Back to the Klickitat

Men weary as much of not doing the things they want to do as of doing the things they do not want to do.
-- Eric Hoffer

Friday, September 3, 1999
One year ago: In the Moment
Two years ago: Argument

Tonight Jack was to drive me down to his parents' place again, to get my newly refurbished car.

I wasn't sure before he arrived whether we'd be going on our own, or picking up his younger daughter along the way. His older daughter (the fifteen-year-old) had run off again last Tuesday. In a situation like this, where she's returned and run again so many times, the only thing to do is live your life normally. Impossible to wait by the phone forever!

Jack had already worked a full day, then got the van ready and returned some overdue videos, before setting off from Bellingham. I needed that time after I got home from work, to do my own packing and get my bag ready. Procrastination! Oops!

It turned out that we were picking up H--- at her mother's place, and a friend of hers would be going along. That was good, except that we'd have to drive straight through, rather than just sacking out in the back of the minivan somewhere en route. (A twin mattress just fits in the back.)

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We made good time to Olympia, arriving around nine pm. Unfortunately H---'s friend hadn't arrived yet, and there wasn't any answer at the girl's house, so we had to wait for a while. I sat in the van; I haven't been inside the trailer yet. We were starting to think about leaving the girl behind after a half hour of this, when a car pulled up, the girl hopped out, and the mother started thanking Jack for inviting the friend. A break for her, I guess.

Finally we were off. The traffic wasn't bad, but Jack was tired. We stopped for fuel and coffee in Kelso. I bought a bag of those new crispy M&Ms -- not bad!

After midnight, when we passed Portland and headed east along the Columbia River, Jack was really getting drowsy. We decided later that the coffee, though in a pot that said "Regular," must have been decaffeinated -- there was no revitalizing effect at all for him! Riding along, almost falling asleep myself, but striving to keep awake and talking to keep Jack alert, was rather nerve-wracking! Jack even veered off to the bumpy strip on the side, which fulfilled its purpose of scaring the crap out of us. So we pulled off into the parking lot at Multnomah Falls so that he could catch a few winks of sleep. I'd have shared the driving, but I don't drive a stick shift (hangs head in shame).

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We'd have all stayed in the van if the girls could have held still long enough for Jack to nod off, but there was too much shifting and moving on their part. So I made an executive decision and stepped out of the van with them. There were other cars and trucks parked in the lot, getting some rest the same as we were. We wandered down to the kiosk of illuminated signs -- tourist attractions and local hotels -- which occupied us a while. It was cool and breezy, but I'd warned the girls to bring their jackets. Many bugs were attracted to the lighted signs. "Grrross!" exclaimed both H--- and her friend. The word "gross" has been around since I was a kid, and before, but it seems to be enjoying renewed popularity in H---'s crowd. Everything that is the least bit unpleasant, displeasing, or annoying gets that epithet. This was plucking my nerves by the end of the weekend!

One poor soul wandered by and asked if we had any jumper cables. If we had any, I didn't know where they were in the van, and I wanted Jack to sleep, so I denied all knowledge of such equipment. I felt guilty as I watched him try to push-start his car, but I was protecting my sweetie! I don't know why the guy didn't ask anyone else; I guess he didn't want to wake up anyone sleeping in their vehicle since that might be dangerous.

The girls and I walked back to the van, but I made them stay outside, sit down on the sidewalk, and talk quietly for as long as I could stand. We looked at the stars, and debated whether the rock feature the girls were looking at on the cliffs was the actual falls. Pictured: the falls during daylight, last Thanksgiving. After about fortyfive minutes, I opened the van door and woke Jack up, and we were off down the road again.

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Jack was still tired and sleepy, but we made it over the Hood River toll bridge (a scary bridge because it's all made of that bridge grating stuff, which is creepy to drive on) and Jack got some real coffee at the convenience store on the other side. That coffee ensured that Jack avoided the deer standing in the middle of the road, as we drove up towards the town of Klickitat. "It was facing away from me, and its tail was down! Usually I see their eyes!" he exclaimed.

We were in bed and asleep within ten minutes of our arrival, I think!