Oregon bound!

I have been wanting to see Oregon for years. It's the last of the Lower 48 states that I have not been to. I am leaving in the first week of June, two weeks after school lets out, and will take my time for the next month to explore the Snake River Valley, the Columbia River, and the Oregon Coast. I want to see Mount Hood, Astoria (where the movie "The Goonies" was filmed) and parts of the Pacific Crest Trail through National Forest land.

Back in 2009, I traveled with Sadie along the Lewis and Clark Trail that followed the Missouri River. I made it to Missoula (bypassing North Dakota). It was the road trip I had been wanting to do for most of my adult life, and the premise for this blog. Sadie was not even 18 months old yet, and very thin. She was very vulnerable. But we bonded then, and when we finished our trip and got out of the van in the driveway, Sadie didn't want to leave. That van was her home.

Five years later and by now a diagnosed epileptic, she has slowed down some, but still has that adventurous spirit. She is still in great shape, albeit a tad slower than in her youth, but still a great companion. I want this road trip to be Part II of our Lewis and Clark Expedition.

I don't have a definite plan yet on how to do this road trip. I will travel through Las Vegas, NV and explore the Mount Charleston Recreation Area, then drive north on US93 to Boise, Idaho before I focus on the Snake River Valley. The Columbia River is north of here, and once I meet up with that westward-flowing river, want to travel it until I hit the Pacific Coast. The rest of the trip is still up in the air, although I have an old high school friend I want to hook up with and do some hiking with her.

So much is still undecided, and I still must get her her annual exam as well as the van's brakes and oil replaced.