Day One (Eclipse Road Trip)

 We left today on our Eclipse Road Trip and we took off later than we expected, but it was still a lot of fun taking off and looking forward to exploring places we've never been. We made it to Pendleton, Oregon, and will be sleeping here tonight. The ducks are handling the trip well, so far. 

We mapped out our entire trip on the way there, which will take us through Price, Utah. I am most excited about seeing the place where I was born. It's been on my bucket list for a very long time.

We picked up these solar eclipse glasses before we left. I grabbed as many as I could find. I also picked up a box of 200 piece glow sticks, bracelets, necklaces, and glasses.

The bus looks overpacked, but we are so thrilled to be taking her on a long distance trip for the first time. I'm hoping to get things organized as we go, so it doesn't seem so cluttered. We are also hoping this trip gives us an idea of what works in the bus on trips and what doesn't. We stopped and got a few last minute things. I stayed on the bus with the animals and Hardy was concerned on where Jeff and Skylar went. He kept a watch for them the whole time. One of our big concerns on this trip is whether the animals will be comfortable.

City lights as we approach Pendleton, Oregon. We will stay here tonight and get back on the road tomorrow.

Five Simple Things (August 18)

Hello.

We have been gearing up here for the eclipse on Monday. The Mr. took the day off because it's supposed to get a little crazy here. The highways in and out of the Willamette Valley are supposed to be bumper to bumper with people parked along the sides of the road the morning of the eclipse, just to get a peek of this "possible" once in a lifetime event.  The Mr. and I have always been "self proclaimed" preppers, so we have stocked up on some essentials that we think we might need before, during, and even after the eclipse is over. Just so we don't have to go anywhere for a few days. Honestly, people have already been setting up their spots for camping for the eclipse and the town we live in has already seen an influx of people flooding in with their campers and RVs, and we are hoping the town is ready for the gain in temporary population for this Monday.


If you haven't started preparing for the event, better get on that this weekend, or better yet, today! The Mr. and I made a list of eclipse-prep items that we feel we need, but some of these may help you get ready too:

1. Waters filled: We have two three-gallon and two five-gallon water containers that we fill regularly. The city water where we live is less than appealing, so on our weekly trips to Corvallis, Oregon, for food and supplies, we fill all four of them-equaling 11 gallons total for drinking water. We made sure to have plenty of water on hand for the eclipse and filled our bottles early.

2. Dry goods: I always like to have certain dry goods on hand, regardless of what's going on outside our home-Solar Eclipse, brain-eating zombies, you know, the norm. I like to have essentials like, flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, dried beans, corn meal, wheat flour, pasta, coffee, granola, cereal, popcorn, humus mix, refried bean mix, white and brown rice-to name a few. Always buy these items in organic to avoid any traces of "Monsanto's hands" being in your mixes. We always keep these in jars and fill them at the store using our own containers. It really does help doing it this way to cut down on waste.

3. Refrigerated goods: Having a few staples on hand isn't a bad idea. I like to keep these things to a minimum when "occasions" arise, but I doubt we will get an apocalypse during the eclipse, so it's a good idea to have a few of these at the ready. Items like, milk, butter, yogurt, pickles, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, orange juice (or other type of juice), grapefruits, oranges, strawberries, sugar snap peas, celery, condiments-ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, bbq sauce, salad dressing, etc., wheat flour tortillas (I like to keep two large bags of these because you can always roll things up in a tortilla, or in a pinch cut them into triangles and make homemade chips with them), jam, and we like to have on hand some fog city salad for a quick bite on the go, or just to add to a meal. It's delicious, healthy, and can be made with all organic ingredients.

4. Freezer goods: This is the part of the fridge to keep long-term items. We like to keep items such as, hamburger meat x3, chicken breasts x4, salmon patties x3, frozen peas and beans that we grew in our garden, frozen mangoes, frozen corn, frozen strawberries, frozen juice x3, hamburger buns (yes we keep our hamburger buns in the freezer because the ones we buy don't have preservatives and they go bad soon if we don't use them within a few days of buying them). Also, we keep our compost bin in here, just to cut down on flies and smell. Ice packs, and a small bag of ice is also a stable in our freezer.

5. Other: We also like to keep items like, peanut butter, honey, chips, tea bags, dried mangoes, peanuts, chocolate-covered coffee beans and raisins, regular raisins,  tomato soup x2, macaroni and cheese x4, bread, etc.

Of course, this list works for our family, but you can alter it in any way you need to be prepared for any occasion. Now keep in mind, these are staples that we keep in the cabinet at all times. Once we use something up, we replace it quickly on our next shopping trip. Having things on hand, like the list above, can really help you stay on your game if you ever need stuff in a pinch. If you are a last-minute person, then by all means grab your stuff the day of and rock it! Just be prepared for other last-minut'ers and get ready for lines and waiting.-Especially, the roads.

If you need more direction on preparing for the coming eclipse, you can get ideas here and here.

So, with that said, here are the things that made this week great!

1. This road trip

This past week The Mr., The Bean, and I went on a little road trip over to eastern Oregon. We went over mainly to see some land we were interested in and made a weekend of it. We also wanted to check out some more camp spots on the Cascades and we found just what we wanted. While we were in eastern Oregon we decided to see what Mount Bachelor looked like this time of year. The sun was setting when we got there, but the Bachelor looked great standing tall in front of the fading sunset.

2. These camping spots

 

 

 

We found a few more places to add to our camping list this coming fall. We are extremely excited about Trout Creek. It seemed like just the right kind of place to camp in the middle of the Cascade forest. Some of the locations had some amazing views! 

While we were checking out the different camp sites, The Bean decided to give every one of the water pumps at each location a try.

3. This land

We have been looking at plots of land in Eastern Oregon and this one above was one of them. We liked the area and how secluded and private it was, but the only issue is, it's listed as recreation property. We have considered buying for that purpose, but we would like to secure some land for living purposes as well. 

4. These boxes

Yogi Surprise hit it again this month with the Lifestyle Box and the Jewelry Box. Look how awesome the items were in this month's boxes. The theme this month was "Giving Back" and everything in the box was part of an effort to either donate to a cause or help a cause with the purchase of their items. You can grab a box here.

5. Last, but definitely not least are, these glasses

 

We are ready and waiting for the Solar Eclipse here. The Bean has been putting his glasses to full use this past week. I requested three pairs from Travel Oregon and the best part, they were free. The State of Oregon was prepared for the Solar Eclipse and added as part of their Oregon State Parks Guides and State Trip Planner. The glasses came with a Solar Eclipse Guide and a parks and recreation guide on the best places to camp. The entire booklet came in handy for us because of our planning more road trips this fall and it will help us find some great camp spots. 

Have a great and safe weekend and enjoy the Solar Eclipse!

Five Simple Things (April 12)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This button.

Found on our eclipse road trip, I can't wait to see what I can make with it for my shop.

2. This stove.

It really came in handy while traveling.

3. This nightlight.

We are Stranger Things fans and this Hellfire Club LED light find was totally awesome!

4. This worm.

Inch worms are always my favorite. This one was hitching a ride on my Komuso Shift necklace at my parent's house this week.

5. This star.

This star was in El Paso, Texas. As we passed through on our eclipse road trip I looked across to the Mexico border. All of the people in Mexico just going about their lives just like all of us in the United States. I hate how awful humans are to other humans. We are all floating in space on a round ball, yet we can't seem to check our own egos in order to live in peace on the ball. I am glad I am raising my own son to respect all people, no matter where they are from. We have so much racism and discrimination in the United States, even in our own family, and I am just glad to know that I am putting forth into the world a good hearted, kind, caring, and compassionate human being. I wish others could see themselves through the eyes of people like us. I would like to think they would be ashamed and embarrassed by seeing their own actions.

One last thing:

This stuff has been incredible for me while we are on the road. I spray my pillows and the surrounding air. They name says it all, "this works." It helps me calm my mind and actually helps me to fall asleep faster and in a more relaxed state.

THISWORKS Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

Positive affirmations this week:

Sometimes alone time is necessary in order for our minds to be more relaxed and centered. Alone time can mean anything, from just being alone, to separating ourselves from family, or even taking time away from the internet and social media. If you are a person that is always high strung (which I totally understand), or someone that just needs a break, don't even feel ashamed at taking time for yourself and stepping away from whatever it is that is draining you. Selfcare comes in all forms, and alone time is one of those forms.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Day Three (Eclipse Road Trip)

 Ogden, Utah 🠊Price, Utah

We got into Ogden, Utah, late at night and it was cold. We ended up staying in a truck stop for the night and boondocking it. We planned on spending the day in Price anyway, so it being dark in Ogden wasn't that bad. We left Ogden and drove straight to Price, but when we woke up and it was daylight we had a full view of the snowcapped mountains of Utah. This is the first time I've been back to Utah since I was born. I woke up and looked out and the tears just flowed. I was so happy, excited, and overwhelmed with emotions. Price, Utah, is my birthplace and just to be in the state gave me so much joy.

Our first view in the morning. I want to frame this picture, even though McDonald's is in the foreground, it still says so much in just one shot.

When we left Oregon the temperature was warmer, but being in Utah the temperature dipped a little and it got chilly on the bus. Hardy already wraps up in blankets when we are home, so it was no surprise that he was buried in blankets in the morning when we woke up in Utah.

Jeff checked the tires each time we stopped, and we must have hit a curb, or shoulder of the road along the way. With our tires being fairly new we were kind of bummed. Hopefully, it doesn't cause any issues later, but I think right now we are good.

The snowcapped mountain views are incredible here.

 When we were in Heyburn, Idaho, we stopped at a truck stop to get some ice. It was dark outside and definitely a new area for all of us. Skylar stepped off of the last step of the bus to go inside to get the ice and BAM right into a road sign. I doctored it the best we could when it happened, but we looked at it again in Utah and it left his eye with a little bruising. We had a little chuckle about it once we knew it wasn't going to leave his face all black and blue, but at the time he teared up a little. If this is the only accident we have on this trip then we are doing pretty good. ☺

My sister was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, so seeing this sign meant a lot to me to be able to show her. Maybe another road trip to Wyoming will happen in the future.

We stopped at a shopping center to buy a few things we needed to refresh the bus with, and let Skylar park the bus to get some practice in. The mountains just blew us away. Living in Oregon we see our fair share of snowcapped mountains, but it just hits different when you see it in other states. (especially in Utah)

We came into Salt Lake City, Utah, a short time later. The view of the city with the mountains in the background almost seemed fake.

The capitol building was a beautiful view. We used the time we drove through Salt Lake City to eat some lunch and pick up a few things. We definitely needed to stop and clean the bus up and do some sweeping.

I love that Utah is known as the beehive state. I love even more than the state lets that be known on all of their major highway and interstate signs. Being born in Utah and loving bees, now it all makes sense. ☺

As we left the Salt Lake City area the snowy mountains turned into almost a desert-like setting. The transition from snow to dirt was fast. Snowcapped mountains to no snow mountains literally happened in a matter of one mountain.

The sun shining through the bus as I laid down was nice. It was such a beautiful day and to be in my birth state was an incredible feeling. I hope I can keep that momentum going, because I am having the best time. I asked Skylar how he was feeling and he said, "Great!" So we are all having a blast so far.

Sometimes rocks are absolutely amazing.

We made it to Solider Summit 7:00 p.m. The snow at the top of the summit was beautiful. We honestly picked the best time of year to take this road trip and lucky us, the weather cooperated the entire way so far.

We were going to stay the night and looked into spaces open at Scofield State Park. The park is open, but the water and bathrooms were still closed for the season. We would also be on our own out here, because no one else was camping at the time, and the park rangers weren't on site. We decided to keep driving and reach Price, Utah. Price is about 40 minutes (max) from where we were, so it just made sense to continue on.

We pulled over at the scenic byway sign and interpreter signs for the area, and everyone got off the bus, including Hardy, so we could stretch our legs and get some fresh air. The bus is a blast to ride in, but just like a car, breaks are needed from time to time.

Interesting to know about the Wasatch Mountain Range, railroads, and other interesting facts about the landscape in this part of Utah. I love history, so these kind of signs and interpretations are thrilling to find.

The bus looked so pretty in the sunshine in this area.

Hardy had enough of the "excitement" and went back on the bus to lay down. He, and the other animals have been doing so great on this trip. Even the ducks.

Coming into Castle Gate, Utah, as the sun was setting made for a beautiful backdrop to the rocks and mountain sides.

Blurry picture of the mileage, but at this point it is nine more miles to Price. I am beyond excited.