The Willamette Valley is beautiful—but also gray. Wet. Overcast for long stretches of the year.

And over time, that began to wear on us.

Life was fine.

But it no longer felt fully alive.

We began visiting Central Oregon.

Bend. The high desert. Open space. Sunlight.

Something shifted.

It reminded me of a feeling I had known before.

To begin, click the “CROOKED-RIVER-RANCH” link after "POSTED-IN" below to view all parts in order.