Road Tripping – Day 2

This is day 2 of a road trip I am taking from Portland, OR to Cleveland, OH. Read the full series here. 

1. After this, I won’t call Hillsdale the middle of nowhere.

I went to college at a small liberal arts school in southern Michigan. There’s no major highway in sight. There are, however, chain restaurants, several groceries, a Wal-mart, and places to drink beer. Compared to what I’ve seen today, this is a bustling metropolis. 

I haven’t spent much time out West, and I knew about the claims of nothingness. But it took driving through state highways across Oregon to internalize this.

Miles and miles of….nothing. No cars. No homes. No electric lines, even. Something else! And there’s plenty more of that to come. 

2. Ohio cars have it bad

This trip was precipitated by a car that my father saw on eBay, a 1986 Supra in basically mint condition. It looks like it’s barely been driven — and it hasn’t. Part of the beauty is that it’s not encountered salty roads and the nasty freeze-thaw-slush cycle of northern Ohio. Oregon drizzle just doesn’t cut it, apparently.

3. Everyone has a backpack

What’s up with that? From the moment we got to the airport I felt quite foolish by carrying a satchel. Backpacks are how it’s done. It goes back to the free-spirit, one-with-nature vibes. 

Next up…

We’ve still got a way to go, but we’re ready. When I told the car seller our plan was to hit the Idaho line by sunset, he thought we were a little nutty. But we’re here, well-rested, and we have still taken time to sightsee and relax. Onward!

The car. It’s a lot of fun. These cars are becoming desirable, fueled in part by the Fast and Furious image of the old Japanese drift-cars.

Albert Lake, Oregon’s only saltwater lake in the High Desert. Otherworldly. 

  Stopped by Crater Lake — quite a beautiful site, although National Parks sure are crowded and confusing. Glad we stopped by, though. 

Headed into the sunset for Idaho, Montana, and beyond!