School on a Bus (a.k.a. Radical Sabbatical)

We arrived home safe and sound on June 28, 2007 after more than 10 months of travel. We appropriately followed the Lewis & Clark trail via the Columbia Gorge. As the hills rose around us, the weather cooled significantly and our spirits lifted in anticipation of our return to our homeland. It was a wonderful feeling as the scenery changed from the hot, dry plains of eastern Oregon to the lush greenery of the Northwest. We were welcomed the gray clouds and rain showers as we crossed the Columbia River into the state of Washington. We couldn’t have been happier.

The Kobayashi family greeted us with waving arms as we came up our driveway. For the next few days, we continued to live in our bus as we helped the Kobayashis move their things into their new abode – only a mile or so away as the crow flies. We lived together as a family of twelve for the first week – eating meals together and coordinating schedules between the two families. One byproduct of the trip is the new found friendship we have with the Kobayashi family.

Going on an extended trip is somewhat like being an astronaut on a long space mission. It was an opportunity of a lifetime. While on the road, it became a lifestyle and there was always plenty to see and do to keep us busy. But once it was time to return, our joy of safely arriving back home was inexpressible. We feel extremely blessed and it will take some time to absorb all our experiences. Don’t ask anyone what their favorite part of the trip was – there’s just too much to choose from. It’s impossible to boil it down in that way. The journey is not over – it is simply entering a new phase as we readjust to life back at home. Our family remains close and we’ve gained new insights into each others strengths and weaknesses.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be continuing to fill in this blog with the events in the last portion of the trip – not so much for the benefit of you the reader but mostly as a family archive for years to come. Feel free to check back every week or so for updates. I’m currently a couple of months behind but I’ll be extracting reports from everyone’s journal.