This Wasn't The Plan!

For a number of years now Pat and I have talked about driving over the scenic North Cascades Highway soon after it reopens in the spring. This year I told Pat that Mother’s Day weekend was to be the “someday.” And I began to plan. I suggested that we load up the dogs, cats and RV on Friday, leave, and camp as close as we could to the west end of the highway that night. Then we could drive over on Saturday and return home on Sunday.

But then things changed. Pat’s Thursday evening freed up and so did his Monday. And I changed the plans. Now we could leave on Thursday after Pat got off work!

I planned three “first-day” options. Option A was to stop at a large county campground beside a river. Option B was to stop at either one of two privately owned campgrounds farther down the road. Option C was to stop at a national park campground at the west end of the North Cascades Highway.

Thursday evening we headed out a little before 6 pm. Pat smiled and said, “I can’t believe that we are actually underway on Thursday evening!”

“This doesn’t bode well,” I replied.

Pat chided me for being pessimistic. I reminded him that we have a consistent track record of setting up in the dark—and frequently in the rain. Historically, our first day of camping just doesn’t go as planned!

We blew past our usual supper stop because we were only an hour away from option A. We pulled in on schedule. It was still light—and it wasn’t raining! And... who would have thought that 44 of the 49 campsites would be reserved for a family reunion!

The plan had changed, but we still had two options. It was getting dark by the time we had investigated and eliminated options B. And we arrived at option C with just enough light left to see that its gates were locked!

Pat pulled over. We looked at each other. He said, “Well … only 45 miles to go!” Meaning that the next campground, Klipchuck, was ONLY 32 miles UP the North Cascades Highway, across two passes, and then 13 miles DOWN into the Okanogan National Forest! The plan had truly changed!

But I didn’t want to drive the highway at night! I was tired. I was hungry. And I didn’t want to—yet again—have to back the rig into a wooded site and set up in the dark. This just wasn’t the plan!

We grabbed a couple of bottles of water and a jar of peanuts from the RV and climbed back into the truck. Pat looked at me, smiled great big and said, “I have the feeling that we are about to embark on an adventure!”

We drove into the gathering darkness. Falling snow met us at Rainy Pass. Plowed snow banks towered over us at Washington Pass. And somewhere along the way the trailer’s electrical connection became unseated. And the only brakes we had as we began the steep 13 mile descent down the eastern slope were on the truck!

But the gates were open at Klipchuck campground, and by 11 pm we were set up and cozy in our favorite site in one of our favorite campgrounds in our favorite national forest. And it wasn’t raining—or snowing!

Although the trip didn’t start out as I had planned, it turned out even better that I had thought. We would never have attempted to drive to Klipchuck that first night if our other options had been available. So we would have missed spending four relaxing, renewing days in one of our favortie spots. And we would have missed seeing the early spring flowers and the calypso orchid. We would have missed the character we met in Winthrop. We would have missed the adventure!

What in your life isn’t going as planned? A relationship? Your health? Your finances? Your career? Your retirement? Trust the One who has The Plan. Embark on the adventure!

Pastor Kit