The backstory

Ten days before departure... part scared witless, part excited as all getout. I have never lived outside of Oregon's walls. Sure, I've traveled to distant parts of the world. New Zealand, Guatemala, East Germany. But I really haven't ever moved away to live. So it is with trepidation that I embark on my journey. I am moving to New Orleans, Louisiana, to be with my daugther and ex-girlfriend. My ex-girlfriend wanted to move back to New Orleans because the winter in Portland sucks, and I am game for an adventure. My daughter is almost three years old, and I couldn't live without her anyway, as she means the world to me. Admittedly, wintertime here in Oregon is pretty rough- all  8 months of it- and my catering company (Headwaters Cafe) suffers in the long and wet winters of the Northwest. So it's actually a pretty good option, all things considered, just a scary one. Anything is possible with enough money and time, but both might be scarce, and that's what scares me the most. The worst thing in my mind would be to leave Portland without very much money and either break down and be stranded, or get there with absolutely nothing. So hopefully that won't happen. As in many things in life, it seems like it could go either way. Hopefully, I will meet great people on veggie oil websites and couchsurfing.com and have a great time. I do beleive this country is full of great people who are willing to be helpful and reach out. We shall see.