Our box on wheels is finally put back together.  Ozone machines are out and we are moving out of the Inn and back into the LilyPad in the morning.  We took Ribbit in for a complete clean out and when I drove up, a huge 200 pound Millie colored Mastiff came running up to the car and stuck his huge head into the window for me to pet.  When I got out, he greeted me with a slimy nudge and glued himself to me until one of the workers pulled him off saying I was in danger of being given a big dog hug.   After we left, we went back to the Inn to pack.  When we returned to pick up Ribbit, all dog hairs and nose art were gone.  The Mastiff came up and slimed my leg, laying down at my feet and chewing his huge rawhide bone until we got up to leave.  It was hard not to tear up seeing that sweet giant face.

Breakfast was a quick meal of left overs before moving back into the LilyPad, now back together but still needing a thorough wipe down.   Upon leaving the Inn, Shirley wished us good luck, safe journey and hurry back.   When we arrived back at RV Corral, John took out all our stashed bags and boxes from their storage office and I began putting things back in place.  Both of us iced our backs most of the night.  Morning is going to bring all over soreness.

Next morning the new tires were mounted and we said our final farewells to Eugene, the city where we have been kept hostage for the last eight weeks, never to set foot, paws or wheels in again for the entire length of our lives.  A short stop overnight in Portland for some family time visiting Kenny, Deborah and Dot (cats and chickens too) then in the morning, off to Seattle.  Stopping to fill up on diesel we experienced the survival of the fittest, bird style.  Blackbirds were perched on the top of the station’s building waiting for a rig to finish filling.  When the rig pulled up and the driver got out to pay, the birds flew up to the front of each rig and pecked off anything moving.  When our turn came, we were greeted by two, fighting over our supreme choice of squished bugs.  Guess our slow pace leaves the bugs in better shape than the faster rigs.

Linn County, our pathway out of Eugene, is the grass capital of the country.  Some of the fields are just fenced, some are fenced with attractive signs naming the grass growing inside.  We passed miles of fields with strange named grass all being left going to seed for sale.  After the flat lands the hills picked up again and continued until we reached Washington state.  Passing over all the rivers from TX on we saw some magnificent bridges…until Washington.  So far they have had the most uninteresting, dull structures.  They look like train track bridges.

Alligators, aptly named pieces of rig tire tread stripped off and flung everywhere across highways, are a danger that travels with you along all roads no matter what the state.  To hit one is to take the chance of smashing the front of your rig and causing the wheel to be twisted out of your hands.  The road we travel on through to Portland has dozens of giant tree haulers crisscrossing across the roadways taking their multiple ton loads to places like Zip-O-Log Mill in Eugene.  Alligators splattered on both sides of the road, some flung into the lane and when seen we call out “alligator” to keep from running them over.  Just shy of Portland, we saw a dead goose on the side of the road.  Apparently they are not as revered when they wander onto the freeway as they are on the inner city roads of Eugene.  While searching the road for alligators we heard a loud startling THUNK and saw a shadow fly up over the rig.  Pulling over on the side of the freeway we contemplated what might have happened to the front of the LilyPad being hit with something the size of a goose…John secretly celebrating the demise of one messy pooping machine.  We found nothing damaged but began looking up as well as down for the rest of the day.

Arrived at Lake Pleasant RV Park in the early pre-mother’s day evening, planning to stay the next day to visit Seattle before moving on.