We awoke in Boise, ID this morning knowing that the trip was winding down. We stopped at a local grocery store for a few extra supplies, a quick gas stop (ran through the touchless car wash, too — there was a really gross rain of bugs outside Pocatello; they actually made a sound like rain as they hit the windshield — yuck), and we were off.
I-84 is pretty well-traveled territory for me, as it runs through Hood River and The Dalles, my old windsurfing haunts. But I’d only been through the eastern section of it twice before, while I was driving the U-Haul to Denver, and once again when moving from Denver back to Seattle. Each time, I sort of had other things on my mind, and wasn’t really paying attention to the scenery. This time, I got a chance to see more of eastern Oregon. Honestly, I’m certain that every little burg east of the Rockies/Cascades has its own little charm, but I have to say that most of the “high plains”, from the Central Valley of CA to Eastern WA and OR to Idaho and Montana and Wyoming… well, they all look pretty similar to me. Sagebrush and amber waves of grain, intermixed with the occasional hill, mountain, or stream. There’s a certain rugged beauty to it, I suppose, but I’m glad to be back in a place with a little character, even if that character consists mostly of strip malls and freeways.
We made it to Pendleton, OR (back in Pacific Time Zone! yay!) around 2pm, went to the wool factory, and Kristi got a blanket she’d been wanting. Then we attempted to book a room in town, but the Pendleton Rodeo is July 4th, so the town’s bursting at the seams. The hotelier set us up with a room in Hermiston, OR, about 30 miles further down the road. That worked out OK; the hotel had a pool and some free food at dinnertime, so we relaxed a bit, bedded down for the night, with visions of hearth and home dancing in our heads.
With any luck, we’ll sleep at Hilltop tomorrow.