So yesterday was just a little crazy (no time to post), and today hasn’t been any easier. Russ, A and I left Portland around noon and went directly east along the Columbia River on the old scenic highway moving through Oregon. We stopped at several of the waterfalls that plunge off of cliffs hundreds of feet high into streams that feed into the river. One of the waterfalls is famous because in 1996 a couple who was posing for wedding pictures near the falls were killed when a huge boulder came crashing down. Creepy and morbid -- what a way to go.

After three Western cheeseburgers and diet cokes at a funny little diner on the river, we realized we needed to pick up the pace, because we still had almost 15 hours of driving left before reaching Denver. I guess it's easier to procrastinate when there are more people in a group.

On through eastern Oregon, we passed tree farms and compared stories of camping adventures. A and I were thankful for a new friend and a third mind, as well as the host of new music he brought with him. We sincerely wished that Russ had accompanied us for a larger portion of the trip.

After more than 800 miles, we were all tired, hungry and still more than eight hours from Denver. As we pulled into Boise, Idaho heading towards the Boise State University campus, we were dismayed to find that the only thing open was a Papa John’s pizza place and a sleazy-looking bar. Very hungry and tired, we settled on a grocery store and decided to chow down on bread, salami, cheese, Pirates Booty, Snapple, grapes and some Sour Patch Kids. Cheap and delicious.

Fed and refreshed, we decided to press on into the night. A fell asleep in the back, while I drove and Russ talked to keep me awake. With so much driving still left to do, we couldn’t decide if it would be better to sleep or just push on and drive through the whole night. Finally around 4:30 am, Russ and I had had enough, so we stopped at a small, dinky state park. In terms of ugliness and lack of natural beauty, it was the worst A and I had stayed in during our entire trip. We threw the tent together, rolled out the sleeping bags and climbed in as the sun rose. Despite being tired, it took a long time to fall asleep, because of the waking, chatty birds. Needless to say, it was a short night’s sleep.