All We Left Behind - Portland, OR
I’ve heard it said that the longest drive of any road trip begins when you recognize the scenery of home. We’ve been away long enough - and hope to leave soon enough - that it doesn’t feel like home. Not yet, at least.
The drive from Walla Walla through the Gorge was windy, occasionally very rainy, and always very beautiful. We’ve spent a lot of time in the desert and the mountains this year, but there’s nothing quite like the Columbia. Cutting through the mountains, spanning high desert and Pacific coast, it’s a singular river that is (mostly) protected for good reason. The high cliffs of the Oregon side of I-84 were revealed to us in fresh glory and scale. We’ve made this drive before - though never with an RV - and while the scenery was the same, we were not. I think that’s what we wanted all along.
Portland has not improved in our absence. The collective crises of housing, crime, weak city leadership, and COVID have taken their toll on the city and her residents. People are still mostly stuck at home, trying to navigate the exposure and protocols at school and the grocery store. Prices are still high and items scarce. Uncertainty, fear and worry are the undercurrents of many conversations.
We felt very out of place in this context. We’ve had a fantastic year. Do they really want to hear about it?
Even with that going on, it was a joyful time of connection with our friends. The road is beautiful but can be lonely, and nothing says home like the people you love. To attend events and lessons in person again was refreshing after so many video calls, even if it meant a bunch more driving around to get to them than we’re used to!
We got to see the house a little bit, and it looks better than when we lived there. Our tenants are great and we’re thrilled to have them for another 6 months. We made some space for them in the garage, and left behind some things we no longer need. Walking around the neighborhood was incredibly strange. It looked… the same. It put me right back where we were a year ago in late summer, with the crispy lawns, low sunlight, and people walking around. Was it all a dream? How quickly we felt at home again, and small. The circle of our life was so tiny in the months before we left. How large will it be when we return?
We’ve had many appointments while here, getting everyone their dental, medical, and other check-ups. I’ve had the bulk of them, working my way through first my primary care folks and general practitioners, then the specialists, trying to figure out what’s wrong. We’ve done several more labs without clear results. Given that, and the wait time between appointments and lab results, it looks like we’re going to be in or around Portland for the next few months at least. The good news is, we don’t have to stay in Portland exactly, just a day’s drive away. So we’re going to Silverton next week, just 90 minutes south, to see Silver Falls and get out of town for a bit. We’ll probably make a few such trips to keep our traveling wheels turning and enjoy a chance to RV our home state.
