Toward the end of the trip, I finally thought to take out my camera and take this picture. At the time I wasn't really sure what it was but later I could tell that it was smoke from a fire. Before this sight, I saw goats, cows, sheep, and deer (one of which ran across the road just in front of me). I saw new places that were truly spectacular, such as: the high desert from Weed, California, to the Oregon border; coming off the butte into Prineville, Oregon.
In Prineville, I saw a church sign that asked: "Where will you be sitting in eternity? Smoking or non-smoking?
In the 10 hours of driving, I made a long call to my parents and a short call to my daughter to make sure I had the directions to the place. I also listened to all but the last hour of the audio book, Gut Feelings. My iPod ran out of juice or I could have finished that book, finally. It's quite academic but really does make the case for instincts, approximations, and, well, gut feelings.
After Prineville, I drove an extra 10 miles as I missed my right turn 16 miles beyond Prineville onto OR 23. My real problem was knowing where the mileage started in Prineville. That and there wasn't any road sign that said "23." After five miles and deciding that the road I didn't turn on must have been the one I wanted, I turned around and took the road. This time I noticed an "Ochoco RS" sign, which I finally interpreted as "Ranger Station." Yes, the correct spelling is "Ochoco," not the Ococho spelling of my previous entries.
My next turn was to be 31 miles down this road. A couple miles short of that distance, I saw my daughter the side of the road. So after I realized it was her and backed up, I followed her down the only dirt road, a very dry dusty dirt road, that my Prius had ever been on. I certainly wouldn't have found the place without her.
It's the importance of family Life after Layoff to get me where I need to go.
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