POST TRAVEL CRASH

I think I hit the wall tonight. The transition from traveling to now being home... I can feel it and I am now tired to the core. 

The rig is still park out in front of the porch & we have yet to pack things up for storage for a few weeks. Must keep out mice/critters, so we will use the large sealed bins for storing blankets, pillows, etc. Country living definitely means we have more of a chance to have things move into the garage and camper if we aren't on top of it. If I weren't allergic to cats, we'd have one.

I spent a good chunk of yesterday visiting my Mom and brother down in town. They moved to the area a few years back and the kids absolutely love seeing each of them. 

And today, Alex and I took a trip out to the land of strip malls and stores to trade in the defective video games he bought in California last week. It was so odd to be out in the city. I am so not into the traffic (and let's be honest, compared to what it was like up in Seattle when we lived there- there is no traffic in Vancouver.) It was a beautiful blue sky day and we cruised with the top down, even though it was a bit chilly. I absolutely love being with my kids, and today we had some Mommy & Alex time.

Alex also discovered that he loves Fakin' Bacon. A few weeks ago, Alex was asking me what Tofu tasted like and we began to talk about tofu and tempeh... and today at New Seasons we found Fakin' Bacon and now he's hooked. Yum yum!

Tomorrow's adventures will include organizing and school. Adventures ahead!


 

TRIP REFLECTION: PART I (OF MANY!)

After spending a month plus in the desert, all this green looks electric to me. I stood in the kitchen this afternoon, admiring Steve's many hours he took to mow the upper part of our land, and had to go outside to take this picture. I had gotten so used to the rolling desert landscapes... browns, yellows, some greens, and many golden hues. To me, this is like being in Ireland with the leprechauns!

Earlier today, after finally getting out of bed, I showered again and thought back to the many moments of our trip. The brown hair color I put on my hair while at Coral Pink Sand Dunes is now faded. I remember deciding on a whim in Kanab, Utah (after our Best Friends Sanctuary visit) that I wanted to dye my hair. After one of our resupply trips to a local grocer, I bought a random box of dye... and when I decided to actually color my hair, it was a bit of an adventure. 

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Back in March, when we first arrived at Coral Pink Sand Dunes, it was early in the day and the people who had camped the night before still occupied our site. After maneuvering back out of the campground since we had no where to park, we found a day use area to wait in. We then had our usual quick lunch. Then I got antsy while we waited for the family to vacate our spot so I opened up the box of hair color and got to work- mixing and applying the dark brown color all over my head. Twenty minutes later passed and it was time to rinse. I went to turn on our water and nothing came out of the faucets. Then I noticed that some of my hair was coming out of my scalp! I began to wonder if I'd made a crazy choice to color my hair on the road & began to semi-panic. As the clock ticked and my time passed the rinse window, Steve figured out what was wrong and remedied the situation. With his help, I knelt down on the floor, leaned my head into the shower area & rinsed the color, while watching many pieces of hair wash down the drain. I prayed that I would still have a good chunk of hair on my head as I scrubbed my head while Steve held the shower nozzle for me. In the end, my hair was colored and I kept 99.9% of my hair. Phew. In the future, I will be coloring at home or with my sweet stylist Jessica.

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This afternoon I walked out to the back deck and saw that two of our potted blueberry bushes have a ton of little flowers on them. Yay! So in love with planting and growing... next year, these will be planted into the gardens out front and new plants will move in to the pots. I am excited to get out and garden again. There is always something fun to plant, grow, and learn outside .♡ Our plant collection is growing each spring. Perhaps the kids and I will have to make a field trip to the nursery soon and add to our collection!

And this little girl has quite the collection of eclectic outfits going on. Today, Sierra came into our room and said, "This is my Spring look today!" All I can say is awesome!!!! ♡

HELLO FROM WASHOUGAL!

There's an incredible blue sky here today. The valley views are peaceful and the trees have their spring buds that are just about to fully pop open. The grass is tall and a vibrant green, and the gardens are springing to life again. Love it!

Last night when we arrived home (sometime after 9 pm I think), we were in a bit of a shock.  As Steve went to unlock the front door, he said to us, "This does not feel like our house."

We stepped in to darkness, flipped on the lights, and stood there for a few seconds. This house feels like a mansion compared to the rig. Insane!

Sierra ran across the great room and the kids instantly began to explore the house, our house. It is like everything was brand new to us. And, my appreciation for where we live is much higher than it was before we left for our trip. 

As we drove back last night, Steve and I talked about our favorite moments and places on our journey. We shared how we've changed a bit and what new perspectives we gained.

One of the biggest things I've learned is that we do not need much to be happy and to live. I think all the stuff clutters my mind. On the road, all we had to think about was taking care of the kids and dogs, and making sure the rig was in running order. When the generator died, we simply had it fixed and continued on our adventure.

At home, we now have 2 cars, a tractor, a home, and property to maintain. It's a blessing and it's also a chain of sorts. Now don't get me wrong... I appreciate our life, but it really could be so much simpler. 

Our bedroom, closet, and bathroom combined are probably three times the size of the camper.

And in our bedroom closet, we have a pile of stuff. I am determined to donate most of it & to go through the house once again and do the same with everything else we are not using. I'm not saying we are going minimalist style, but we sure can live with less & after this trip, I know we can and will be able to. Plus, we have the house rented out to a few families through AirBnB this summer. That is also inspiration to make it guest ready and to pack up and purge what we don't use.

 Titus seems happy to be lounging in his bed. 
All he needs is food, water, love, and a bed. 
Really, that's all we need as well!

Today we will be unpacking the rig and getting things settled at home. I hope to be able to keep my peace and the simple life attitude we adopted on the road. I will check back in later and let you know how that's going.

What's the plan now? As I said, we all feel we could stay on the road longer, but Steve has a project calling him back to this area. So, we will spend the next couple of months in Washington... I will continue to teach the kids until September, we will travel and camp here and there, and will enjoy being back on the property and being outside at home. We have gardens to play in, hikes to do, friends to connect with, and summer is just around the corner ♡

Steve and I also agree on another thing... the journey we just took is not over... it is just the beginning of many more. We are just getting started!  ♡

ON THE ROAD TO HOME

Steve and I agree... we live in a beautiful part of the country. The Pacific Northwest is incredible. And after being gone for the last six weeks, we have a new appreciation for just how special this spot is ♡

As we made our final trek home, we passed through Madras & Warm Springs, drove up and over Mt Hood, down through Hood River, across the Bridge of the Gods (connects Oregon & Washington), and finally on to Highway 14 and back down Washougal River Road to our house. Gorgeous scenery and rockin' tunes!

Heading down into Warm Springs Reservation

Driving up on Mt Hood... still has snow! And some was fresh!

 South side of Mt Hood, along Highway 35

 The drive down 

from Mt Hood Meadows Ski area to Hood River

 Passing through Parkdale area- heading down to Hood River

 Approaching Hood River

At this point we are just about 45 minutes from the house...

 Beginning our drive along the Columbia River Gorge

 Crossing Bridge of the Gods... welcome back to Washington!

 Bonneville Dam

 And here, less than a mile from our home. 

A country road with no streetlights, 

just the moon and soon to be starry night filled sky.

 And of course, my phone died at this point, just as I was about to shoot a picture of Steve driving down our road.

JOURNAL ENTRY

FRIDAY
APRIL 28th, 2017

Yesterday, I spent a couple hours at our campsite going through the rig. Organizing cupboards, sorting dirty and clean clothes, and doing a bit of packing up of things for our arrival back at the house. I almost just wrote the words 'back at home', but really, home is here right now. We have everything we need to live and really, we don't need much. 

The bed is piled with laundry- all ready to be washed!

We are all showered, organized, and the plan is to grab lunch at Alex's favorite restaurant in Sunriver (Sunriver Brewing Company), hit the laundromat in Bend, buy large storage containers to put gear in when we're home, resupply groceries, and begin our official drive back to Washougal. Knowing us, we will probably arrive at home late tonight, or may just park it up on Mt Hood (weather depending).

I really can't believe we have been on the road for just about six weeks. Blows my mind to think that. How can it be?!? And, I honestly feel like I could stay out here. I am not excited to go nor ready to be back home. And this morning, Alex was a bit out of sorts- he complained that his shoes were too small (really, overnight your feet grew that much?) Steve and I talked, and know that we are all going to have a bit of a shock and an adjustment going back.

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 Maybe Willow knows the secret of the missing pillowcase

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Still in Bend, Oregon 
And it's approaching 4 o'clock:
    Lunch done ✓
    Laundry washed and folded ✓
    Storage boxes purchased ✓
    Resupply mission accomplished ✓

Now, we are beginning the three hour drive back to Washougal ♡

LAPINE STATE PARK

Oh my gosh. This is a gorgeous campground... and I think they have repaved the roads and campsites since we last visited when Sierra was a baby. This rocks! And it only seems appropriate that it is snowing outside! Just a month ago, we were camped out in Flagstaff & it was snowing! 

LaPine State Park today

 

Last month in Flagstaff, AZ

Steve wins the award for walking the dogs in the morning.

Having a cup of coffee in bed is really awesome. Today, we will be drinking Folgers since we are out of our instant packs. There is definitely a noted difference, but hey, caffeine is good even if it's in Folger's crystal form. I use my Hydroflask Food Flask as a coffee mug and love it! Orginally, I had bought it for bringing a hot lunch skiing but somehow used it for coffee one day and am now hooked on using it for just that.

I am also loving how Sierra is facing her fear of riding her bike! The day we left Dead Horse Ranch, Steve bought her new knee and elbow pads & riding gloves. With all that extra protection, she is confident again. (Remember how she kept hurting her knees at the beginning of the trip.) After Steve geared her up, she hopped on the bike today and, with his hand on her back, she took off. Then he let go and ta da... Sierra was riding again! Go girl go! 

 She was beaming joy and success ♡

 Now she is riding her Heely shoes and her bike!

Way to go Sierra Grace!

Since there are few campers here, that means less folks driving in the campground, which means that the kids can ride without having to stop and pull over while cars pass. Plus, the other campsite loop is closed, so we have the option of riding bikes there too. I totally recommend camping at LaPine in their off season. There are hiking and biking trails all around us... and today, I feel like we are the only ones here.

And, directly behind our site, there is a short path that leads to the river. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!

 

 Our plan is to spend a couple days here before heading home. We still have a few days left on our Mt Bachelor passes, but instead of skiing- we are going to relax here. Little Miss Bike Rider won't complain! And Alex is loving the mountain biking!

 We love nature... and this massive tree!

 Chipmunk seekers unite!