Day 27: Seattle > Mt. Hood

Almost four weeks into the road trip we made our final turn south and oriented the car toward home. We had two places that we intended to see in Oregon before making one last marathon drive to Pleasant Hill. The first was Mt. Hood and while, you can't actually camp on Mt. Hood we'd made reservations at the Hoodview Campground on Timothy Lake which was to provide us with amazing views of the mountain. The day that we drove there it was overcast and grey and the mountain was hidden from our view. The wind whipped across the lake in a blistering fashion. We could have been back in Chicago along Lake Michigan. It was cold. Most of the campsites were burning fires in the early afternoon just trying to stay warm.


It was a few days before the 4th of July and the campground was filled with families spending the week here fishing, boating, biking and just doing things in the wilderness. As with any camping spot the first thing that we did was setup our tent and get the air mattresses filled and sleeping bags and pillows inside. Shortly thereafter, Adler announced that he wanted to lay down and asked me to join him. I tried to take a nap but he kept talking every few minutes. This wasn’t working so we got out of the tent and a young girl named Etta from the campsite adjacent to ours introduced herself to Adler. Etta was five and a half years old. Just as he'd done with Connor in Minnesota he bonded immediately to Etta and they went running and playing in the forest. The two went for a walk together alone by the lake shore and upon their return Adler exaggerated the distance of their hike when he said that, “We'd walked a half mile.” They were inseparable for the rest of the day. And after we finished our dinner Adler and I walked to their campsite for s'mores and campfire stories. Although their friendship was harmless and platonic this didn’t stop Etta’s older sister and cousins from teasing that the two were already engaged. Perhaps they’ll meet again in twenty years and a romance could blossom. The photo of the two of them sure looks like there is something special. They were the best of friends and this was something needed after spending a month with your dad. 

Tree pose on a tree

Adler and Etta

Just being a kid!

S'more!