From the very start of this journey in January, there were three milestone destinations. Out of the three, only one had an actual date we needed to target. The three were Jackson Hole, WY, my daughter, my son-in-law, and grandkids' place in Montana, and then Vancouver, BC.
My dear friends Bill and Debi Kruder were embarking on their own restorative journey and were planning to be in Jackson Hole by May 9. So my goal following my visit to Shelter Cove was to meet the Kruder's in Jackson Hole arriving on the 8th.
My path, having changed due to the key incident, was through Eugene and Bend, OR, Boise, Pocatello, ID then Jackson Hole. After stopping in Grants Pass, OR, and crashing in the Elks Lodge parking lot, we headed to Eugene for the Airstream dealer to pick up a spare set of compartment keys, and see if I can get my drawer fixed. Don't know if I mentioned it, but, I had a drawer open during travel and get a little damaged.
With the stop at the dealer complete, we spent the night on the Willamette River before making our way to Bend. Of course, we had to stop at Hop Valley Brewing for an IPA and a snack.
Bend was always on my radar for a visit. My good friend from high school Lenny lives in Bend with his beautiful wife Sandi. Lenny and Sandi moved there after retiring from the recruiting firm they started many years ago in the Tacoma, WA area. Lenny was always a gifted athlete. He earned an academic and football scholarship at Oregon State, where he played, met his wife, and graduated. They remained in the Northwest, raised the kids, and enjoyed living in this beautiful part of the country ever since.
There was only one problem with my visit to Bend. Lenny and Sandi weren't there! As I was in Bend, they were in Los Angeles catching a plane to Cabo San Lucas! It's my fault. I didn't communicate my plans very well and due to my bonehead mistake of losing my keys, it changed the timing. I went by their home anyway and snapped a couple of pics.
From Bend, Portia and I visited Boise, ID, and then Pocatello arriving in Jackson Hole on May 8th. We set up camp at The Virginian RV park which is affiliated with The Virginian Lodge where Bill and Debi were staying. My friends arrived the next day and we spent the next 2 days visiting and exploring Jackson as well as the Grand Tetons. It was so nice to see my friends. I had not seen them since leaving Dallas in January. Bill drove the truck with Debi riding shotgun, and Portia and I rode in the backseat. The Grand Tetons are so majestic and just a beautiful park.
My friends and I parted company on the 11th. Their next stop on their restorative road trip was Park City, UT, ours was Yellowstone, Bozeman, MT then Trout Creek, MT to see the kiddos!
