The first full day of Road Trip '09 is coming to an end in a few hours and the Wagon has found itself in Joseph, Oregon after 400 miles of eastward progress. Camping in the same site Liv and I used at Viento State Park in the Columbia River Gorge last night was restless and loud. Interstate 84 and the Union Pacific line run within yards of the site and bring all the expected noise such methods of transportation herald. Feeling my rest wasn't worth the $16.00 fee, I packed the Wagon and was heading east by 6AM, poaching the site before the campground hosts awoke. tip-toe, tip-toe.
Pulling off at a wayside along I-84 past Hood River, I took a breakfast break with self-brewed coffee sans coffee pot, and experienced the rebirth of plain oats. Delicious.
Further along I-84, I explored a cliff-hanging road that wound its way from river level to the top of The Gorge. Taking the Wagon down a farmer's dirt path, I stopped to absorb the magnificent view and fire off a few shots with the camera. Here's where the first casualty of Road Trip '09 took place. Prepping for a fine capture of my beard, the Wagon, and the Columbia River, I set the 10-second timer, plopped the camera on the tripod and said, "Cheese!"
Unfortunately, a gust of wind took over at the eighth second and the camera took a face-plant in the dust. Normally, this would be no big deal. But, falling from 52" with the lens fully extended brought the end to the camera. Sullen and downtrodden, I got back in the Wagon, returned to I-84 and drove on. Bollocks!
In Pendleton, Oregon, I explored a Wal-Mart for a replacement camera after successfully disassembling the camera but unsuccessfully repairing it. The clerk was a delightful 250 lb woman but Wal-Mart failed to fill my new photographic void. Finding a Radio Shack, I found the newer version of the since deceased, free for only $139.59.
Anyways, back on the road, I left I-84 in La Grande, heading north, then east, then south on OR-89, entering Joseph, OR around 4PM and finding a dispersed campsite along Hurricane Creek a few miles out of town. The weather's currently low-60s and rainy, hence the posting of my first day in the wilderness. I've also discovered traveling without Olivia isn't so grand. The driving part's fine since I go on autopilot and obnoxiously snap pictures every few miles, but at the campsite it's proving to be a little lonely (and currently cold).
Tomorrow's probably going to entail a campfire, then striking camp to head north in search for Hell's Canyon. Apparently, it's hiding about 4 hours away. What a sneaky canyon bastard.
Wagon Miles: 300,454 to 300,887
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