From California to Washington and back to Oregon...

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Okay so haven’t written for a while. Sorry about that, life got away from me. Mostly however, I was just lazy. The last time you read this, I was talking about a woman and five children. This seems like ages ago. Well we chilled out in San Diego for a while in a Ralph’s parking lot (grocery store). No one bothered us for three days. On the fourth morning, a security guard knocked on our door and kindly mentioned that Ralph’s was complaining that we had been parked overnight for too long. We were leaving anyway so it didn’t really matter much.

We had posted another rideshare add and were planning on being a bit more picky. Some road kids responded saying that they needed to go to San Francisco. They did not have money yet, but one of the kids was going to San Francisco to get his inheritance apparently. I did not quite trust that and even if it was true I wanted gas money upfront. We decided not to take them. However, since we did end up in San Diego for three days at the end of it we decided that we would take them as far as we wanted to go. We were planning on going to San Luis Obispo. They had two dogs, so while they didn’t seem too crazy it was still going to be a hassle again. Why oh why do I agree to these things?

Nah, they were actually pretty nice and their dogs were cool. Although, our dog became very territorial over his space and toys and started marking the RV. Hurray! So, that morning we picked them up quite early and decided to get a free breakfast at a Best Western. Jay and I quite often take advantage of complementary breakfasts. Since, Jay and I look clean we also look like we belong and so we don’t get talked to. We just walk on in. Well, unfortunately for the road kids they were quite filthy looking and got talked to immediately. I guess the ladies running the breakfast did not notice that they were with us because we did not get talked to. AHAHAHA. It was actually pretty funny. So, we drove all day and ended up underestimating how much gas we actually had. We were expecting some good truck stops or rest stops along the way to SLO, but ended up in the middle of nowhere. Luckily a local gave us a ride so we could fill up our five gallon gas jug. He even gave us a ride back to our RV. What a nice guy! So, we used this to make it to the very next station that was ten miles down the road. Once, there the road kids taught us the art of gas jugging, which is basically walking up to people filling up with a gas jug and asking them for some gas. Many people are willing to put a couple squirts in and some even give the entire five gallons. Jay broke his jugging cherry and enjoys the process. I on the other hand find it too aggressive for myself. Therefore, I have decided to post ads to clean people’s houses for some gas money, etc. I am hoping this will work out for me. So, we stayed there for a while until we got a decent amount to continue on to SLO.

That night we found another Ralph’s and parked for the night. Instead of moving on we decided to stay for a couple days and so the kids moved on without us. They were kinda cool, but it was nice to have our personal space back. I guess I enjoy having that personal space and I don’t really want to become a traveling hippie wagon. Plus they were practically flaking off onto all of our furniture. Seriously, it’s not that difficult to stay clean. Plus one can get away with sneaking into a lot more places when one looks clean. Also, Jay and I ended up with a pretty bad cold and cough. I am still coughing. Although, I can’t prove that it’s the kids that gave us that cold, the timing was quite coincidental. I do hope that the guy got his inheritance and that he and his friend enjoyed the monies wisely.

From SLO we went straight through San Francisco. We made a stop at Santa Rosa and camped for the night. Nothing to report on that. The next day we drove straight to Redding California where we enjoyed some In-N-Out and a couple days of warmth before the inevitable cold. From Redding we drove straight to Corvallis, Oregon. Here we stayed for a night and visited our friends Ernie and Craig. It was nice to hang out and we got a shower as well. If you are worried about our hygiene, don’t be. We regularly sneak into gyms or sign up for free passes that most gyms have if you take a tour and say that you are considering a membership. The next day we went from Corvallis to Portland (or rather Forest Grove) to visit our friend Pi and his girlfriend Crista. This was nice as well. We were treated to dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant that was excellent. It was co-owned and one of the owners was the person who took our order, cooked the food, and served us. Seriously great food! The hummus was great and there was this spicy jalapeno pesto that was amazing. The next morning we also got treated to a very nice “breakfast” at a Mexican Restaurant.

Finally, all day we drove until we reached Spokane, Washington and arrived at my brother Josh’s house. It was a long day and we were rather grumpy by the end of it. We were greeted by pizza and good conversation. It wasn’t long before we retired to bed in a warm spare room. Christmas was nice, although an entire week was maybe too long. I love my family and I missed them. It was great to see everyone. However, when visiting others I often realize just why I love my husband. It really brings to light the fact that we choose to be around certain people long term and why.

It was also a good opportunity for our dog to get some training for having manners in someone else’s house, haha. Puppies…

It was also great to catch up with my sister-in-law! We usually have great conversations and girl time.

This was the first time that I brought my husband home and I have to say that my family members were on their best behavior.

We went up to my parent’s house for a visit. They have some property in North East Washington. Our puppy LOVED playing with their dog and running around outside in the snow. He tired out their dog fairly quickly who soon ended up hiding from him, hahaha. I love our dog, but he is kind of a jerk sometimes. Christmas day was wonderful, with a nice brunch, the enjoyment of family and everyone in a cheerful mood. That evening we left to visit my friend Angie!

We arrived somewhat late and enjoyed the leftovers of what they had for dinner. Angie and I had a chance to visit which was great, because I rarely get to see her. We stayed for a bit of the day as well, enjoyed a late breakfast and left in the early evening.

Then it was off to Portland again where we enjoyed a couple days with Jay’s friends, Jason and Mandi. I must say they make beautiful children. They got us into OMSI for free, which was awesome because it was my first time there. We went with one of my best friends, Courtney and her boyfriend Patrick. Nothing really overly interesting for after xmas. It was great to see Courtney!!!!! I rarely get to see her as well. We are now slowly making our way south to the warmth. We drifted to Corvallis and spend some time there waiting for a package. Visited Ernie and Craig again. Now, we are in Medford Oregon. We will probably be here for a while.

Our dog now happily loads up into his crate when we leave the RV and at night to sleep. He kind of likes it I think. It is like his little personal space. He still chews on everything and cannot be left alone in the RV though. That is partly why we crate him. This is after following advice from trainers, etc. I think he is just a chewer and won’t settle down until he is older.

This is the good life my friends; slaves to no one and going where and when we please. Until next time!!!!

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Comments

[SARA JAY AND THE DOG]

oops on the maps
i made three maps but for some reason it only published one. for the other two go directly to the maps section.