Since my wonderful husband was in another country for our 27th anniversary this past August, it wasn’t until the beginning of September that we were able to take off for our annual anniversary trip. We love exploring new places and this year, Jim and I decided to rent a cabin at the base of Mount Hood in Oregon. It was somewhere between Government Camp and Rhododenron; we were never really sure which sign to believe.
The cabin was out in the middle of the forest overlooking the beautiful Zig Zag river and came with a temperamental woodburning fireplace that randomly smoked us out several times, and a bed in the master bedroom which was comparable to sleeping on a slanted table top. Several hours into our first night, we gave it up and trudged up the extremely steep stairs to the loft to an overly soft and squishy twin bed which we shared. At this point, toppling in toward each other was preferable to sliding off onto the cold dark floor.
The Zig Zag River out the back door.
It was perfect weather for a fire and hot chocolate one chilly afternoon when it started to rain. We had some great talks here, cooked up some of our favorite foods together and even watched a movie.
One of our little excursions was to see Multnomah Falls. As we drove into the state park and were looking for parking, the sign said the falls were only 1/4 mile away.
What the sign didn’t mention, was which end of the Falls we were at and that they were just kidding about the 1/4 mile -- which was unfortunate as I had decided to leave my tennis shoes in the car and just keep on my comfortable pair of Clark’s that have no backs, as I knew I could handle a quarter of a mile on a paved trail with no problem
We were at the bottom and Multnomah Falls started 650 feet above us, and of course there was no way we were leaving there without being able to say we hiked clear to the top.
This is what happens when you ask someone else to take your picture.
There was just too much of the falls to get in any one shot – but they were spectacular.
When we FINALLY reached this spot up the trail and saw that we were to only Switchback 2 of 11, I about gave it up.
The view became quite incredible as we ascended and could look out over the Columbia River Valley.
This was a proud moment, especially since I had had to grip my shoes with my toes to keep them on as we went up such a steep trail. I quit counting how many times I wanted to slap myself silly for not taking the time to go back to the car to get my tennis shoes.when we first started out.
I was tired enough at the top that I didn’t put up much of a fight when Jim tried to take my picture, and amazingly, my grimace almost resembles a smile.
What you are seeing here is the river at the top of the falls, just as it heads off the edge of the cliff. Not the best place to dink around in the water.
They had built a little overhang you could walk out onto to see the water make the 650 foot drop down over the edge. These are the times I pray that the engineer who constructed this contraption did not cheat in school.
It was a beautiful sight, especially when you were safely back down to the bottom and looking up. And -- thinking that having to hang onto my shoes on the way up was tough, was laughable. With every steep step down, my toes now rammed the front of my shoes.
“Back at the ranch” the next day we found the greatest hike right out the back door of the cabin. We followed a trail upward through beautiful forests and over streams. We ended up on top of a knoll, surrounded in clouds.
What we didn’t realize until later that inside that cloud was magnificent Mount Hood.
I think this picture just needs some background music.
It was great exercise as we puffed up that trail several times during the day to see if the view had opened up at all. We never did see Mount Hood through those clouds -- which we would have if we’d only gone the first day we arrived when it had been clear and sunny.
There’s nothing like walking through the moisture in a cloud to do wonderful things to your hair, but just being with Jim made all the frizz, sore toes, aching muscles, smoke inhalation and table top beds worth it. What a great time we had being able to talk and spend time together. We grew closer than we have ever been before, and it ended up being one of our very favorite anniversary trips – even right up there with the one we took to Hawaii. (And by the way, this in-focus picture of the two of us was taken by my husband after balancing the camera on a boulder and using the remote . . .)
Last year, President Uchtdorf shared this at a CES Fireside:
“There is an old story about a young woman on an archaeological excavation who discovers an ancient-looking lamp. When she rubs it, a genie appears, offering her one wish. She thinks for a moment and asks for world peace—that people would love each other and live in harmony forever.
The genie contemplates her request and finally says: “What you are asking for is impossible. The division among the peoples of the world is too deep and has existed for too long. Please ask for something else. Anything but that.”
The young lady thinks again and says: “Somewhere out there is the one person I was meant to be with. I want to find him—someone who is handsome, thoughtful, and has a sense of humor; someone who will help around the house, loves kids, doesn’t watch sports all the time, has a great job, and thinks first about my happiness; someone who will go shopping with me and who can get along with my family.”
The genie considers her request for a moment, sighs deeply, and then replies, “Let me see what I can do about world peace.”
This old story makes me laugh. He does exist, but he’s not available. I already married him. It probably isn’t fair that I have been so blessed with such a man. I surely didn’t deserve it – but I am profoundly grateful to God to be married to one James Blake Walton.
Hey thats my dad!
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