Driving Aimlessly Up the Washington Coast

“What happens if we drive north along the Washington coast, instead of our usual route of heading south to explore Oregon?” I asked Joe one morning when we wanted to get out, but didn’t know where to go.

We decided to find out. Sometimes you find the best and most overlooked gems on such an outing. This was not one of those times for me.

Although the trip began with a lovely scenic drive along Willapa Bay, the road curves inland and there’s not much to see or places to stop for potty breaks or coffee. I think we got as far as Raymond before turning around. That’s my take.

Of course Joe saw something of beauty and interest everywhere, so here are two of his takes from the day.

In my defense, I’ll be honest. If I showed you the “before” photos, you’d probably understand why I missed these views. Joe had a gift for seeing beauty and possibility in everything.

We spent the four winter months on Long Beach Peninsula, WA. The shortest, darkest, rainiest months of the year. Yet Joe went out almost every day with his camera and found the light within the landscape—or maybe he was just projecting his own inner light on the surroundings, making everything look better.

Even though I find myself today surrounded by the beautiful, temperate sunny delights of summer in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, I felt a bit of that Pacific Northwest-type gloom descend on me this week.

I also, for some reason, felt Joe’s presence very strongly. At first I thought it was because last week marked what would have been our twentieth anniversary. But because the urgency of his energy has not abated, I believe he’s reminding me to see the light, the truth, and the power of possibility.

I’ll end this series with an example of that kind of vision.

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