Well, after a good night sleep we woke up early. We got ready, packed the car and pulled out of the motel before 4:00 AM headed for home. Normally I have enjoyed Idaho and Irene really likes the northern portion of the state. I was still apprehensive about some eager-beaver trooper pulling us over for having Washington license plates.
Fortunately nothing like that happened, praise God! We traveled a couple of hours in the dark and decided to go ahead and wait to eat and get gas in Ontario, OR. We hit Ontario around 6:00 AM and I was looking for an off ramp with food. I didn't see one and didn't realize we had blinked and past Ontario. No problem I thought, Baker City is just 71 miles ahead according to the sign. I had 1/4 tank of gas, should be enough, right?
The closer to Baker City we got the faster that needle moved. For the first time on any trip and especially this one I was getting worried. By now we are both hungry, I want a sausage biscuit and Irene wants hot water for her oatmeal and the car needs a major hit of fuel. Needless to say when I finally saw the Baker City exit I was both overjoyed and exhausted from anticipation.
We pulled in to a Chevron and told the guy to fill it up (you can't pump your own gas in OR.) We used the
friendly facilities and went back to colllect the receipt for the fuel. Well, I have a 15 gallon tank. The attendant added 13.5 gallons of gas. And that is without topping it off, the Oregon attendants do not "top off" or over fill. Wow! We had a gallon and a half of gas left. Too close for comfort, never again!
We found a Mickey D's where Irene got her hot water and I got my biscuit and coffee. We pulled out of Baker City much relieved, in more ways than one! :) Back on the interstate and pointed towards home.
The drive from Baker City to The Dalles (OR) is gorgeous. It is high desert. The sage brush was blooming along with the desert flowers. The sun was up and shinning bright. (We had a full tank of gas) It is desolate with just a few cities or towns in between. There's La Grande, Pendleton, Boardman, and then The Dalles. Yes, it is The Dalles, OR. At The Dalles we stopped for lunch and yes you guessed it fuel. At least that would be the last stop before home for both food or gas. Of course there were a few "rest stops" along the way.
The drive from The Dalles to Portland is beautiful. You find yourself winding along the way with the great Columbia River. But the drive seems intermnible. It goes on forever. All you want to do is hit Portland so you can jump on the I-205 cross the Columbia and head for home. I didn't think we would ever get to Portland. But we did!
We finally saw the wonderful beautiful sign that said Portland. We exited off of I-84 onto I-205 N and headed for home. We caught some rain. Naturally! This is the Pacific Northwest. We drove the final hour home and pulled in our driveway, Sunday afternoon around 4:00 PM. It was good to see the "Ye Ole" Tartan House Apartments.
We unloaded the few things that were in the trailer - Irene's tools that she had brought to "doll up" Sharon's house, my powerchair, and some snacks/drinks. I took the trailer back to UHaul and dropped it off to avoid further charges.
We hit the shower. I hit my recliner and we relaxed the rest of the evening thankful we weren't in a moving car. It was a great trip! WE had a blast. We would do it again and we both thought it was worth it!
Thank you for letting me share the trip with you!
The closer to Baker City we got the faster that needle moved. For the first time on any trip and especially this one I was getting worried. By now we are both hungry, I want a sausage biscuit and Irene wants hot water for her oatmeal and the car needs a major hit of fuel. Needless to say when I finally saw the Baker City exit I was both overjoyed and exhausted from anticipation.
We pulled in to a Chevron and told the guy to fill it up (you can't pump your own gas in OR.) We used the
We found a Mickey D's where Irene got her hot water and I got my biscuit and coffee. We pulled out of Baker City much relieved, in more ways than one! :) Back on the interstate and pointed towards home.
The drive from The Dalles to Portland is beautiful. You find yourself winding along the way with the great Columbia River. But the drive seems intermnible. It goes on forever. All you want to do is hit Portland so you can jump on the I-205 cross the Columbia and head for home. I didn't think we would ever get to Portland. But we did!We finally saw the wonderful beautiful sign that said Portland. We exited off of I-84 onto I-205 N and headed for home. We caught some rain. Naturally! This is the Pacific Northwest. We drove the final hour home and pulled in our driveway, Sunday afternoon around 4:00 PM. It was good to see the "Ye Ole" Tartan House Apartments.
We unloaded the few things that were in the trailer - Irene's tools that she had brought to "doll up" Sharon's house, my powerchair, and some snacks/drinks. I took the trailer back to UHaul and dropped it off to avoid further charges.
We hit the shower. I hit my recliner and we relaxed the rest of the evening thankful we weren't in a moving car. It was a great trip! WE had a blast. We would do it again and we both thought it was worth it!
Thank you for letting me share the trip with you!
1 comment:
You still had a gallon and a half? What did you stop for? No sense of adventure!
Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for sharing.
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