shout-out to Pickup Truck Dude

dude in white pickup
stopped and offered me a lift
but I told him "Nein"

The guy pulled off the freeway in front of me and, like Frank on Route 14 near Underwood, WA, waited for me to walk up to him. He offered me a ride, proudly noting that he'd just dropped off "another hitchhiker" (the word "another" implying that I must be a hitcher, too). I told him I was walking across the country and didn't need a ride; he gave a cheerful "OK" and drove off. That was around Mile 92, I think.

So I'm here at Celilo Park, in my tent and listening to the wind blustering through the trees. The park is a haven for sailboarders, kiteboarders, and other folks who enjoy wind and waves. The parking lot is full of RVs and tents are all over the place, making the park look like the night before the opening of a major Star Wars film. The day was fantastic: bright, windy, and somewhere in the 70s. With the wind at my back for most of today's walk, the only real minus was those hair-raising bridge crossings.

I plan to leave here fairly early and take my time walking past Deschutes State Recreation Area and into Biggs, where I'll be motellin' and reassessing my route. I want to delay crossing back into Washington for as long as possible, as I'm trying to avoid Route 14. This means figuring out where I'll be stopping for the night while still on the Oregon side. As the Gorge ends and the terrain flattens out, I imagine I'll find plenty of potential campsites. I saw quite a few today, in fact, but knew I'd be ending up in Celilo and had no reason to stop earlier.

It's getting darker, but it's still blowing hard out there. I really appreciate this tent's design, which very effectively protects me from the wind. Getting sleepy. Need to take out contacts.



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