Two small-town kids out to see the world, one stop at a time.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Our Oregon Trail

So this is it….the last blog post for a very, very long time…maybe ever.  We will make attempt to make this short and sweet and fill you in on how we have spent the last month making our way to Oregon: 

  • flew into Portland, via Seoul, Korea
  • spent a few days crashing with Gayle and Bryan and catching up
  • eating our first American meal at FIVE GUYS BURGERS, followed by pizza the next day and fried chicken the day after
  • found a place to live in Corvallis, Oregon
  • took a 3-day Greyhound bus ride from Portland, OR to Knoxville, TN
  • spent time in TN visiting Bridget’s family and friends
  • drove Solara to Nebraska                                                
  • had to make pit stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa to get new compressor for Solara
  • spent time in Nebraska visiting Craig’s family and friends
  • packed up Uhaul trailer and began our “Oregon Trail” with Craig’s parents, Dave and Sue
  • passed the Continental Divide in a snow storm
  • slid into other lane and off icy road shortly after crossing the Divide
  • had to make pit stop in Wyoming to replace flat tire
  • arrived in Corvallis….spent next couple days unpacking and making trips to IKEA, Target, etc.
  • rearranged kitchen at least three times
  • scoured Craiglist and thrift stores for deals on furniture and home décor
  • counted our blessings


We want to take a minute to thank all our family and friends who have stored our stuff, sent care packages, loaned us their car, given us a place to crash, played tour guide, followed the blog, and throughout everything, provided unconditional love and support.   There is no way we could have taken this rare opportunity to experience the world without this kind of support system. 

In retrospect, we have seen beautiful landscapes, met interesting people from all over the world, made lasting friendships, experienced different points of view, tasted foods we can’t even pronounce, encountered unique wildlife, had lots of ups, and had lots of downs. We have learned so much about the various ways of the world, but even more so, we have learned so much about ourselves…what we can handle, what we can do without, and what things are truly important to us, most of these being relationships.   All in all, it was good to come home, even though there wasn’t a physical location to call home yet. 

Since moving to Oregon, we have found jobs, started a mini-garden on our balcony, sampled the local cuisine, visited the coast, and attempted to learn the city roads of Corvallis.  Last weekend we traveled to Key West, Florida, for a dear friend’s wedding.  It was so good to see all my girlfriends from college and Fort Lauderdale, and we had a blast together.  The weather was beautiful, and the ceremony couldn’t have been more perfect.   When we arrived back in Oregon, however, Craig and I had a strange new feeling we agreed we hadn’t felt in a very long time.   We were finally…..home!

2 comments:

Standing_Baba said...

Bridget and Craig,

I just got a strange feeling too that I havent felt in awhile...that I wont be able to follow your adventures anymore now that this site has come to an end.

Its been interesting reading about your travels. This final goodbye was a thank-you to your readers but Im sure everyone following you is just as grateful for the shared adventures and travel-inspiring photos.

Even though I have never met you Bridget I feel as though I have via this blog and am glad Craig had such a great travel partner in three continents. You can be sure Ill visit you both when I return to the States, and probably before finding that home of my own.

From Brazil, a hug.
Trevor

Steph said...

Ms. Wolff,
you came to florida with out telling me? :( come visit again!