Has it been a week?

It feels like it has been a month or more since I last sat down to type this out. We've hit five states in that time - granted some longer than others - and had even more great experiences. The weather has played with us, buffeting us with torrential downpours as it did here in South Dakota last night, or broiling us under 100 degree heat, as it did our last days in Kentucky. Our last nights there were no better as our tent took on the function of a sweat lodge even into the wee hours of the morning. None of this has lessened our enthusiasm.

Almost heaven...

John Denver was absolutely right. We didn't get to spend too much time there, but West Virgina was amazing. As John sang those opening lines of Country Roads, we were passing through the soaring mountains and roaring rivers at high speed on our way to one of this trip's best days so far. But wait -  I'm getting ahead of myself... Last you knew, we were still in Virginia fending off bears and snakes and noisy campsite neighbors. So first some words about our final day in Virginia.

Seven bears, one copperhead, infinite deer...

...but zero cell phone service.

We've been in Shenandoah now for three days and it has been wonderful. But we've had issues keeping in touch with family (who for some reason think we're dead if they don't talk to us for one day) and friends (who were expecting us today, but logistics prevented it). So first off, our apologies to all for that. We were lucky enough to get a wireless signal at a lodge in Shenandoah National Park, and are reporting from there as we gaze out over a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I can't even fathom going back to work at this point!

The 413

Wednesday night, we had our first campsite meal. Finally, after five days on the road, back and forth to and from Boston, we were able to settle down with a drink and a plate of bacon and asparagus pasta without a worry or care about furntiure, vans, movers, or anything of the like. Of course, cooking them over a hot stove in 95 degree weather was less than appealing, but I digress.

Independence Days

So we are officially on the road. Kind of... Sadly, all did not go as planned with our move, and due to a bit too much bluster on my part, and Alyssa's too genial nature, a couple of pieces of oversize furniture remained at 10 Landers Street after the movers departed on Friday afternoon. The moral of the story is a rather simple one: if it takes a crane to get it in, it'll take a crane to get it out. But with a quick 30-minute conference, and some good luck, our weekend wasn't completely dashed. We made arrangements with both Gentle Giant and U-haul that would force a change to our agenda, but all was not lost! We wrapped up moving day with dinner at Highland Kitchen, and let me tell you that eating Spicy Caribbean Goat Stew on an empty stomach after a stressful day is not a great idea. We spent a peaceful night in our sleeping bags, but the stress kept us from sleeping soundly, yet again.

Chaos?

This has been our life for the past month:

We have spent most of the last few weeks filling box after box with stuff. Stuff we won't see for three months. It will be packed away in storage where we can't touch it, and that's a rather sobering thought. Joining two households forces you to make choices - what to keep, whose pictures get hung, which toaster is better (I don't kid myself - Hello Kitty is likely going to win that battle). These are all choices that we have decided to postpone until we unload all of this stuff. That is going to be one heck of a moving sale... You may want to fly to Seattle just for that!!