Rivers and lakes and mountains and coffee: life in the great Pacific Northwest is like no other. I have lived here all but three years of my life, and I would not trade it for anywhere else in the world…

Yes, the politics suck here. And while I am taxed and squeezed out of my money for pie-in-the-sky ideas that never work by children (liberals and socialists) in my state, I try not to let it get in the way of living my life. And until it does and the crap hits the fan for those people, I will be enjoying the Good Lord’s creation in my little part of the globe.

Rivers

I grew up around the Rogue River between Grants Pass and Ashland, Oregon. However, once I met the most important thing in my life next to Christ himself, my wife, I have found myself, for the last nearly seventeen years, enjoying the Umpqua River, mostly the north section. I am also just a hop, skip, and a jump closer to the always beautiful, rugged, and mysterious Oregon Coast.

Being born in the subtropical state of Florida, and after visiting there several times, I have thought about living there. The warmth, the palm trees, the crystal-clear waters of the Gulf of America- it seems so inviting! And the white sand, seriously!!! How beautiful is that?

However, when I think long and hard about it, and I step out my door in the middle of autumn in southern Oregon, the great PNW, I am suddenly in awe and humbled by the beauty I have grown to know and love.

The river is especially close to my heart. The sound of rushing water, the Steelhead, Chinook, and the trout leaping out of the brackish water as mist flows over it at nearly the same speed as the river flows- well, it’s almost magical.

I stand there with my boys, watching them fish together. No arguing over whose turn it is to do the dishes or vacuum the living room, just pure enjoyment of fishing and conversations. I watch them, I listen to them, and am amazed at how they are growing into fine young men. Yes, even you, Eamon!

The river creates memories for me, memories that I will hold until my last breath this side of heaven, of my boys, and even my daughter when she feels like joining us…

Lakes

I like camping along the Oregon coast, but honestly, give me a mountain lake anytime. Recently, however, over the last few years, my wife, who is a bigger fan of the Oregon coast than of lakes, has found the perfect little compromise. Lake Marie.

Tucked behind a stretch of small dunes and the beach, just up in the mountains behind the Umpqua Lighthouse along the coast, is the perfect camping site that meets all our criteria.

It’s a small lake, one mile in circumference, in fact, but surrounding it are thick woods complete with chipmunks! The camping sites are great, and just a mile down the road is the small town of Winchester Bay, a place to grab ice and fishing supplies when needed, and that is always needed when fishing for trout there.

The mountain lakes, however, are even more spectacular, to be honest. And when Father-Son Camp happens in June every year, it is destination Lemolo Lake!

Just northwest of Diamond Lake is a lake that is literally shaped like a dinosaur, seriously. Here, I spend a couple of nights with all my sons, or a couple of them each year, depending on what is going on in their lives. Once in a while, I am blessed with all four, but even when I am not, it is still worth the trip nonetheless.

The lake is perfect, and the epitome of a mountain lake you would imagine in the Pacific Northwest. Cool mornings, and sometimes a bit of mist that gives way to blue skies and a couple of snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance.

This is the perfect place to connect with God through His creation and to share that connection with the next generation of Boozers (yeah, that sounds so funny and cool at the same time!)…

Mountains

The biggest reason I would not live back east along the beaches of Florida is the mountains here. Flat I can live with, but if given the choice, misty, snow-covered mountains in the fall and winter are a sight to behold.

Recently, well, last summer, I made a trip with three of my four sons to Seattle for a baseball game. Along the way, we got to view the largest mountains any of us have ever seen. Mt. St. Helens, Rainier, and Mt. Hood. Talk about majestic.

There is something about the way the emerald green forests, wet with rain or dew, sparkle along the sides and peaks of the Cascade Range. It is a green heaven, a real sight to behold while sipping coffee from a thermos and rigging up that fly rod.

I am so glad the good Lord made them. They are mighty, beautiful, and sit high above the clouds, just like Him.

Coffee

Yep, I am a true Pacific Northwester! I gotta’ have my coffee.

Whether in a thermos while fly fishing or just being lazy watching The Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time in the fall, maybe E.T. as well, coffee is my go-to drink each morning.

My favorite is from the Sasquatch Coffee Company, and when I am getting it locally, I prefer the Cascade Coffee House. Of course, like any other household with kids to feed in an expensive time, I’ll get some flavored coffee at Sherm’s or WinCo.

Coffee is coffee in the morning, after all…

God bless.

Feature image by David.