Westbound

I have a strong affinity for “the west”. Perhaps not surprising since I have lived on the west coast of North America since 1995 (or at least the west side ;) But what’s surprising is this is irrationally true in any country!! Everywhere we go I instantly feel connected to the west. Maybe it’s the sunsets? Hmm. Even the word itself holds something special for me. Maybe its origins are in my youth? At age twelve I started riding the subway to school in Toronto. We lived in the west end, so coming home always meant getting on the westbound train. There were eastbound kids, northbound kids and a handful of us west enders. Maybe west is part of my identity? I have a vivid memory of seeing the Canadian Rockies for the first time on a family camping trip. The beauty felt staggering to me. What was this magical land out west? New Zealand has a magical west coast too. The NZ West Coast even has its own tagline: ‘Untamed natural wilderness’. All this is a long way of saying we are headed west and it feels like coming home.

We went on a couple’s date up to Brewster Hut. Not an overnight hot date ;) just a quick up and back while kids played in the RV. Started with a gentle creek crossing, then straight up through an amazing lush forest, then pouff - out into snowy grasslands. Nearby mountain peaks lurked behind clouds. Sweet. It’s a magical time of year to be in this country. It feels like we have it to ourselves, especially on the untamed west coast :)

Weather changes a lot which is cool and wild. You get see terrain in all kinds of light. Since it’s fall here now, the sun is often low in the sky. I’ve become a bit obsessed with light. I started consciously noticing this about a month ago. Probably many reasons. We’re outside a lot. I’m taking lots of photos, constantly in new places, and light is central to photography. So I’m noticing all kinds of things about light. I don’t even know that I could articulate them all. I see light hitting things. I see things changing color because of light. I see shadows. I see rays of light. I notice how light changes a room or a space or a tree or a trail. I wonder if I’ll keep noticing when I’m back on familiar ground. I hope I do.

Hard to believe we’re less than one month away from winter solstice here. Southern Hemisphere. Always a head spinner.

Views below from the road as we popped right out on the untamed west coast. So many one lane bridges. Snowy peaks lurking. Sunset vibes. Pink clouds. Staggering beauty.

Rivers from the snowy peaks making their way to the ocean. Sunsetting. West coast.