Orenda Ayashe

  The 4-hour drive to LaPush on Friday April 5th 2013 was a pleasant one. I left Renton at 1:11 and encountered  

  One of my favorite parts of the trip to LaPush is driving around Lake Crescent. It is one of the last DEEP fresh water lakes in the lower 48, and boasts views that remind me of the worlds of Angels, Wizards and Dragons.   

  Checked into Quilleute Oceanside Resort by 5, and was greeted by the sounds of crashing waves and Seagulls outside of a very clean and comfortable kitchenette. I explored the surf for a half hour but not much longer, as a blustery cold wind ensued. I settled in for the evening and worked on chapter 2 of a memoir I'm  SLOWLY writing.

   The last 6th of the way down the trail was rugged. Not quite vertical but more than a 45 degree grade. I decided not to climb over the driftwood but the view from where I stood was nonetheless magnificent. Feeling the coastal wind pick up and noticing clouds suddenly grow darker, indicated to me an approaching storm. Out of breath and out of shape while climbing back up the roots, rocks and steep grade was an eye-opener, if honesty be told. I'd not been to LaPush in 5 years, and even longer since Third Beach. The rest of the terrain was flatter of course, but I was trying to make it out of the forest before rainfall. I hadn't, but was thankful for NOT finding a sweatshirt and FOR finding the rain-jacket whose hood and waterproofness protected. Fate O' the YOUniverse! I spent the remainder of the afternoon on the jetty and then in my motel. I moved the dining table and chairs to where I could see outside while reading, drawing, writing, listening to music and going over the photos I'd taken so far.

   Sunday morning, April 7th was literally for the birds! The visitors next door were feeding the gulls (against the rules) but it was fun to watch the birds dive into their deck for scraps. After the feeding frenzy was over, one particular seagull chose to stand on my deck rail and stare into the window at me. I named it Helen-Alan. These are the names of my late Grandmother and late uncle, who both had their ashes scattered on these shores. I made note of a brown circle under the gull's right eye, which reminded me of the marking under my right eye in the photo I'd taken. I also concluded that (like me),it had a rough life at some point, as its lower beak was twisted to the point that the gull couldn't completely close its mouth. Oh- it's 11:11 A.M. right now as I'm writing, some of you readers will understand

  After staring with this bird for a while, I realized I had to start cleaning the dishes, packing the food, and getting my pc, writing, books and clothes together. Helen-Alan flew away. Check out was in 45 minutes. Of course I was 15 minutes past that in typical late Aquarian fashion, preferring not to  adhere to the concept of Time in most cases. A half hour after completing the above-mentioned tasks, I turned to see the SAME gull had returned. I slowly opened the slider door to look closer, and it seemed not to be afraid of my approach.

  As I backed away from the hotel in my packed car, I shed a tear. I hated leaving my special magical place where I feel safety and peace.

The drive home was longer than expected, taking 5 hours due to the miss of a turn onto 104 which would've been the shortcut straight to Olympia. Instead of turning around, I stayed on 101 which strung me along the peninsula waters. Again, some guy in a truck tailed me. When I finally pulled over, he pulled over in front of me, got out, then got back in his vehicle and sped off. I was still feeling too calm to get pissed about it. I enjoyed the low flowing clouds which skimmed the tops of forest canopies, quaint farms, eagles and wild terrain for miles and miles. I was in a trance but finally woke up, stuck in Tacoma traffic while a rain storm crashed down around me. The rain didn't bother me as much as having to return to civilization. Are we really civil? Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Orenda T. Ayashe 2013