Day 1 – 8/2 Home to Vienna, OH
Every long journey begins with the same question: How far can I get today?
For Jack and me, the answer was 437 miles.
We pulled out of the driveway around 12:30 p.m., leaving behind familiar roads with Oregon—and whatever adventures waited between here and there—still thousands of miles away. Day one wasn’t about spectacular scenery or famous landmarks. It was about getting moving, settling into the rhythm of the road, and knowing that once the first day is behind you, the adventure has officially begun.
Our one planned stop was Short Story Brewing in Morgantown, West Virginia. It turned out to be an excellent choice. I sampled a flight of IPAs—Son of Juice, Hazy Beer Hug, Ambigram, and Pixel—while enjoying one of the best salads I’ve had on the road. Pixel was my favorite of the flight.
After lunch I wandered out onto the brewery’s patio overlooking the river. It was peaceful, the kind of place where you almost forget you’re supposed to keep driving. It was a reminder that some of the best travel discoveries aren’t the famous attractions—they’re the unexpected places you stumble across between destinations.
By evening we crossed into Ohio and stopped in Vienna for the night.
The mileage wasn’t extraordinary, and there weren’t any dramatic photography stops along the way. But every expedition has a beginning, and today the important part wasn’t what I saw—it was that the journey had finally started.
Jack’s Notes 🐾
Dear Journal,
Today Dad finally figured out that the giant truck we’ve been loading for days wasn’t just for another trip to the grocery store.
We drove…and drove…and drove.
He stopped at a place that smelled incredible. Sadly, despite hundreds of delicious smells floating through the air, I was once again forced to eat my perfectly acceptable dog food.
Humans have strange priorities.
I supervised the entire drive from my seat, made sure Dad stayed awake, inspected every rest stop, and approved our lodging for the evening.
Tomorrow, I expect squirrels.
— Jack
