Unable to find anywhere to camp for a busy holiday weekend after our first night in Bandon, we reached out for shelter to Mike’s high school friends Rex and Patty who live on the McKenzie River near Eugene, Oregon.
Rex and Patty were lovely hosts, and we spent a relaxing three days enjoying home cooking and catching up on laundry and plentiful showers. Luxuries like rapid WiFi, TV, hot showers with lots of water, a washer, dryer, dishwasher and a living room lounger to stretch out in while watching a movie provided an oasis of comfort that we soaked up while we had it, even better when enjoyed with friends.
The McKenzie River area had once been verdant with wildlife and forest, but it turned out our friends were still traumatized and recovering from a major fire that had swept through only six months before. The holocaust of a blaze funneled down the valley containing the river. It burned most of the community of nearby Blue River as well as untold thousands of wooded acres. This fire toasted many homes and businesses in Rex and Patty’s neighborhood and burned all the way to the wall of their garage, nearly taking their house too.
Evidence of the recent destruction was an ongoing reminder of the uncertainty of climate change.
I was sorting laundry one morning when Patty handed me a clean gray t-shirt with a picture of pines and WANDER stenciled across the front. “I thought you’d like this shirt.”
“I love it. Perfect for our road trip.” I held it up. “Looks like it will fit, too. Why don’t you want it?”
She shuddered. “I hate that shirt. It was given to me at the shelter where we hid from the fire. Came from a used clothing bin. Every time I see it I remember that time.”
I hugged her. “Tell me about it.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to PASSAGES: Travel the USA and more! to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.