We Do Have Sun
by Kate Malcolm
Newport, OR
Contrary to what most people believe about Oregon’s weather, there are some places where it doesn’t always rain. This is true of the high desert in eastern Oregon. Every spring, since I have been in high school, my golf team has made it to the state championship golf tournament in Redmond. As we leave the coast and travel the four-and-a-half hour distance to the desert, there is a vast change in the landscape. The cold and rainy coast with its lush green forests transforms into a hot and sunny desert with scrubby little bushes and red sand. I feel like I have gone on vacation to a completely different state.
My state of mind also changes when I play golf in the desert. Without the pelting rain or winter course rules to worry about, I am more able to concentrate on the game and relax. I can shed my rain gear, roll up my sleeves and the let the sun shine on my face and energize my mind. I inevitably get my best golf score of the season playing in the Oregon desert.
