Runnin' down my dream in Moses Lake

The classic lyrics to Tom Petty's "Running Down a Dream" echoed through the Columbia River gorge this weekend, resonating in my heart.

These lyrics have never sounded so true to me as they did when I stood on the amphitheater grass, singing in unison with the rock legend.

For a moment it was as if Tom Petty was singing the song to me, and me alone.

In short, I am running down a dream.

I graduated from Western Washington University last year and was hired in June to take over the responsibilities of the sports desk at the Columbia Basin Herald.

I spent my college career earning a journalism degree, and now I find myself in the midst of a journalism career.

After nearly two months in the Columbia Basin, I am becoming acclimated to the landscape, to the community, but most importantly, to the people.

I was not raised in the Columbia Basin, but I appreciate its atmosphere.

The way people still say, "Hi" to each other on the sidewalk. How people still hold doors open for one another. But most importantly, the intimate way lives intersect.

I remember a gentleman I ran into in line at Wal-Mart a few weeks past. We talked about his grandchildren, how each time he shops at the store he loses his wife for hours, and we talked about how the area has changed since he was my age.

Sadly, I never caught his name, but I will never forget his smile.

The opportunity to move to the Columbia Basin was a fortuitous one. One that I will never regret.

Nothing made this more clear to me than this weekend.

More than six months ago, before this opportunity was even a thought, my friends and I purchased tickets to the Tom Petty concert for Saturday night.

We stayed in Cle Elum Friday night at a friend's cabin to reconnect, reunite and reminisce.

We have all moved on to bigger and better things over the years, but we have never moved on from each other.

While standing in line at the amphitheater entrance, an acquaintance who I had met only the day before expressed her jealousy at the bond my friends and I had created. She was in awe of how we had not seen each other for months, and could pick up right where we had left off with the same stale jokes and the same trite phrases.

As Tom Petty sang his classic lyrics, I couldn't help but think.

I am running down a dream. I am going wherever it leads.

I miss my friends and family, but I am thankful for this opportunity each day.

Maybe it was the lyrics, maybe it was the bond I still share with my friends, but my first trip to the Gorge Amphitheater will, without a doubt, remain my most memorable.

As I drove east from Cle Elum Sunday afternoon I thought about the weekend and how it will remain one of my most cherished memories.

Then my eyes caught the horizon.

A grayish water tower began to appear and I couldn't help but think.

"I'm home."

Derrick Pacheco is the Columbia Basin Herald sports reporter. He knows sports, yet still prefers college football over the NFL.