This Is the Last Post

May 2nd-8th

We spent the week in Portland hanging out with Megan and friends. The week kind of blended together, so here are some highlights.

Megan took us to a classic arcade bar called Ground Kontrol, in downtown Portland. It was really cool. We all played classic video games from our youth, while enjoying an adult beverage.

On the 3rd, Tim and Melinda departed, and Charlie left on the 4th.

For Megan’s birthday dinner, we ate at McMenamins Pub, and her fiends Noah, Melissa and Peggy joined us.

We walked around the shopping district of Portland with Megan. She took us to an amazing burger restaurant, and we did some whiskey tasting.

We toured several apartment complexes. Megan and Faith have decided on Hunter’s Run in Beaverton.

Megan’s boyfriend, Noah, is a nice young man, with a good sense of humor.

Except for two days, it rained everyday we were in Portland. California could use some of it. The Columbia River swelled significantly.

Portland Traffic is just as bad as the Bay Area.

May 9th

Megan and Bridget packed all of their stuff into Megan’s car and headed back to Sebastopol this morning. Kathleen, Mia and I, loaded up and drove to Champoeg State Park, south of Portland, where we met up with Tim and Melinda again. We hiked around the park, which is along the Willamette River.

May 10th

Tim and Melinda moved on and drove North to the Columbia River Gorge, and we planned to head Southwest toward the ocean. On our way, we stopped at a rest stop on Interstate 5, just south of Salem. As we were leaving the rest area, we noticed smoke pouring out of our trailer. Kathleen pulled over onto the side of I-5, and that’s when I discovered that the suspension on the trailer had snapped. The tires on the driver’s side were rubbing on the undercarriage. We could not tow it any further. Kathleen called Geico, while I frantically called every mobile RV servicer within 50 miles. Only 5 answered, and none of them could help us. Geico set up a tow truck for us, but we had to find a place to tow it to. After calling many service centers, we finally found one that would take us, Camping World in Eugene. Our tow truck showed up 4 hours later, because they had to get a special “low boy” trailer, to put the 5th wheel onto. The tow truck driver jacked up the trailer and stuck 4x4s under the springs, so the tires wouldn’t rub, then Kathleen backed our trailer onto the flat bed. That took some skill. We met the tow truck at Camping World in Eugene, where Kathleen again pulled the trailer off of the flat bed. The service manager, Gonzalo, is amazing. He told us that this kind of failure happens all of the time, and he knew all of the insurance adjusters, and that it would all be paid for by Geico. He also told us that the damage is more extensive than we thought. Once the suspension breaks, it bends the axles, and destroys the tires. Gonzalo helped us empty the refrigerator and freezer and he took all of the food and donated it to a shelter. We found a hotel in Eugene, and planned to meet back with Gonzalo in the morning.

May 11th

The parts for the trailer are going to take 12 weeks to get. We are officially homeless. We gathered as many belongings as we could fit into our truck and started heading towards California. The Eagle will stay in Eugene waiting for repairs. We cannot thank Gonzalo, Camping World and Geico enough. They were amazing. Geico has already approved all the repairs and sent a check. Also thank you to all of our family and friends, we have received so many offers to shelter us.

May 12th

We are back in Sonoma County. This is the end of our trip. It didn’t end the way we wanted, but it was an amazing voyage. We saw and did so many wonderful things, but it was all the friends that we met along the way that made the journey so special. Thanks for following along.