The picture above is one I took a few years ago. Of all the very beautiful scenery I saw yesterday, I didn't take one picture. I was too tired and it was too cold ... even too cold to put my hand out the window.
I woke up at 2:30 in the morning. Way too early. I just got up to get a drink of water, but Cary was up and said he wanted me to go to Salem with him for a meeting. I was awake, so I checked my Facebook and did my blog posts, and we left at 5:00. The cable channel and the fancy clock on the wall said it was -13 degrees. As we got on the road, however, the car mirror thermometer said it was -26! And, it really was. I have never been in such cold, ever. Thank goodness for a reliable car with a good heater.
It was dark until we got on the road that goes past Detroit Lake. The lake is not even a lake now, until you get closer to the dam. Since I wasn't into taking pictures, I decided to try and memorize what I was seeing, like the story of Frederick the Mouse who soaked in all the beauty he saw to fortify him during the winter months.
The meeting went well, and so did the lunch, and then at 2:30 p.m., we headed back home. We were so tired, but didn't want to spend the day in another motel room. The way back was when I should have been taking pictures. Again: Detroit Lake; frozen waterfalls on the side of the road; the North Santiam River with it's freezing rapids icing up; Mt. Jefferson looming overhead; views of the Cascades and the McKenzie Valley; Mt. Washington; and then Broken Top, Three Sisters and Mt. Bachelor. The air was so cold and so clear that it seemed like you could see forever, and there was enough snow to just outline the hills and the mountains, making them pop. It was so beautiful ... but it was also -4.
I was so glad to get back to our house, see the dogs and snuggle in with my best friend husband. The beauty filled my soul, but home really is where the heart is.
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