Seems like another lifetime, and I suppose it was, we lived together for some years, it was close to a marriage, at least it was in my mind, maybe that was naive, and in hindsight it was obviously for the best. She was one of those people that did whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, and you had to admire that. We used to head north about once or twice a year to Oregon, a straight shot from San Francisco up the 5 until you hit Eugene, then turn right, and one hour due east to Cougar Hot Springs, probably one of my favorite places on earth. Still is.
No. 0156_27A - Cougar Hot Springs, Oregon. September of 2009.
The drive was an absolute grind, the 5 was a slog, 12 hours if you pushed straight through, but once there we’d camp and rest and soak and recharge, cooking over a fire and falling asleep under the stars. it was a beautiful place, quiet, lush, untroubled. Still is…
No. 0156_16A - Hwy. 5 North, Somewhere in Oregon. September of 2009.
Things have a way of coming to a conclusion on their own. We rode it out for a bit, but whatever we had was never meant to last, too much baggage and not enough substance, other parties involved, things got crowded, and she left me, somewhat unceremoniously, a week after we came home from the hot springs. Last I heard she was down in Peru, evading collection agencies, that was over 15 years ago now. Dodged a bullet on that one…