Henry

This descanso had eluded me for months. Just uphill from The Dalles at the beginning of our trek South towards Central Oregon, it was always just around this one bend and I would see it too late.

But no longer.

On our drive home from Bend I set the navigation system to the point where I believed the memorial to be. It wasn’t there, but we started driving slowly enough that I both found this cross and a much simpler one just up the hill.

There were actually two crosses at this site, although the smaller of the two is likely to be invisible in another month as the grass comes up around it.

There were no names on the crosses but it appears these crosses are memorializing Henry Jacob Girtz who died at seventy two when Peter Kelly turned in front of him coming off Ward Road onto Highway 197. Two others in Girtz’s car survived, as did Mr. Kelly.

All had been wearing seatbelts.

The flowers are fading but still provide that “pop” of color against the white cross visible to cars speeding by on their way to wherever they are going.

The scene is quite beautiful, really, the cross and flowers against the rolling Oregon hills. The green is just starting to return to these normally brown hills as our rainy season comes to an end.

Rest in peace, Henry.