Forst Pride, Last Stretch

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain on the roof of my van. It hadn't been the most restful night's sleep thanks to the wind, thunder, and lightning, but I didn't really mind. After nearly two weeks without my little home, I was just happy to be waking up in my own bed again.

I only had about an hour's drive into Idaho Falls, where I'd made plans to meet up with a friend who was participating in the local Pride parade. Since I only wanted to drive about six hours today, I realized I actually had time to stop—and I'm really glad I did.

It was my first Pride parade.

What struck me most wasn't the floats or the music or even the rainbow flags. It was the people.

Everywhere I looked, there were smiles. Families, kids, older couples, teenagers, allies, and members of the LGBTQ+ community all gathered together simply to celebrate one another. There was such a genuine feeling of acceptance and kindness in the air that it was impossible not to smile back.

For a few hours, everyone just seemed... happy.

It was a really beautiful thing to experience, and I'm grateful I happened to be passing through at just the right time.

Eventually, though, the road was calling again.

Driving across Idaho wasn't necessarily the most exciting stretch of the trip. There were long, wide-open spaces, plenty of cattle, and miles upon miles of open country. But there was one place that immediately caught my attention: Craters of the Moon National Monument. Even from the highway, it looked incredible. Massive fields of jagged black rock stretched out across the landscape, looking so alien that it genuinely could have been the surface of the moon.

The geology nerd in me desperately wanted to pull over and explore. As I later learned, it's actually an ancient lava field created by volcanic eruptions—not something from outer space at all—but it certainly looked the part. Unfortunately, after spending so much time at the parade, I knew I needed to keep making progress if I wanted tomorrow's drive to Oregon to be relaxed instead of rushed. So I'll just have to add it to the ever-growing list of places to come back and explore someday.

Every mile felt a little lighter than the last. After everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks—the deer, the repairs, the waiting, the uncertainty—it finally felt like life was getting back on track.

By this evening, I'd crossed into Oregon.

Tomorrow I have about five and a half hours left before I arrive at my pet sit, where I'll be spending the next three months with a brand-new four-legged roommate.

I can't even begin to describe how excited I am.

After weeks of living one day at a time and never quite knowing what tomorrow was going to bring, having somewhere to land for a while feels pretty incredible.

Here's to new adventures, new friends, and finally staying in one place long enough to unpack my backpack.Read more