A year ago I began this adventure… I loaded up a few things I care about into my VW and started driving to Denver. If Google Location History is accurate, about this time exactly I was rumbling across the Oregon Desert and getting ready for the potatoes to not eat me.

It’s been a strange year. My health is better than it has been in months, maybe over a year. I have a great job, amazing cow-orkers (Matt has built one hell of a team out here!), a stable place to live, and plenty to keep my occupied. On the downside, I’ve lost about a fifth of my right foot, I need to walk with a cane most days to stay stable, and my blood sugar levels have been “controlled”, but still hover around 200 (which is double what it should be). I have a BiPAP machine to help me sleep, although admittedly I’m still getting used to the infernal thing.

I miss Oregon. I miss friends in Portland, Eugene, and Bend. I miss driving to (and through) the Gorge. I REALLY am missing the coast lately, as one of my favorite things to do on hot days was disappear somewhere out that way. I miss Grocery Outlet (we don’t have them here in Colorado), and I’m sick of driving to Colorado Springs just to get my Bros brews.

But life is good again, if sometimes a little “weird” (which for me means the stuff that “normal” people do every day, like make a car payment and worry about how the rent is getting paid).

I still have money glitches every once and a while. Lots of medical bills and hospital stays the past year. But as long as this cable company keeps me employed things are ok.

I may not always show it (after all, my patron saint is Grumpy Cat), but I’m really appreciative of the life I have today and I wonder how I survived the past two years after my heart attack. There were days I wasn’t sure if I was going to survive: between the dizzy spells, the heart palpitations, and the lack of any kind of money to eat it was a lot to endure.

But I am alive. I am doing well. I am even thriving here…

Well over half way there.  Didn’t quite make it as far as I wanted.. I’m on the outskirts of Salt Lake City.  I wanted to be on the WY side of the border, but we had some hiccups.

The exhaust pipe is cracked nearly in half at the manifold.  I think I can make it to Denver with the exhaust pipe partially secured and strapped, but it means I functionally don’t have a working muffler at all now.  Also, the crack seems to have happened at a sensor, so I suspect I’m not getting full fuel economy now.  I tried to apply a muffler patch to the break, but it didn’t last very long.  I may need to try the same technique once I can leave the patch in place overnight to allow for it to cure properly.

So I made it this far.  Only about 500-ish miles to go.  One day’s hard drive..

So my temporary muffler fix is holding in place and it looks like I’ll make it at least through the next leg of my journey. I will need to do a more permanent solution to the van’s long standing issues.. even a maybe “final solution” if you will.  It may be right time to rethink transportation options in general once I’m settled somewhat in Denver. At minimum my immediate plans are to hole up near work and figure out more pressing moving logistics.

Anyway tied up a loose end I left dangling here in Redmond. Another will have to remain as I cannot find Morgana for the life of me. A quick stop in Bend and then.. well, Greater Taterland awaits.

I hate potatoes

I guess I could have chosen to do this in August, but blimey, it’s hot even here in Bend.

Muffler is falling off.. uh oh.

So today’s travel agenda is to get the van checked out for journeying.  I’m also taking the opportunity to visit a few people and take care of some last minute business in Portland.  Depending on heat I expect to head down to KV and then east to Bend.  It’s supposed to be another miserable hot day today.. for once I might actually be looking towards a trip over Santiam Pass just for the cooler weather.