The hows and whys and the changes

The planning for this trip home to Oregon started in the middle of this past South Dakota winter. Funny how all my trips get their start in the middle of winter.

It has been nine years sense I have been back to Oregon. When someone asked me where I'm from I say I reside in South Dakota but I am from the Oregon Coast. Then the question is how did you end up here and I say love does stupid things to you. ( but that is a whole another story)

Well the plan was that I was going to drive out and be gone about a month. I was going to take Bess with me. Couldn't really trust her at home by herself. Even with Brian home for a couple of days a week and others coming and checking on her. She would be lonely and would just get herself into trouble.

Bess is three yrs old and has six toes

We were going to take it slow and go to places that I haven't seen in years or just wanted to see. Believe it or not I live in South Dakota and have never been to Mt Rushmore. Was going to a few of years ago when we were going to Sturgis.

Some of the other places we were going to see besides Mt Rushmore were Little Bighorn Battlefield, Glacier, Follow US 12 from Missoula MT to Lewiston ID the way that Lewis and Clark went. Go down the Gorge maybe up to Mt Hood. Up and down the coast. And over to Crater Lake. And anywhere else I wanted to go and on the way back up into Canada.

But when gas prices started to climb I started to pare the trip down. And then then got to be up over $4.00 and there was no way I was going to be able to drive out there. So the planed changed, I was going to fly and rent a car in Oregon. By this time Brian is in and out of the house 5 days during the week but Bess would still be lonely so I went and got her a friend named Bailey.

Bailey is two yrs old and the first short haired cat I have ever had.

Well I checked airlines and Amtrak and it was cheaper for me to fly and rent a car then to take the train out and rent a car. So on July 7, I bought my ticket.

And will leave on Sept 3 pick up the car on Sept 4 and then the fun begins. More on that later.