Breakfast with Tiffany

As we entered Oregon on I-205, the sun glowed a strange red from the wildfire smoke. It was so thick you could pretty much look at it. I think we determined that you're not really supposed to, though. We stopped by Boardman for gas it was the first time actually out in the air. It was pretty unhealthy.

Bryan drove through eastern Oregon while I rode shotgun. I've been through there on I-84 a few times but for some reason, I didn't really remember how curvy it is. Coming through at night is interesting. Fortunately, Oregon has great freeways and they were in great shape. We crossed into Mountain time while still in Oregon but it wasn't long before were in Idaho.

The first thing you notice when entering Idaho is the speed. Oregon has always resisted higher speed limits and only reluctantly increased to 70 in the rural areas the past few years. Idaho welcomes you with 80 mph. That makes for ticking off miles at a good clip. At least, that's how they start you out. Boise and they surrounding areas have had tremendous growth the past twenty years and it wasn't long before we encountered construction. That 80 dropped to 55. I should say there wasn't any work happening but there was slower speeds and lane reductions.

In Nampa, Idaho, we met up with someone we worked with years ago in theater. Because of the nature of plays, you end up getting to know people of all ages, younger and older. Tiffany was just a teenager when she acted alongside us in several Driftwood shows. Truth be told, I think she preferred to spend more time hanging out with the adults than the other teenagers, though. Since then, she has become an actual adult, moving for a few opportunities and just recently settling into the Boise area.

I had let Tiffany know that "we" would be passing through on a road trip and it would be great to catch up over breakfast. On arriving, I pointed out that I hadn't really defined who "we" were. Then she noticed Jason and Bryan behind me. She seemed genuinely happy and surprised. Her husband wasn't able to join (yeah, husband, she's really a full adult these days) as he's been putting in long hours for lineman school.

We had a nice breakfast (okay, the restaurant wasn't great but it was open) and caught up a bit. We were a bit tired but it was still nice. We teased her a bit about not having been back to Grays Harbor at all since leaving. Truth be told, though, I don't blame her. Her parents don't live on the Harbor anymore and there really isn't a lot of reason for her to come down. I don't go back to where I went to school very often and it's always strange.

We struggled with lighting for a photo and it really shows. But we got to visit and that was the important part. I really wish for a happy future for Tiffany and Jacob (her husband has a name and everything). She seems happy, which is wonderful.

We continued on across Idaho and I would elaborate on its remarkableness but it was Idaho. It was smoky, there was a lot of construction that wasn't actually being worked on, and rolling farmland.

The theme continued into Utah, except the roads were a little nicer and there wasn't quite as much construction. Stopping at Maverik station, we needed to put the sunglasses on. By now, on the north edges of the SLC area (I'm sure it has fancy name like Milk & Honey Valley or something), we could see mountains to the east. Real mountains. I-84 continues into those passing through some real beautiful landscapes. We made to the end of 84, having driven its entire length, except the first 9 miles back in Portland.

We joined I-80 shortly before entering Wyoming. This is my first time in Wyoming, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it would be like a big mountain pass and that really hasn't been the experience. It's a lot more like Nevada or even Arizona or dare I say it, California. You can see for miles and miles across rolling hills and buttes. So many buttes. Scrubland that is mostly grasses.

We got gas at Little America, which is a big gas station, hotel and souvenir shop. I would have maybe got souvenirs but there was a lot of people and I didn't want to be around a lot of people. You wouldn't think that would be a problem in Wyoming. Roadwise, Wyoming has a lot of construction. It may not be a populous state but there is a ton of traffic coming across. The air has cleared up and we are past the smoke.

We've stopped in Laramie for the night, exhausted from a LOT of driving. The elevation changes haven't helped, either. Laramie sits at 7,165' and I can feel it. I don't do well with pressure changes and there has been a lot. I'm doing okay but looking forward to settling into some flatter land. I passed out before 8:00. Good thing, as I'm excited for this next leg of the trip.

Under Where?

We are under way! Jason is driving and I'm riding shotgun. Bryan has supplied the opening tunes, a collection of Norwegian death metal and Fall Out Boy. A fine way to start out. We picked up Jason from work, threw up the horns🤘 and departed Raymond.

I would say it's a beautiful warm day in Western Washington but the orange tinge to the sky is a little ominous. I'm afraid the wildfire smoke will only get worse as we continue. I-5 has some volume but not unexpected for a Friday evening. We are headed south and will be in Oregon soon.

I've got an early lead in the license plate game but Bryan may challenge that. Many states yet to come.

Friday the 13th

Have you seen the commercial for insurance that warns that they can't protect you from becoming your parents? Specifically, I'm thinking of the one where they are at the airport. Overpreparation. I feel called out. 

Sure, we're driving instead of flying, but I've jammed a lot of stuff into a duffle bag, a pretty big backpack and two reusable shopping bags. I'm sure I've still managed to forget something. Oh well. There are very few things I can't just buy on the road. Prescriptions, really, and I am sure I could get those if I have the time and patience. I actually nearly forgot one.

While I've packed nearly everything I could think of that would be useful, I haven't really coordinated some of this with my travel mates. I assume that they are bringing their own clothes, toiletries and phones. But they are a lot like me, in many ways. Do you think all three of us brought a CB radio for the car? Did we all download CW McCall's Greatest Hits for when that CB wakes up? Maybe these things are just what I would bring and the others have packed different road trip toys.

I will say that I've realized that packing for a road trip is a bit different than flying somewhere. A lot of my thinking has been around how do I keep myself from forgetting anything, as we move from hotel to hotel. I don't have to worry about TSA. I don't want to forget my shaped pillow somewhere, though. I bought the ugliest quilted sham I could find at Walmart. Emily just keeps commenting about how hideous it is. I just say "yeah! Isn't it great? It will never get left behind!"

Packing for a pandemic means making sure I have enough masks. I'm also making sure that I've got filters for my cloth masks, as I'm sure we'll be driving through wildfire smoke somewhere. We've also got camp chairs so that we have our own place to sit outside. That is the one thing we coordinated on so we didn't end up bringing 9 chairs.

We leave Friday evening, so I'm staying up way past my bedtime in the hope that I will sleep in. That is often easier said than done. We shall see. I'm 90% packed, so I'll probably call it a night pretty soon.

It's just after 2 am Friday morning. We leave in 16 hours.

Untitled Buddy Road Trip Movie

A few months back, I got a dumb idea to take an epic road trip. Not just a few hours but really put some miles in. I talked to Bryan and Jason to gauge how they felt about a road trip that involved more time in the car than at the destination. I expected them to say that they really weren't interested but they were enthusiastic.

We talked about where we could go, how much time we could take off from work and other responsibilities, and came up with a plan. It turns out that we only have one week plus the weekends. We can take off Friday evening, right after Jason gets off work. Bryan and I will connect and get a ride to Raymond, where Jason works. From there, Jason's 2020 Toyota Corolla will be our steed.

We set the trip for the middle of August to allow for the country to put the global pandemic in the rearview mirror. Vaccinations are available everywhere and infection rates were dropping dramatically. All three of us are vaccinated and have been for some time. That should protect us, if we were exposed, from the severe cases that have hospitalized and even killed so many people. Then July came. Only about half of the US is vaccinated at this point. Cases have been spiking dramatically and people are dying.

This more virulent Delta variant doesn't seem to hospitalize the vaccinated at a higher rate, but does spread much more easily. Even though we are protected, we can't travel with business as usual because that would increase the chance that we spread the virus. What is our obligation to protect strangers that don't "believe" the virus is real? I don't know but kids under twelve and those unable to get the jab for health reasons deserve to be protected.

So, we'll get to see America. The geography, the art, the beauty. But we'll spend less time getting to know the locals than we would have liked. Fully masked with the good masks. We do have some people to visit, but we'll be pretty strategic about that.

So where are we going? Stay tuned. We do have a detailed itinerary but the destinations aren't as important as the journey. It will be epic, though.

It's Tuesday morning. We leave in three days.