As we creep closer to January, I’ve been reminiscing about the trip I took to Portland, Oregon, in January 2018. When I was planning this solo trip, I decided to rent a car for a day or two so I could drive to the coast, which is about a 90-minute drive from Portland. I wanted to go to Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock (of The Goonies fame) and dip my feet in the Pacific Ocean. Then I planned to drive roughly 40 miles down the coastal highway to the Tillamook Creamery. Don’t act like you wouldn’t drive 40 miles for cheese.

It was a cool, clear morning when I ventured out of Portland in my white Kia rental. I made sure to stop at Voodoo Doughnut first for a beach doughnut (translation: a doughnut that I planned to eat while sitting on the beach), and headed west.

Outside of the city, the landscape went from suburban to flat, wide-open farmland. Around Banks, Oregon, the highway reduced to a two-lane road, and I was soon driving through a thick forest of Douglas firs.

I don’t remember how long I had been driving, but some time after entering the forest, I began ascending a hill. Near the top there was a blue sign that vaguely read “Viewpoint” and an arrow pointing diagonally to the upper right.

Normally I’m one to power through a long drive, only stopping for the essentials: food or a bathroom break. But, I was on vacation, I reasoned. By myself. I had all the time in the world. Haystack Rock would still be there even if I was “late.”

There were 3 or 4 cars already pulled over when I parked. I got out and walked toward a small cluster of people holding up their iPhones and snapping pictures of….the trees? I stopped for this? But then I looked closer toward the direction everyone was facing and gasped:

Two spindly trees perfectly framed the snow-capped mountain, which almost wasn’t visible; it nearly blended in with the sky. I confirmed later that what I was looking at was Mount St. Helens, miles away in Washington. I took in the view, trying to commit it to memory. But I couldn’t leave without taking a few envy-inducing photos:

I don’t know what compelled me to stop at that vaguely labeled viewpoint, but I’ve felt grateful that I did ever since. I now know what I would’ve missed if I had kept going, making good time on my journey to eating a doughnut on Cannon Beach. Sometimes the best and most unexpected things happen when we deviate from our plans. Always stop at the viewpoints.

And I did eventually make it to Haystack Rock.