Month: June 2026

6/28/26

Hello all, and happy summer to those here in the northern hemisphere! (Not sure if I’ve got any readers currently in the southern hemisphere, but if so, happy winter to you!)

Portland is overcast and rainy today; our consistent sunny and dry summer weather “officially” begins on July 4th each year, and it looks like we’re on track for that.

I want to share some photos at the end of the post of the next cat I sat for—the illustrious Princess Savannah Kumquat—as well as some beautiful photos of my trip with my friend Viv to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.

But first! I’m excited to share the tentative itinerary I’ve been dreaming up to escape our next chilly and rainy season.

I’d love to find paid cat sits (anywhere from about a week to a month) in many of these areas, as well as just cool people to meet up with. So, if you know of anyone in these areas who might be interested in either of those possibilities, please feel free to put me in touch! (For cat sits, feel free to share my page with the person: www.dreamintochange.com/cat-sitting )

As most of you know, I have a dream to travel every mile of track in Amtrak’s network. I estimate that I am about 80% of the way there, especially after checking off four more segments this past fall, winter, and spring, in Illinois, Virginia, and the Carolinas.

The next big segment I want to cross off my list is the section on the Texas Eagle train between Chicago and Fort Worth. I have previously traveled the segment of that line from Los Angeles to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but not north of Dallas. Along this line, southbound from Chicago, are two more rail sections I’ve never done: St. Louis to Kansas City (never visited either of those cities) and Fort Worth to Oklahoma City. I’ve never been to Oklahoma, and sadly, that Heartland Flyer route seems to be on the chopping block at the end of this year due to a funding shortfall. So, I want to make sure to experience it while it’s there!

My general plan is to stay here in Portland through September (and if you know of anyone looking for a cat sitter in the Portland area during August or September, again, feel free to put us in touch! Those two months are totally open at this point.) Then I would travel to the following cities at least, and possibly also others along the way (see the lavender outline of my route on the map):

Chicago

St. Louis

Kansas City (day trip only, since that train doesn’t have a baggage car)

Fort Worth

Oklahoma City (day trip for the same reason)

Austin

San Antonio

Tucson

Tempe/Phoenix area (I’m still dreaming of a cat sit in the Culdesac Tempe development!)

Palm Springs

San Diego

Los Angeles

San Jose

Roseville (where I plan to reprise last fall’s monthlong 6-cat sit!)

And then! Around mid-May, I may depart from my standard rail mode of transportation, because I’d like to find a way to either find a carpool or make bus transit work to see the Avenue of the Giants! This has been on my list for many years, and I’d really like to make it happen this time. I’d also really like to see some other redwoods in California and/or southern Oregon.

I would arrive back in Portland probably in late May.

I’m so excited!! I love dreaming up these journeys, and I’m looking forward to visiting many of you, meeting cool new people, and connecting with cats and beautiful natural spots in many different states.

With that, I’ll leave you these photos of the kitty princess and the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (in early May, which was peak bloom!)

—

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Schedule a free one-hour video or phone call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in a continual process of manifesting a “salary” for the unconventional work I do in the world. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a fairy godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my godfunders, patrons, and supporters!)

6/15/26

Hello all, and happy almost-summer to those here in the northern hemisphere!

I have gotten way behind on my blog posts—sorry! I returned to Portland on April 26th, and I’ve had some lovely times in nature and with cats since then. I’ll catch up as soon as I can!

Upon my arrival back in Oregon, for the first few days I enjoyed alternately sunny and cloudy skies over the familiar sights of my beloved adopted home city. Spring was out in full splendor, and I soaked it in via neighborhood walks and bike rides as much as I could.

And, within my first week back, I took care of a new pair of kitties, Suave and Bean.

They lived near the Gateway district of Portland, in outer NE. One reason I chose this sit was because the Gateway Transit Center is where one can board a bus out along the Columbia River Gorge. I had been looking forward to cycling some roads and bike paths out there, for my first time! In fact, one of my Warmshowers hosts in Florida had highly recommended the Old Columbia River Highway as a beautiful place to ride.

So, I made it a priority as soon as I returned. I took a $10 bus—the Columbia Gorge Express—from Gateway out to Hood River. I had made that bus trip before, but I had never bicycled out in that area. That day, after stopping at a vegan bakery for a quick lunch, I bicycled to the tiny (population 430) town of Mosier. I hit the weather and the season exactly right: the views were unbelievably spectacular.

One thing I really came to appreciate during my travels in Florida this winter was how many small transit companies there are, serving small communities in vital ways. I made heavy use of them this past winter, in places such as St. Augustine and Gainesville. I have always been quite a transit geek, but this winter’s experience made me all the more determined to explore and appreciate Oregon’s small-community transit agencies, too. The CAT system (Columbia Area Transit, aptly abbreviated for me!) is one such wonderful example, covering the Hood River area. After my 8.3-mile (13.3-km) ride to Mosier—most of which was on a car free path—I was able to hop on a $1 bus to take me back to Hood River, where I transferred to the $10 return bus to Gateway.

I’m looking forward to more multimodal nature explorations this summer!

—

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Schedule a free one-hour video or phone call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in a continual process of manifesting a “salary” for the unconventional work I do in the world. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a fairy godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my godfunders, patrons, and supporters!)

6/7/26

Pretty much just photos this time! The ride from Washington, DC to Portland took about three days, and I did it almost all in one shot (which is always fun for me!)

I didn’t get any pics between DC and Chicago—much of which was overnight anyway—but I had a several-hour layover in Chicago, so I enjoyed some relaxing views of the bean and the river, and stopped for lunch at a vegan Mexican place where I enjoyed a torta.

Then I boarded the train to Portland, which was to take almost exactly 48 hours.

Scenery was mostly beautiful sunny and cloudy wide expanses, but as we got closer to Glacier National Park in Montana, the temps dipped significantly, and we were shocked and delighted to see snow!

I had taken this westbound train twice before, once in the spring and once in late August, and by the time we reached Glacier on those trips, it was after dark! I was so tickled to see this wintry weather (from the cozy comfort of the train!) before we lost all the light.

When we woke up on the second morning, the dining car and half the passenger cars had been disconnected and sent on their way to Seattle, while we Portland-bound folk were lucky enough to retain the sightseer lounge car. We spent hours hugging the bank of the beautiful Columbia River, watching the gorge unfold lazily.

And then… we were in Portland!

After a wonderful almost eight months away, it felt good to be back. I’ll be in the NW, mostly in the Portland area, for the summer. (I’m dreaming up my next fall-winter-spring journey as we speak, getting ready to cover more new-to-me track while escaping the NW weather!)

I’ll be sharing photos of my nature sojourns in the NW over the summer. I hope you’re all enjoying the nature and weather wherever you are!

—

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Schedule a free one-hour video or phone call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in a continual process of manifesting a “salary” for the unconventional work I do in the world. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a fairy godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my godfunders, patrons, and supporters!)