Day 3 -- Miles and miles of I-5

Today was our longest day, 530 miles. We left Portland at about 9, right on time, and drove to Yuba City, California, to spend two nights with Carl’s favorite Uncle John,, and Aunt Roberta. The drive went fairly smoothly, and, thanks to GPS, we found our way to their home easily.

Even stopping for lunch, (and even with me driving for two hours) we were there by 6:30. The weather was REALLY hot, typical central California, but their home is lovely (and air-conditioned), and we had a nice dinner. John is only 14 years older than Carl, and lived with his (John’s) parents during Carl’s early years, so they are very close. We hadn’t seen them in a few years, but they the time melted away as they told hysterical stories about the 50’s. When Carl was little, his grandmother owned a house in the hills in Elsinore, CA, and all the cousins & siblings pulled all kinds of mischief there. I’ve heard the stories many times, but I never get tired of hearing them. And, there were actually some new stories this time, especially about Carl’s grandparents.

The beauty of travel in 2009 is that we are able to get phone calls while we are driving. Had a nice talk with Janelle, and one with Kara. Keep the calls coming, especially to Carl’s phone, and then we can both talk on the hands free.

• New Out of State (and Country) License Plates seen: Alaska(!), Washington DC, California, British Columbia, Nevada, Texas
• Days till we see Lucy: 10
• Days till we see Toby & Beruria :17
• Days till we see Paige (well, that’s after we get to Vermont) : 33

Day 2 -- Wining and Dining in Portland

Today we went with the Rogges to their country club for a great breakfast, and then it was off to the Willamette Valley wineries for some wine-tasting. I had no idea there were so many places to tastes wine in the SW part of the Portland area. Carl had a great time, and was very impressed. One of the wineries had a great art gallery, with the owner's paintings and photos. The artwork was the high point of the day for me.

We finished the day with a GREAT dinner at the Urban Farmer, a restaurant in the Nines Hotel, in downtown Portland. Portland is a beautiful city, and I have always liked it. The weather was wonderful too -- Low 80s. It was a terrific day.

Tomorrow: California.

• New Out of State Licence Plates seen: Arizona, Wisconsin, Missouri, New York
• Days till we see Lucy: 11
• Days till we see Toby & Beruria: 18
• Days till we see Paige (well, that's after we get to Vermont): 34

Day 1 -- Beginnings

Today was the start of our big adventure. It didn’t start out too well. Our plan was to leave at 10 AM.

When I awoke at 6, to find Carl starting to pack, it occurred to me that we were right on the mark, since I (mistakenly) thought that that was all that had to be done. As I went about cleaning the apartment for the walk-through with the landlord at 8:30, I was so excited that things were going as planned. Then, Murphy’s Law took over. I looked in the closet, and there was a suitcase, stuffed with sweaters that was supposed to be on the moving van. Carl had thought it was my suitcase for the trip, and had put it in the closet so the movers WOULDN’T take it. We were worried enough about having room in the car, and now there was one more thing to take.

The landlord showed up right on time at 8:30, and we passed with flying colors. It was now 9 AM. Carl decided we should go to Glo’s, a diner a couple of blocks away that has wonderful breakfasts (and The Breakfast Blog appears to agree with us). When we finished there, it was already 10:30, but we were still OK. However, we then had to go to the post office to mail yet another (heavy) box that we realized the movers hadn’t taken. That mistake cost $36. Suffice it to say that by the time we packed the car (with the extra suitcase), and were ready to leave it was noon. (OK, two hours late) . As we were backing out of the driveway, Carl remembered that somehow we had not taken any of our cameras out of one closet. The problem was, we had left our keys in the apartment, and locked the door, thinking we were done. We called the landlord, and found out he was in Everett, an hour away. I guess we sounded desperate, because he told us where there was a master key hidden. We were able to retrieve our stuff, and FINALLY were on the road at 12:30. We had to go to my gallery to say goodbye, and then to the Goodwill to drop off some final donations. On the freeway, we heard the dreadful news: “I-5 South in Tacoma is stopped from Port of Tacoma Road to Highway 18, due to a car fire.” Fortunately, Carl knew an alternate route, and we stopped in Tacoma to say goodbye to Roy (Carl’s brother-in-law). By the time we got on the road from Tacoma, it was 3:00!!!

We did arrive in Portland about 6, and had a great visit with Kristin, Carl’s niece and her partner, Suzanne and then it was off to West Linn, where we are staying with the Rogges (Brian’s in-laws). Their home is so lovely, and we had a great dinner, and the day ended happily. So far, in my mind, we are just on a weekend trip to Portland. The finality of this move still hasn’t clicked in.

• Out of State Licence Plates seen: Oregon (in Washington), Washington (in Oregon)
• Days until we see Lucy: 12
• Days until we see Toby & Beruria: 19
• Days until we see Paige (well, that's after we get to Vermont): 35