Finding The Sunset (Adventure Photography)

On my way back from a visit with a friend in Portland, I called Brenna to see if she was up for a last minute drive to Trillium Lake to see if we could catch the sunset. She said she would grab food and snacks and we would hit the road as soon as I was back on the mountain.

We had talked about getting a good sunset with a nice view for some time and this felt like the perfect time. I got back late and we met in the town store parking lot. Her car was running and we were on our way.

As we made our way out of the tree cover and into the open sky we saw that night was coming fast upon us and we were running out of time.
As we drove up the winding mountain road to the lake we saw the bright red and orange colors coming over the hills behind us lighting up the rear view mirror.
As we drove on and on feeling the air flowing in from the open window grow colder and colder our anticipation was almost overwhelming.
Pulling off the highway and onto the old road to the lake we drove faster and faster hoping we did not miss our chance.

As it grew dark we finally made it to the lake, the sun was over the mountain and all the orange and red had faded. We were left with a fading blue light with the cold air coming in as night fell.
We had missed the sunset we set out for, the sunset we had hoped and planned for, the one we had talked about seeing for weeks.
But that's ok, we sat at this beautiful lake seeing the amazing blue color in the sky eating and talking waiting for the light to finally die out telling us it was time to go home.
A good road trip is about who you choose to go with, not whether you see or do what you set out for in the first place.

• Christopher Skipper