Driftin’ Along… (April 2022)

I’ve sung this song, but I’ll sing it again,
Of the people I’ve met and the places I’ve seen.
Of some of the troubles that bothered my mind
And a lot of good people that I’ve left behind, saying
So long, it’s been good to know you,
So long, it’s been good to know you,
So long, it’s been good to know you.
What a long time since I’ve been home,
And I’ve gotta be driftin’ along.
“Dusty Old Dust” | Woody Guthrie | 1935

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I was born on the West Coast and, except for career-related postings elsewhere, have lived my entire life far west of the Mississippi. The LovedOne came out West in the mid-1980s and stayed. Living out here has given us the opportunity to – again and again – climb and hike and backpack and raft in many of the most iconic public lands in the United States – Rocky Mountain, Crater Lake, Rainier, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Zion, to name a few of so many. Our best and longest serving (or suffering) friends live out here. And, although our ethos of tough and stupid has taken us on a few adventures we probably should have avoided, it’s all been good – very, very good. We wouldn’t have missed any of it for the world. 😁

We can blame the Pandemic for many things (and rightfully so), but it did get us thinking about being closer to family – most of whom live in Texas or on the East Coast. Then the West’s increasingly burdensome heat and drought and wildfire smoke came into play. As did the helpless anguish of seeing more and more of our beloved forests and hiking trails reduced to ashes year after year. 😪 Eventually family, fire, and heartbreak gathered to push us over the edge and into the arms of U-Haul.

So, after almost 30 years in Oregon, and a lifetime in the West, we will soon be heading eastward to a new home somewhere in the Upper Midwest (details to follow, eventually). We’re making this move with a mixture of sadness 😥 for what we’re leaving and hopefulness 🤩 about where we’re going. It was a hard, hard decision to make as we’ve really (really!) enjoyed life here in Southwest Oregon.

So our adventures (and this blog) will pause for a bit as we devote our energies to packing boxes, loading containers, and driving a long distance with a shedding cat. There’s hiking (and canoeing) where we’re headed, so we hope to be back with new adventures sooner than later. Until then, please be content with surfing the 1,100+ posts we’ve put up over the years about our various Western and other adventures!

See you downstream…

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