June 21 - trying to appreciate the desert

[Brock]

This is a dry and arid country we are traveling through. I thought many times of how we might try wild camping tonight if there were only a tree or shrub to hide behind! I feel like it is far easier to find free camping in places where you can't see for miles without obstruction, but that remains to be seen.

We left Columbia Hills State Park this morning around 8am and powered through the day without too many stops. We were fortunate to find a gas station at the interchange between US 97 and Highway 14 at Maryhill where we immediately consumed an entire box of old fashioned donuts and our beverages of choice (coffee for Adele and Arizona tea for me). The lady at the register suggested we check out the Stonehenge replica on our way east, which I had already seen two years before on a trip where I made friends with some free spirits out to observe the solstice. Adele and I opted not to rise before dawn to see the sun poke its rays through the precisely arranged stones this year.

The sun cooked us intensely while we observed the passing terrain, riding up and down hills and parching the backs of our throats. The one thing that kept me rolling at a steady pace was to notice that a river ferry working its way upstream seemed to be traveling even more slowly than we were, and with some effort and a well-placed downhill slope, we outpaced it for a while. These are the small diversions that keep one sane in the heat.

A stop at the Roosevelt market was timed with the end of the workday for many orchard workers who were arriving to purchase their afternoon snacks and libations. We took advantage of the only store selling food in the 70+ miles that made up our trip today and relaxed on the porch of the store while people came and went in a steady flow. A well-intentioned motorcyclist was friendly and inquisitive about our plans, seeming to want plenty of conversation, but we were too tired to engage at length and sucked on our frozen treats while staring into the middle distance. It's surprising how sometimes I find myself so ready to chat with strangers, and yet how at other times I cringe and the oncoming socialites. I suppose there isn't too much solitude to be found at the only store in the middle of the desert.

A family across the drive from us in the campground we settled at tonight is riding their set of tandem folding bikes from Oregon City to Spokane on the premise that ice cream is something you should have every day. I applaud their commitment to principle and hope they make it where they want to go without incident.

Having showered (paid for by a few quarters in a sockfull given us by Aaron - thanks!) and eaten our cans of chili, it seems like a good time to kick back and wait for the humid heat to cool. I really ought to have packed a good book, but maps and some audio may serve as relaxers until it's cool enough to sleep. I feel so brain dead right now.

Cooler day tomorrow is predicted and with it our arrival at civilization, internet access, and a shorter ride.