The Beach

The beach is a special place. We dropped down off of Highway 101 north of Lilly Lake on Wednesday morning. There were 6 miles of nearly uninterrupted sand between us and the North Jetty at the Siuslaw River. I say “nearly uninterrupted” because there were a few creeks making their way to the ocean which impeded our progress. They were there long before we were, so they had the right of way! We learned an important lesson: there are times when a creek narrows (appearing to be easier to cross), but the narrowness likely means that the creek is deeper there. Hmm. Who would have thought? We emerged from the beach area with wet shoes and made our way to milepost 191, just across the Siuslaw River at Florence. Today, Thursday, we made our way to the South Jetty of the Siuslaw and walked to the Siltcoos Recreation Area, again on the beach, reemerging on the highway at milepost 202. It may not seem like much of an achievement, but crossing the 200-mile mark was a moment of joy.* Paula and I shared a fist bump and, at the same time, said, “Way to go!”

Testing the Theory: "We Could Walk Forever"

Atop the Dunes at Siltcoos

Siltcoos Lake (Near Milepost 202)

When I commented the other day about the artist Rembrandt’s portrayal of the Road to Emmaus scene from the Gospel, I should have included the real possibility that the two disciples on their way could have been brother and sister. There were a few moments this past week when Paula and I were reminiscing about the spiritual paths that have brought us to this Pilgrimage. At those times, I could have easily said, “Were not our hearts burning within us?” I’ve always looked up to my sister and I have taken great satisfaction that she has always been a loyal friend and has become a devoted wife, a caring mother, and an amazing grandmother. Her husband David has been exceedingly generous this week in being our taxi driver from location to location, in being a gracious host in our campsite, and in being a patient brother-in-law. They will return to Nevada Friday morning. Please pray for their safe trip and for the good health of David’s father (Joe Ortiz) who is in poor health in Santa Fe Springs, CA.

It has been important to me to mention clearly that there are two important Rembrandts: the artist and the dog. The dog is currently living in Woodland, CA., the home of my younger brother Bob and his family. It was reported the other night that Rembrandt’s ears perked up when Bob was reading this blog out loud. It appeared that Rembrandt was especially attentive to the parts that sounded like this, “Walk . . . eagle . . . walk . . . bunny . . . walk . . . beaver . . . walk . . . .” I think you get the point. I owe a debt of gratitude to Rembrandt for reminding me (at least three times a day) that exercise is important and that I wanted to be as ready for 300+ miles as I could be. It appears that he is still quite persistent about getting his daily walks in down in Woodland. He is not along on the Pilgrimage because there were too many possible hazards and lodging can be a little tricky when a 40-pound pet is involved.

Paul Swadener has returned from Eugene to rejoin me on the journey for a few days. We are staying at St. John’s Church in Reedsport, also for a few days. The parish church is not dedicated to St. John of the Cross, but to St. John the Apostle. Nonetheless, let me share a closing thought from San Juan de la Cruz (as I know him in Spanish): “God passes through the thicket of the world, and wherever His glance falls He turns all things to beauty.” God must have His eyes constantly fixed on the beaches in Oregon!

* As they say, “actual mileage may vary.” Mileage-post miles and actual walked-miles are a little “off” right now, but not by much.

Peace!