Well, folks, finally here! Actually, got here in February, but things have been INSANE trying to get the house finished.
We flew out in January, looked around, found a house we liked, bought it, flew back.
Then, had to GET here. Again, insanity! In-laws actually had a *moment* of kindness and let us borrow the trailer they used for hauling nursery stock all over Ohio and Michigan (used to be for hauling horses, so it was fairly big sized). We got *almost* everything we needed in it. My truck couldn't haul it, nor could my wife's Subaru. We ended up buying trading in both our old vehicles and buying a new car - Jeep Liberty 4x4 (2004 Renegade model - *drool* - it's COOL). Actually worked out alright, as we still had another year and a half of payments to go on the Subi, and interests rates are WAY down now - monthly payments are a little over HALF what they were for the Subi! Granted, a lot more than a year to go now, anyway, but....
Put most of our stuff in the trailer, our cats in the back of the jeep in rather large cages with my computers and travelling supplies and clothes...
Anyway, so we set of to drive across the country! MANY days across, as we went the southern route to avoid any inclimate weather and crappy roads. Cats slept during the day, but got REAL unhappy about 10 or 11 at night (and, of course, were unhappy in the morning - but they liked running around the hotel rooms!), essentially adding another whole DAY onto the trip.
New Mexico and Arizona (stayed the night in Flagstaff) are just as beautiful as I remember, by the way! Picture of us stopped in New Mexico:
(Wife won't let me posts pics of her on the 'net, so MOST of the pics on the way I can't show).
Also, idiot detour around Nevada. The straight shot through New Mexico to Oregon would require crossing the Hoover Damn....which we found out once we GOT there that we weren't allowed to cross. Police checkpoint. They required to be able to completely inspect the trailer to let us cross. Which took us 2 days to load. SO....had to drive ALL the way down to the last road that branched off the highway and went around the damn. THAT'S only 4 hours one way, so we wasted 8 hours total!! VERY irritating!!!
We were suitably impressed by Northern California, though:
Arrived to find plenty of snow still around! And, got to check out the town a LOT more. VERY, VERY beautiful area. Works cannot express.
It's a bustling town of 55,000 - so, it has almost all the conveniences of a major city suburb.....only, there is no major city nearby!
Seriously, we have, like, 4 brewpubs in town. 2 theaters - one concentrating a little more on artistic films (and a new one just opened that concentrates EXCLUSIVELY on artistic performances). About 6 community theaters for plays and music. An outdoor mall, with another under construction (no indoor malls). So many places to eat it's silly! I mean, 55,000 people and we have FOUR sushi restaurants!
It's just crazy how cool the town is!
And, better, drive 20 minutes away from 'downtown' in any direction? In the middle of WILDERNESS. Especially going east - you better fuel up before heading out, as the next gas station out of town is a good 2 hour drive! (There *are* a couple mom-and-pop convenience stores on the way. Literally. Two. They *might* be able to sell you a can of gas if they have one laying around. But, other than that, you outta luck!)
And, it's nature gone wild. The area is called "High Desert", you wouldn't normally associate that with so many trees! (And, of course, heading east, there AREN'T any). But, I understand it used to be a logging town....there are a LOT of trees around. Standing on top of Pilot Butte, you can see nothing but a carpet of forest in every direction (well, only so far - there are mountains to the north, south, and west and the forest just goes up to the timberline on them, obviously). Heading east is....well, desert. Still, the mountains are fairly far away, and little more than buttes to the south and *those* are REALLY far away.
It's just amazing.