I left Denver with a heavy heart, flooded by memories of the past 2.5 years. A marvelous sunrise over the Front Range marked the melancholy farewell.
Filled to the brim and armed with a free trial of satellite radio, Little Red and I split the 1,300-mile trip over two days.
We traveled first through Wyoming via 1-80W, passed briefly through northern Utah, and spent the night at a homey BnB in Boise, ID. The scenery morphed from mountains to desert to plains as we gradually dropped to sea level. This 12-hour leg was brutal, especially on the seat bones.
After a good night's sleep, the remaining six-hour stretch was a relative breeze. My entire body filled with excitement as Red and I crossed the Oregon border. I also delighted in passing the Pacific Time Zone line, and in my first experience at a full-service gas station--Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states that ban self-service gas stations.
The surrounding flora increasingly became more green as we left the high desert of eastern Oregon. I caught my first glimpse of Mt. Hood before weaving through the scenic Columbia River Gorge--a spectacular canyon that cuts through the Cascade Range.
I arrived in Portland around noon on September 1st, where I immediately signed a 12-month lease on a charming apartment in town. Let the adventures begin!
