West Coast summer excursions and Kayaking foibles

It was difficult to get back into the routine of school largely because the summer was so much fun. As soon as classes were out at Mars Hill on June 28th, it was ready-set-go to pack the outdoor activities into approximately the ten-week window of sun that the Pacific Northwest is blessed to receive. Joel and I headed back to Michigan for the 4th of July and enjoyed Kathy's homemade apple pie and corn on the cob, and many laughs with family, and some dang good Margaritas with Abbey and John, and some stellar fireworks, and an All-American day at the Lake.
The end of July brought a long weekend trip out to Montana to visit Josh Vandermeer at the outdoor adventure camp he works at. The drive through eastern Washington and Idaho felt like we were outlaws on the western prairie, driving through the desert heat with the full moon overhead. I always find it quite fascinating that once you drive over the Pass, in about 50 miles the desert creeps up on you unexpectedly. it feels like being on a movie set, I think--the ability to be transported into a different environment within a matter of minutes. I love it. The desert is so mystical to me, and it was refreshing in a hot and dry sort of way because Seattle had been so saturated with rain this summer. I love extreme temperatures because there's no guesswork involved in what to wear: hot= tank tops, Tevas, swimsuits, lots of water; cold=sweaters, heavy coats, Grande Mochas. Seattle is not so straightforward--even the weather here is passive-aggressive!

Back to Montana--it was an amazing weekend: white-water rafting, kayaking, and other sorts of wild activities such as going down through the rapids completely underwater in my kayak because I panicked and didn't wet-exit.... Very frightening experience because it was my first time white-water Kayaking. Josh ended up flipping me over when I had been underwater for about a minute because I lost my presence of mind. I am thankful that nothing worse happened, but the experience made me think just how paralyzed I can get in the midst of intense experiences, and how easy it can be for fear to rule me. God was quite near that weekend as He used that experience to give me a fuller picture of what it means to be at the end of myself, not able to do anything, needing someone to intervene. The simple truth of Christ as Savior impacted me in a new way. I have never had the experience of totally being at the end of myself and my perceived resources. It made me so thankful for each breath that I am granted each moment... that I deserve nothing that has not been given as a gift through the Lord. Praise God that He sustains the earth and loves us enough to intervene for our need. He is a good God, and being in nature has such a way of speaking spiritual truths to me.

In August, Joel's sister Laura was out here visiting Joel and I, as well as her boyfriend Brent (the three of us are the ones in the hotspring--Joel's taking the picture). We spent time camping and lodging at the Crescent Lake Lodge, and travelled to the most northwest point in the continental U.S., Cape Flattery, WA. Magnificent ocean, and caves and rocks, and bright orange starfish on the rocks. On our anniversary, we travelled to Kalaloch on the Pacific Ocean. Oceans have a way of making me feel like I'm about 6 years old--I get very giddy and I can hardly contain my excitement. Once we went down to the beach and discovered the water was actually warm enough to go in, we raced up back to the car as fast as we could to get our suits and play in the water!! It was glorious.

The weekend after that, we went down to Cannon Beach, OR, to have another beach excursion, as you can see below. The water was azure-blue, and amid the grey rocks and green trees, it was a color kaleidoscope. I love the ruggedness of the Pacific Coast. I am at home here.