Photo: Loren Kerns

It’s time to dream, time to explore, time to get away.  It’s time, for Oregon.  Why?  I don’t know.  There are so many places in the United States to travel, so many places in the world.  However, something about open land, big tall trees, and the escape of nowhere that seems to be…Oregon.

Now a father of two, car travel is a great way to travel because of the lessened expense to take the entire family further distances away from home.  Air travel will come, yet, with two young children, a journey for the body and the mind to separate us from the everyday routine of work, school, play, homework, cooking meals, paying bills, going to way too many birthday parties, and trying to somehow save up to pay for the every expanding list of American Holidays, leaving on a wondrous wander is the lust of my heart, and a road trip can definitely sooth that dream.

First is the dream, next is the plan.  Oregon, a place so near, yet so far away from a Californian’s scope of usual travel ideals, has recently be shown to me as a place for the explorer, a place for the person who is looking for solitude and peace out on the open road, a place for the athlete in search of constant hiking, biking, surfing, sight seeing, and mountain sport activities.

Photo: Andrew E. Larsen

If you’re like me, vacation is so important for the mind, yet, the body can’t be left out.  Because my daily regimen involves about 1-3 hours of sports a day, as is the same for my wife…and kids (4 and 7yrs old), going to Oregon is not and can not be a sedentary act.  For if we tend to explore, we will drive to get there, yet must explore within the confines of athletic endeavors.

How far will we venture from our home in California?  Well, we’re not sure exactly.  As long as we find open freedoms and places to “play,” (be athletes), we may traverse much of the state.  For this is the beginning of the journey, which is the dream state.  It is where the emotions lead to searching, and the searching becomes plans.

Photo: Michael (a.k.a. moik) McCullough