Every year the weekend after Labor Day I celebrate the annual Rick's and Chicks' camping trip with my friends from my days at the USDA. This trip comes at a perfect time of year. The summer is nearing an end when we're all tired of Bar-BQs and family reunions. This trip is so great because we all just sit around and enjoy the weather. Of course we do a lot of fishing, sun bathing, watching the sun set, eating, kayaking, wave running, eating, reading, laughing... oh yeah did I mention eating.
I look forward to this trip every year. I enjoy it so much because of the way I feel when I am there. The surroundings, the people and even... the silence make this weekend something I always 
enjoy. This year's excitements started off with the road trip with Shelly. On your way there you pass a little bakery in the middle of nowhere that is run by Greek Othidocs nuns. The things they sell at the bakery are so good, but the shop is rarely open, but this time as we pasted the open 
sign was in the window and Shelly slowed her massive truck with a trailer on in it down as fast as she could and turned around. It was like in the cartoons when the road runner wants to turn around and he halts to a stop on his heels:) I think we would have bought everything in the store if we had time, but we made do with just a few loafs of bread... that tasted like sin they were so good. 
Then we hit the road again. As we got closer Shelly was getting more and more nervous because she knew she was going to have to haul the same huge truck and trailer up Deb's steep rocky "driveway." A few swear words, deep breaths and shots later we made it up the hill. When we reached the top we were just glad we didn't have to drive it back down.
Most of the trip
was about relaxing... which is exactly what I did, but on the last evening at the river I was in a kayak with Megan and we were talking about how peaceful it was outside... yada yada yada... and the next thing I know my kayak has decided to roll over and take me with it. I am still baffled how it happen. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to get back in it. Meagan and I were laughing so hard and the peaceful moment was no more. 
After several different attempt to get my big behind back into this kayak I finally succeeded just as help was sent to find us because we had drifted so far down the river.
The time spent relaxing was just not long enough. Before I knew it it was Sunday morning and we were packing 
up camp. We cleaned up what we could and Anne and I headed to Portland airport. The road trip there was adventurous as well. Anne showed me things that were off the highway that I have past many times before but never thought to stop and see. We stopped and saw some cool views, an authentic totem pole, vintage cars, beautiful waterfalls and of course the 3000 lbs chocolate fountain. Why anyone would call that art and not a waste of 400,000 calories is a mystery to me.
Amongst all the reason I go on this trip there is one that out weights them all. This... this is why I go. The view of the stars. I have been trying to think of words to describe the view
of the stars but I don't think words can explain how beautiful they really are. I love that feeling of laying in the hammock bundled up in a blanket and looking at the endless amount of stars. That is the point when the trials in your life seem so small.
