Getaway House
What is a Getaway house? This is the first question I get when I tell people where I spent my last few days. I tell them it’s a small cabin strategically placed in the woods somewhere with a giant window next to the bed and no wifi, it’s a place to unplug. I’m often then greeted with a look of confusion. I believe the confused looks are due to my simplistic attempt at conveying exactly the true purpose of the Getaway house. What I end up doing is pulling out my phone to share some pictures. Then most people say “oh yeah, I’ve seen that on IG”. This Getaway house has forced me to take a break, a break I rightly needed.
This is called the Getaway house Portland, Oregon, but it sits almost 2 hours away from downtown Portland and in the state of Washington. The address isn’t given until a day or two prior to your scheduled stay, via text message with minimal information. Then a few hours before check in you receive a new text with the name of your cabin and the key code for entry. There’s no human interaction required and with keyless entry it made things feel social distancing approved.
Each cabin has a unique name and is easily identifiable from the road. Upon arriving I feel the excitement building and I eagerly bounce from the car to the cabin door, punch in the code and I’m instantly pleased. The interior of the cabin seems well put together and lacks clutter which adds to my excitement. I feel most at ease with minimal ornamentation in a living space and the giant window is just how it has looked in all the pictures I’ve seen.
On the small table for two sits a S’mores kit and a personalized handwritten note welcoming me. These small touches add to my overall joy. I find myself hurrying to unload my belongings, put away my food then organize all my downtime gear. Mainly books, too many books for a two day stay, but I don’t want to be left without anything to do………. Next I’m opening and closing every drawer and cabinet in the place, lifting the toilet seat, checking out the shower, placing my own battery operated lights on the kitchen shelving, basically I’m bouncing around this small little cabin……….. After I’ve done and seen all I can inside I head out to explore the fire pit area. I quickly find the fire wood supply, I sit in one of the Adirondack chairs next to the fire ring followed by trying to sit still at the picnic table. This outside exploration takes all of three minutes before I head back inside.
Now that I’m back indoors I immediately start the stove top, gathering all the makings for a spiked hot cocoa. Waiting for the water to boil seems to take forever. Finally, I can assemble my hot cocktail, take a picture of this drink I’ve been planning for, and then it hits me……….. I can’t seem to UNPLUG!! I can’t seem to calm down. I’ve only been here a total of 45 minutes! It hasn’t even been a hour since I punched the code into the door!!!!………….OMG what have I done to myself? I have run out of things to occupy my time already. Am I really supposed to place my phone into the cell phone lockbox? Should I check my phone to see if I have truly lost service? Question after question runs through my mind. What should I read first, books I brought from home or books that are here already here in the cabin? On and on and on goes my mind. I don’t know how to be idle. I don’t know how to just be……… relax I say to myself………. go with it I say………… have another drink………. make this one stronger. This mind fuckery I do goes on for approximately three hours before I just lean into what I paid for.
I let go.
I unplug.
I relax.
The next few days are rather a blur, by that I mean there’s not a lot to share. I read some. I learned a new card game. I had some wine. I took many naps. I built a fire. Honestly, I just simply unplugged.
When I feel life has it’s grip on me and a tinge of anxiety starts to creep in, I’m heading back to a Getaway house. There are many locations across the United States, I may just have to try them all.
