A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step

But hopefully it will end up being more than a thousand miles...

We left Port Angeles last night, after what felt like the thousandth day of cleaning the house. July was truly a blur - the first half of it dedicated to the high act of getting married (why does something so elevated take so much work?) and the last half of it dedicated to packing, storing and cleaning. We had planned to drive away at noon, which didn't happen, but we did get the right day, pulling away from the house in our overloaded van at 5:30 PM. After a few final stops at a few places (including an obligatory stop at P.A. instituation Frugals) we made it out of town.

Leaving was hard. Far harder than I had anticipated. We've been so blessed in Port Angeles, with good work, a stunning and stimulating environment, a community we care about, and a great group of friends. It felt funny to leave all of that goodness, even if it is just for a year. And then we had to leave Biggie and Marmalade standing alone in our big empty house. They were definitely anxious, wondering what was happening...

But then, even just minutes after we had taken the first step, I could feel the layers of sadness start to dissipate. We've got a whole year ahead of us to journey, and that is a very exciting thing. We are in Portland now for a few days before flying to Detroit on Wednesday. Our first leg includes visits with family and friends. We each have planned a few days in places that were special to us as youth. For Christine it is Ludington, Michigan, where her family went often. For me, it is Slaughter Beach Delaware. We also hope to visit Sargent Camp, where we met. We are also planning on starting our bike trip on September 5th from somewhere on the Oregon Coast...

- Ian