Pendleton and Beyond

It’s hard for me to gauge how far we will get today. We left considerably later than I would have liked, but it was all due to poor communication. Matt assumed I wanted to sit at the site and work, and I assumed he wanted/needed to do stuff to the RV. Instead of communicating, I blurted out something like, “can we go already!?!?!” HA! Matt’s so cool, though. We realized we never talked about it, packed up, and moved forward.

So, to bring you up to speed in our last few nights:

Night at Pendleton was great. Douglas was the first to go to bed - on the stove. Bamboo chicken indeed. I walked Lucy while Matt and T settled in. We walked to the very end of the parking area. As I turned the corner to come back, I noticed a very large telescope. Wonderful memories of Kathy and star gazing seeped in. The gentlemen was very friendly and said, “Have you ever seen Saturn through a telescope?” He gave me a peek, and pointed out Titan as well. We had a nice chat. That morning we had oatmeal. I took Jack outside on a leash. He was scared, but curious. He had yet to perform a controlled poop or pee. We packed up and hit the road. I totally forgot about Doug’s toilet needs, so she pooped on the floor. Jack scurried to the doorwell while in transport and peed his little pants. Fortunately, I got to Doug’s before it seeped in, and Jack’s was easily cleaned off of the aluminum step. AND I brought vinegar. (Thanks GMA Fran)

Douglas decided to use the stovetop for her bed. Pendleton OR KOA.

Holy Macaroni! We had only gone 5 miles! After the cleanup (parked at a scenic overlook) we got back on the road to Boise. Man those hills are a pain for our little rig! She pushed through though and after a supply (cat litter, coffee) and wi-fi stop in Baker City, we made it to Boise just in time for dinner.

We stayed at my “first friend ever’s” house. She also has a first baby girl, who is 10 months old. It was a joy to visit Hillary, and meet her husband and daughter. We enjoyed re-connecting, reminiscing, and sharing our parenting styles - especially the no schedule schedule. “That’s how we were raised!” Hillary and I are such drastically different people, but we are so much the same too. It’s nice to have friends like these.

Hillary's first birthday. My mom and dad in the foreground, and I in the bassinet on the porch.

This is what most of the play date consisted of... :P Well, there were a few moments of interaction.

After breakfast at a nearby joint, we said our goodbyes and hit the road - this time, to Salt Lake City. It was a (pretty?) drive. Those mountains look neat, but I have such a hard time appreciating dry grass and tan landscapes. After only a couple hours, we stopped in Jerome at a lovely park Mark had recommended. Everyone but Jack got out this time! I even took Doug for a little walk. We ate lunch, made work calls, and got moving again. My turn to drive. I got us to the North end of Salt Lake, where we had to stop and get gas. It was late and we tried to stay at an RV park just down the road. Unfortunately, there was no night check in, and after driving around the park and over about 100 speed bumps talking about what we should do, I declared that we must leave and I will drive for another 100 miles if it means we can leave this dreadful place — or something like that. Matt got back on the freeway, and got us to the Salt Lake KOA. We arrived about 10pm, had burritos for dinner, and got to work. I ended up putting in nearly 6 hours yesterday despite all the driving and whatnot. I did stay up pretty late though.

Jack chillin - while vehicle is moving!

The other fantastic thing that happened last night is that I showed Jack his litter box (again). He was calm enough to see it this time, and after peeing and pooping in it, he came up to Matt and I and thanked us from the bottom of his heart. Well, Jack it’s the least we can do after asking you to take this trip with us. He’s actually quite calm these days, even on the road… he lounges. OH, Doug’s bed of choice seems to be next to the kitchen sink. She’s slept there 2 nights and seems happy. In fact - have I mentioned that she LOVES traveling? She’s so happy to just sit and look out the window at the moving landscape.

Doug in the back. Our location at the time of writing in the foreground.

So, we are headed to Moab, or if we can make it, to Mesa Verde. More updates to come.