ON THE ROAD -- Finally

Finally! Everything is packed, loaded, swept, vacuumed, dusted, double checked, triple checked, and locked up tight. The POD has most of our inside furniture, the U-haul has most of our outdoor furniture, the truck bed has miscellaneous furniture (including my beloved oak card-catalog that’s destined to be my new wine rack), and my car is full of crap. We are seriously questioning our sanity. First, for deciding to move – and second for deciding to move all this worthless junk!

But we’re happy to be on the road and taking the next step of our journey to adventure. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we made it as far as Ontario Oregon. Not too bad, considering we didn’t get on the road until 11:30. I had forgotten how really beautiful the Columbia River Gorge is – especially this time of year. The apple trees are in bloom, there were mountain goats on the hills, lots of green in the valleys, little to no wind making the Columbia River as smooth as glass, just an overall spectacular sight.

We stopped at a gas station restaurant in La Grande. Sounds risky, huh? I was hungry for a bowl of clam chowder, and they didn’t disappoint. As we started up Cabbage Hill, there were patches of snow along the side of the road. Then I started noticing – what – snowballs? Giant hail stones? No, silly… they were ONIONS! I had a good chuckle to myself when I figured that one out.
We’re spending the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Ontario. It’s OK, but not as nice as the Gladstone Oxford Suites we stayed in last night, or the HIE in Seattle back in January. But the WiFi is free, and breakfast is included, so as long as the bed is comfy, I’m good.

Sorry I don’t have any pictures to post, but since I’m driving solo, I thought it better to keep my eyes on the road and my hands on the wheel. I can hardly wait to see the sights tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted.