Lower 48 Road Trip: Nevada and Oregon

“I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.” -Isaiah 41:18

Hey Overcomers! I hope you all had a happy Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. The wonderful thing about Jesus’ resurrection is that we can celebrate and thank God for this blessing every day of our lives, not just on a holiday once a year. I am so thankful to live in the reality that Jesus is alive and living in me! He is literally my lifeline. It was Jesus who kept us sane and motivated to complete our lower 48 road trip around America. Without him, we would never have conceived of this wild and crazy dream, and we certainly never could have completed it successfully without his constant help. I give him all the glory for leading us through it and proving his presence and love along the trip in a million different ways. He gave us strength and patience far beyond our natural ability to endure. All I can do is be in awe of what he accomplished through us and others and praise him for it all. Now, with almost disbelief, I am sharing with you the very last blog post for this trip to the lower 48 states. This project seemed to drag on forever, but now, here I am looking at the end of the road. I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed taking this journey with us and learning about how vast, beautiful and diverse our wonderful country is. When we reached Nevada, then Oregon shortly after, we knew we were nearly home. However, we stayed aware of what Jesus wanted to say and do while our trip was wrapping up. Neither of us had ever been to Nevada before, so we were curious to see it, but we both grew up in Oregon, so crossing into that state felt as if we were already home. Please enjoy reading about these two beautiful states below!

Nevada: I heard the Lord say, “Many have said, ‘There cannot be a move of God there…’ but watch what I will do. There will be rivers in the wasteland and pools of water in the desert.” We first crossed the border into Nevada from South Lake Tahoe, California on Halloween night 2023. The first things we saw in Nevada were… casinos. Surprise, surprise! From there, we only drove about eight minutes up Highway 50 to Zephyr Cove Resort on Lake Tahoe. The resort has a lodge and restaurant near the lake, with a campground across the highway where we stayed for a couple nights. Can you believe the man who checked us in at the front desk knows my dad? What a crazy small world! Even though the weather there was clear and mostly sunny, the temperature outside got below freezing overnight. This pretty much used up the rest of our propane, so the next day, we drove around South Lake Tahoe in California looking for some (KOA to the rescue). Gabe had some stressful work to take care of during our stay here, so he spent both mornings working over in the lodge restaurant. At least he savored the delicious breakfast and coffee. The beach out in front of the resort is incredibly gorgeous! Warm brown sugar sand stretches long and wide, where it’s occasionally punctuated by granite boulders which protrude up through it. These boulders are also scattered out in the crystal clear water as well. Because we were at Lake Tahoe during the offseason, there were not many people around, so walking along the beach and looking out at the tranquil waters surrounded by misty mountains was refreshing for our weary souls. Ducks waddled in the sand and swam along the shore. Colorful canoes and kayaks were lined up on the beach and looked so inviting… if only it wasn’t so cold! A long dock nearby offers cruises on a Southern-style paddle wheeler and a yacht. I can see why this place is an absolute paradise vacation spot in the summer months! I’m sure most people stay on the California side of the lake, so I can imagine it gets extremely crowded over there. If you ever visit Lake Tahoe, why not consider staying on the Nevada side to find a little more peace and quiet? I would definitely go back and stay again at Zephyr Cove. It’s a lovely spot! After soaking in all the beauty we could contain, we left the resort and drove north along the lake toward Carson City.

The drive through the forested mountains was gorgeous, but as we wound our way down into the valley, we passed the tree line and the desert landscape became rather sparse and rocky. Dramatic, rugged mountains surround Carson City, but instead of trees, they have more shrubby bushes and dry grasses. Highway 50 came to an end as we were coming into the capital city, so we turned north on Highway 395 which runs straight through town. Many of the buildings in Carson City are made of brick or stone and have an Old Western look to them. Along this main road through the city, we also passed the Nevada state government buildings, hotels, restaurants, shops, casinos and museums. Although it would have been fun to stop and shop around, we had to keep moving. When we reached the edge of the city, we merged onto I-580 heading north toward Reno. From the highway, we saw horses near Washoe Lake and spotted more mountains with trees. In about 30 minutes, we found ourselves in the middle of multiple casinos in the Riverwalk District in Reno. We drove down N Sierra Street and parked on the bridge overlooking the Truckee River. This is the word I heard for Reno: “The river runs through it.” Yes, the river literally runs through the center of the city, but I felt the Lord was hinting at something more. I believe he is revealing his plans for Reno. I pondered this word while we ate lunch and watched the river flow gently toward us. The fishing must be decent on the Truckee River because we observed a man in waders fishing from the middle of the river and another man fishing from a raft floating downstream. We spent a couple of hours in that spot resting and enjoying the peaceful river. There are nicely paved walking paths, as well as hotels, restaurants, parks and other buildings, on both sides of the river. It’s a pleasant downtown area. I recommend staying in the Riverwalk District if you ever visit Reno. After snapping some pictures, we we were on the road again. We drove northwest on Highway 395, passing Silver Lake and White Lake (their names match their appearances exactly). Our time in Nevada came to a close as we crossed back over into California on our way to Redding.

Oregon: I heard God say, “I will put Oregon back together again.” Hope has been shattered, but there will be a restoration of hope. Oregon is my home state, so I know all too well the pain and struggles of many across this beautiful state. In my opinion, things started to spiral down in Oregon when the housing market crashed in 2008. Although there have been moments of improvement, it just seems like times have been tough since then in a variety of ways. Homelessness, drugs, crime, rioting, theft, slow economic recovery, harmful political policies and broken families are among the major issues plaguing the state. However, despite what you may have seen in the news over the past eight years, Oregon has not always been this way. For the most part, it was a safe place to grow up where you still felt like you were in America and not some dystopian universe. I was born in Springfield and Gabe moved there when he was 10 years old, so we grew up going to the same middle and high schools. We both stayed in town for college, where we began dating, and got married while we were attending the University of Oregon. After we graduated, Gabe got a job in Camas, Washington, which brought us to Vancouver, WA, where we have lived ever since. Even though we don’t live in Oregon anymore, we are in Oregon all the time since we only live about five minutes from Portland. We’ve seen the decline in Portland over the last several years, and it’s been painful to watch… but there is hope! I’m so thankful God is still moving here and though it’s not super obvious yet, I believe at some point it will be undeniable. Many encouraging prophetic words have been given to Oregon over the years, and I know God is faithful to see them come to pass. Do not give up hope! The breakthrough will come!

On this trip, we entered Oregon from California on I-5 North in the glorious mountains around the border. Natural beauty abounds in Oregon, but I immediately felt the spiritual darkness as we crossed over. Of course, the weather didn’t help either since we were met with an abundance of rain. I-5 runs from Mexico to Canada and will take you through all the major cities in Oregon between Ashland and Portland. Most of my family and some of Gabe’s family still live in the Eugene/ Springfield area (the two cities border one another), so we were looking forward to seeing everyone. Late on Friday night, we made it into Springfield and pulled up to my mom’s place. We were unbelievably tired, but also excited to see our family and share with them about our adventures across the country. My mom was probably the most excited to see us of all! She came out to greet us with big hugs and kisses. Mom was so happy to have us home safe and sound from over three months of being on the road. My brothers Tanner and Brady were also there to welcome us, as well as Tanner’s girlfriend Mariah. We had fun catching up, telling stories and laughing. It felt so good to be together again! My mom graciously hosted us for the weekend and made us feel right at home.

On Saturday, we had a leisurely morning spending time with my mom. She is such a giver and is one of the most selflessly generous people I know. My mom loves to serve and provide for her family. We appreciate her love and thoughtfulness. For lunch, we drove up to my Dad’s property (my Grandpa Endicott’s old farm) to see my sisters Jessie and Savanah, as well our niece and nephew (Jessie’s kids). Gabe is pretty well known on both sides of our family as being the “fun uncle,” so he enjoyed playing a game he invented called “the net” with the kids. This game involves Gabe throwing a blanket over kids as they charge at him. All the children love it and there are always plenty of laughs. Jessie, who is a great gourmet cook, made us all a delicious and decadent lunch. We had baked brie with croissants and a creamy, cheesy pasta. Yum! After lunch, we drove into town to visit my Grandma Jan. When we arrived, we gave her hugs and sat down in her living room to chat. Her son Lyle happened to be over as well, so we all had a fun and interesting conversation about the road trip. They asked us many questions, and out of everyone, were the most eager to hear all about our country and what we experienced. Grandma Jan is easily one of the most loving, affirming and encouraging people I know. We are thankful for all she does to bless our family. After a delightful visit, we drove out to Creswell to Gabe’s cousin Jenny and her husband Aaron’s house for “family night.” There was a good sized-group of Gabe’s family present: his great uncle and great aunt, cousins, his sister Cori and her husband, and our nieces and nephew. I would name everyone, but we might be here a while. We have so much fun with this side of the family because there are always games, encouragement and crazy shenanigans led by Great Uncle Rick. They are not afraid to laugh, be silly and let the Holy Spirit move to bring words of affirmation to each person. At this family night, we gave plenty of hugs, ate an amazing variety of foods, played mafia, shared about our road trip and gave encouraging words. If only every family in America had gatherings like this, no one would ever feel unloved. Our family is not perfect, but we practice loving well and it makes such a difference. We appreciate Jenny and Aaron for hosting and for each one who came to make special memories. When the gathering wrapped up, we went back to my mom’s for the last night of the trip.

Sunday morning finally came… and it was time to go home! How could this trip possibly be over?! It seemed as if it would never end! We said “goodbye” to my mom and brothers and drove over to Eugene for our last visit of the trip. We met up with our friends Kris and Jessica for brunch at North Fork Tavern. Can you believe that we go all the way back to high school with these friends? Kris, Jessica and I were in theatre together in high school, so we have many fun memories to laugh about. Kris also lived with me and Gabe when we owned a house during our college years… you can imagine the stories we have from living with several college guys as newlyweds! Kris and Jess had just moved up from San Diego the year prior, so it was fun reconnecting with them and welcoming them back home. Gabe and I had never been to North Fork Tavern before, so it was fun to try a new place. The environment has an upscale bar feel to it with a quality menu. We enjoyed our food and in-depth conversation. They shared with us that Jess was pregnant with their first baby! We gave them encouraging words about this new chapter of life. It was so special to celebrate this significant milestone with them. After brunch, we hugged our friends goodbye, and set out on the final leg of our trip. Even though it was raining, the lovely fall colors could been seen all along I-5 from Eugene to Portland. The golden yellow and orange trees dotted the hills, mountains and roadside, bringing us a warm welcome home. As we came into Portland, we were just minutes from being home and it almost felt like we were floating. We crossed the I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River from Oregon to Washington with excitement in our hearts. We made it! Within five minutes, we were home in Vancouver!

We finally saw our beautiful home again on November 5, 2023, after being gone for 100 calendar days! Our house looked so familiar and yet so strange. All the pretty fall leaves were just turning in our yard as we walked up our stairs and through our front door. Honestly, it hardly felt real. We were home at last. Everything was nearly just as we left it and yet, it almost seemed foreign. We arrived right after 3:00 in the afternoon, so we still had a few hours of daylight left. As exhausted as we were, we decided to bite the bullet and unpack the entire van, which took us about two and a half hours! After this task, our mission was complete! We pushed through every challenge we faced and didn’t give up. We accomplished what we set out to do and relied on Jesus for our daily grace. It was the trip of five lifetimes in one and the fulfillment of an epic dream. As I reflect back on it now, I am full of gratitude for the many people and places we were blessed to see. I am thankful for how the Lord used us in special ways at key moments all across our country. It was truly an honor to be able to go and is a privilege to share it with all of you. I hope our journey has blessed you in some way and inspires you to go out and see America the Beautiful. I know God will continue to restore our country and bring incredible goodness out of the many seeds sown on this trip. In fact, he has already started doing this. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your love and support. May God bless America!