For the last few weeks I have been loosely following the Oregon Trail. Every few miles there are historic sites with information boards marking the early, westward route, and at all the roadside rest areas, billboards and literature describe the wild, wagon train adventure of families bound for Oregon and California in the mid1800’s.
I hiked a long way on the AT, but my adventure was nothing compared to the hardship these people endured. They were attacked by Indians, ravaged by disease, died by accident or drowning, and caught in snowstorms in the mountains. And they didn’t have a town to stop in every few days so it was necessary to carry many supplies.
The route I chose on my way to the west coast just happened to take me near the city of Boise, Idaho, home of the Holsingers. Robin texted me with an invite to stop in and see them on my way through, and I am so glad that I could stop and spend some time with them. They have a beautiful home in a great neighborhood and they made me feel like one of the family. I gave Steven a motorcycle ride and we had fun playing chess and geocashing. Megan is now in high school and spends a lot of time practicing ballet for her anual performance in the Nutcracker. On Saturday Robin invited me to watch her dance at the studio. She is a beautiful young lady and a very talented ballet dancer. Steven also has a part in the Nutcracker and Robin works at the studio designing and making costumes, so as you can imagine, they keep quite busy.
Ken has been working long hours at his company. They have a new software release coming out and it required him to work right through the weekend. I did get to visit his office, meet some of his staff, and see his amazing collection of cameras he keeps there.
I had a wonderful visit and I can’t thank them enough for their hospitality and generosity. Tonight I am in Oregon, camped in the Malheur National Forest. I was planning on driving further but this place is so neat I may stay a couple of days. The weatherman says rain for a while so I will wait a little before crossing the Cascades.
This is my favorite post you have ever written, and the fact you were writing about MY family has nothing to do with it. Or at least not much. Well, maybe a little… or maybe a lot! 😉 So glad you got to spend time with them. I know they enjoyed having you. You are probably Steven’s new best friend to do motorcycling and geocaching with him!
Enjoy Oregon. I’m looking forward to spending some time there myself in a few short years.