Got on the road at 11, which was pretty good given the previous night. We went to an excellent breakfast place in Portland, and began the drive east. Along the mighty Columbia, past the dams that tame it, and the requisite reminiscing about the MECC game Oregon Trail and the rafting of said river. Into Washington, and had dinner at Jake’s Cafe, where I got a heaping pile of roast beef, and an equal amount of sass from the waitress. She threatened to sit on James because he ordered a milkshake; her mass was sufficient to cause him serious harm.
James Peeing on Idaho
Across the panhandle of Idaho, where I took an excellent picture in which James happens to be peeing. He claimed a need to mark his territory. Just across the border in Montana, we stopped at Yaak campground, where there wasn’t another soul.
Yaak
We scrounged wood from other campsites and made a fire. Neglecting to take any bear precautions, I began getting a little anxious as the night wore on, and we munched chocolate cookies by the fire. Then the train came through, which I swore was bearing down right through the campsite. We wandered toward the river, and saw the next train illuminate the valley with its headlights, reminding me of the Polar Express. There was also the claim that we saw the Northern Lights. We did each see the same colors, of the same shape, in the same area of the sky. However, our minds were not completely clear, and one cannot dismiss the power of persuasion. Either way, the sight was breathtaking, before I remembered that we were being stalked by bears. James tells me I slept fitfully.
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