the lost highway

I don't know for sure where this is. I do know that it's definitely not in Portland.

I had an overwhelming urge to get out of town last night. I'm actually amazed that I didn't just get in the car and go yesterday. I was bored and feeling caged in. When I got that feeling in Nebraska, I used to drive to Kansas just to cross the border. Then I'd come back. I looked at train schedules last night but decided that I wanted to be in control so I grabbed Dean this morning and headed out.

I used our trail bible, "Doin' the Northwest With Your Pooch" to find a trail. It had to be close by and at the beginner's level because Dean is still healing. I found Pansy Lake, outside of Estacada in the book and we headed off on this fall morning. There were clouds in the sky but no real chance of rain. Past Estacada, the forest is always gorgeous but it was especially nice with the leaves changing colors. It took me a while but I found the right road. However the road was closed. I thought Dean and I could keep going on foot but the road was blocked off well behind the trailhead. Still we walked in the middle of a highway on a majestic fall morning in a forest in the Northwest. It was so serene. We hiked past several downed trees and I wondered if they were the reason for the road closure but then we saw that they were just an additional effect. The cause was half of the road falling down a small cliff. It was very 'Life After People.' There were several trees, leaves and even animal droppings in the road. I even saw a spiderweb on the highway. It was gorgeous. We didn't find Pansy Lake but that just means we get to try again soon.