Road Trip Journal #4

 

Friday, February 5^th

 

In the morning, Pike Place Market was buzzing and active – maybe quiet by normal standards, but far from dead. People unloading fish from trucks, packing it into ice, arranging flowers. It’s a remarkable thing when a famous tourist attraction is also so inescapably pragmatic and real. What a special place.

 

Grabbed a coffee and a new travel mug (my old one split in the Idaho cold) at The Original Starbucks Location. Barista there recommended Bacco Café for breakfast, and after a stroll along 1^st Ave., I took her word for it and was rewarded with a lovely sidewalk breakfast (crab benedict and coffee). The whole thing felt refreshingly indulgent and “normal.” It’s lovely to be in a place where you have no responsibilities…

 

Then onward! First east on 90, through national-park-style wilderness. Pit stop in Easton, at a cute little gas station/convenience store called the Parkside Café (“Home of the Turtle”). Then on down to the dry plains, through hardscrabble towns along Route 97 that have their own barren beauty. As the sun dipped low, I neared the Columbia River Gorge, and the views coming down to it from the high ground were breathtaking. So, too, was the drive along the northern rim of the gorge itself, overlooking causeways with roads and train tracks running along them. Some of the best scenery of the whole trip, without question.

 

It was late afternoon when I reached White Salmon, a charming little town perched on a slope overlooking the river. Took a stroll with Andrew McEwan, then added his wife and kids to the mix, then strolled again, then a takeout dinner on their porch. All exceedingly pleasant, and mostly unexpected. Their kids are adorable, and, as Dad would say, full of beans.

 

After dinner I crossed the river, and the Washington/Oregon border, on a private bridge (!) with a $2 toll. My first time in Oregon! Spent the night at the Hood River Hotel, which is pleasant and historic, but also painfully hip. It was a bit odd to see people happily congregating, maskless, in the lobby. Made me uncomfortable, truth be told – but the room was nice, so no complaints.