Trail’s End
The cross-country trek is over and the traveling party has arrived in the Columbia River Gorge. 2008 miles in Rider with Princess, Little Buddy and Lenny. Windy driving my car and Phil behind the wheel of the rented U-Haul. Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and finally Oregon. Thinking as we drove about the Oregon Trail pioneers who bumped along the route in covered wagons. An arduous trip no matter how you travel!
Kansas is not as flat as you might think, but more boring. One mile of rural farm scenery repeated 400 times. Colorado has mountains that we couldn’t see due to smog, fog, mist, clouds, rain. Back to monotonous rural scenery, ranch and rangeland this time, across Wyoming. All the way viewing stark evidence of poverty in the outland. Utah is Utah. Western Idaho and Eastern Oregon are high desert and have a certain charm at dawn and sunset, but otherwise offer little to look at.
When we arrived at the Columbia River and started the descent down the Gorge into the greenness of Western Oregon, it was a magic moment. The river on one side, forests and waterfalls on the other. We counted down the exits until Exit 16 Wood Village.
The end of the trail and of another long, strange trip. Unpacking is yet to be done. The next two months will be devoted to getting acquainted with the neighborhood and checking out all the urban enticements that are waiting.
My friend in Osceola bestowed a Travelers’ Blessing the night before we left and it kept us safe from all the untoward events that could have happened like bad weather or the ever-feared mechanical breakdown of one of the vehicles.
The Hideaway is just that. Tucked in beneath pine trees, it is a cozy and very welcoming place. Walls painted in shades of gold and sunshine, beautiful thick carpet on the floor, repairs all completed, thanks to my wonderful children. Now the process of settling in begins. Reassembling things that were dismantled for transport, unpacking all the items wrapped in newspaper, finding the “right” spot for every possession. This will take a bit of time. But the two months of deadlines are now past and we can all relax and take as long as it takes.
We made it to the Trail’s End.
Kansas is not as flat as you might think, but more boring. One mile of rural farm scenery repeated 400 times. Colorado has mountains that we couldn’t see due to smog, fog, mist, clouds, rain. Back to monotonous rural scenery, ranch and rangeland this time, across Wyoming. All the way viewing stark evidence of poverty in the outland. Utah is Utah. Western Idaho and Eastern Oregon are high desert and have a certain charm at dawn and sunset, but otherwise offer little to look at.
When we arrived at the Columbia River and started the descent down the Gorge into the greenness of Western Oregon, it was a magic moment. The river on one side, forests and waterfalls on the other. We counted down the exits until Exit 16 Wood Village.
The end of the trail and of another long, strange trip. Unpacking is yet to be done. The next two months will be devoted to getting acquainted with the neighborhood and checking out all the urban enticements that are waiting.
My friend in Osceola bestowed a Travelers’ Blessing the night before we left and it kept us safe from all the untoward events that could have happened like bad weather or the ever-feared mechanical breakdown of one of the vehicles.
The Hideaway is just that. Tucked in beneath pine trees, it is a cozy and very welcoming place. Walls painted in shades of gold and sunshine, beautiful thick carpet on the floor, repairs all completed, thanks to my wonderful children. Now the process of settling in begins. Reassembling things that were dismantled for transport, unpacking all the items wrapped in newspaper, finding the “right” spot for every possession. This will take a bit of time. But the two months of deadlines are now past and we can all relax and take as long as it takes.
We made it to the Trail’s End.
posted by Free Spirit at 8:24 AM
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