Yesterday I started out from Spokane at 9am, back on the road and heading to my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Mel's house in Pleasant Hill, Oregon. After yesterday's storms the air was clear, the sun was shining, and I was up for the long drive. I-90 and I parted company in Ritzville, Washington. I headed south and I-90 continued west to Seattle. We had had a long and fairly cordial relationship, but it was time to move on. Gas prices along this leg were a stunning $4.09. Important travel tip: when filling a 55-gallon fuel tank, make sure you don't pay too much attention to the number of dollars on the receipt. Most fuel pumps have an automatic shutoff at $100, and I usually stop there instead of swiping the card again, but at Ritzville I filled the tank up. It was still a long way to Pleasant Hill. I took 395 to I-84 in Oregon, which winds along the south side of the Columbia River. A series of dams has created lakes in the drowned gorge interspersed with short areas where the river flows more closely along the original river bed. It is all beautiful. The dry country in eastern Oregon put no brakes on the crosswind that pushed the RV sideways in strong gusts that would suddenly quit, making my compensating steering immediately overcompensating. It was hard to take in the gorgeous views when I was focusing on staying on the road. This did not prevent me, however, from trying to take pictures on my phone through the windshield as I was driving, of Mount Hood as it rose unbelievably white to my west.
There wasn't a spot to pull over to get a better picture of the mountain, and the picture doesn't give the sense of otherworldliness it conveys as it floats snow-covered on the horizon. I did stop a few times along the way to give myself a rest from the constant buffeting. The shades of green and grey in the scrub were an understated foil for the the blue of sky and water.
I made it to Ruth and Mel's house in time for us to pile into their car and head to Allann Bros Coffee Grinders in Eugene. It was a folky open mic, with only four people on the signup list, including the host, Steve Goodbar. We went around twice, I sang seven songs, enjoyed the other music and we headed back to their house. I was really feeling road-weary by this point, but Mark was next door playing guitar, and so we went over there. I brought my guitar, we played a few songs and I had to call it a night before I became a sleeping puddle on the floor. There will be music again tonight with Mark and Dave, Mel's son-in-law. I have found good times and good music in Pleasant Hill.