Adventures of Chloe Rue: Portland to Portland

For those who are new to the blog, the ‘Adventures of Chloe Rue’ posts follow my dog named Chloe’s life adventures as we travel around the United States together in our camper. My grandma made me VERY paranoid about the internet so these were all written and experienced just under a year ago.

I am sitting in the animal hospital right now, reviewing this post and adding photos. Chloe Rue, ate a broken glass jar of peanut butter. I will never forget meeting her guilty brown eyes and then looking to the floor, where glass was everywhere and peanut butter was… nowhere. I felt panic, paranoia, terror and then a sense of urgency. All I can say is thank God for animal hospitals and their on-call surgeons. And thank God for pet insurance. We use Embrace pet insurance, and hospitalizations are covered. She is going into surgery here soon. Update: the glass was removed and Chloe is okay! She is home with me now, on a strict diet of NO GLASS EVER AGAIN.

The Adventure Begins

Now, let’s tell a Chloe Tail of a cross country adventure, from the Great Atlantic to the Wild Pacific. It was January, 2019 when I began to negotiate for my next traveling position. Though I enjoyed Maine, I missed living in my camper which had really become my home. Having roommates in what I came to call ‘The Crazy Farm’ was getting old, and I missed my own space. I became good friends with one of my roommates (Shout out to you Sarah! Thanks for being amazing!) But I was beginning to search for a new gig. So when I received a call from Portland Oregon, it was a VERY tempting offer. But… driving from Portland Maine to Portland Oregon, towing a camper, in January- ya gotta be kidding me!

I was in a car accident in December resulting in my truck, Mad Max being totaled. A young lady was texting and driving, speeding, and rear ended the Chevy hard enough to total the poor truck! Luckily Chloe Rue was at daycare that day, or this blog may never have happened. However, this meant I got a new, gorgeous F350 diesel truck with 75,000 miles on it! With this new truck named The Super Beauty in mind, an offer I couldn’t refuse and the temptation to move back into my camper it was decided: the drive from Portland to Portland would be happening.

Chloe was sad to leave her dog friends at the crazy farm. One of her favorites, KC, a 12 year old golden was one of her best friends! She knew it too, the moment she saw that camper she wanted to stay with the snow in Maine. We wrapped her up in KC’s bandana and fully intend to visit Kennebunkport again in the future.

The Blizzard

I am a huge proponent for staying open minded to opportunities while taking long haul road trips. I love the open road and the possibilities for new experiences. And I love having the flexibility to stop wherever I feel like stopping, whether it’s driving through the night or only driving 3 hours. But let me say- blizzards and campers do NOT mix. They just are two things that should never go together. So when my sister calls me, to inform me a ravaging, blinding blizzard is engulfing the midwest with snow, expecting to hit Ohio right when I’ll be driving through… well I panicked a little. And managed to talk my sister into coming to help me drive.

I always say Chloe Rue is the spoiled one and in this scenario? She was the happiest clam! Chewing on her bone in the back seat while I met up with my sister in Cleveland. I’m pretty sure I was actually the spoiled one on that not quite snowy day. Has anyone taken their camper through an airport before? My sister decided to use an uber to meet Chloe and I at a Walmart, to avoid the fiasco of a camper in the Cleveland airport but I’ve always wondered.

Then we drove incessantly, stopping only for diesel and potty breaks through the night. It was 5am, when we pulled into the RV hall of fame. 26 hours in my truck, with the threat of a blizzard over our heads, and truly we belonged at the RV hall of fame. Did you know you can stay for free? With a complimentary stop inside of course. Two crazy sisters and their friendly dog successfully driving across the country- we should’ve framed a photo of ourselves. Instead, I get to write: we beat the blizzard.

Something I found completely mind blowing about the whole trip was how actually small the United States feels, after you tow a camper across it. Yet, there is so much to see. From the appalachian mountains to the plains of North Dakota, every stop has it’s own beauty and ties a culture into its roots.

I left my sister and the rest of our family in Minnesota and North Dakota after celebrating a wonderful Christmas in January. Chloe LOVES spending time on the farm, running with the other dogs and smelling all of the Red Angus cattle.

The Flippin’ Flu

Onwards and westwards we trekked! While traveling through the windy North Dakota winter air, I looked back to see my camper awning had whipped out and away in the wind! Whoops. Luckily my brother has equipped my camper with a variety of tools, including a wrench to remove the remainder of the awning, and despite wreckage we continued on.

I stayed at this amazing free campground called Strawberry Hills outside of Miles City, Montana. It was so beautiful and I was warm in my camper using propane heat. It was one of the first times I used freecampsites.net and it was totally worth it.

I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a heard of sled dogs. Chloe was very concerned, and was laying literally on top of me when I woke up. At first I thought the heat went out, but it was still running hot. I took my temperature to find I had a blazing fever. I felt like garbage. But what can you do, other than keep driving? After filling up a couple gallons of water and taking many a medication, I felt ready to keep plugging.

It was slow going. I made it to the really cool Pompeys Pillar National Monument that was closed to vehicles but had room for my camper to park! I slept for a few hours and walked around the national monument. By golly it was a gorgeous stop!

The next day I decided I needed medical attention. I was indeed quite sick and they did the strep test and the flu test (which is a million times worse than strep- they stick a wire UP YOUR NOSE). I had the flu, despite getting my flu shot. That nasty virus mutates faster than a rabbit running from Chloe Rue. They gave me a nebulizer because my oxygen saturation was low and BAM my airways opened up, and everything felt so much better. So I kept driving!

Idahoooooo!!

After dodging the blizzard with my sister, I was disgruntled to check the cameras over the Missoula Pass. My uncle and aunt live in Helena and offered a place to rest, but I was nervous about passing along the flu. They are the greatest though and I LOVE staying at their place. But I decided to miss the nasty blizzard round two and head south through Idaho.

This was a pretty cool decision. Crater of the Moon Monument covered in snow, Elephant Caves, old time gas stations in tiny rural towns with the nicest people and hot chocolate- oh yeah Chloe and I had a good time going south.

One thing I am extremely grateful for is the delight that is the Super Beauty. We pulled into Crater of the Moon National Monument anticipating snow, but unaware that there would be no parking. Anywhere. Especially for a massive camper/truck combination. But the Super Beauty and I and Chloe are an unstoppable team! Knock on wood. We turned around plowing through snow and ice and without hesitation maneuvered up an icy hill. Boo ya.

But one of my favorite Idaho stops was the last gas station for 70-some miles. I pulled in after dark, with light fluffy snow falling down. Chloe had to potty so we walked around, absorbing the beautiful dark mountains and whisper of falling snow. This gas station is an entirely wood structure with christmas decorations EVERYWHERE. I know, it was January, but the atmosphere was adorable. I was met by the sweetest lady who looked like Grandma Christmas herself, with an apron and glasses, welcoming Chloe inside too for a treat. We walked inside and found myself some dinner, and Chloe got a plate FULL of treats. Inside was overrun with winter and christmas decorations, necessary road items and free hot chocolate WITH marshmallows. There was soup, and a complimentary microwave. Perfect supper for recovering from the flu! And she offered some tea for the road. A young male employee was there as well, looking like a handsome sir nicholas. And of course, this means I panic and am unable to produce logical words. But truly, a magical rural Idaho gas station experience.

Heart Warming Portland

We got past the Rockies in an uneventful, beautiful manner. Well, except for my diesel exhaust fluid tank went all wonky on me- so there was this count down of milage on my dash, but my brother reassured me it would be alright. The snow melted away and the sun was shining all over Oregon. This was not expected myself but boy it was appreciated. We pulled into our little spot at Roamers Rest RV park in Tualatin, with two days to acclimate to the new area before work began.

Portland is a beautiful city, with fields and wineries to the west, the Columbia River Gorge to the east and shining sky scrapers outlining the city. I had successfully made it from the wild Atlantic to the fierce Pacific. Despite so many complications, from a lost awning, blizzard, the flu and dodging a second blizzard, the experience was unforgettable. I learned so much about the importance of having more faith than fear, and recognizing the true meaning of being an independent woman. After all of that- is there anything I’m not capable of? The answer is that I can do anything.

Thanks so much for following The Adventures of Chloe Rue! What is the craziest long haul trip you’ve ever experienced? Has anyone else ever had to travel with the flu? Like, share, comment and spread the word! Until next time, happy tails.

Barking Embarkers