6 August 2023

Welcome to the latest issue of the fortnightly GVP Newsletter!

“Small world experiences remind us that we are all connected in ways we cannot always see.”

– Unknown

We just got back home from a trip to Colorado for a family reunion. Since we’re always looking for an excuse for a road trip, we took Wally, and made a two-week trip out of it, visiting friends and exploring amazing places along the way. We had to start by dropping off our son’s dog Vaughn in Portland. The next morning we headed east.

When in Idaho the temp hit 109 degrees, and since I didn’t see a lot of trees or mountains around, it looked to be a very warm night boondocking. Then I remembered Three Rivers Crossing State Park, as we had stayed there before, with a luxurious carpet of green grass spreading under huge shade trees. So, for only the fourth time in 74,000 miles, we stayed at a campground.

I wandered over to chat with the adventure van parked in the next site. When I told the family with two kids that we were traveling from Portland to Salida (to visit friends), they laughed, and said they were traveling from Salida (where they lived) to Portland! Turns out they have a coffee shop and gear store in Salida, and are super good friends with the Oveja Negra founder, as are our friends. And in fact, our friends in Salida knew this couple!

That reminded me of 48 hours in Portland where we experienced FOUR ‘small world’ experiences, which is the story of the latest blog post.

Hiker Pro Tip #14:  The night before leaving on a trip, fill all the water containers (Platypus, Smart water bottles, etc) you plan to be using on the trip, and leave them on the counter overnight. In the morning, not only will they all be ready to go, you’ll be able to tell, before you’re in the middle of the desert, if any of them leak and need to be retired.

LINKS – When I include links, it’s in case you want to get more information on things I enjoy or find interesting.  There is NEVER any affiliate credit associated with any link I include.