11:11 and a Rainbow

It’s 11:11.

An auspicious number and an excellent way to start the day.

We just finished breakfast at a great little place in Monmouth, Oregon, and we’re off toward Quinault, Washington.

Last night we parked at my daughter Elisha’s house, so today is the official start of our camping adventure. We’re heading for the Oregon coast near Tillamook and then following the coast north toward Quinault.

As we drove through the farmland, Larry suddenly spotted a rainbow in the distance.

The colors were vibrant.

It felt like a sign.

The beginning of a journey.

First, we took off at exactly 11:11 a.m. Then we spotted a rainbow in the distance, beckoning us forward and signaling the start of a beautiful new day.

We always pay attention to signs.

Not your normal road signs. (Although we pay attention to those, too.)

I mean signs from a world beyond the normal 3D world. Like glancing at the clock just as it turns 11:11, or 2:22, or 4:44. Or starting a journey and spotting a rainbow.

A reminder of the magic that exists when we pay attention.

Traveling as an observer opens us up to all sorts of surprises.

We just passed a panoramic view of farmland and hills covered in vineyards. Beyond them were densely forested mountains hugged by the morning dew and sparkling blue sky. We noticed the shades of green at all the different levels.

Nature makes so many shades of green!

Simply observing that makes traveling more interesting. It puts us into a different mode. One connected to nature and our senses.

We made it to our first stop, Quinault RV Resort, although “resort” might be a bit of a stretch. There were no hookups, just dry camping.

But that gave us a chance to test all of Fern’s off-grid systems, and we did just fine.

That evening, we headed to the resort for dinner and were seated with an ocean view. We watched an amazing sunset over the North Pacific.

11:11.

A rainbow.

A thousand shades of green.

And a sunset over the ocean.

It was a good first day.