Kalaloch - A Hundred Miles of Solitude.
There is a saying that I have when things are getting a little wonky and weird here on the home-front between work and the regular goings on with life. I say that I am getting 'frothy about the mouth'. I imagine that I am like a little rabid animal... growling and feeling itchy. Snapping at things, on edge. Afraid of water or whatever the other symptoms of a Rabid beast are.
Pretty much the best thing for me to do is to hop in the car (preferably with Paul) and go somewhere. The more I can disconnect from work and the routine of life... the better. There is always the initial moments on the road while I am freaking out still in that mindset. Worried about the emails I haven't answered, what about the cat's wet food day, I still need to fix the light in Paul's closet, when did I get the last oil change? Grrrr... Frothy and frustrated.
As it always is with travel, the more miles under my feet, the more ticks on the odometer, the more I retreat into the wilderness, the better. It is the perfect vaccine. Like most vaccines I probably should take more shots pre-emptively instead of waiting for symptoms to show up!
(hey.. go ahead and hit the play on this video. This song was the 'theme' for the mini trip Song: Follow the Sun - Xavier Rudd)
So, yah, this last weekend, a lot of things had come to a head. After a month of working a crazy night shift that essentially occupied my life 7 days a week, a tremendous amount of stress from managing various organizations without any definable results, and Paul leaving for the weekend to visit family.... I needed to get away. Friday morning, super early, made coffee and drove down to catch a ferry to the Olympic Coast of Washington State. Heading towards a small campground called Kalaloch.
There are several hundreds of miles of open beach with nothing but wilderness spilling over behind you. The closest town, house, or encampment is something like 60+ miles away. Cell reception is fleeting, and it is just far enough out that it keeps the loud campers with boom boxes and drunkenness away.
After a beautiful drive along Hwy 101, and a quick stop at Lake Crescent. It is cold ... it is beautiful.... it is clear. Crystal clear and emerald green in the depths. If you stand on the dock you can easily look down and see clear at least 20 feet. Deceptive... I can see why a certain local emo girl jumped off a cliff into one of these waters because of some sparkly vampire she was pining for... Oh Twilight.... you are painful Anyways. I sat there and contemplated the future of my kite life... the future of some projects (like the We Fly Global Kite Challenge Check out the video below)
The rest of the road was open and calm. Filtered sunlight through tall trees dappling the road, and the sound of my music mixing with that hum of the tires. Blacktop Therapy at its finest. If you have never driving Hwy 101, it is worth knowing that there are quite a few stretches through various states where it is miles of beautiful wilderness. Hwy 101 cuts across the Olympic Peninsula, then meets up with the coast, and heads south. About half way down there is a campground on the coast called Kalaloch. I pulled in, found a site on top of the bluff and set up camp. (replete with a hammock between the trees)
The afternoon was spent flying some Level One Sport Kites in very low wind. Walking up down the beach, then enjoying the sunset with my Skate (single line kite) and a bottle of wine.
It felt good to get away. To simply have no to-do list, no requirements on myself or my time. To just breathe the fresh air and feel one with the moment. Of course.... I did get video while there, which I will be posting soon. May have also scouted some cool new spots to go for kite trips!! Stay tuned... I want to write more about this, but right now the demands of work are back on my plate. Oh... and there is getting the logo work and miscellaneous stuff done for the We Fly Global Kite Challenge!