I've made it to the last state of my trip! Woo Hoo! 15 states and 22 days, and it's not quite done, but I'm on the last leg. I'm hanging out in Portland with my cousins, Herman and Ruth (they are once removed I think - they're old enough that their children are married). I've been welcomed into their beautiful house, from which I will soon head out to explore the town, but I wanted to put down a few thoughts first.
I dropped off Jake last night. We became much closer over the course of the trip, and it didn't really seem like a goodbye, since I couldn't imagine that I won't see him again. Don't know what else to say about him right now, other than that he was an excellent companion and I couldn't have made the trip without him. Thanks, Jake.
In some ways, this does seem like the final destination of the trip: tomorrow, when I get to Eugene, I'll no longer be on the trip, I'll be starting the new life. Tomorrow is not a destination, it's a beginning. Boy, does that sound sappy.
Since I'm feeling super distracted, I'll keep this one short, although I'd like to take a minute to go through the trip, or at least the last few days, and pick out some highlights. It seems likely to me that I won't do it when I get to Eugene, either, which is too bad. But, get ready for lots of new and exciting news about house and job hunting, dealing with university bureaucracy, and setting up new bank accounts! It's bound to be loads of fun!