Day 12 Mile 101-116 Sweet Home to Cascadia

Sweet Home - Cascadia
Jan & Michael sent me off with a great French Toast breakfast, many blessings, and a great pair of Z-Coil shoes! I enjoyed walking along Foster Dam and Lake which brought me right to the gateway of the mountains. It was here that I met fellow Earth-Man Lorin M. Dante & Sun... it was as if he was a spirit positioned here at the gateway to Santiam Pass to ensure that all my perceptions were clear and pure before I entered into the mountain realm. He is a delightful, joyful, love filled man who makes art with the suns rays and a magnifying glass. He had a beautiful walking stick and bare feet and couldn’t help but find jokes in everything that was said. Look at his art below and tell me what you see? My perception of his rendition of nature was like his and I found that as a signal that I could enter the mountains:-)
He has faith in love and he is called Rev... the Earth is his church. Keep spreading the faith!

On my way further into the Mountains, I enjoyed viewing so many spectacles and artistic expressions ornamenting the houses and cottages up along Route 20. Ever since the article in the Democrat Herald, it seems that everyone knows who I am. The number of honks and waves has increase from 10 a day to 10 per mile! School bus drivers all know me and there is constant encouragement as I go. People pull over to chat and wish me luck. Christine who had seen the article pulled over and was so excited about the walk and had such a positive energy it just made my day and the miles just flew by. As I neared Cascadia, Another gentleman, Bob pulled over and said he saw me in the paper and he invited me to his house just across from Cascadia State Park. After I finished walking out to the park and had a look around I took Bob up on his offer and walked up the old logging road to his home. His wife Frann was out of town but I got to meet his son Dylan who made some great Enchiladas. Bob and Dylan had lived in Guam up until just about four years ago. Bob was a teacher and a lawyer and more recently he ran the Sweet Home food bank. Bob and Dylan are both Soccer players and used to play on teams in Guam. They had a magnificent photo of Guam from 10,000 feet and I was surprise to learn the population was just over 150,000. Bob is a cancer survivor and has many experiences that give him a unique perception on life. He has died twice and came back... his drive and desire to live and do good works carries him forward. He detailed for me what the community is doing in Sweet Home to fight poverty and drugs and bring joy, hope and prosperity back. His church works with local farmers to sell “nuts for Jesus” and use the proceeds to fund the food bank and soup kitchen. They also have a welfare net that helps families out when they come up short for bills like electricity, gas, rent, and food. Sweet Home has a tremendous volunteer base... like 40% of the population are registered volunteers and every year they host the Oregon Jamboree which brings in the biggest names in country music and entertainment.

Thank you Bob and Dylan for hosting me in your home!