Yesterday is one of my favorite days of the year: October 1st.

I am an October baby, so October is (obviously) my favorite month out of the year. There’s exhilarating autumn rains, crisp and cool autumn sunshine, early morning autumn fog (my absolute favorite thing in the world aside from forests and the ocean), fiery autumn leaves taking over the summer green, late night autumn stars, and a myriad of other beautiful autumn things. It’s the essence of romance, mystery, and haunts.

In commemoration of the new month, my friend, Rowan, and I drove to Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River. It had been several years since she’d visited the falls, and for me it had only been about eight months or so. The last time I was there, I was with my almost-ex husband, so I was in great need of making a new memory there with a new person. And it’s not that I couldn’t have made memories on my own, but when every single memory you have of a place is entangled with memories of another person, it can be painful to visit that place alone when you’re used to being with someone.

The trip was an adventure. We had a meeting at 11:00 am with the director of the M.F.A. we’re in, and from Downtown Portland we drove towards the gorge. We stopped for food along the way and had a tasty, if mildly disappointing lunch at a restaurant I can’t remember the name of. (It was a pizza joint, as I recall.) From there, we drove along I-84 East towards the string of waterfalls that grace the Columbia River Gorge.

The last time I was on that road, my husband and I were driving westbound from Hood River; we enjoyed taking drives over the mountain and making stops along the way to enjoy the plant and wildlife. We had done exactly that and, after stopping in Hood River for lunch at a brewery, made our way towards home. We stopped at Multnomah Falls to enjoy some beautiful views and take pictures.

Rowan and I took pictures. We walked up to the bridge and took more pictures. We walked back down to the main tourist area and bought hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and fudge. Then we drove along the old Historic Scenic Byway as we made our way back towards the highway.

It was a simple afternoon, but a beautiful one.