Sunday, March 29, 2015
And so the journey begins… At about noon on a beautiful Sunday morning I packed up my two bags and walked out to the car. It was a strange feeling knowing that for the past month I had been working like a mad man to clear out enough time to be able to be gone for month! It was surreal and I was both excited to leave but at the same time apprehensive about being gone so long. My wife, Eileen, was excited for me as well, but it was hard to say good-bye. I don’t think it felt real to either of us at that moment.
For the next four hours I drove to Portland, Oregon, stopping to visit friends (Jesse and Jennifer) along the way. I spent the evening with a close friend and his wife (Erik and Anya) and then went to Mike and Bonnie Mauck’s where I spent the night. They’ve been a stop-over for many travelers over the years and are always a blessing by providing good conversation and food, and shuttles to PDX at all hours of the day and night.
That night I talked to Eileen on the phone, made a last check of various online responsibilities, and set an alarm for about 3:30 am.
