R and J in the USA

Julie was fresh off the relaxing thermal waters of Sol Duc Hot Springs and feeling like a million bucks. She found herself feeling deeply rejuvenated despite having only a short time in the waters. So much so that she forgot it was chilly out and headed out on the road still in a tank top.

While driving the hour and a half to Cape Flattery to see the most northwesternmost point of the lower 48 states, she passed through a tiny town named Clallam and was pleasantly surprised to see a sign for a food co-op. Julie loves natural foods stores and decided to pull over to stock up on a few things and see what kinds of treats would be in the store.

She grabbed her warm hat as she headed out of the van with wet hair and a tank top into a crisp, clear, fall day complete with the characteristic fall chill in the air.

When she walked into the store there was a lovely woman with, what Julie read as an Australian accent, behind the cash register. There was also a gentleman standing in a different part of the store, listening intently, but standing separate with a quiet, kind and shy-seeming demeanor. 

When seeing Julie saunter in dressed for summer, the woman asked, “Oh! Is it warm outside?”

Julie paused and thought about it for a millisecond.

”No, actually.” She laughed. “I guess I am still feeling so cozy warm on the insides. I am just coming from Sol Duc Hot Springs. It was marvelous.”

”Oh,” The woman replied with a knowing tone.

”We used to love going there all the time for a full day. But we don’t go anymore now that they’ve taken it away from…”

She kind of paused as if she wasn’t sure Julie wanted to hear what she really wanted to say. 

”Taken it away from who?”

”Well, the locals,” she said.

She continued on to describe the changes she’d witnessed over the many years.

”It’s only an hour and a half away and we used to go there for the whole day. Bring the family, drive the hour and a half, stay for five hours, and then drive home. It was a great day out. Now they’ve made it so we just can’t afford it. You can only soak and hang out for an hour and a half. It used to be $11 to get in for the day. Now it’s $18 for one session, and you have to pay again for each new session.”

Julie was bummed to hear that the local people of the area were getting squeezed out of enjoying the natural setting where they lived out their lives. At first Julie was trying to feel some understanding that maybe the National Park Service needed to make money for the upkeep. Then the woman added,

”The National Park sold all the resorts to this big rich company and they changed everything. They actually own all the resorts in the area now.”

What was interesting about this woman was she was clearly unhappy with this, deeply affected and disappointed, but she was not talking with vitriol and the type of angry cynicism that Julie, unfortunately, had come to expect from people on any side of an issue often having in their tone. She was civil in her tone, but, at the same time, not masking her opinion nor her feelings about how this affected her.

Man, Julie thought. If every person in America could talk with this much calm and rational communication of information and perspective without negating their own personal experience and perspective, nor pointing angry fingers and calling names, as this woman, we could whip this place into shape by the end of the century. Heck. Maybe even the decade!

The conversation carried on into other pleasant directions. Afterwards, Julie, realizing she didn’t know the details beyond what this woman’s experience was, still felt her own bit of disappointment and anger on the woman’s and other locals’ behalf. She imagined what it would be like if all of the sudden she had to pay $18 to spend a scheduled hour and a half session to hang out in Mendon Ponds park, one of her favorite natural spots back home. There would definitely be an impassioned WTF somewhere in the conversation that was notably absent in this woman’s civil, but sincere, words and tone. 

Julie walked away with some delicious natural foods for her body and some food for thought as well.