Zephyrus of the Anemoi

.the ramblings of a radman.

Tag: travel

Clark Fork: The Endless River That Waters The Mouth of Hell

June 24, 2014 /

This weekend, we visited family up at Priest Lake (it was awesome, and if I make time, I’ll write more on it later).

Heading home on I-90, we kept driving over Clark Fork in the middle of the night. So often, in fact, that my wife started cursing the signs as an indicator that we were trapped in an endless loop of horror.

Our fears were confirmed this morning when we passed another Clark Fork sign and then, immediately after, a building that said Hellgate Fire Dept. Montana No. 502.

If anyone sees this message, please send help.

Tempestaphilia

July 23, 2012 /

Growing up in the Midwest, I’ve experienced my fair share of weather patterns. Heat waves, tornados, hail, blizzards, floods, and more. It was 84° Fahrenheit at one point today in Washington. Back home in Kansas City it was 98° and felt like 107°. I’m glad I missed it.

As we returned to our home away from home for the night, the sun set and the temperature dropped rapidly (as it is wont to do in the desert). As the temperature dropped, the wind picked up. Back home, wind like this usually meant a storm was inbound—or at the very least, lots of clouds and a fair chance of rain. Here, it just means that it’s nighttime.

I love the sound the tree branches make as they drag across the corrugated awning over the farmhouse’s back patio, and the way the leaves rustle together, shivering as the chilly night air caresses them with its icy touch.

This town is a living contradiction: a melding of the untamed wilderness and humanity’s fight to live anywhere they damned well please. While driving the highways at the edge of town you can look out your left window and see nature in all it’s raw power and majesty. But a quick glance to the right fills your view with ordered houses with neatly trimmed lawns and stubbornly grown vegetation sprinkler-fed and dragged into life come hell or high water (the latter being extremely unlikely).

With the wind tearing across the landscape just outside and the glow of the city in the distance, I can’t help but feel the inexorable draw this place always has on me. If everything fell into place tomorrow and I had a job offer and a home in which to stay, I don’t think I could stop myself from settling down here.

I wish that it would rain, just a little bit, so that I could see what that particular experience is like out here. Rare, I’m sure.

Tomorrow, we’re going to hike a short, but steep trail to a scenic overlook of the area. If we had more time, we’d probably hit up 20 different parks and trails within a 2-hour radius. But time draws short and we must retire home in five short days.

I haven’t even left yet and already I miss this place.

There And (Hopefully) Back Again: A Trip to Washington

July 21, 2012 /

28 hours on the road, seven people in one van–one of them a screaming baby: that’s how my day began.

Yesterday morning at 8:30 AM, my family and I left my parents’ home in Kansas and drove halfway across the country to Washington state in order to visit family members that I haven’t seen in nine years. My parents have made a similar trip many times throughout my life. This, however, was my first such expedition with my wife and kids. My sister and her boyfriend joined us rather than making the trek on their own: a decision that was a great blessing as the night grew long and turned into morning again, and sleep was short and fitful.

During the trip, I recalled a truth that I had nearly forgotten: we live in a remarkably beautiful nation filled with a bevy of stunning vistas and wide-ranging climates. I love my home and the state in which I grew up, but there is ever an alluring pull when I travel through the western half of our continent. There seems to be no end to the panoramic photo opportunities for which we rarely had time during our travels.

I also learned something important about the bonds of family, friendship, and love: 28 hours is too long to be trapped in any vehicle with anyone, but not long enough to eradicate the wonderful memories formed on the trip. I could easily make such a trip again with my family, though they may prefer alternative accommodations.

One of the greatest challenges and surprise boons to this journey, was the lack of reliable cell phone data service throughout the trip. This forced us to engage with each other in place of the digital world that permeates every part of our lives these days. While I would have preferred a bit more of a connection to the outside world during the first 12 hours of the trip, it certainly provided the impetus for other methods of distraction that brought us all closer together.

We will be here for a week, and I hope to post more updates during that time. Despite the trials of the road, I look forward to the journey home again.

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