Birds of a Feather..

Ever heard of Murphy's Law?  You could say this theory was the haunting theme during our trek across the Pacific Northwest.  Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.  Sometimes because of me & my family's anal retentive nervous antics and sometimes because of fate's twisted ways and sometimes because of simple math: too much crap + too small of a truck= disaster.  Live & learn.. and then never EVER move again.  For my beloved Arizona friends, my new Oregon family & anyone else bored enough to listen.. here is the daunting tale of our journey..two seniors & a Scion plus two chicks (and might I saw awesome chicks) and a truck.  Enjoy

The Great Truck Exchange..

12/17/11 3:00 pm  Picked up the truck at Penske.  Because no 22' truck was available, I was given a 26 footer with a diesel engine.  Drove the beast home and took out a curb or two.  Still getting my truck legs wet..


9:00 pm  I realize I was given a larger truck than ordered.  Nervousness sets in and I call Penske to reserve a smaller truck.  All they had was a 16 footer.  Reserved it for pickup in the morning.


12/18/11 8:00 am Argue with my mom about downgrading to a smaller truck.  She wins and I call Penske to cancel the 16 footer.  Reluctantly start loading up the 26' truck.  Starting to feel the size of it get bigger and bigger and thoughts of windy roads & ice storms danced through my head.  


2:30 pm  Aspen, Nick and I have loaded most of the furniture with plenty of room to spare. I spastically freak out and call Penske to take back the 16' truck.  Argue with my mom about downgrading to a smaller truck.  I win and drive down to get it.

3:00 pm Drive to the Home Depot on the other side of town.  Aspen, Nick and I load the the 26' truck onto the 16' truck.  


2:00 am Have most of the items shoved into the 16 foot truck.  Have broken down everything that can be broken down and unscrewed everything that can be unscrewed... Bedtime.

12/19/11 8:00 am Wake up and load the rest of the truck.  By the skin of our teeth we get the last vacuum cleaner in without room left for a toothpick.  Honda's loaded..Scion's loaded..Truck's loaded.. and what's left behind is a child's bed, wicker chair and a small desk.. We did it!

4:30 pm  Time to hit the open road.. Gotta stop by Penske to have them attach the trailer for my car.  Penske guy looks concerned.  Penske guy talks to other Penske guy who calls Penske corporate guy.  Truck is overloaded.  Leaf springs are frowning instead of smiling and so am I.  Sure we could drive off with it and the breaks could give out and the tires could explode but I'm not feelin too lucky these days.  We drive to Penke Corporate during rush hour, get lost but make our way there.  Penske corporate agrees.  We are overloaded.  Back to the 26 footer.

6:00 pm  Aspen, Nick and I load the 16 footer back onto the 26 footer.

9:00 pm Drive back to the house & pick up the child's bed, wicker chair and small desk.

10:00 pm We finally hit I-10 & I've become the connoisseur of Penske Trucks (I'm also ready for a nap and a lobotomy)    

And the Belated Journey Begins...

Day 1: Finally got goin about 10:00 PM Monday night (a measly 15 hours behind schedule).  Aspen & I drove through the night and finally made it over the California state line.  5:00 AM landed at the Best Western in Blythe where my parents had plopped for the night.  Tricky parking but we managed.

Day 2: 4 Restless sleeping hours later and a quick complimentary breakfast and we manage to make it out of the hotel by check out (even though it felt like the frenetic scene from Home Alone where they slept in).  Daylight.  Hit the road at a leisurely and very bumpy 55 MPH.  Felt like a big yellow slug the whole way there (kind of like the bags under my eyes).  Coffee, Christmas music, and the stinkiest greasiest car snacks around.  Good times.

Breaker Breaker..Thank god for this chick.  Awesome driver and companion... and miraculously still
my friend after all this.

What happens when delirium catches up with you?  You think you see 20 FT carrots on a flat bed.

Windmills near Cabazon, California.  A small tear fell down Aspen's cheek as we solemnly passed the Desert Premium Hills Outlet mall.

Amateurs!

Steak & Lobster at Northwoods in San Gabriel, CA

2am landed at a Holiday Inn in Santa Nella, CA.  Mastered the art of parking.  Will California never end?

Day 3: 10am on the road again.  Had a leftover steak brunch in the truck while passing the moo cows.  Cruel I know.  Ahhh.. the circle of life.

I now thank god for chocolate and truck stops.

Northern Cali.. a chill in the air and lottsa fog

Car Companion, Dags.  In the distant back ground you can also see the snow capped Mount Shasta.  Petal to the floorboard we chugged up that mountain & back down with a lot of prayer and a change of underwear.

I still see 55 flashing in my sleep.

Lead & the Scion shall follow..

Finally Oregon State Line!  The truck was so shaky and worn out that this was the best picture I could snap (or maybe I was so shaky and worn out).  Finally arrived in Gresham about 2AM.  My new Home Sweet Rainy Home