How this idea started

Yay this is the first post! A lot of people have asked me why the trip out west...why Portland, Oregon and how we came up with this idea. I wanna say its been about 9 months since we decided we were going to do take this trip. August worked out for us because of summer classes (boo). My last class is August 16th and we're peacing out August 17th. But going back to the planning of the trip, we got our inspiration from the book 1000 places to see before you die. Then came the lists of things we wanted to do, then created a map, then a rough idea of a route we will take. Even though I am totally stoked to check out this great land of ours...I am excited for the personal growth and experiences. I will be pushed to the limit, and I will be pushed far outside my comfort zone. We will be road tripping the entire trip and mostly camping. And I mean camping with a tent and an air mattress than Matt's mother bought for us :] and using Matt's backpacking stove to cook most of our meals. Frugality is the keyword here. I'm looking forward to the challenges.

On this trip I also want to find some ideal places to move to when I graduate college. I'll be finished in a year and a half and Matt will be finished a short time after. Since the Michigan economy holds no promises in teaching (for me) and any type of environmental jobs (for matt) so we are outta here. Hopefully Oregon will love us and accept us.

There are a few BIG reasons why Oregon is the place for us:

1. Portland, Oregon has a mass transit system.

2. MICROBREWERY CAPITOL OF THE WORLD!

3. Very local and independent...all restaurants and shops are locally owned and operated.

4. Liberal

5. Eco-friendly

6. My personal favorite...you can't pump your own gas, its illegal! I despise pumping gas personally.

I'm hoping that this blog will show growth and gain support from our friends and family! I'm excited to share all our experiences on the trip with you. I hope this blog will document many memories. I even hope that this blog will inspire others to go out and look for whatever it is you are looking for. Life is too short.