Peru--Week One

I won't waste your time. So far my impression of Peruvian cities: Filthy, noisy & crowded. I feel like the last two decades of healthy living has been undone in one week of breathing diesel fumes and drinking hot tea out of plastic cups. Yeah, it's relatively cheap and although poor by western standards, the people here are not hungry or homeless. Cell phones are everywhere even if WiFi is hard to come by. And everyone has their hand out, even in the remote mountain towns. .50 centimos to use the toilet and that doesn't include tp. You'd better come prepared with your own! And you can't put it in the toilet anywhere in the country, it must go in the garbage pail. Obviously it isn't about the price just the overall feeling of greed and being targeted everywhere.

They drive like maniacs and for whatever reason feel compelled to constantly beep their horns. It's incessant and about to make me go loony. I'm grateful to have been invited North by a Brit I met in Lima to trek in the Huascaran National Park. We opted for the four day/three night Santa Cruz trek. High up in the Andes, not a man-made sound outside of our small group of eight including the guide and the donkey man. No horns, airplanes or cell service. It was so serene! And since it is low (rainy) season we got a decent price that included a guide, equipment, burros to carry everything and all our meals. Unlike any other experience I've had here thus far, the dinner food was rather decent. Hot vegetable noodle soup every night and dinner usually of rice and potatoes (in some form) vegetables and for the others, meat. If I liked eggs, breakfast would probably have been edible too. Instead I was forced to endure a traditional Peruvian breakfast of crappy bread and jam. And that was my lunch as well although a couple times I got some sort of flavorless, white, squeaky cheese instead. Lunch didn't really matter much anyhow because I suffered terribly from altitude sickness the first two days and barely made it up the mountain the second day. I had to stop about every 10 feet to recover from the feeling of nausea and dizziness. Plus my muscles were extremely fatigued not having slept more than about 10 hours in a week. Never can I remember ever feeling so weak, feeble and helpless. I was ready to quit: Lay down on the mountain and freeze to death over the night. The guide was great though and stuck with me the entire time, even when I had to lay down in a sunny spot and take a nap. He ended up carrying my day pack and water which were fairly heavy. When I finally did make it to the top the views were spectacular! And the sound of the glacier snow cracking excited us in hopes of seeing an avalanche. It would have been quite a site to see the snow fall off the mountain into the beautiful blue-green lake below. But it was not to be.

Chewing coco leaves didn't help and I didn't bring altitude sickness pills because the man at the booking agency said we'd be camping no higher than 4250. Well, I've hiked at 7500 feet before and didn't suffer from altitude sickness plus I was informed that it doesn't start until 8,000'. As we realized later, sitting around the dinner table with the others, he hadn't put a quantifier on it and was obviously meaning meters. Multiply that by 3.3 and we camped at nearly 14,000 feet, about 1500 feet lower than the highest peak we climbed. Ah, it was all starting to make sense now! That would also explain the ice on our tents in the morning. The third day was much better in terms of how I felt, warmer weather and the beauty of the hike. The towering Andes, glacier rivers, water cascading over boulders, lined by trees with bromeliads growing on them and an enormous waterfall gushing down. It was a mesmerizing sight and we couldn't have had a better campsite. We had had perfect weather too, not a drop of rain the entire trip even though we are in the rainy season. The last day was only a couple hours walk and when it ended I was very sad. Despite the fact that I felt less than 100% I still enjoyed the trek immensely and felt I had just seen the best part of the country. I dreaded the return to the noise and current crumbling ruins that comprise the rest of the country. The bus ride back to Huarez was interesting to say the least; both the 1.5 hour bumpy ride down the dirt and rock serpentine mountain portion and second half where we got dumped off in a town and ended up taking the public "bus" another hour back to the city. It was an authentic experience to say the least!

Back in Huarez it is two days before Christmas. The weather is warm and there is little evidence of the holiday here. The stray dogs everywhere (but no cats, why?) make me miss my pooch so very much. Wi-Fi is sketchy at best so I'm hoping to be able to keep my Christmas Skype date with my son. Having arrived in SA without a plan I'm happy to say that I now have one: enter cities only long enough to arrange my next trek. Next stop is Huachchina for sand boarding then Cuzco, Machu Picchu and Arequipa then zig-zag through Chile & Argentina. Unfortunately the buses don't run on Christmas eve and my transfer would be in Lima on the 24th so I may be here for a couple more days. I think it is a better option than being stuck in Lima for even a day.

Merry Christmas!

A Beginning and an End

It seems to have taken a long time but the day has finally arrived. Tuesday, December 9th I left for Peru. Much thanks to Garth for the Delta Buddy Pass that allowed me to fly affordably the 11 hour flight from Portland to Lima via ATL (not to mention all the back and forth until I actually got on that final flight!). A layover in Atlanta, allowing me a nice visit with my cousin Bob. It was good to spend some time with family I hadn't seen in a couple years. I'd like to also publicly extend my thanks to the many kind people that have allowed me to stay with them over the past two months and have gone out of their way to help me in various ways. I feel so honored and blessed to have so many wonderful, authentic and benevolent people in my life!

Six of these folks joined me for a 'last supper' at Bridgeport Brewery in Portland. Good bye was much more difficult for me this time around, not because the friendships are deeper than the ones from the east but because of the actual finality of it. When I left MD the immediate adventure was focused in the USA and it seemed more like a beginning. But now, without a phone and uncertainty of the duration, I've left not only my friends and family back east but new, budding friendships, my baby and my puppy. I don't know if I'll ever see Bear again. He is nearly 13 and I'll be gone a long time. And to be honest, the responsibility level my son has displayed since I moved out has been very disappointing so I also worry about him a great deal. Now it feels like 'the end' and before leaving Portland I spent a few days mourning and feeling maudlin. Not to mention I'm a bit tired and weary from all my recent travels and would be somewhat content to settle down somewhere and "grow moss". I know this due to my anxiety levels being very high. There are a lot of factors at play including South America being waaay out of my comfort zone and for the first time I understand why people say I'm brave. Not feeling it right now...spent the better part of Tuesday springing saltwater from my eyes. It's a foreign feeling as I'm normally super excited for any sort of adventure and even when I spent 16 months in Europe in my 20's, I never experienced anything even remotely like this. I'm hoping peace comes once I get going.

My last weeks in the US included another trip to Napa for five days, soaking in hot springs and cycling 27 miles from St. Helena over quiet streets, past beautiful vineyards and through quaint towns (Yountsville is my favorite) to Napa where I stayed with a friend. Back in Portland, board games, dinners with friends and an evening of dancing and immense fun while listening to my longtime friend Justin Sheehy perform filled my time (thank you for creating a new meaning/memory for the song Wild World!). Clay and I started Thanksgiving with the Turkey Trot. In 52 minutes we jogged about three of the four miles through Washington Park and ending at the zoo. This is significant since Clay isn't a runner and I've slacked off considerably since the Electric Run in early October. I was very proud of him! Despite my frustrations he really is an awesome person. Then we had dinner and played games with 40 friends and strangers. Friday a small group of us went to the lighting of the Christmas tree ceremony in downtown PDX. Just one year earlier Clay and I rode to Ohio with my best friend and spent the weekend with family in what was one of my most enjoyable Thanksgiving holidays in many, many years. Interesting how much difference one year makes...

I'm convinced that the delay in Atlanta was by God's design. After five days, including an overnight in the airport and in the same clothes since I left Oregon (but clean underwear!) I was more than ready to leave. The second to last person to make it on the plane and a two hour departure delay but I finally landed safely in the southern hemisphere. Unfortunately my backpack didn't and I'm long overdue for a shower and some clean clothes. It's been so long in the making it doesn't seem real. Although I shared a cab and the taxi driver tried to rip us off. Now I'm just trying to focus on the exciting parts, like the fact that it is almost summer here, the upcoming hike to Machu Picchu and trying my hand at sand boarding in Huacachina. At the same time I'm kicking myself for dragging my feet and not being able to get my visa for Brazil before I left. This means, if I can't get it in Peru then I will miss Carnival in Rio, which is a major bucket list item--along with the Amazon rain forest in Brazil. Grrr!

Homeless and on the Road

After Hawaii, I loaded the car with two backpacks of clothes and 'stuff', camping gear and food, and headed northwest to Astoria. The plan was to take some time touring the Oregon coast then head east to Crater Lake, over to Bend and wherever else I had never been and was so inspired to go.

Astoria was surprisingly nice and surprisingly expensive. The stopping point of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the town is rich with history. Many of the homes are 100-year old wood structures painted in colors of white, blue, yellow, pink and green. I was feeling fortunate: I managed to arrive in Astoria on one of the 50 sunny days it has a year and was greeted by four sea lions at a pier. Hostel type accommodations were secured and a quiet evening was spent in the room as I planned to make the most of the following day. I woke up to the sun shining and blue skies. It promised to be a beautiful day! I showered, bought an almond croissant and set off for The Column with the intent to walk through the woods to Cathedral Tree. About the time I got there the skies had turned grey. By the time I climbed the 164 winding steps to the top of The Column and stepped out to take some photos of the landscape, the wind had picked up and it started to rain. It was much too muddy to walk the trail to the tree so I left. Since everything I wanted to do was outside I decided to head south.

On the outskirt of Seaside, the next town, I picked up a hitchhiker headed "south". Although he desperately needed a shower (or at least some deodorant) the company was good and he gave me some excellent suggestions on other places to see in Oregon. We stopped along the way to enjoy the beautiful vistas where available and I took him as far as Depoe Bay, another town which I wasn't able to enjoy because of the rain accompanied by a whipping wind. I did sit in my car for a bit, listening to the roar of the waves as they crashed against the rocks and watching the spray shoot up about 40' into the air, sometimes even hitting the road. It was a beautiful and mesmerizing sight.

Perhaps I am made of sugar: with rain forecast for at least the next five days I decided to go to California--it's always sunny there! So I called my friend Dan (the same one from my August backpacking trip) and invited myself to visit him in Eureka. But first I stopped in Bandon, OR, a cute town on the water, known for the nearby cranberry bogs. Unfortunately it was raining in Eureka too but so much more enjoyable when with a dear friend. The next day, however, was sunny and beautiful and for the weekend I joined him as he drove down the incredibly scenic Route 299 to Willow Creek in Bigfoot country along the Weir River where he works. It rained most of the weekend and we were stuck in a tiny trailer with an outside canopy. It was a true test of our friendship--get along or want to kill each other by the end? So we drank wine and played a lot of cribbage, which was reminiscent of our Ventura days. Test passed with flying colors!

A lifetime ago, when I lived in CA, Dan and I were part of a group of friends that lived in the same apartment complex and often hung out together. We all camped, cooked and biked together and at one point he and I even became roommates. Over the 20+ years, though everyone had drifted apart, he and I remained friends. But every time we are together we always talk about Laura, one of the sweetest people in the world who was part of the CA group. She and I were best friends for many years but about 10 years ago we lost touch and, try as I might, I hadn't been able to find her. So during this visit we talked about her again and he remembered enough information about her parents to find them through the internet. We called them three times over the next two days, determined to find out what happened to Laura. Long story short, I got hold of her and since she only lives two hours from Napa, which was my next stop, we coordinated it so I would be there the following weekend.

The drive South down the 101 is quite a spectacular drive. Although it takes you through the Redwood Forest, the Avenue of the Giants parallels it and you can hop on and off to drive on the Avenue through the foot of these amazing old growth redwoods. It is indescribably beautiful! I found myself stopping to take pictures, what seemed like every 500 feet, trying in vain to capture the beauty and enormity of these trees. It's really quite something and if you ever have the opportunity, I'd suggest planning to spend the time to motor along the entire road. But I wanted to get to my destination before nightfall so I hopped back on the 101 and took it to the starting point of Highway 1. The road was extremely twisty through the redwoods for the first 26 miles where the top speed I could safely navigate the turns was either 20 or 30 mph and maximum speed at any point through the 98 miles of forest was 50. It took few hours on that stretch of road, through the dark, red, brown and green trees with lush fern undergrowth before it finally reached the ocean. And what a welcoming sight that was! Blue sky, calm blue water and a turn out to stretch my legs and enjoy the breathtaking view. The next several hours I drove along the high cliffs with the ocean below and was reminded of just how much I miss California. Only three years earlier I was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway with my son on our San Fransisco to San Diego trip so I was very much missing his company on this one. I know he would have enjoyed it...

At Stewarts Point, I took the 46-mile slow, twisty and beautiful Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road all the way to the end then turned onto 126 through the charming Sonoma Valley to Calistoga in Napa Valley. Certainly not the fastest route from the North but by far the most scenic! Never having been to Napa I had no idea what to expect. I immediately fell in love with the place! Definitely an area I could see myself settling in! And since I was alone every time I was in a tasting room, I had the opportunity not only to be educated on wine but to learn the stories of the winery owners. More than one ran along the lines of, fed up with corporate America, moved to the valley and started making wine. I love it! The people there are so laid back and nice. I have to give special mention to Chris (and Eric) of Trinchero (which also owns Sutter Home and 31 other wineries) and Patrick of Cairdean for their kindness and generosity that made my trip so very memorable.

Placerville, formerly Hangtown--so named for all the hangings of thieves and murderers during the gold rush days--is less than two hours from Napa. It is a cute town with many buildings over 100 years old and close to Coloma on the American River, the spot where gold was first discovered in California. It was a joyous reunion with Laura and wonderful to meet her hospitable husband and awesome son. We reconnected like we had never lost touch. The best part was the way her family embraced me as well. They made me feel so welcome and included! As someone once said, "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of the respect and joy in each others life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under one roof." This is so true for me!

Next stop: Tahoe! As recommended by my friend, Matt, I drove the 77 miles around the lake with stops at beautiful Emerald Bay, and Tahoe City for lunch. Then I drove over the Kingsbury Grade into the stunning valley in which he and his wife live. They opened their home to me and it was a wonderful two days. Dinner our first night was unparalleled! Our waiter was the best! As we were the only people in the restaurant, he hung out and talked with us almost the entire time, and was a total riot! Between him and Matt, I was in stitches! Two hours later while watching t.v. I was still laughing, remembering the dialogue. In fact, I'm laughing as I write this! There is more to the story but the blog is long enough and I'm not done yet. You'll have to wait for the book. ;-) Tahoe was great in other ways, too. Renee invited me to yoga the first morning there and I said yes before she even finished her sentence. It had been months and I was curious to try it since my bike accident in Victoria as I'd been babying my arm for five weeks. Although my motions were limited, I was pleased with how much I actually could do. Then I went for a hike, a relatively easy 7 miles at high altitude along the Tahoe Rim Trail. I was pleased to get in the workout but ashamed at how out of shape I've become. I've done a lot of sitting in the past month and it is evident!

Kinda stressing about all I have to do before heading to South America, on the second day I headed north, back to Oregon. It was an incredibly scenic route up 395 to 139. Short days and cold nights make for a very short tourist activities. And since I arrived at Crater Lake National Park in typical Oregon weather-grey, cold and rainy-I found cheap accommodations outside the park and discovered the dynamic Rouge Gorge. The next day was sunny and brisk so I headed to Crater Lake. With only a dozen or so other people in the entire park, my 9 mile hike along the rim to the fire watch tower was almost a spiritual experience. God, Oregon is beautiful! Breathtaking! Stunning! Indescribable! I just can't handle all the rain that makes it so. It's a love-hate relationship. After all, if it weren't for the 44', yes feet of annual snowfall, Crater Lake would not be what it is today. Nor would the Gorge be so green and lush. Since I was alone I limited my visit there to just the one day and left in the afternoon for Bend, OR, arriving just in time for First Friday Art Walk where I was able to get free food and wine in the different galleries and stores through town. It was one of those rare occasions when I actually had good timing! Two nights in Bend, one day hiking around Tumalo Falls then to Smith Rock State Park on my way out. Despite the fact that the Deschutes River runs through there, Smith Rock (as well as Bend) is in the high desert so although trees aren't as abundant, there is usually sunshine, and 50-60 degree days make for excellent hiking. My fourth hike in five days, I was so happy to be back into it!

Not really able to continue paying for motel rooms, I decided to head back. As I drove north along Route 26, the dividing line between the sunny high desert and rainy Oregon was remarkably clear. The Cascade Mountains to the east and north were covered with rain clouds. After 2,290 miles in exactly three weeks I returned to my starting point. What I thought would be a nice trip turned into an amazing time of reunions, new friendships formed and intake of some of the most beautiful scenery in this country. There are definitely places to which I want to return and explore further but I know next time around I want to have company, because the best times I had were the ones shared with others. I think I may be starting to like people ;-)

Aloha Hawai'i

Aloha from the land of fragrant lei's, blue skies, sunshine, volcanoes, warm, blue water and amazing sea life. After 6 hours on a freezing cold plane, I arrived in the open-air airport of Maui where it was 80 degrees in the shade. All the walkways to and from are covered but windowless. I stayed at the Northshore Hostel in Wailuku and spent my first full day exploring by foot and bus. The bus system on Maui is pretty good: $4 will get you around the island all day to most places you want to go. The only problem is, if you miss your bus it is one hour in between. Fortunately for me I had the best bus driver ever. He knew I was lost before I did! According to the bus schedule I was to get off at the first stop and change buses. So, that's what I did. As I stood there, looking at the schedule and the street sign, obviously unsure of myself, the bus driver waited. With some trepidation I went back on the bus and asked and he informed me that I wanted the next stop. Apparently that one was put in after the schedule was made. I was so glad he waited because it was at least 80 degrees at 9:00 in the morning, sun blazing and no shade to be had. At the next stop he even stepped off the bus to help me figure out where I was going and give me better directions. I walked around the town and beaches of Kihai for a few hours, and managed to see only one sea turtle. The next day I was on the first bus to Ma'alaea to catch the 6:15 boat to Molokai Crater to do some diving.

We went down at an area dubbed 'the aquarium', I'm assuming due to the crystal clear visibility to 100' and hundreds of beautiful fish and coral like one would see in a tropical aquarium. All sorts of butterfly fish, angel fish, parrot fish, black garden sea cucumbers, and even an amazing manta ray. It was enormous and incredibly graceful, with at least an 8' span and it just hung out, twice getting very near me. Being a new diver everything about it was so freaking cool!!! I was even fascinated by the bubbles; they looked all silvery, like mercury, and as they rose they got bigger but they weren't round, more spaceship shaped. Like a little kid, I was following them up and playing with them until my dive partner signaled me to come down. :-P On the second dive we were much closer to shore and saw some different sea life such as leaf fish, sea slugs, some different tropical fish, purple velvet sea stars, eels, sponge crab, and a large, majestic, green sea turtle! I was so excited!! Unfortunately he didn't feel the same way and casually swam away.

Four days on Maui was not nearly enough, especially without a car. I was fortunate to meet a lovely German lady who did have a car and invited me to join her and a couple others to the beaches. The first beach was quite secluded and stunning. Although there were a few others on it, it felt like it was just us and the Brazilian cardinals. The second beach was much more touristy but also quite beautiful. It always surprises me when ocean water feels like a bathtub. I did some snorkeling there and saw many of the same tropical fish I'd seen on my dive along with some very cool trumpet fish. Then we went to Lahaina to see the biggest Banyan tree in the USA. It takes up one city block. The cool thing about these trees is that their roots grow down from the tree and when they hit the ground they form new trunks. So one tree has many trunks connected by thick branches. They are now my very favorite tree! During my journaling the same few words keep coming up: amazing, awesome, spectacular. As someone who loves words, this lack of felicity was frustrating but I felt validated when my new German friend also said, unprompted, she has so few words, even in German, to describe the beauty and the feelings it inspires.

I had picked up a coconut at one of the beaches and brought it back to the hostel. That night we were trying to open it by throwing it off the balcony and against the curb, to no avail. It was quite the event actually as about half the guests were outside watching the spectacle and shouting suggestions. After about five minutes of watching us, a woman sitting in a van parked out front of the hostel, stepped out with a machete and said, "Maybe this will help." LOL! I love Hawaii!!!

We also went to the IAO Needle which is really just a very beautiful, lush, green hills and valley area with rivers and overall Hawaiian beauty. It was a short thing to do but we were somewhat limited on time as Irene, the German lady, was leaving that day. It was fine though, I needed to rest a bit; I guess I'm getting old...

Next stop, Hawai'i! I heard so many people rave about Maui that I really had no expectations for The Big Island. Yet within my first hour there I already had a much higher opinion of it than Maui. So much more authentic. I arrived in Hilo on Farmers Market day and bought myself some produce at reasonable prices (for Hawaii) from real Hawaiians. I blindly purchased some things that looked very odd and most were good, like the rambutan and dragon fruit. The ruffly green bean things, not so much. Not bad but not good.

I still didn't have a car as they were all rented out due to the Ironman triathlon that was taking place. I was fortunate enough to meet someone while walking back to the hostel that was also staying there and had a car, although leaving the next day. He offered to take me somewhere so I said I wanted to see the lava flowing at the volcano Kilauea. So just before dusk we set out for the 40 min ride to Volcano National Park. It was cool because all along the road in the park there are active steam vents from the volcano we were driving across. Kilauea must be viewed at night to see the glow, otherwise it just looks like a bunch of smoke. It's not a flowing volcano but more of a spurting one in the crater bed. Nobody is allowed to get any closer than the park visitors center but if you look hard enough you can see the lava explosions. So freaking cool!!! After that we went to a Kava bar within walking distance of the hostel. Kava is a traditional, non-alcoholic, Polynesian beverage, made from the Kava root and tastes like dirt water. It is supposed to numb your tongue and relax your muscles but maintain a clear mind. I got the numb tongue thing but the other part was unaffected. Regardless, the whole ritual involved in drinking this (from a coconut shell no less!), and getting the education about it from the proprietor was really cool and I'm so glad I tried it.

The next day I invited myself to join some other people to Volcano National Park. It is a vast, barren area of miles and miles of black lava beds and they charge $10 per vehicle to see this. That guy is a genius. Reminds me of Tom Sawyer! Seriously though, it is quite spectacular. It looks so surreal, like something from a sci-fi movie. Then, out of nowhere grows this beautiful, flowering bush! And I love the way you can see the layers of swooshes where the lava had cooled during a down-hill flow. We also walked through a lava tube and over the lava than ran across the road. And, before we left we walked the 1.5 miles to the petroglyphs. That was interesting although nobody actually knows what they mean.

No rides on day two so I stayed local and walked 1.5 miles up hill to Rainbow Falls. Very beautiful but the unique part for me was hanging out at the top of the falls. I decided to walk back and get a couple things at the grocery store and spend the afternoon working on my blog. While in the store the skies opened up and torrential rains fell. I went back in, bought a large bottle of wine and when I was done, it had slowed to a light rain. I hurried back to the hostel a few blocks away and got there just in time as the downpour began again complete with thunder! I settled in with my iPod and iPad and a glass of red wine. Before the evening was over I had shared it with several other people and spent an enjoyable evening getting to know some new folks. I was even invited to explore the Waipi'o Valley the next day with an impressive young man. So, on my final day in paradise, we hopped on the bus, rode for about an hour then hitched a ride to the top of the valley. A lovely Dutch couple picked us up that had won their trip to Hawaii from a pizza box!!! I never believed anybody really won those things but they did! Anyhow, the black sand beach and Waipi'o Valley were amazing. I really have no words for the beauty so photos will have to do. My new friend and I had great fun creating rock stacks-which were by chance permanently captured in time by a very famous photographer, picking and eating fruit like coconut, pineapple guava and nene. It was an incredibly special day and I feel honored that he shared with me his favorite place on that side of the island. More confirmation that it is the human connections we make in life that make the journey most memorable.

Not having a car proved problematic on both islands. I did not get to do the Road to Hanna in Maui, or any of the things along it. Nor did I get to the south side of the big island which is where the diving, Luaus and other incredible sights are. So I'm sorry, Daddy, I didn't see any hula girls this time as they can only be found at the luaus. However I am already planning a return trip--with a rental car! As for my next adventure, I'm exploring Oregon: from the North to the South along the coast and over east to Crater Lake, Bend and wherever else my EOS takes me.

Aloha Oe, my friends!

The Practice Start

I was going to wait until it was time to leave to write this post but realized that, with all that's happened so far it would be entirely too long. Clay started Portland Community College and has made some friends and after four and a half months found himself a roommate and kicked me out, per our agreement. So October 1st I officially became homeless (and he finally got his drivers license). :-) Fortunately I still have his place as a "crash pad" but it was nice that some people came forward and offered me a place for a few nights here and there.

Finding an affordable, short-term place to live proved to be very difficult so I decided to start my adventure in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. I felt that I had gotten to know the Portland area pretty well (watching the swifts is one of my favorite Portland pastimes) even introduced things to people that had lived here for years. It was also a necessary step to get me into the right mindset as I'd been getting a bit lazy about things. I'm definitely one of those people that needs deadlines; too much free time makes me unproductive.

In August I started scuba lessons. I decided to get certified now instead of waiting until I was in Australia. After all, who knows what opportunities will present themselves to me between now and then. I want to be prepared for everything! Our open water dive test at Hood Canal on the Puget Sound in Washington was scheduled for the last weekend in September so I thought I'd go up early and check out Victoria, British Columbia in Canada. I drove to Port Angeles and left my car there because the ferry ride was considerably cheaper than leaving from Seattle and cars are completely unnecessary in Victoria. If you've never been, I'd highly suggest you go and plan to spend about a week on Vancouver Island. Victoria is the most charming place I've ever been, through and through. So idyllic, not just on the main strip but even for miles around. The old buildings are well maintained, the town is clean and the people are just great-- friendly, well mannered and genuine. (Food everywhere is excellent too.) In my two days there I met about five locals, all willing to share suggestions to make my experience in their town even better. One of which was to take a bike along the Galloping Goose trail to the Sooke Potholes. (How can one NOT take a ride on the Galloping Goose trail?!!) I was told they were about 30km away (about 18 miles). Although I hadn't really cycled since I moved to Oregon, I figured 40 miles round trip on a flat trail wouldn't be a problem so long as I had a nice rest between. Well, the trail was beautiful, tree lined, partially paved with nice rest stops along the way. About the 31 km mark I still hadn't seen any signs for the potholes and upon encountering a lady out for a stroll with her dog, I stopped and asked her how far they were. Ohhh---I still had a ways to go and the last portion would be uphill considerably. A later consultation with the map would determine I still had another 20km to go. That would be 60 miles r/t! I had gotten a late start and didn't prepare with food and water so I decided to continue on to Matheson lake, where I napped on the rocks in the sun for a bit, then ventured back, getting on the road to check out Witty's Lagoon in Metchosin as suggeseted by the kind lady I met on the trail. It was an easy ride on quiet streets and the lagoon proved nice with a lovely waterfall to boot. But it was after 3:00 and getting dark with threats of rain so I cut the visit short and continued on the road in the opposite direction to meet up with the trail a bit further down. All was good and well until I hit a curb going down hill about 20 mph and took a nasty spill. I think I actually bounced! Thank God BC has helmet laws otherwise I wouldn't have been wearing one (and would have ended up in the hospital without insurance. :-/) I never would before but will always don one from now on! I racked myself pretty good, ended up with some road rash on my hands and elbow and bruises so large and numerous I'm surprised I had any blood left to circulate throughout my body. I sat for a moment and, after getting over the shock, got back on the bike and rode the remaining 15 miles back to the hostel. That was, without a doubt, the most painful shower I'd ever taken! The bright spot is that the iPod I was wearing on my left arm survived unscathed!

All plans to check out the rest of the island the next morning on bicycle were scrapped. I had so little energy and was in so much pain! Although it wasn't bruised, I landed on my left arm pretty hard and was limited in its mobility. Some of the bruises didn't show up for a couple days, like the one on my eye. I'm pretty sure my sternum was bruised too. So I went to Murchies, a quaint little tea shop with the most delectable pastries, and sat there most the day on my iPad, drinking a proper pot of tea and eating the best almond croissant ever! The ferry wasn't scheduled to leave until 3:00. With some help I donned my backpack and walked to the dock to board the ship where I found a seat and took a nap, only waking long enough to finish my croissant and go back to sleep until we reached port. I was first to arrive at the house in which my scuba mates and I were to stay in Lilliwaup, Washington. When the dive instructors arrived they asked how I was doing. Upon telling them what happened the previous day, they immediately set themselves to figuring out how to best accommodate me during the dives (two each day) as I was determined to go forward with it. I wanted to dive at Octopus Hole and I wanted my certification! The water there maintains a constant 50 degree temperature year round so a thick, 7 mm wet suit complete with hood and gloves was a must! I was paired with Dave, the owner of Under Water Works, for the entire weekend. Thankfully so or else I'm not sure I would have passed. He was extremely patient when I was troubled and had to surface during my skills tests and when I needed to rest because I found it very difficult to catch my breath at the surface. There were several other ways he accommodated me and I can't say enough good things about him. And the dives were spectacular! Although I didn't see an octopus, on our descents down to 40 feet I did see some giant, beautiful tubular anemone in both orange and white, three kinds of crabs including purple shore crabs, spiny, spotted yellow sea cucumbers. giant white star fish and regular sized orange star fish, schools of fish, loads of cute young shrimp that just jump about, almost dancing, and the most beautiful white, ruffled sea slug! I don't recall the technical names of most of these but no matter, it was amazing!

Determined not to let a few scrapes and bruises get me down I went for a run Sunday morning. My first 5K was to be the following weekend and I hadn't run since Tuesday. I needed to keep in shape. Out of boredom I cut it short but still managed to run 2.3 miles at 10:34/mile. A personal best for sure! Then after our last dive on Sunday I drove 77 miles and took the Bainbridge Ferry to Seattle. It was a good trip in that I met some young travelers who gave me some great pointers on places to go and how to find places to work in different countries but otherwise it was a waste of money. I woke up Monday morning, after barely sleeping, walked around a bit then went to Pikes Market. Three blocks long, with the most amazing selection of fresh flowers, seafood and crafts it was certainly something to experience. But who knew it would be so crowded during a late September Monday! Unfortunately I didn't take any photos as my arm was hurting and it was too much effort. I got a bite to eat then went back to the hostel and took a nap. I woke up only to go get dinner then back to bed to read and sleep. It was the first opportunity my body had to rest and recuperate. The next morning found me sleeping late, eating breakfast and reading in bed until check out time. Just zero energy. I got home in the afternoon and took a nap and spent the better part of the next two days sleeping.

October 4th I ran my first 5K: the Electric Run at the Portland International Speedway. It was a nighttime run and I got all decked out with glow in the dark stuff and finished-happy to have managed to run the entire time- in 33 minutes. The live band, light show and party afterwards were off the hook! It was super fun; a spectacular first organized run experience! Again, no pictures, I'm sorry.

Now I'm off to spend nine days in Hawaii, Maui and the big island, practicing my new scuba skills in warm water and climbing some volcanos. I promise I will have photos from there in my next post.

My Musings

It's mostly been more of the same since my last post...hiking, working out at the gym and playing kickball and volleyball. So instead of repeating how beautiful and amazing it is out here, I thought I'd share some thoughts and observations I've had along the way. If that sounds boring, you can skip the text and go straight to the pictures. ;-P (BTW, all my photos are in chronological order, corresponding to my posts. Most have headlines so you know what you are looking at or where but I found that in order to see them you have to keep the mouse active on the page or they disappear.)

Well, I am officially an Oregonian! It makes me very happy to say that. What does that mean to me? It means that I live on the West coast! It means that I've gone from enjoying hiking to being addicted to it and I can identify foxglove, bear grass, Indian paintbrush, owl thistle, columbine and lupine. I come from the land of huckleberries, salmon berries and marion berries, all of which grow wild and I've picked and eaten along my hikes. I can hike 10 miles without a problem and, despite all the rivers, streams, waterfalls and ever-present snow, there is very little humidity in the air. It means I live in a place where the men are more fit than the women, people talk more about what to do than what they do and nobody cares what kind of car you drive. They are more interested in where you've been, what you do for fun and sharing information about their favorite places. If they ask what you do for work it is of genuine interest and not because they are sizing you up or trying to see how you can benefit them professionally. And when I go to a store, the people are genuinely nice and friendly. It is an incredibly beautiful state of which the surface I've only begun to scratch. There is soooo much more to do and see and I am looking forward to continuing the exploration.

Clay is officially an adult: registered to vote and ready to start Portland Community College in a few weeks. It also means I can leave him on his own now. Of course I'm not ready for that, and probably won't be come November, but being complacent is just too easy. Besides, I don't want to let down all my steadfast supporters. The encouraging messages I continue to receive from you help to keep me focused. It would be easy to stay here and hang out with my new friends, playing games and enjoying all the beauty and splendor of the Pacific Northwest, but then I'd eventually have to get a real job so that too is a motivator. ;-)

Shortly after his birthday, Clay and I took a nice day trip to the coast which included a short train ride on a 1925 steam engine. We took a tour of the Tillamook factory and ate waaay too much cheese, ice cream and fudge. Then we went for a hike. Yes, out here there is forest just before you get to the ocean. There is beach too but it's so serene and undeveloped. You may find a quaint little town that features local artisans work but what you won't find is a boardwalk or endless tacky tchotchke and t-shirt shops. Apparently, however, saltwater taffy is inescapable. ;-) On our coastal hike we saw the largest Sitka Spruce tree known to exist in Oregon. Then we went in the other direction towards the water. I find it simply amazing having such verdant and dense forest so close to the ocean. The flora is so grand and lush! Because of all the rain, the fallen trees decompose much quicker than any other place I've been. But what amazes me most is how, from a short walk through the woods, one can see the ecosystem process at work. The different stages of this progression are so apparent: how the fungi, moss and insects aid in the decomposition of these giant timbers, breaking them down into what eventually looks like a mulch pile from whence new life-in the form of ferns and saplings- begin to grow out of them. To be able to see this process so clearly is fascinating to me and reminds me how truly delicate is the balance of nature.

In fact, I repeatedly find myself feeling humbled when I escape the city. I just returned from Washington's Olympic National Park where my dear friend Dan and I spent four days backpacking 20 miles through the High Divide and seven lakes. Let me just say, the Olympic mountain range is quite impressive! The mountains are huge, the trees stand over 100 feet tall with beauty that, until now, I'd only seen in photos or documentaries. Driving through the park we passed Crescent Lake--a large, beautiful, nearly undeveloped basin. However there was one house on the lake and, by human proportions, was probably fairly large. But sitting on that vast body of water at the base of towering mountains surrounded by high-reaching trees, it looked like a doll house. It makes one realize how very small we really are. Yet what irreparable devastation we wreak! We are more akin to ants than the demigods some people think they are.

My favorite part of backpacking, silly as it may sound, was collecting water from the nearby streams and falls for cooking and drinking--my version of 'living off the land'. (The freedom of swimming au-natural in the clear blue glacial lakes after a long, hot day of hiking was a close second.) Because it is a process-the trek, the filtering-we conserve the water, careful not to waste it or pollute it. We don't leave the tap running as we brush our teeth or put the water on full blast the entire time while washing dishes. One is more aware and conscientious in and about nature when one has to survive in it. The worst part of that whole experience was the biting flies and mosquitoes!! The incessant buzzing of the black flies as they swarmed in circles around my head for hours while I trudged for miles up the mountain in the beating hot sun with a 35 pound pack on my back was enough to make me go crazy. And the way I cussed at them one might have thought I was. Not to mention I looked like I had hives after they were done with me. But I got through it and firmly believe that if people spent more time hiking, scuba diving and communing with nature, they would have a greater appreciation for this amazing planet of ours and might not be so quick to destroy it for their own conveniences or short term egotistical gratification. Not to mention the health benefits one would gain.

To me though, the best part of living out west is how I've been challenged and pushed beyond what I believed my limits to be. My life in Maryland challenged me to the brink of my emotional limits. The trials I went through I'd only wish on my worst enemy ;-). But here I am being challenged physically. I survived a posted 12-14 mile hike that turned into a 17.5 mile hike that I was not prepared for either physically or via supplies. I dubbed it the blood, sweat and tears hike. But I made it through because the last four miles I was in survival mode. I knew there was an end and I had to get to it. Nobody was going to carry me out. It took me about two days to recover as I was dehydrated, sore and exhausted but I made it!! I've also been working out at the gym with someone who pushes me to do more than I ever would if I were doing it by myself (like benching 100 lbs!). But what is even more miraculous is that he got me to run. The big deal about that is that I am not a runner. I've spent my entire life avoiding activities that involve running more than 60 feet at a time. I was forced to run a mile in Jr. High School in order to pass P.E. And I've walked-run a mile on the tread mill at the gym a few times before in my life, but three of us went out to the Nike campus one morning and, without prior training for me, we ran 2.3 miles!!! To be completely truthful I did walk maybe about a cumulative half mile of it, but I did it! NEVER before in my life had I run more than a mile and now I actually want to run. I want to run a 5K! And because all of these barriers have been broken, I was able to take my first backpacking trip (mentioned above) and not just survive but I rocked it! Watch out Camino De Santiago! Shoot, Watch Out World! ;-)

As a reminder, I know some of you have recently traveled internationally and I'd really like to have your suggestions on the Must Go/Do/See tab. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and I'll be checking in with you in a few months. Thanks again for reading and all your support!

Oregon - She Flies With Her Own Wings

Just over one month ago we arrived in Portland. As mentioned in my last post, it hadn't been the best of experiences. But as promised, I didn't let it deter me. I got involved in meetup groups and started getting active. Went on some incredible hikes to see wild flowers and waterfalls abound. I've seen rat snakes and rattle snakes and a huge spotted owl. Helped decorate a float for the Rose Festival Parade, participated in a traditional Memorial Day/field day potluck picnic, complete with three legged races, wheel barrow races and tug of war just to name a few. My team even won a shiny "gold" medal for the sponge toss relay-first to fill up the cup. :-) (There might be a more technical term for it but that's what it was.) I'm slowly getting back into yoga but it is kicking my butt after a three month hiatus. I also play pick-up games of either kickball or sand volleyball on Thursday nights and there are loads of plans to do other fun activities and amazing hikes. My house finally settled on May 30th and I've been so busy I haven't even had a moment to look for a job. No rush, I'm enjoying not working right now. Too much beauty to explore and fun to be had.

Oregonians are, understandably so, very proud of their state and have been very happy to show me around, including a private, one day, 300-mile tour. Driving first through the Douglas firs and red cedars to lunch at Timberline Lodge (setting for The Shining) near the top of snow capped Mt. Hood. From there we hit some sacred Indian grounds amongst tall grass meadows then followed the White River, which starts as a near trickle at Mt. Hood and develops into lush, fast flowing waterfalls. Got a good pic of some kids jumping off the cliffs into the river where it calms down after the third fall. It was a hot day and I'm sure that cold water felt refreshing. If I'd had a swimsuit, I would have been right there jumping with them. We finished in the high desert, past the salmon packed Deschutes River, near Maupin, Oregon. It was easily 85 degrees at 5:00 in the evening and I enjoyed relaxing in a hammock under a couple shade trees (rare in the desert area). A stark difference from the snow I'd been playing in just a few hours earlier. I've also been lucky enough to be taken on a Harley ride through the countryside to the local wineries, go for a bike ride along the Willamette river into Portland. Discovering the Saturday Market and cute, trendy Portland neighborhoods and delicious restaurants with a friend has been great too. Fortunately I've been able to give back as well; sometimes it takes the 'new kid in town' to help locals experience things in their own back yard. Specifically, me and four locals went as first time spectators to the annual Naked Bike Ride. Thousands of cyclists participated, of all shapes and sizes and varying degrees of nakedness: some tastefully covered in body paint, others just had it out there for the world to see. Sometimes it was a good thing, other times not so much. ;-P Regardless, it is a beautiful event because it is the true embodiment of the Oregon motto and spirit--She flies with her own wings!

Overall, Orgeon is AMAZING! I've smiled and laughed more in the last three weeks than I have in years. It is incredibly beautiful whichever way you turn and the weather has been spectacular almost the entire time we've been here. I'm looking forward to the upcoming hikes, tubing trip down the Clackamas river and our trip to the coast next week. But most of all I'm looking forward to Clay turning 18 on Friday. Sometimes I can't believe how quickly the time has gone and how grown up my baby is, other times I can't believe the long awaited day is finally here. ;-) Either way, I'm grateful to him for directing us to Oregon.

Portland

Sorry to disappoint but since we've been in Portland (two weeks), I'm not impressed. I'm definitely not a city person so perhaps I'm judging too quickly or just too old but either way I have to keep reminding myself that I'm here for my son. The first night here we stayed in SE Portland near the trendy Hawthorne district. We walked around and Clay loved it. His "hipster radar" was off the charts but it wasn't my taste. However we did discover the historic Bagdad Theater from 1927 and saw the original Japanese version of Godzilla from the balcony. It was pretty cool although I was a bit disappointed that there were subtitles instead of the English voice over that I grew up with where the lips keep moving even after the voice has stopped--haha! You know what I'm talking about. :-)

We spent the next several days looking for a place to live. I was surprised by how many people did not return emails or phone calls. Our requirements were cheap (because my son has to be able to afford it, with a roommate, after I leave) and takes large dogs. In all it was four nights in a motel with a king size bed because two beds are more expensive and at $85 a night I was pinching every penny. At least it came with breakfast. We signed a lease at the first place we looked at because it fit our needs, was within walking distance of a Safeway where my son was a shoe in for a job, and a four miles from the community college. So far it seems to be the biggest mistake I could have made. Here is why: 1) the management team are idiots, and I'm not saying that from a property managers perspective. I'm saying it because the dim wit that showed us the apartment gave me the wrong address. Of course I didn't learn this until the next day after is spent literally hours on the phone (mostly on hold) giving my 'new' address to at least a half dozen companies. It was especially problematic with Comcast which I had signed up for an internet only deal. I won't bore you with the details but take my word for it. 2) They refused to block off three parking spaces for the delivery of the pod and showed me the place to have it delivered, in the parking lot, lined with a red curb. Of course on the day of delivery the driver says he cannot put it in a fire lane. And the city of Tigard will not allow it in the street--and all the streets in the complex are city streets! So, there were three spots in the parking lot across the street where it ended up going. Now normally a pod only takes up one space but needs three to place it and pick it up. And since there were all sorts of problems with not knowing which car belongs to who, he wisely placed it in the middle of two spots. We emptied about half the pod and decided to take a break because we were hot and tired and hungry. Well, before it got too dark out my son went to the pod to get out the mattresses. He came back with only a blue piece of construction paper on which "You are an asshole =)" was written in purple marker. It had been attached to a combination lock to our pod through flower shaped holes punched in it. Needless to say I was livid and the maintenance team claimed to not have any bolt cutters to help us. So I had a terrible nights sleep in the lazy boy, waking up with a sore back and crick in my neck that gave me a ferocious headache all day, and my son slept on the cold hard ground for the second night in a row. Eventually he broke down and bought bolt cutters and we spent the next two days emptying the pod. I let it sit there an extra few days while empty just to piss off the b**ch that tampered with our belongings and verbally assaulted us (on paper). 3) the wifi box I picked up from Comcast didn't work 4) on our way down to Safeway to get some dinner another apartment complex had some water running out of a tree bed (apparently it was a natural spring that just popped up) and I didn't notice the mud on the sidewalk and slipped like it was a banana peel onto my backside. My left foot and ankle were all scraped and bleeding, my entire backside was filthy and my pants ripped. The only good part was that the property manager witnessed the whole thing so when I went back after I'd changed it was no surprise to her. However a week later and there still is no resolution. :-/ 5) TWICE I've walked through the screen door to the balcony, the second time I busted the glass on the outside light. Ugh!

Perhaps my expectations were too high or maybe we just haven't been to the right places yet. I was told the people are super friendly, I was led to believe it is cheaper here and beautiful. Well, haven't encountered ANY friendly people so far, the $4.00/gal gas and my $600 grocery bill-and still empty cabinets-tells me it ain't cheap and although the side streets are beautiful and there is a lot of plant life everywhere, when you are on the main roads it's easy to forget that. They are noisy, crowded, dirty-not so much from litter, more so just black from car exhaust, in disrepair, a fright to cycle on and lined with junky looking stores and rundown restaurants. Of course I'm not referring to downtown Portland proper, just most everywhere outside of it that I've been. Portland proper, from what little I've seen of it, is nice. We went to the Japanese Gardens which are the most authentic outside of Japan. Five acres of serenity and breathtaking beauty in the middle of-and hidden from-the hustle and bustle of a major city. We also had a scrumptious meal at a Lebanese restaurant afterwards and enjoyed browsing through a vintage store with all sorts of goods and clothing from the 1920's-1940's.

Sorry if this post is a downer. I guess it can't always be roses. I'm not going to let it get the better of me either. I've signed up for some meetup groups and I'm looking forward to meeting like-minded people and exploring the rest of Oregon as I think the state as a whole is beautiful. So I will end on a positive note and list 5 good things about living here. 5) the lawns are not perfectly manicured with big mulch rings around every tree in front of cookie cutter homes, but controlled wild, incredible plant life and beautiful, unique homes 4) my kitchen is bigger than the one I had in Maryland 3) the green-ness. Evergreens of all types are everywhere along with giant rhododendrons, the fullest Japanese lace maples I've ever seen and numerous other flora and fauna I have never seen before. And everything seems to grow bigger and healthier than I've ever seen in such a natural yet controlled habitat 2) Tillamook. It is a farmer owned dairy co-op in Tillamook, OR that make a wide variety of delicious, reasonably priced, high quality products. They have a vanilla bean yogurt that is out of this world! 1) I'm on the West coast!

On The Road

My apologies for taking so long to post this. It is all trial and error and have learned 1) editing my blog posts from an iPad is a royal pain and 2) I can barely find the time and energy to journal at the end of the day, let alone assemble and condense all the thought, feelings and experiences into a blog. Since my last post we had a going-away party. About 50 people showed up, from as far away as Florida and as distant as 32 years. I was so honored and touched, thrilled and saddened. In all, I had a fantastic time and want to again thank everyone that came to wish us well and see us off and for all the very thoughtful cards, gifts and sentiments. We cherish each and every one of them. And each and every one of YOU!!

Without waiting for the house to sell, we had a Pod delivered on April 21 and tickets to see my folks in Tampa on the 23rd. My son and I spent a day and half emptying the house and storage unit into the Pod. He actually did the bulk of the work on the second day while I ran a half dozen errands. I guess he really wanted to go to Portland! :-) After another trip to Goodwill and leaving the furniture that I hadn't been able to sell on Craigslist, we just managed to get it all in. But it all worked out well: by the time our plane landed in Florida I had an offer on the house. And another offer on the second day. And the buyers want the furniture we left behind! So we returned from FL on the 26th packed up our cars, the dog and left Maryland for good on April 27th.

Our first stop was visiting my aunt and her husband in Dublin, OH. They are wonderful people and I'm so glad we had that time together. We went to the Longaberger Basket company and took a side trip to Cleveland and the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Christmas Story house. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted all my photos from them but was able to download a few from the internet that were exactly like the ones I had taken. Gotta love the internet! From there we went to Hannibal, MO, home of Mark Twain. A nice town preserved in the Mark Twain era. We drove along route 36, aka the Pony Express, through Missouri and Kansas. A beautiful, green, hilly and curvy road that took us through the heartland: Farms and pastures and towns so small they have the population listed on the sign under the town name. So much open space! After feeling so crowded in the Capitols metropolis, it's a stark reminder of how big this country really is. We jet set from place to place not really grasping how truly vast those rectangles are that we see from the sky. It was somewhere through here that the realization hit me: I'm going West and never returning. Denver was our next stop and grateful to have a friend to put us up (and put up with us) for three days. Colorado is truly a spectacular state! It was love at first sight! Garden of the Gods, Red Rocks, Golden, Boulder and Breckenridge just reinforced the feeling.

Salt Lake City followed. No matter your religious beliefs, it is a beautiful and impressive place and the people are so nice. In fact, since Colorado, I've been touched by how much strangers have gone the extra mile to help me. From the guy at the Denver Grease Monkey that looked up the address for the VW dealership so I could go there for an oil change instead, to the front desk clerk at the Courtyard Marriott in SLC that despite the hotel power outage, called four hotels to help me find a room (I had just walked in to check their rates but they were full anyhow.) I think this is normal behavior but I'm so jaded from spending so long in the DC area that such acts of kindness actually make me weepy.

Idaho was a place I was looking forward to, that my son wasn't very interested in, but managed to take us both by surprise. Let me preface this with the fact that up to this point on our trip I had done the coordination with little input from my son. He had a laissez-faire attitude and was quite content letting me do all the work. However I wasn't too pleased with the voyage so far, feeling it was rushed and too much the standard main, big city stops so I put the rest of the trip in his court. He went online and chose a place about 30 miles off the main road. Lava Hot Springs is a beautiful, tiny town in Idaho about three blocks long with a river that winds through it, gardens, hot springs and rail road tracks that run along the mountain. We stayed at a pet friendly, 100 year old Inn that at one point had hosted the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid amongst others. The character of the place was so rich we could feel it and the people we so incredibly friendly! We had a delicious dinner in their restaurant and were entertained by a very friendly singer/guitar player from Oregon. We chatted and he told stories, adding to the intimate experience. It was the type of moment I had been hoping to have on the trip; small town off the beaten path that just takes you by surprise with the excellent food, historical accommodations, super friendly people and overall beauty from the simpleness.

Twin Falls, on the other hand was the complete opposite. It's a large, impersonal city but on the edge of the beautiful, twisting, fast flowing, aptly named Snake River. (I'm not sure how many times we crossed it on the way to Oregon!) We went to the Shoshone Falls and hiked along the canyon rim to the jump site where Evel Knievel made his famous jump across the Snake River. I'm sure it is one of the more narrow places along the river but it's still pretty freaking wide! That man was nuts!!

Next stop: Oregon! And, almost as if on cue, as soon as we crossed the state line it began to rain. I suppose that is why it is so green. It was a similar mountainous drive as the one we had been on through Utah and Idaho but much greener, and yellow from the little flowers, with a rushing river and towering pine trees. Trees were definitely missing in our previous travels. We could have made Portland in one day but instead opted to do it in two with a stopover in the 'old west' town of Pendleton. Another great pick by my son. We went into a cowboy antique store, strolled along the river walk and chanced upon a bucking bronco riding competition. Dinner was very modern with hummus, goat cheese, roasted red peppers and such, while being entertained by a group of mostly old men playing fiddles and banjos. Hamleys, the local saloon, was quite a place too. Authentically old west in decor and filled with locals, many whom had been at the bucking bronco competition.

With the sun shining and my top down we set off for the final leg of the journey through the stunning Cascade Mountains, covered in Pacific Silver and Douglas firs with the Columbia River and Washington State on the right. After 15 days, 3,444.20 miles and a blown budget, we arrived at our final destination on May 11th. Now for the arduous task of finding a place to live!

Change of Plans

I've spent the last couple weeks packing, organizing and trying to sell stuff on Craigslist. (What a pain that is!) I've also had some private 'goodbye meals' with some very special people whom I will very much miss. Trying to move and get jet-setting before the summer kicked in was really starting to stress me out. With no contract on my house as of yet, I was being impatient and rushing everything (imagine that! Haha!) and it wasn't feeling right. Guilt and fear were setting in about just dropping off my son and bolting. It's one thing when they are going to the transition safety net of college, it's another when they have to completely support themselves without any sort of network of family and friends. His father has refused to be supportive in any sort of way, including something as simple as keeping him on his family health insurance. So, although I haven't scrapped my plans, they are delayed and sort of rearranged. We are still leaving for Portland in April but now I'll hang out, exploring the Pacific Northwest until December. I need the peace of mind knowing my son is settled, has a job and can survive on his own. After that, I'm going to head south to Baja California, Mexico and make my way down to Machu Picchu in Peru, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay with the goal of being in Rio for Carnival. :D That is definitely one of my bucket list items! From there, the plan is to make my way to Florida (hopefully via island hopping), and hang with my folks in Tampa until it is time to take the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic cruise to South Hampton, England. Then I will start my travels through Europe and eastward. At least those are MY plans. :)

In the meantime, I was treated to a wonderful weekend getaway in beautiful Levels, WV. We were lucky to get a nice hike in before it rained and snowed for the next 36 hours. And, Yaay, I'm keeping my car for the time being. I get to realize another one of my dreams: to drive that thing across country, top down, music blasting. Stay tuned, I'll try to keep things interesting even though they are going to be domestic for a little while longer than originally anticipated.

A First of Firsts

This is my very first blog post of my very first blog so bear with me, please. It came about after telling one of my contractors of my plans to travel around the world. She got so excited and told me I had to start a blog and promised to follow it. Are you reading this Rebecca? :) I thought about how I love to write and how I love to Facebook and figured this would be a perfect combination of the two. So here I am. I really have no idea what I'm doing. I've never even read a blog before! It's been a long time since I've done any sort of journaling so I'm hoping my writing improves with time. Meanwhile, I would like to thank you in advance for reading.

Towards the end of 2013 I became rather open about my plans. Anybody that knows me at all knows how much I detest Maryland and living in the DC area. It hasn't been all bad. In fact the last few years have been pretty great, but I've been trying to move back to California since about a year after I moved back East and that was over 18 years ago! Although most people weren't surprised to hear I was leaving they were surprised about my plans to travel for an extended/indefinite period of time. And I must say I was rather surprised, and grateful, by how much support I received. Most people cheered me on and were curious about the details. They will be forthcoming...just keep reading my blog posts. ;-)

The first question, understandably, was about my son. Well, Clay is about to turn 18 and is no longer bound by school to keep us here. He is eager to start his own life adventure and wants to move to Oregon. Ideally he'd like to live in California but realistically decided it’s just too expensive. So, the next closest state (that isn't a hot desert) is Oregon. Neither of us has ever been there, nor do we know anybody who lives there, but it has a great reputation and the more he learns about it the more excited he is. We will take some time to drive across country, visiting some relatives along the way, possibly check out a few state/national parks, do some hiking and explore Oregon. His plans include working and going to community college for a year or two until he can get into a four year university. It goes without saying that I will miss him immensely. We have an incredibly close bond and I've never been away from him for more than three weeks at a time. But I'm excited for him; looking forward to watching him grow and become his own person as he develops into an independent young man, and listening as he shares his adventures with me. Regular Skype dates will definitely be part of the plan!

How this came about? Well...a few things came into play. To begin with, as I said, my son is almost 18. We had a bumpy last couple years and as far as I'm concerned, he needs to spread his wings and fly the coop. And as you know by now, staying in MD was never in my plans anyhow. Approaching a crossroad, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I was going to do. I'm still young enough to have a long working life ahead of me but old enough to know that if I want to do something I'd better do it now because most likely I won't have this opportunity again. Property Management is not something I want to do any longer. I feel a great pull to finish my life by making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. So I toyed with career change ideas. I could go back to school and become an occupational therapist (that's still an option). Or I could become a real estate appraiser--not a benevolent profession but it would be one in which I don't have to answer to others and I could do it on my schedule while cruising around California on a Vespa. :D Both are fine careers and would pay the bills but I wasn't feeling it. I also thought of joining some volunteer organization that gets sent to help out in disaster struck areas. But I don't have any real skills required (nursing, construction, technology, etc.) to contribute, tho I'm still keeping this in the back of my mind for when I'm done traveling.

Another factor was when a colleague died last May after a year long struggle with brain cancer. She was only about 10 years older than me. It really rattled me but didn't bring any clarity. Then I watched The Way by Emelio Estevez starring his father, Martin Sheen. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It was what swayed me and made my decision clear.

Like most people, I love to travel. But I don't like being a tourist. I like to meet the locals and really immerse myself in the culture and experience things that locals enjoy. It's impossible to do that when one visits ten countries in ten days (which is about all the vacation time we get each year). For those of you who don't know, I quit college half way through my junior year to backpack around Europe. My initial six month trip turned into sixteen months. Three months in, I ran out of money and got a job as an Au Pair near Vienna, Austria. From there I lived in London, working as a waitress for three months. A part of me still regrets moving back to the States. I got to see quite a bit of Europe though I missed quite a bit too. I had some amazing experiences, met some really great people and made lifelong friends. I'm looking forward to doing that again but on a grander, more mature scale. No longer is my goal to drink beer and eat chocolate in every country. Now I'm checking off bucket list items. I've done most everything that I can 'do' on my bucket list (skydiving, skeet shooting, spelunking, bungee jumping, whitewater rafting, etc.). What remains mostly are 'places'. Some of the things on my list are chilling in Portugal for a few weeks, drinking wine and watching the sunset after walking the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago; Exploring the great pyramids of Egypt (political climate allowing); Watching the bull run in Pamplona; Ascending China's Mount Hua Shan; Marveling at the painted mountains and The Great Wall of China; Praying at the Wailing Wall; Wrestling crocodiles in Australia (ok, I'm just kidding on that one) and volunteering whatever services I can offer in Africa. The list goes on but you get the idea. The bottom line is that if I don't do it now, I may never be able to do it. Wait until I retire? My colleague never got to that moment. And if I am still alive, will I have the energy, strength and resources to backpack around the world when I'm 65? The way I see it, it’s now or never. Apparently this is called a 'gap year' (or two) and is no longer just for college kids but is becoming quite common for people in my situation.

Even though I’m running for the door, please don’t think I leave lightly. It is the first time I've ever lived anyplace for so long (15 years). I'm selling my first house: the place where I watched my son grow up. Attached to it is the deck my father built with his blood, sweat, and tears, literally! So many meals and gatherings have been enjoyed here with friends and family; there is immense sentimentality attached. I’ve had some amazing experiences, met some really great people and made lifelong friends. I don’t take those relationships lightly and cherish every one. I’ve also developed a true fondness for many of the people I’ve worked with over the years. I enjoyed seeing so many of you at the Holiday parties in December despite the bittersweet knowledge that it would probably be the last time I ever see you. However I do hold the hope that if you are going to be traveling to wherever I am at that moment, you send me a note and we can meet up for a drink or some local cuisine. And if you have any recommendations on must go places, things to do or see, they are welcome and much appreciated. I have set up a link on the blog for you to post them to.

So it is with great excitement that I begin a new chapter in my life: one of carrying my belongings on my back, sleeping on lumpy twin mattress at hostels, struggling through language barriers and meeting a lot of new people. But first a scenic trip across country to safely deliver my son to his West Coast destination. I look forward to you joining me on this adventure, for in this virtual world we are never really very far apart.