Smith Rock - The Early Days of the Nomad Lifestyle
Welcome to the start of Marisaac’s travel adventures. The first day of our adventure starts with waking up on mattress in the middle of an empty room. The last week was spent packing everything we own into a 10x9 ft storage unit (see above for creepy basement public storage facilities). Up until the last minute, with the Public Storage attendants commanding us to leave over the mic, our days were a flurry of packing and hauling and loading and unloading. The only fatality was a lone glass tupperware. With all that behind us, the only thing left was my hand-me-down mattress. As there was no room in the storage unit, I figured it was time to upgrade (I tried to find it a third (!!) home, but alas, people don’t like taking other people’s mattresses??). After providing one more aggressively average night sleep, the mattress set out by the dumpster. Rather, it was flung off our balcony, much to Isaac’s delight. Finally, we threw the last hodgepodge of items into the backseat of the car, and we were off. First stop: Portland. This was a pitstop on the way to the campsite at Cove Palisades Park, a quick shake out of the legs and some much needed caffeine. We grabbed a coffee at a cute shop in Pearl district where I proceeded to drop my water bottle in the toilet. The rule stands: it’s not good time until Marissa spills or drops something. The coffee was incredible and we strolled though the neighborhoods and parks, soaking up the PNW in early September (you haven’t LIVED if you haven’t been to Oregon or Washington in the fall). I am leaning hard into the ‘fall bitch’ stereotype and proud of it. Of course we made our way to Powell's Books, a Portland staple. I excitedly point to all the books I’ve read, gush over authors I love, and take note of new releases that will be added to my ever growing Goodreads ‘to-read’ list. Before our road trip picks back up, we stopped in Sellwood for some grub and survive a an attack of hungry bees. The campground of Cove Palisades State Park is about 45 min north of Bend. We arrived in the late afternoon and had our tent up and food out within 10 minutes of parking - we’ve become masters at the art of campsite setup. Our dinner was a “what’s left in the fridge” kind of vibe. No food waste in this house (or campsite). The next morning we headed over to Smith Rock, an absolute gem of eastern Oregon. Here you see the grandiose red rock that makes this a must-see destination. Smith Rock: the epic reveal, part 2. Isaac musters all his strength the hold up the beast for a moment. Smith Rock is a popular spot for rock climbers, which I noticed were scarce when we arrived. It turned out there was construction on the one and only bridge that leads to the main portion of the park. We were rerouted to the horse ford where I got excited to channel my inner horse girl and wade through the river. To my dismay, the river was too high and fast. Back to square one, the “under construction” bridge, to join the others who were illegally crossing. Safely across, we began our ascent. The hike was hot and steep but surrounded with iconic rock spires that provided much needed distraction.
We were rewarded with a killer view from the top. The view was accompanied with our peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwiches. On the way back, the ranger was guarding the bridge giving me a chance to use redeem my horse girl power. The horse ford on the other side of the bridge was shallower so we made it out unscathed, mostly dry, and very proud. The desert landscape caked us with dust, so we drove over to Bend to swim (read: dunk in the freezing cold river). The day ended with salmon dip, pizza, and craft beers. Seriously, I still can’t stop talking about the salmon dip.
