I was over on the Oregon coast Saturday through Monday this past week finally getting to spend some quality time with the Pacific Ocean. It had been since February that I’d been over to the coast.

This has not been one of the better years for a number of reasons, but suffice to say, I really needed the time away.

I’m actually getting into more of a groove with taking trips with the trailer. First, I have the thing packed at all times. So it’s to the point where I just have to add whatever food I’m bringing and that’s it. I also usually get it hitched up to my Jeep the night before I’m heading out. I have the trailer plugged into the electrical outlet in the garage (trailer folks call this “shore power”) so that I can get the fridge running and cold and get the food in the night before as well. This is all done to basically maximize my time away. In the morning, all I have to do is eat some breakfast, make sure the cats are all set (my neighbor feeds them while I’m away), hop in the Jeep and go.

I was staying at a state park that had electric and water hook ups, but I had also booked a spot at a much smaller park way back in March that I kept bumping out further and further while dealing with stuff this spring and summer. I ended up keeping both because I really wanted the electric and water, but the state park check in was 4pm and since I really wanted to make the most of my time and just be able to chill, I rolled into the smaller park much earlier in the day. I also had that spot through Monday, so my plan was to leave the State Park early Monday morning and spend the rest of the day over at the other one.

It ended up being a pretty perfect plan. The spot I’d chosen at the small park was a pull through spot and the picnic table was situated among bushes and trees so it separated it nicely from other camp spots. When I got there, I made some lunch and sat at the table. The weather held out (forecast was rain) long enough for me to take a nice stroll through the park and then I enjoyed a cat nap. I was woken up by the sound of rain falling on the roof of the trailer. By that point it was just past 4pm, so I figured I’d go over to the other park to get set up for the next 2 nights.

It was raining pretty hard after the 15 minute drive to the state park. This particular park has no pull through spots. It was technically only the 2nd time I’ve ever had to back the trailer in at a campground (the first being the trailer rally I’d gone to, but the spot was so large it made it much easier). Somehow the fact it was raining seemed to make it harder, but after a few attempts (well, probably more like 6), I managed to get it in the spot.

Both the Jeep and the trailer looked even more tiny amongst those trees!

I got everything set up and the rain was still coming down. But I enjoyed it. It made for a perfect cozy evening. I made some comfort food for dinner (mac and cheese), threw on a movie (the first Matrix movie), turned on all my mood lighting and relaxed.

The next morning my plan was to go to the lake at the park and do some kayaking. The rain had cleared and I made some breakfast. As I was doing that, I stood there and looked around the trailer and it occurred to me how different this all would be if Mario were still here. He wouldn’t even be able to stand straight in the trailer, we wouldn’t have been able to have the table and a bed set up, and he definitely would have had trouble fitting into the bathroom! Yes, this trailer is truly mine. It’s rather uncanny how absolutely perfect it is for me. And somehow, I think Mario knows that. He might have even had a hand it popping the idea in my head to look online at the very time this little trailer was available for sale, who knows?

I now really suspect that Mario’s the one who is turning the trailer radio on in the middle of the night. The trailer has a stereo CD/DVD player and tv. The only way to turn it on is via a remote (that when I’m not using sits in a cabinet) or the physical power button. Just about every single time I’ve gone out in the trailer now, that radio turns itself on after midnight. It did it both Saturday and Sunday nights this outing. This is very similar to when I’m sometimes sitting in my infrared sauna at home and the stereo in there comes on (that’s another one where you would have to physically push a button to turn it on). No logical explanations there.

So I had a nice time kayaking the small lake, then I headed out to the coastal town of Florence to have lunch at one of my favorite restaurants there and do a little shopping. From there, I went to the Exploding Whale Memorial Park (yes, you read that right – and if you’re curious about that, click here) and watched a utterly awful season opener for my Chargers on my iPhone. Determined not to let that loss ruin my day, I headed back to my camp spot and started a nice campfire and read a sci-fi novel for awhile. I made some dinner and settled in with another movie (the 2nd Matrix movie, which I’d never actually seen before and picked up for $2 at a thrift store in Florence).

Monday morning I made some quick breakfast then got the trailer hitched back up, unhooked everything and off I went back to the smaller park to chill for the day. That park is right next to a small river that leads out to the beach and it’s great for kayaking, so I did more of that. Kayaking has really become one of my favorite, relaxing, outdoor activities. I wasn’t actually able to get all the way to the beach because it gets too shallow right where it meets the ocean, but that was okay. I paddled back to the campground and made some lunch then headed out on the mile long trail to get to the beach.

This particular beach is one of my absolute favorites. The fact that you have to walk a mile to get there usually makes it even more empty, although people still do make the trek. Every time I’ve been there, there has only been one other time where there was someone on the beach when I got there. So I spent an hour just sitting on an empty beach and contemplating life, death and everything in between.

While I often write a message to Mario in the sand before I leave that beach, I felt like leaving another message that day … something inspirational …

I only half joke that “memento mori” is an inspirational message. The way I look at it, if the inevitability of death doesn’t inspire you to really be present and fully live, I’m not sure what else might. We’re all only here for a short time in the grand scheme of things. Make the most of it while you can, I say.

On the way back on the trail I actually passed a young couple on their way out to the beach. I smiled as did they as we passed. And then I wondered what they will think of the message in the sand.