March 29: A Day of Escape
Today’s ride to Seaside and back was a much needed break from the responsibilities and challenges of the week. I was so grateful to have several hours with the wind in my face, the sun on my back, the trees around me, and the ocean ahead.
Due to a variety of extenuating circumstances, it has been necessary for me to work most of Spring Break for the first time since I started teaching 17 years ago. I am grateful for the extra work and truly enjoy helping students learn more about math. But I knew I would regret it if I didn’t take at least one day of the break to barrel down the road on my Harley.
I headed west towards the coast this morning, leaving in the chilly fog but heartened by the prospects of the ride ahead. As I eased down the back country roads from my house, I began to feel the stress of the week lift from my shoulders. Little by little, pops of blue began to appear in the sky ahead and the vivid green of the trees around me became punctuated by bursts of sunlight streaming through their branches.
Because of intermittent snow in the area over the last week I chose to ride on highway 26 over the pass, hoping to avoid ice and gravel. Snow covered the sides of the road, and one unfortunate motorist was waiting for a tow truck to pull his vehicle out of the ditch. The road remained clear overall and I was able to swoop around one glorious turn after another as I wound my way through the forest to the sea.
In Seaside, I parked the bike at Seaside cove and sat in the sun on the rock and driftwood covered beach admiring the waves rolling in and out of Painted Rock Beach. I took some time to reflect on many of the things I have to be grateful for as I gazed out over the water and smelled the salty air. Seagulls flew overhead and children played in the sand while parents sat in chairs and caught up on each other’s lives.
Coming home the traffic over the pass was lighter heading east than it had been earlier in the day. I hit the road construction road block just right and didn’t have to wait at all. Heading back to the house I took a slightly different route and ended the ride enjoying the Terwilliger Curves before returning to West Linn. It was a great day to be on the bike!
