Smith(s) Rock(s)

We woke up to a cold sun shiny morning, partly cloudy but the sun was there. This was our day off, as planned by the Habitat folks. We would have preferred to work, but I think the locals needed time to get things done without all our questions.

Questions, boy can this group ask questions! They will ask a question no matter how obvious the answer might seem to you. If Neal Armstrong had just set foot on the moon, they would ask him if he knew where the bathroom was. I think this may be a trait of this generation again. When we are in the church kitchen, a place that we have never been before, they all ask us questions about where items are located constantly. I have even taken time twice to explain that Linda and I, just like them, have never been here before. The kitchen in fact is labeled so well that no one should have to ask for anything, just look around and read the labels.

We all fixed breakfast and got ready for the day and at about noon we left Sisters and drove to Smith Rocks State Park where we spent the afternoon hiking the trails of that beautiful area. We got out of the van and within a minute, Anna walked up to me and said “I know you don’t like these type of questions, but do you know where the bathrooms are?” Now it has been about 17 years since I climbed there at Smith Rocks, so I pointed to the obvious direction, left, and said “I think they are over there.” She said thanks and I got lucky and the restrooms were located “over there.”

We hiked the area and about a half hour before we were set to meet back up, Linda and I used the restrooms by the climbing walls. They were very nice, self composting systems, but Linda got herself locked in the one she chose. When I had finished and was ready to leave I could hear a bit of panic in her voice as she called for me to help her to open the door. I rattled the door and pushed on it and finally he bolt on her side came loose and she appeared. She had visions of me having to hike back to the van and then find a ranger to get the lock unstuck. I have visions of a great story, one that I could tell over and over.