Of Maps & Experience

Travel writing and the mind’s eye of experience

Orcas Island and the View from Above. How does one take this experience and best visualize it on a 2D platform?

It was a smokey day when we went to the top of this ridge on Orcas Island. The nearby islands rose above the waters like ancient beasts with ridges for spines. It was easy to think in terms of origin tales like the Manitou islands in Lake Michigan.

And despite the fact that the smoke had followed us from Seattle — I’m speaking solipsistically here — at least the ash hadn’t and we were enjoying our moment on the bone dry island.

Seattle with its red sun and ash.

But this isn’t to summarize my time on Orca Island. Certainly, it was interesting. We met a woman who moved there from the city due to family tragedy. Learned to farm and use wool to make clothing. A loom stood as a mark of her dedication. Here too there was a general acceptance of my “writer” vocation. Plenty of them on this island.

And, indeed, I managed to see quite a bit of art. But in the end, it was a nautical map that truly caught my eye. A piece of art, this map, and it even moved me enough to talk about it. Back home…