Jonathan and I (Jen) left Boston at 5am on the 28th and, after a short stop in Dillsburg, PA, stayed the night near Pittsburgh with family. We were then back on the road the next morning. At 10 am on the 29th, we met Autumn in Toledo, OH and programed Eugene, OR into the TomTom. The saving grace of our 40-ish hour van ride was the coveted sleeping space in the back of the van. Because the van has only two seats, it was necessary and ohhh so convenient. The three of us rotated and each got intervals of about four hours of sleep at a time. It was long, but not nearly as grueling as expected and we actually all still like each other. The scenery (as you will see in the pictures) was absolutely amazing. While in Nebraska we drove through an area that had just experienced a small collection of tornadoes that had taken down major sections of power lines across the interstate. Two hours later, amidst lightning and downpours, we found ourselves on a two-track dirt road in the middle of a corn field... wondering why we thought a self-made detour at midnight was a good plan. But the sun came up and we spent the day driving through breathtaking scenery in Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and of course Oregon. Three time zones later we are here in Eugene, staying with the wonderfully hospitable Marcus family. They have generously offered their house as a stop over both now and in two days (June 2nd) when we come back through on our bikes. Carrie flew into Portland (which those of us from Maine refer to as "the lesser Portland") yesterday and will meet up with us sometime this afternoon. Eugene is about 60 miles from the coast, specifically from Florence where we will camp tonight (at Honeyman State Park) and start off from in the morning, after the ceremonious dipping of the rear bike wheels in the Pacific. We are trilled to be here and anticipating so many great adventures to come.
