minutes we were talking about marriage and break ups and identity and adoption. (She has some experience with that, too.) I am so, so glad I met her! We are now friends on FB. :)
The sun started to go down and it got cold, so she brought me two coats and told me that, if I decided the tow service wasn't coming, I could stay at her house. You know, my church in Phoenix always talked about radical hospitality, and Katy was a living example of it. It made me think that I need to be more aware of people around me and how I can help meet their needs.
Finally, around 8:30 (about 4 hours after I'd called), the guy from the tow service showed up. He was from SoCal and asked if I minded him smoking; he needed to "take the edge off." He'd been driving around all over, determined not to give up because he knew I was sitting outside somewhere, waiting. I am so glad he didn't give up!
It toon him about two minutes to get into my car. After driving the 70 miles back to Shelton (which was on my way to where I'd planned to camp), I decided to treat myself to a cheap hotel. I was too tired to drive around looking for a campsite. It was 10:30 at that point.
And now, it is 9:30 a.m. and I'm still in my room, because my ex taught me some important lessons about vagabonding, and one is: if you get a hotel room, take full advantage. Spend as much time there as you can and enjoy the wifi and shower! But I'll be headed out soon; I am ready to get back on track with my hiking.
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