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| How much MORE can I fit? |
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!"
-Dr Seuss
The thrill of the adventure reverberated through my thoughts as my little car, packed to the ceiling, rolled down the freeway... I felt like the Little Piggy in the Geico commercial who kept squealing "Wee! Wee!" (If only I had the the little windmills to hold out the window in my excitement!)
Emotions of the final goodbyes were being washed away as excitement rose up for what the next 1,600 miles would hold... We were REALLY doing this! Now I am sure there is some kind of lesson for me to learn in this Grand Adventure - the letting go of the things that had been forms of security to me in the past; expanding my beliefs and faith; or maybe something even more profound. But, in those moments as we cruised down I-5, I found myself so eager for the "wild blue yonder" and the mystery that this journey held that I was just giddy with the excitement of it all. (Don't worry, I am sure the lessons will reveal themselves in due time....)
Our destination for the first night was Toledo, WA where Peter's Mom lives. Toledo is about an hour south of Olympia so it worked out perfectly, especially because of our late start. Pauline and Larry Wolfe are two of the most kind and generous people I have ever met. Immediately wrapped in a warm embrace of welcome, we entered their home and found ourselves lost in a most enchanting night.
We enjoyed a glass of wine and visited together. Our conversation flowed with laughter, hopes and dreams and eventually it led us to sit down at the dining room table for an amazing dinner of ribs, rice, cauliflower and salad. The minutes flew by, yet the moments lingered. It was such a wonderful evening...
We were up, packed and ready to leave at the crack of dawn... No, not really! We enjoyed a cup of coffee, checked the weather, and continued to relax in the warmth of the Wolfe home. When we saw the first snow flakes begin falling around 9:30am, it confirmed our decision to drive down the Oregon coast instead of following I-5 through Portland and Grant's Pass (which had been hit hard with the snow storm that was rolling in).
So we packed up the car, said our last goodbyes and were sent off Wolfe style - with the "standing on the porch both hands in the air synchronized farewell wave" by Pauline and Larry. (If you have never been waved off in this manner, then may I suggest that you experience it at one point in your life! It's the best farewell wave ever given!) With both of us grinning from ear to ear, we looked into each other's eyes and said, "Here we go!"
That point-of-no-return was just passed.... and I wasn't looking back! Actually, I was looking forward to finding that next Starbucks... seriously. There is nothing like a Vente (4 shots included) soy Americano Misto with Vanilla and Peppermint syrups. That is my coffee drink of choice. Yum! And, thankfully we did find one about 45 minutes down the road.
I believe it is important to always be thankful and gracious. You never know when there will be an opportunity for you to encourage someone who needs it. But if you are so lost in your own "business" then you may miss it... Well, the young lady that was training messed up my drink and kindly remade it for me again. Our warm smiles hopefully helped build her confidence and she continued throughout the rest of her day. Well, I didn't only receive my re-made drink, but they gave me a free gift certificate for another coffee drink! How nice was that?! So, with coffee in hand, we hit the open road...
Our morning route took us along the Washington State side of the Columbia river, where we caught a few pictures of this amazing vessel, the Pacific Tracker. Built in 1964 as a commercial cargo ship, she was sold to the US Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency for use as a X-Band Transportable Radar Ship. Now she is used for service monitoring and conducting missile exercises. We actually had to look up what she was all about, because the big golf ball on the back really had piqued our curiosity!
We continued along our highway until we arrived at The Dismal Nitch. We sat scratching our heads pondering, "What? Really?" However, upon further research, I found out that it was named after a cove on the north bank of the Columbia River that Captain William Clark called in his journals “that dismal little nitch.” So, actually, all of our little "jokes" about Dismal Nitches really aren't very funny anymore now that we finally know "what" dismal nitch is referring to.... But c'mon! Some were really quite witty and humorous.
Did I mention that we really didn't have a plan? We were just driving until we stopped... and what a crazy fun way to travel that is! It is quite possible, when traveling in this manner, to get distracted. And that is exactly what happened... quite a few times... but what a Journey to remember!
-Cheryl
Emotions of the final goodbyes were being washed away as excitement rose up for what the next 1,600 miles would hold... We were REALLY doing this! Now I am sure there is some kind of lesson for me to learn in this Grand Adventure - the letting go of the things that had been forms of security to me in the past; expanding my beliefs and faith; or maybe something even more profound. But, in those moments as we cruised down I-5, I found myself so eager for the "wild blue yonder" and the mystery that this journey held that I was just giddy with the excitement of it all. (Don't worry, I am sure the lessons will reveal themselves in due time....)
Our destination for the first night was Toledo, WA where Peter's Mom lives. Toledo is about an hour south of Olympia so it worked out perfectly, especially because of our late start. Pauline and Larry Wolfe are two of the most kind and generous people I have ever met. Immediately wrapped in a warm embrace of welcome, we entered their home and found ourselves lost in a most enchanting night.
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| Peter, Pauline and Larry |
We were up, packed and ready to leave at the crack of dawn... No, not really! We enjoyed a cup of coffee, checked the weather, and continued to relax in the warmth of the Wolfe home. When we saw the first snow flakes begin falling around 9:30am, it confirmed our decision to drive down the Oregon coast instead of following I-5 through Portland and Grant's Pass (which had been hit hard with the snow storm that was rolling in).
"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose"
So we packed up the car, said our last goodbyes and were sent off Wolfe style - with the "standing on the porch both hands in the air synchronized farewell wave" by Pauline and Larry. (If you have never been waved off in this manner, then may I suggest that you experience it at one point in your life! It's the best farewell wave ever given!) With both of us grinning from ear to ear, we looked into each other's eyes and said, "Here we go!"
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| Starbucks Smiles! |
I believe it is important to always be thankful and gracious. You never know when there will be an opportunity for you to encourage someone who needs it. But if you are so lost in your own "business" then you may miss it... Well, the young lady that was training messed up my drink and kindly remade it for me again. Our warm smiles hopefully helped build her confidence and she continued throughout the rest of her day. Well, I didn't only receive my re-made drink, but they gave me a free gift certificate for another coffee drink! How nice was that?! So, with coffee in hand, we hit the open road...
"Oh, the places you'll go!
There is fun to be done!"
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| M/V Pacific Tracker (XTR-1) |
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| The Dismal Nitch: Just a stop on the side of the road... |
Did I mention that we really didn't have a plan? We were just driving until we stopped... and what a crazy fun way to travel that is! It is quite possible, when traveling in this manner, to get distracted. And that is exactly what happened... quite a few times... but what a Journey to remember!
-Cheryl
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