Across the country in 66 days: Rural Oregon

This morning we started off by leaving our home in Seattle. We said our final goodbyes to a few friends (Kristen, Jandy, Jeremy) after an amazing weekend with amazing people. We have truly been blessed with some of the best friends anyone could ask for. Thanks to all of you that are my Seattle family and that made the last four-plus years truly life changing.

Once we got on the road it was about 5-6 hours of driving with breaks to pee, buy snacks, and fill up gas (the usual road trip things).

We got to La Grande, OR around 4pm and let Susan and Jennifer, our hosts for the night. Susan’s family became friends with Alex’s Poppie (Grandpa) when he was out West during the gold rush. They became close and the generations have stayed in touch over the years, visiting each other on both sides of the country.

It’s already been a super unique experience. First of all, the closest neighbor would be a neighborhood away if it was Seattle. After we got settled in, we chatted on their porch while sipping Bud Light and Bud Light Limes. They made us a wonderful dinner with some HUGE steaks (wish I took a picture of them), a side salad, asparagus (made in the microwave and was delicious - I was skeptical at first) and quick rice.

They joked about how big a deal making supper is because we were in town, and that they often eat popcorn for dinner. We would not have been disappointed if they served us popcorn for dinner to be honest.

After dinner we wandered around the property and Jennifer showed us all the different barns, buildings, and farm gadgets they use.

It’s incredible the equipment and strategy that is used when running even a small operation. Jennifer is re-teaching herself to weld so we can make more sheep runs for their sheep. She is extremely innovative and inventive when it comes to making the farm run well.

After the tour we ate some pie and sat around chatting while watching lightening light up the sky through their large living room windows. The property is a ton of fun and the people are even better!

Tomorrow we meet the rest of the extended family, and will get the tour of where Alex’s Poppie mined and lived. Well also get to see the homestead of the family and the ranch that they run.

I feel very much out of my element in this place, but in a good way! They use words we don’t know and have to ask what they mean (farm terms), and just live a very different life. It’s a great way to start the trip.

More to come tomorrow!