These days are so full and fun! For a little variety, we spent the whole day in Oregon enjoying an amazingly beautiful state.

1706.8 miles: The day started out nice and wet and gray.

1728.0 miles: Breakfast on the go!

Around 1800 miles: We had seen a couple semi-trucks with these mud flaps and finally got a picture of them. If we were getting $.44 per mile, we would have made almost $800 by this point!

1843.9 miles: Before we lost all the fog, we stopped for a little forest exploration between the cities of Eugene and Florence.

1854.4 miles: A little bit further down the road, we stopped again for more trees.

1854.4 miles: This face cannot convey how much I’m enjoying the warmth of the sunshine!

1895.5 miles: On a tip from Jeremy and Jaime Phelps, we checked out Heceta Head Lighthouse, just a little north of Florence.

This is the best lighthouse I have ever seen. It’s still functioning, and the assistant lightkeepers house is a bed and breakfast now.

Thanks for the tip Jeremy and Jaime!

1934.1 miles: Oregon has more than trees – they have some great lakes and rivers too!

1979.3 miles: As the light started to fade, we started looking for a great place to watch the sunset. We stumbled on the Coquille River Lighthouse and enjoyed a spectacular sunset!

What a beautiful day! After sunset, we still had another couple hours to drive before reaching Brookings, OR, and the home of the Schriebers… more coming soon!

Back on the road again! On Day 9 we left Lynden and headed south. We felt so loved and cared for in Lynden that it was like leaving home. We’re already looking forward to our next trip there!

Next time I go, I’m counting how many windmills I see in Lynden!

Bye Lynden!

1418.8 miles: On the way out of town we stopped by Rite Aid to pick up some medicine for a little cold that was starting to bother Matt.

1433.1 miles: We checked out downtown Bellingham, and stopped at Starbucks to take advantage of their wireless internet and get a warm drink.

1521.1 miles: Lunch with Marcus Tabert in downtown Seattle, and a great time for Matt and Marcus to recount the old days and catch up on the new ones.

1521.7 miles: After lunch we realized that we were close to the REI flagship store, so we stopped by to see where it all began. The bug helmet was tempting, but we did pass on that one…

1525.2 miles: On the way across the West Seattle Bridge, we saw some container ships. It made us wonder where our container is – probably on a ship, probably in an ocean, but other than that, we don’t know!

1531.0 miles: Sterling and Rachel Culbertson took us to dinner at a cute little deli called Husky’s in West Seattle. Matt grew up with both Sterling and Rachel so there are lots of stories, particularly about homemade movies, raising baby birds, and all kinds of unthinkable antics with Sterling. Along with the great stories, we really enjoyed talking with the Culbertsons about life, ministry, making decisions, and loving the Lord. Thanks for a great time to connect, Sterling and Rachel!

1534.6 miles: We couldn’t pass up Alki Beach, a great view of Seattle, before we left the city.

1644.4 miles: We drove all the way to Portland this night. This pic is at the rest stop where Matt demonstrated what it means to rest, and Rachel took over driving.

1704.8 miles: Jeremy and Jaime Phelps (and Zuri the Rhodesian Ridgeback) let us crash at their place for the night. They have a great little apartment right downtown in Portland, and from the sounds of it, an awesome opportunity to be involved in ministry in the city. We were so glad to be able to connect with the Phelps, and we’re excited to see where the Lord leads them in the next couple years!