Epic Journey Diorama

I have been in Portland for a few days now and finally have my wits about me. I made a little collage of pictures from the trip (Jesse made me promise not to use any of him, but he is there in spirit) showing a few highlights (including state border crossings, nights spent at the beach, redwoods, and arriving at my sister's place at long last). The trip started off rocky-- it took Jesse and I about 24 hours to drive the first 100 miles (delays in Arlington, a faulty taillight, traffic, a tire blowout, .... you know, the usual). At one point, it seemed like perhaps the metroplex would hold us in its clutches forever. We ended up fixing everything and getting back on the road in earnest Sunday afternoon, and pretty much hauled (averaging about 50 miles per hour with the slow-going and frequent gas stops) for the next two days to get to the west coast. Once we were through LA (which is vast), we slowed down to enjoy the drive up the coast on Hwy 1. We camped at a beach in Santa Barbara and leisurely rolled into San Francisco to unite with Idelle, who was already there visiting Char and Jun (her sister and brother-in-law), all of whom are remarkable and warm and fun and interesting. That night, my old friend Sonia and her gold fleck-filled heart bearing husband Andrew came across the bay to join us for dinner. It was a fleeting stop, so I wasn't able to see ALL my favorite people in the bay area, but it was a lovely glimpse of what is in store living on the west coast. Jesse flew home from Oakland in order to make it back to Arlington to teach the next day, which was extremely sad and marked the failure of Operation Kidnap Jesse despite early hopes it would work. Idelle did her best to buoy my spirits and revitalize the mission northward. We drove from Berkeley up to Eureka via the Avenue of the Giants which was spectacular-- I highly recommend it if you ever have the chance-- and popped out onto the California coast again in order to make our way to Oregon avoiding the mountain passes of I-5. It was beautiful-- no cell phone camera could do it justice. We enjoyed the coastal drive (ocean on the left, forest and mountains on the right) for another day and a half before cutting east to get to the valley where my mom lives. We rolled into Cottage Grove in the mid-afternoon and hung out with my mom before heading up to Eugene to convene with my sister, Britt, Mike, Lin, Julie, and Lee (lots of people, lots of backstories for each one) to go see a Prairie Home Companion performed live. It was bliss! Beautiful night, delicious picnic, good company, great entertainment, and fun cackling after the show. Unfortunately, I was so tired by the time we got home, I stupidly forgot to bring my purse inside the trailer and, surprise, surprise, it was gone in the morning when I woke up. This didn't stop us from looking for it-- oh no, double-wide optimism has its stubborn streak. But after many hours of searching, unpacking, re-packing, and hair-pulling out, we finally gave up and accepted my idiocy as fact. Not great timing to lose one's ID, money, and credit cards, but it could have been worse.

clockwise from upper left: me in Arlington saying goodbye to the patio that served me so well, from the road leaving texas and entering the land of enchantment, idelle picnicking on the beach in OR, mileage posting in AZ with 100+ degree temps testing the limits of humanity, parked in fron of my sister's house in eugene, the rig in the middle of the redwood forest (yes, we sang the song), and our official trip logo

We left Eugene Sunday morning after a delectable and fun brunch with my sister (mental note: must exercise more to offset all the deliciousness out here) and headed up to Dallas, OR to pop in on the farm. My old friends Dan and Ariel have a homestead up in Dallas (couldn't be much further from Dallas, TX in concept) and they were making jam when we arrived-- perfect timing! We had a nice, quick visit (the first of many, now that I live only an hour away) and then finished off the trek to Portland. I went to one of the two spots I had heard about for places to park, and it was perfect, so I just stayed there. And now that's where I am. Still recovering a bit from the 2-week jaunt, but happy overall to have landed someplace so peaceful. I still am trying to figure out how to get to and from school in a reasonable amount of time, without a car, and I haven't gone to the grocery store yet, but I have the lay of the land (on campus, and throughout the city) and I am looking forward to exploring. The more I know, the better host I will be! It's practically my duty to learn about enjoying this city. Future SHoF members, I will not let you down. More soon.......