we left oregon last thursday morning.

after making one last run to the storage unit, i began to put everything else into the car. (when i saw the piles on my living room floor, i was worried i had over-estimated my car’s capacity, but everything fit nicely, with the exception of atlas’s giant dog crate.)

usually, when i am making multiple trips back and forth, atlas wanders back and forth with me, or else he explores the bushes behind the apartment. this time, he walked out with me, then he stood like a statue next to the car, his eyes fixed upon me. many many trips later, he still hadn’t moved.

part-way through, i brought all my pillows and blankets out to the car to make a comfy bed for atlas. i arranged everything nicely, then i asked him to get in and test it for me, so i could see if it needed any adjustments. he jumped up onto his bed and then he refused to get out. his face clearly said, “i am not leaving this car. you might forget me.” it was pretty cute. he never did get out. instead, he enjoyed his bed while i finished packing.

when i left, i was exhausted and excited and had pickle juice on my feet.

there must have been a jar of pickle juice in the garbage with a lid that was ajar because when i carried the last bag of garbage to the trash bin, pickle juice began to drip onto my toes and then the bag broke and everything spilled onto the ground. i had already locked the apartment for the last time, so i improvised and cleaned my sandals and feet with a jug of water and a towel that i pulled back out of the trash bin.

that first day, there was a lot of driving, and the drive was uneventful.

we stopped at multnomah falls so i could say a proper photographic goodbye to my beloved portland/oregon.

we stopped again at a rest stop in eastern oregon, where i found some lovely weeds along a fence line and atlas found a snake draped on a fence post.

we stopped again in cornell, washington, to meet a bloggy friend for dinner. we took subs to a park and ate them there, a few wasps as our companions, so atlas could lie on the grass and eat a treat.

after dinner, we raced a storm all the way to spokane.

the sky was black behind us, thunder crashed overhead, and lightning split the sky in front of us.

my general plan for the trip was to either camp for the night or stop at a rest stop for a few hours of sleep.

we couldn’t camp that first night because there were flash flood warnings in effect. i stopped at a rest stop near coeur d’alene to sleep for a bit, but the storm caught up with us and the rain was so heavy that i couldn’t leave the windows open. atlas kept panting, so i got back on the road, thinking i’d drive to the next rest stop and see if we left the storm behind.

it was raining so hard that i didn’t feel safe driving, so i took the very next exit.

guess what we found there?

the first thing we found was a hotel that allowed dogs. not only that, when i went inside, there was a picture of a weimaraner next to their desk. when i told the clerk that i had a weimaraner in the car, she introduced me to dodger, their guest services manager, who just so happened to be a weimaraner. (that’s him in the bandana.)

finding dodger on that rainy night felt like the loveliest example of serendipitous magic, and i went to bed happily.