Home at Last (For a Little While)

After finishing the drive across Idaho, I crossed into Oregon and spent my final night on the road in Ontario. The scenery wasn't nearly as spectacular as the overlook where I'd slept the night before, but after so many days of driving, a quiet night in a rest stop parking lot was exactly what I needed.

The next morning I set off for what I thought would be a picture-perfect drive into Oregon. Instead, eastern Oregon completely caught me off guard. In my mind, Oregon was supposed to be endless forests, lush greenery, cool mist, and overcast skies. Instead, I found myself driving through dry, rocky hills covered in shades of brown and gold. It was beautiful in its own way, but definitely not the Oregon I'd imagined.

Then I reached the Columbia River Gorge.

The first glimpse of the water honestly stopped me in my tracks. At first I thought I was looking at a lake. There was no way *that* could be a river. It was absolutely enormous. Even more surprising was how quickly the water was moving. Despite being incredibly wide, the current was fast, choppy, and full of energy.

The wind was on another level.

I pulled over to snap a photo and genuinely wondered if my phone was going to blow right out of my hand. The entire gorge felt like one giant wind tunnel. Later I learned that's exactly what it is—air pressure differences between the Pacific Ocean and the inland desert funnel through the gorge, creating some incredible winds. It was one of those places where the weather almost becomes part of the landscape.

As I continued west, I watched the scenery gradually transform. The rocky desert slowly gave way to thicker forests, richer shades of green, and the Pacific Northwest I'd been picturing all along. It was really neat to watch Oregon change so dramatically over just a couple of hours.

By the time I reached the Portland area, I arrived just in time to meet the homeowner before she left on her three-month adventure. She had just returned from six months in Alaska and a marathon in Central Oregon, so things were a bit of a whirlwind! We went over the house, the routine, and—most importantly—the dogs.

Her best friend and co-owner of the duplex, Rebecca, took me to one of the nearby parks to show me the best walking routes and introduce me to the dogs' training collars. I have to say, these are probably the best-trained dogs I've ever met. Watching how responsive and well-behaved they are has completely changed my perspective on dog ownership. If I ever decide to get a dog of my own, investing in professional training is going to be non-negotiable. Seeing what a difference it makes has been incredibly impressive.

The following morning I dropped the homeowner off at the airport and officially took over the house. Since the dogs only need their longer adventures a few times a week, I kept things pretty relaxed and turned my attention toward the less exciting part of moving: Oregon paperwork. Driver's license, insurance, vehicle registration, Medicaid, and a seemingly endless list of administrative tasks. Rather than overwhelm myself, I'm trying to tackle a little bit each day.

Yesterday I returned to the park with one of the dogs for a long walk, letting him splash around in the river before looping through the trails. Unfortunately, I also learned that one section of the park has become a gathering place for a fairly large homeless encampment, with a noticeable drug problem. It sounds like the authorities generally leave that area alone as long as people stay within that section and don't cause problems elsewhere. I simply kept an eye on my map to make sure I stayed on the right trails and avoided wandering where I didn't need to be.

Today was easily the highlight of my week.

Jesse, Rebecca's husband, invited me to join him on one of his favorite mountain trails. He's an avid runner and all around athlete who has been recovering from a foot injury after martial arts training, so he wanted to ease back into hiking before returning to trail running. "Easy" turned out to be a very relative term! Luckily only the first 3 miles were uphill and the way back I got to enjoy the same 3 mi but downhill.

The trail wound through dense forest with countless little creek crossings, surrounded by moss, towering trees, and endless shades of green. Everything was covered in a cool blanket of fog and mist. It was honestly some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever experienced.

Ironically, I forgot my phone at home.

Normally I'd be disappointed to miss the photos, but in hindsight it was probably for the best. I was already working hard just to keep up with Jesse's pace, and stopping every few minutes to take pictures probably wouldn't have made me the best hiking partner. Instead, I simply soaked it all in.

Literally.

The mountain sat around 50°F , and while I was grateful I'd brought a sweater, everything else ended up soaked. Every branch, fern, and shrub I brushed against was dripping with moisture. By the end of the hike my pants were completely wet and my shoes and socks were completely soaked through, even though it hadn't actually rained. Jesse explained that this part of the forest stays damp for much of the year, with the fog providing a constant source of moisture. It gave the whole place an almost magical atmosphere.

Now I'm back at the house, warming up with some food and diving back into the never-ending list of life admin. It may not sound particularly exciting, but after weeks of constant travel, it feels surprisingly good to finally stay in one place for a while.

I'm looking forward to getting all the paperwork behind me so I can spend more time exploring Portland and discovering everything my new temporary home has to offer.Read more