January 26, 2004
My Brush With the Law
Saturday, I decided that I didn't want to be cooped up in the house, and that I was up for something new. So I bought a map of Washington at the bookstore, a bottle of water and some snacks at the grocery store, grabbed my camera and was off.
I usually go north when I go driving places, so I decided that I'd go south, just to be different, and I wanted to stay off of the freeway. I wound my way down Coal Creek Parkway and found a little road called the May Valley Road, that looked promising and interesting. So I took it, and I drove slowly, and was pleased that the roads were deserted and that there was no one behind me. I'd stop now and then to take pictures.
Eventually I wound up driving through Black Diamond, Enumclaw, and then by a dam, whose name I can't remember. It was closed, so I couldn't follow the sign that said, "viewpoint". After I came out on the other side of the dam, I was near Buckley, and I was trying to go further south, and stay away from the cities, but it seemed like no matter which way I went I was following signs that led towards Puyallup. I didn't want to go to Puyallup!
After turning around a few times, I found a little road that didn't say I was going to Puyallup. It didn't really say where I was going, but that was okay. Although it had been hailing earlier, and then raining (It rained the hardest when I stopped to take pictures near a river that was posted with big warning signs saying, "Water may rise suddenly!") it was sunny then, and then sun was just starting to go down, and a golden light was spreading over the trees. I just had to take some pictures of it.
I pulled off of the road, but wasn't really pleased with how I'd been able to park. But I figured I'd be quick, and there was no one around. So I started snapping a few shots, and not even a minute later, a sherriff in an SUV stopped across the road from me. He got out, waited for a couple of cars to go by, then walked across the road.
I was sure I was going to be in trouble. I was all prepared to apologize for parking on the side of the road and be sent on my way. But the light was still wonderful, so I took some more pictures while I made his way across the road. He finally got across, and I looked over at him suspiciously. What was he going to say to me?
As it turned out, he wasn't going to say much of anything. When he got across the road, he opened his mailbox, pulled out the mail, and glanced through it. He saw me watching him, and asked me what I was taking pictures of. I told him that the light was so pretty, falling through the trees. He agreed, crossed the road again, and went on his way.
No jail time in rural Pierce county for me. This trip, at least!
Here's one of the golden light pictures I took:
And the rest of the pictures from the trip are here.
Posted by Rachel at January 26, 2004 08:47 AM