Moving to Bend, Oregon!

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I just moved to Bend, Oregon and so far I'm loving everything about it! My move started with a nearly 1000 mile drive from San Diego. My Dad and I did it together with help from our adorable little 10' Budget truck. Being in a car with nothing to do but think lends itself to some good introspection, so we had some great talks. It took us two days with a stop at a little hotel run by a family who's technique for verifying the guests had checked out was to go outside and peer in room to room. (At least that is what we think he was doing! Did I mention how glad I was to have my Dad there?)

We drove up I-5 until we crossed into Oregon, at which point we took Hwy 97 all the way to Bend. I had never driven this portion of the highway that wound through high-desert forests, farmland and Klamath Lake. Along the way I spied a turtle crossing (slowly) from one side of the highway to the other amidst oncoming semi trucks. My instincts kicked in and I lived up to my 'Mother-nature' nickname by whipping my car off the road (creating a very dramatic plume of dust.) I jumped from the car and ran back to the turtle who was right in the middle of the right lane at this point. There were semi trucks barreling down in each direction as I raced into the road, grabbed the turtle and ran to the other side of the road. He was about a foot long and was crossing from a pond on one side of the road to the a pond on the other side. My favorite part was that he turned his head back to look at me as I snatched him from imminent death and gave me a look that said - 'hey chick, what are you doing? I'm trying to cross the road here!'

Welcome back to Oregon. 😊

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