Thanks to Transcendental Meditation

Thursday we decided to venture out of the area and go for a drive in the purple Cadillac through the mountains to Sisters, Oregon. We wandered around, shopped, visited the fly fishing store, and went to a local brewery for a yummy lunch where we watched the USA win a great soccer game.

Yes, that's right...we had a purple Cadillac. Dad had a mysterious coupon for a rental car. We walked up to parking space 10F at the Portland Airport...wait is this it? Really? Yep, that's it. We got in with all our stuff and the car was packed to the brim. Where would groceries go? Should we ask for a bigger, more mountain appropriate car? Nope. We simply could not deny the opportunity to drive around Oregon for a week in a purple Cadillac.


The day was going great until we stopped at a recommended fishing spot in between Sisters and Detroit Lake. Josh caught three fish. It was a beautiful afternoon.


The weather started cooling for the evening so we decided to head back to the car when mom discovered the car key was no longer in her pocket. We searched forever. No cell phone reception, soaked clothes, the coolness of the evening settling in, despair, and a purple Cadillac key floating down the river...what to do?!

Hitchhiking was the only option.

While we waited for Dad to return (and assure us all that he hadn't hitched a ride with an ax murderer) Josh tried to fish a little more and fell all the way in the lake. His right shoulder was the only part of him that escaped the water.


After about two hours, Dad came driving up in grandma and grandpa's car to rescue us. He told us how the kind young gentleman who picked him up was on his way to a wilderness somewhere to teach wilderness survival to hippies. Clearly my family could use a lesson. The guy also informed my dad that he practiced and taught transcendental meditation. He highly recommended it.

After some chicken noodle soup, hot showers, a good nights sleep, and a trip to Salem and back everything returned to normal. What an adventure!