Our trip began in West Des Moines, Iowa. All my things had been long since packed in the phantom U-Haul (the tape marks on the dining room floor to make sure everything would fit) and we were all mentally preparing ourselves for eight hours in the car with the noisiest and most panicky cat on the planet. We stopped first in Council Bluffs to pick up Hayley, the final member of the crew. After a brief stop to check out her new job, we were westward bound!
I planned many fun and quirky stops along the way. However, upon entering the vast wasteland that is Wyoming, it was clear that none of that was going to happen. To be fair, I think Wyoming could have been pretty if we could have seen more of it, but upon entering we were enveloped in fog, rain, and eventually snow. Only tears of joy were shed when we crossed the state line.
In Utah we enjoyed some activities including seeing the Salt Lake Temple (beautiful, but I always pictured it as much bigger) and sampling the delicious In 'n' Out Burger. With an anxious Emmitt in the car, however, that was about all we could do and we were off to the next state.
Save the few windy roads and occasional forests, northern Utah, Idaho, and western Oregon became a blur of hazy mountain horizons and scrubby landscapes. Once we hit the Columbia River, however, it began to feel like the Oregon I was looking forward to living in. We stopped off at the Stonehenge Memorial for the men of Klickitat County, WA killed in WWI. This full replica of the original Stonehenge offers spectacular views of the Columbia River and surrounding valley. Even Emmitt got out to see the sights! Our next stop just outside of Portland was Multnomah Falls - the gorge's largest waterfall (for a description, you should check out fellow travel blogger and best friend at http://www.yellowmondays.com/home/oregon-youre-so-gorgeous-cascade-locks-or). While the falls were beautiful, stopping was a mistake. I have spent significant time in the pick pocket capitals of the world and never had a problem, but you spend ten minutes at a state park in Oregon and someone smashes in your car window and steals your purse! Sadly, it happens all the time at the falls, and I wasn't even the first person that day. Luckily there wasn't much cash in there and the bag has since been found by park rangers (Grandpa Randy, if you're reading this I need a ride to Rooster Rock state park please - I'll buy you lunch!). Poor Emmitt, who was in the middle of suffering the four worst days of his life, was in the car at the time and fortunately was present and unharmed.
The robbery did push our plans back a day as the money orders I needed to pay my rent deposit were in the bag. I am fortunate to have my grandparents only an hour away and we were able to spend a little extra time with them instead!
It took many unexpected twists and turns, but I am happy to be writing this from my dining room and to have my parents and sister only a few hours from home. I miss them a lot, but I'm glad to have ended the last year and a half of our roommateship goofing around in my new city. They gave me good roots and all the support I needed to get through the ups and downs of postgrad life, and those same things will get me through the next three years as well!
Until next time!
Emmitt hiding in Laramie, WY
Checking out the Stonehenge Memorial in Maryhill, WA
The view of the Columbia River from the Stonehenge Memorial
Saying goodbye to his good friend, Hayley
