This was the lodge that Darlene and I were privileged to have been able to stay in while we visited the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon, thanks to my friends Vicky and Charles Littleleaf. Charles is a master Native American Flute maker and musician that lives in Warm Springs, Oregon.
We were invited as guests to attend a Pow Wow at Simnasho on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon by Charles and Vicky. They offered to let us stay in Charles’s Medicine Lodge, a beautifully decorated Plains Indian style tepee Darlene and I were quick to take them up on their kind offer and it turned out to be an experience that would change our lives.
When we arrived to erect the lodge the sun was out and the occasional cloud was a welcomed break from the sunshine. Charles showed me the proper way to erect the lodge. There are many things about it that I never considered. Before he left us he gave me his eagle feather fan, abalone shell, and a sage bundle, and instruction how to cleanse and bless the lodge. I can’t describe how special that was to experience this part of the Native American culture and tradition.
We enjoyed beautiful weather while preparing our camp, but once the lodge was finished clouds gathered and thickened and, during sunset, a storm of epic proportions moved in on us. Wind, rain and one inch diameter hail fell all while bolts of lightning struck in the hills surrounding us. At one point the lightning was directly overhead but didn’t strike the ground around us. We felt as if we were in a tempest as we sheltered inside of the tepee.
We were surprised, considering the fury of the storm, at how dry we were sheltered inside the tipi. There were times when the rain would stop but the lightning was still striking the hills that surrounded us. These breaks in the rain and the dark of night, allowed us opportunities to photograph the lightning fairly easily. I heard on the news that there were from 1500 to 1700 lighting strikes that night in Warm Springs alone. With the dry weather this could have been disastrous as the fire situation in Central Oregon had been perilous. The good news was the pouring rain. I mean it poured! Of the precipitation I enjoyed the hail the most. I had never seen hail so large. It was easily 1″ in diameter. I was caught in it at one point and I can attest to the fact that when a 1″ hail stone hits the top of your head it hurts.
As Darlene and I hid inside of the tepee we had some snacks while the storm raged. We were enjoying the shelter from the storm until we realized that the rain had stopped and it was completely quiet outside. Darkness had come while we were dodging the weather and so we didn’t realize that the weather had changed in almost an instant. When we peeked our heads outside the lodge all we saw as a blanket of amazing stars with the Milky Way stretching over the top of us like a crystal archway.
Darlene and I were able to get a couple pretty nice shots of the stars before the clouds moved back in on us signaling to us that it was time for sleep. What an incredible experience.
Vicky felt bad that the weather “ruined” our stay, but I tried to explain just how special it was that it happened. I always look for high adventure but never realized that it would find me on this particular day. I tried my best to explain to them just how special the storm was to me. Charles realized it though. He told Vicky that we were lucky to have experienced it. He explained that he believed that the power of my artistic gift was a source of the storm and it was gift to me from The Creator. This was something that I felt was to overwhelming to realize.
The next day brought us a wet but beautiful morning. Those who stayed at the pow wow grounds overnight were up early and were cooking a big breakfast. Darlene and I were invited to join them. I can’t explain how welcoming everyone was to us. We felt like we were a part of their family.
I love my life and love the people that are a part of it.
Thank you Vicky and Charles. You gave me a gift unequaled by any of the many amazing experiences in my life. It’s a time that I will always remember and will cherish forever.
