Off we go!

This morning marks the beginning of our 5th day on the road. It's been one hell of a journey so far and in these first 500 miles, a life time of experiences (already!). We have been truly blessed from the moment we rolled out of the YMCA parking lot. It's been unusually nice weather and the traffic has been really agreeable. The kindness and generosity from everyone we meet is hard to put into words but I'll try.... First of all, the turn out for our send off was much better than we expected. Frankly, I thought that my parents and a few friends would show up, as it was a Saturday morning. Not so. We must have had at least 30 people in that parking lot, some driving all the way from Sacramento, California to see this project come into fruition. Once we were out and on our way, we seemed to meet amazingly kind folks wherever we went. For example, on the evening of our third day, we had the pleasure of meeting up with a couple of friends from the Rogue Valley that were camping for the weekend just outside of Reedsport, Oregon. Though we arrived late, we were treated to a delicious meal and great conversation. It was during one of these conversations that I was helped to realize something kind of big; That what we're doing is inspiring to those around us. This has been something I haven't even considered. During the preparations for this journey I have been drawing so much inspiration from those around us, both known to us personally and not. Adam and I for the past number of years have been the friends that watch our friends explore and adventure. We were the friends that would host the going away and coming home parties for all our restless friends. While I watched them all go off and on their way, whether it was off to Burning Man, Belize, Fort Lauderdale Florida, or just the open road, I was always so inspired by what they were doing. Now that it's our turn to go, I'm startled when someone tells me they really look up to what we're doing. So we journey on, off to Portland and the great beyond, keeping in mind all those thinking of us along our way.

Below, you see Bobby and I with our first Couch Surfing host, Neil. This guy was the best host! Not only did he have a spare room and air mattresses for sleeping, but he let us use his shower and do laundry! Below that is Curran, Matt, Sheila, and Janet. These awesome friends fed us and just generally pampered us on day three outside of Reedsport.