The Drive: Day Four

Our check in time in Portland was at 5 p.m. so we were able to get some extra sleep yesterday. At first, the drive through Oregon wasn't quite what we had pictured. There were a lot of rolling hills but they were all brown. Eventually, everything became lush and green though. It was beautiful! 

Cedric loves Oregon too!

We drove along the Columbia river most of the way. It was what I think a river should look like. It was wide enough that we spotted several barges. One bridge was lifted vertically, instead of separating in the middle with each side lifting. The drive was anything but peaceful though. The road had many curves and required concentration to make sure I stayed in the lanes. I wanted to pull over every 5 minutes to take pictures but we were all restless and ready to end the drive.

Driving along the Columbia River.

Normally Ellie keeps to herself.
Apparently, four days in a car makes her desperate for love.

The hills were beautiful but the curves were not fun.

Portland is great, so far. We haven't explored much yet. We took the dogs on a walk last night and twice today around the neighborhood. Every yard is filled with flowers, bushes, and trees. It's hard to see street signs because of all the foliage. It's amazing! On our walk tonight, I kept pointing out flowers and trees that I loved. I eventually stopped because I realized that I was pointing out almost everything we passed.

They love the day bed too.

Our temporary place is cute. I like it but Brandt isn't as happy; he'd like something more modern but he hasn't complained. There isn't AC, which is common in Oregon. We've had the windows open the whole time and at night it gets quite cold. They added a day bed that wasn't in the pictures on Airbnb. It's in the living room and serves as a huge couch. Brandt has been lounging on it, watching Netflix and searching for things to do and see in Portland. Our hostess is nice and gave us helpful information, like Portland has a leash law and poop must always be scooped. That's not an issue for us but good to know. Portland encourages composting, which I love, and trash is only picked up every two weeks. Recycling is a big thing here too (yay!).

The dogs slept in with me too.

I slept in today and then started the job hunt again. My priority is to find a job I'll love. Then we can find a permanent home and begin making plans for our lives here. We want to get bikes and I want to explore the state parks too. There is a Rose Festival that's happening all month and we're planning on going to the festivities on Saturday. We'll also visit the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry because their membership reciprocates with my membership at Exploration Place. We're also going to a farmers market soon. They have one every day instead of just on Saturdays! I'm really loving Portland and Oregon so far. Not having a job is a dark cloud hanging over my head right now. I'm ready to find a great place to work and excited for our adventure to begin!

We Made It!

We are at our temporary place in Portland! Brandt, all three dogs, and I are exhausted from four days of driving. I will write about today's drive and our apartment on the morrow. (I've been listening to Game of Thrones while driving and it's seeping into my brain.)

For now, here's a picture of Cedric loving the green that is everywhere here!

The Drive: Day Three

We're almost there! The dogs woke me up at 6 a.m. and I took them out, along with Brandt's camera. Irises are my favorite flower and most have already bloomed and died by this time of year. I found two sets along the walking path outside of our motel and tried some artsy shots. Then all three dogs took turns smelling the second set, which I was able to get pictures of. Cedric didn't see the point in it and didn't sniff long. I wish I could have gotten a better one of him.

Ellie checked out the flowers first.

Then Sparrow wanted to see what was going on.

Then Cedric gave them a quick sniff.

Sparrow hanging out while I snap photos of the flowers.

I was really impressed with the walking path.
I didn't expect to find anything like this at a Best Western.

View of the mountain in Salt Lake City.

I don't have much to report on today. It was fairly cloudy but no rain. Today was a short drive but it felt like the longest. Idaho's license plates say it's "Scenic Idaho" but I can attest that southern Idaho is not very scenic. I was very restless while driving and so was Cedric. I got a few shots as he migrated around my car.

Driving out of Utah.

Cedric cuddling with Ellie.

Cedric is tired of all this driving and Sparrow is hiding under my arm.

Puppy kisses!

The Drive: Day Two

Today was filled with rain. We left Denver while it was sprinkling and it continued through most of our drive. One part, in Wyoming, was quite frightening to drive through. It was raining so hard that I was driving 40 mph when the speed limit was 75.

The rain came and went, which still allowed us to take pictures of the scenery today. The drive was definitely more scenic. I know people not from Kansas think it's flat but that's not true at all. While the land around the roads in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah was filled with hills, buttes, and mountains, the roads were mostly flat. I expected them to be insanely steep and have many dips and valleys. I'm much too used to driving through the Kansas hills and constantly climbing and descending hills. It's like driving on a rolling ocean (hmmm... possibly because Kansas was on the bottom of an ancient ocean!), whereas the roads up here cut through most of the climbs.

Cedric cried through most of the drive yesterday and wasn't thrilled today either. At our first stop, I offered to take him in my car since both girls were fairly calm. Cedric climbed in the back and spent the entire drive stretched out on a pillow I'd shoved between the driver's seat and the kennel. He enjoyed watching the scenery out the window and peeked over my shoulder often. He even barked at several cars when we were driving through the hills in Wyoming/Utah.

The most hilarious part of the drive was an electronic sign spanning the road in Utah. I really wish I'd had my phone ready so I could have capture it. It read something along the lines of,"No one has died on this road in 3 days." Brandt said he laughed for several miles.

Please enjoy some our pictures from today.

Cedric enjoyed the windows in Denver.

Not a happy boy.

Cedric wanted to cuddle after a chilly walk in the rain.

The impending doom.

Driving right into it!

My driving buddy!

Wind farm in Wyoming.

Sparrow and me in front of some scenery.

Brandt forgot to put on his sunglasses on our pit stop.

Letting the dogs stretch their legs on a
"scenic stop" (extra lane with a barrier)

Cedric is the King of Salt Lake City.

The Drive: Day One

We made it to Denver!

Open roads ahead!
Goodbye Kansas, we'll miss you!!

This morning started very early (5 a.m. for me). We made it to Uhaul before they opened and loaded the van full of stuff into our last pod. It was so muggy out that I was surprised I didn't see little clouds forming around us. OK, not really that bad but it was quite unpleasant at 7 a.m.

We made it back to the house and packed up the coolers and did our walk-through fairly quickly. Then we hit the road! Today's drive was just Kansas and part of Colorado. The scenery was as expected and Brandt was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get to the mountains. We finally saw hints of them just outside of Denver.

Ellie was like this the whole ride.

Brandt said Cedric cried most of the time and just wanted to cuddle. He eventually cuddled with one of his squeakers. Ellie slept most of the way and made sure she was always positioned in front of a vent. Sparrow got a thunder pill before we left and stayed somewhat calm. She still panted the whole drive but didn't cry or hyperventilate.

Things we saw today:

• Wind farms (I'd never seen one!)
• A guy having his trunk searched by state troopers
• A dirt devil. At least that's what we think they're called: a tall swirling tornado of dust
• A town called Kanorado (Kansas + Colorado)



Cedric isn't enjoying this trip very much.
He tucked himself in like this.

• When we stopped for gas a large mountain/herding dog on the roof of a truck and she would not get down

We're both pretty tired and I'm glad that we decided to extend the drive to four days. Now it's off to bed to rest for tomorrow's drive!

Moving Day

We are finally back at the motel for the night. Today started out well enough. We woke up just before 8 am and moved the bed and couch to the garage. The carpet cleaning guy was able to come early so we checked into the motel and had naps!

Brandt hired movers to deal with the pods and pack them. They were supposed to come at 4 but called and said they could be there around 2 or 3. When we hadn't heard anything by 3:30 we went back to the house and waited. Brandt called them at 4:10 and they said their last job ran late and they'd be fine in 45 minutes. Well, they never showed up and didn't return our calls!

The dogs were ready for bed!

Brandt was able to rent us a truck and van to pull two pods. We got there 15 minutes before they closed, so it could have been much worse. A friend and my sister came to the rescue and helped us load all of our things. We need a third pod, so we loaded up the van with everything else and will transfer it to a pod in the morning.

Uhaul opens at 7 am, so it's at early morning for us! Our walkthrough the house is at 9 and then we're hitting the road. I'm off to bed now because it's been a long and exhausting day. I'm not going to bother rereading this and proofing. I hope it's all coherent!

The Big Move

Moving day is almost here! My last day at work is Tuesday, we're officially vacating our duplex on Wednesday, and we're hitting the road early Thursday.

Ellie hiding in the backseat.

The drive: Brandt and I will each be driving our own cars and have decided to make 8-hour drives each day.  in his car. We'll need to make frequent stops fr potty breaklotlots and to stretch so we thought 8-hours would be more than enough driving each day (and night driving didn't sound appealing). We'll be on the road for four days and arrive at our temporary place in Portland on Sunday, June 1.

Preparing for the drive: Brandt is cooking food for the road so we don't have to buy any along the way. We've had our cars inspected and made necessary fixes to make them road trip ready (new tires, new timing belt, new air filters, etc). We've got our first aid kit ready, jumper cables on hand, more flashlights than we need, and even a set of walkie talkies so we can communicate. If it's not obvious by now, we're both planners!

The boy is clean and ready to go!

What about all of our stuff?: We are storing all of our furniture and most of our things in two Pods while we're searching for a permanent residence. It's great because they'll show up and load it then store it until we're ready to have it shipped. We don't have to worry about a huge truck and towing a car either. Brandt has done all of the math and it's actually going to be cheaper than renting a truck and paying for gas. Plus we don't have to figure out what to do with our stuff while we're subleasing.

The girls in their makeshift thunder shirts.

Getting the dogs ready: All three dogs have had their rabies and bordetella boosters, have their flea and tick prevention on, have up-to-date heart worm prevention, and got baths this week. Sparrow is terrified of car rides so we also got anti-anxiety pills for her. The vet was concerned about having her drugged for four days so she suggested we try Benadryl. I'm hesitant to take that route because I heard dogs have a not so pleasant bowel reaction the first time and I'm not too keen on dealing with that while on the road. I also have makeshift thunder shirts for the girls and may use one of those. (FYI: I refused to spend $50+ each on a shirt for the girls to wear when it storms. So I bought them those stretchy baby swimsuit shirts and they work wonderfully. I got them on sale last fall and paid about $5!)