When the World Stopped — and the Promise Began

In 2020, the world shut down. Comic cons were canceled. Festivals vanished. And I had nothing to do but make earrings, write Etsy SEO… and promise my daughter the world.

At the time, Cate was 9. But at 5, she had already developed a very serious, very adorable obsession: volcanoes. By 2020, that obsession had leveled up. We watched every volcano video YouTube could throw at us — documentaries, eruptions, science lessons, lava lamp comparisons, you name it. Cate soaked it all in like lava on pumice. Every new fact seemed more exciting than the last.

One night, after yet another deep dive into Mt. St. Helens, I promised her:
“One day, I’ll take you to Washington. We’ll see it in person.”

Surprising My Daughter with a Family Trip to Oregon

At this point, I had been grinding for over two and a half years trying to get my business off the ground. It was finally starting to feel like something was working. I finally had time — and money — to plan a real family trip to Oregon. This wasn’t just a vacation — this was part of my new chapter: a single parent travel blog in the making, and a real chance to reconnect with my daughter through shared adventure. A single dad taking his kid on a Pacific Northwest journey? That was finally happening.

Cate had been through a lot during the divorce — and while travel after divorce with children is rarely easy, I was determined to make this one count.

So screw it. This was going to happen.

Why a Family Trip to Oregon? A Single Dad’s Answer

The Pacific Northwest has a green you don’t see anywhere else. Once you witness that hue — rich, deep, almost glowing — it burns itself into your memory. My pictures from the first time I went never did it justice. I wanted Cate to see it with her own eyes.

Because it’s stunning. And because it’s weird and wild and green in a way Texas will never be. Because Cate deserved something epic.

And maybe because I needed it, too.

I had already been to Portland once for Wizard World Comic Con (yes, I loved it — yes, I want to go back). I couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful the Pacific Northwest was and how much I wanted to share it with Cate.

So I booked the tickets. Then, to make it even better, I didn’t tell her.

We told her that she and her mom, Julie (my ex-wife), were just dropping me off at the airport. Julie even packed a secret bag and hid it in the back of their SUV.

We pulled up to the curb. I turned to Cate and asked,
“Do you know where I’m going?”
She guessed Oregon.

I smiled and said,
“Wanna come with me?”

Her eyes lit up.
“But… I don’t have any clothes!”

We opened the back. There was her bag — fully packed, ready to go. Cate’s jaw dropped. The grin that spread across her face was enough to make up for every bad year and canceled plan.

Flying with a Kid During the Pandemic

Thirty minutes later, we were buckled into a nearly empty plane, rolling down the runway. Cate was glued to the window as the engines revved for that drag race to flight. She showed no fear — only wonder. Honestly, it felt like magic. Eyes wide, face pressed to the glass, she watched the ground disappear like it was the start of the greatest story ever told.

We had a layover in San Jose because all direct flights from Dallas to Oregon had been stopped during the pandemic. As we descended into San Jose, Cate was still glued to the window, chattering about the houses she could see below — completely unaware we were about to land.

When the plane touched down and the brakes hit hard, she grabbed my arm and let out a deep, loud gasp as we were jolted back in our seats.

The moment it was over, Cate exclaimed, “That was like a skateboard out of control! That was AMAZING!”

The whole plane cracked up laughing. Cate had this look of pure amazement — like she’d just discovered a brand-new thrill ride the world forgot to advertise.

The Layover, the Crash, and Second Thoughts

We had a three-hour layover in San Jose before catching our next flight north to Portland. This time, once we were in the air, the excitement of the day finally caught up with Cate. Somewhere over Northern California, she leaned against my shoulder — and was out cold.

I stared out the window, then looked down at her, fast asleep, her little hand still gripping her seatbelt. And that’s when it hit me.

Oh my God. I’m really doing this. I’m taking my 9-year-old daughter across the country.

It landed in my chest like unexpected turbulence. Suddenly, I started second-guessing everything I had planned. Could I keep her entertained? Would she be homesick the whole time? She had never been away from her mom this long. I started to wonder if I had made a mistake.

Too late now — we were on a ride. I just had to take the chance that I wasn’t going to emotionally scar her too badly.

A Free Upgrade and a Soft Landing

I woke Cate up and we got off the plane. Even though she was groggy at first, she perked up pretty quickly. We made it to the car rental place, where I had reserved the cheapest economy car they had.

Cate, ever the enthusiastic travel partner, told the guy at the counter we were going to Mt. St. Helens and planned to explore Oregon. Without missing a beat, he upgraded us to a four-wheel drive SUV at no extra charge. He said no one was renting cars — no one was really traveling and we would want a bigger car the mountains.

We drove across town to our hotel, checked in, and immediately crawled into bed. This trip set the tone for everything that came next — the good, the chaotic, and the stuff I’d absolutely do differently.