Friendships on the Road

Now that we have been doing this whole RV thing for all of a month, I consider myself a seasoned veteran. We know absolutely everything there is to know about RV’s, road tripping, living in a mobile home. Experts over here. 

Only joking. Our first long stay in Sutherlin, Oregon has been quite the learning experience. But more than that it has shown us exactly why we decided to go on this grand adventure in the first place. 

It all started on our first day at the Hi Way Haven RV Park. We were driving around and noticed a cute pond with a great walking trail around it. Pre knee surgery, I was walking 3-5 miles every day. We decided this would be a great place for me to start getting back to my daily walks. On our very first walk, we ran into a couple who started making jokes about my walking sticks. I explained about my surgery and our whole story that led us to Sutherlin. We got to chatting and hit it off! This couple, Greg and Fran, and their adorable dog, Tanner, invited us to lunch at a great restaurant called The Oakland Tavern. We had a great time as it was $2 Taco Tuesday! We love Taco Tuesdays!!

And the rest, as they say, is history. We became fast friends and spent the next few weeks meeting all of Greg and Fran’s friends and enjoying everything Oregon had to offer. Of course, we need to come back to explore more as there is only so much you can see in 3 weeks.  Greg and Fran are an incredible couple. They used to live and work in Washington D.C. and over 20 years ago decided to start a winery in Oregon. They had never owned one before but Greg, being the scientist that he is, took to the process of growing grapes and making wine like my niece at a happy hour (meaning very well). After running the winery for over two decades, they decided to sell it and retire. We’ve gotten to know Greg and Fran extremely well and are so happy to have met them. They will be in our lives for many years to come. 

We were also fortunate enough to meet a few of the amazing people in Fran and Greg’s lives, including Claire, who owns a beautiful home in Oakland, OR with more antiques than anyone we have ever met and award-winning Model T, Glenda who owned and operated a vineyard in Oregon, Mary Ellen and her dog Sadie who joined us for our last taco Tuesday. They were all such lovely people and completely made our Oregon adventure.

One of the most memorable days we had was at Growing Miracles Lavender Garden. On the recommendation from Greg, we found this hidden gem and had the best day. We drove up and met the owner named Howard. He told us that they didn’t have an official store, but we were welcome to come and take a tour with him and his wife Keri as well as take a look at some of the products they sell. And I know I’ve written many a blog about getting rid of things for the RV life, but we just couldn’t help ourselves. Their lavender products are out of this world! We bought lavender lotion, lip balm, wine, and more. Keri and Howard also have 60 acres of filberts also known as hazelnut trees that they grow and harvest and ship all over the world. This combination of lavender (my favorite scent) and filberts (my favorite nut) was like a gift from the gods. We bought five pounds of nuts and Howard showed us how to shell them! It was a blast. I cannot recommend this place enough. If you or anyone you know is traveling the Oregon coast, it is a MUST SEE. 

Through all of these Oregonian adventures, one thing became so clear to us. We decided to hit the road to see this great country and all of its diversity and landscapes. But what makes our adventure so special is the people we meet along the way. In our very first long-term stop, we made lifelong friends. I am tearing up as I write this because I know saying goodbye to all of these amazing people we have fallen in love with will be so difficult. But I know we will see them again whether when we come back, they meet us somewhere, or via our pocket computers. All I can say is thank you to everyone we’ve met so far. We love you. And to those we haven’t met yet on our next adventure, we can’t wait to meet you. 

Just One More… tissue. My eyes are dripping over here.

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