July 17 Boise ID to Pendleton OR

Boise. As you recall, I bypassed Boise while heading east due to . . . I forget now, but there was a reason at the time . . . and my original return route called for bypassing it to the north on the return west since I had already visited it on the trip east (except I didn’t). Whew! So, I told BOB, taking the Mores Creek Pass alternate route would put me in Boise well before 5:00 PM. It’s a long story, but I needed to do some shopping.

Of course, because of the accident on the mountain, that didn’t happen. BOB smirked. But, I retorted that I now have a new plan: get a room in Boise, see the things that I missed, shop, and be on the road in Oregon by noon. BOB shook his head (actually his V6 has two heads, and, as it turns out, two heads are better . . . well, you know), and reminded me that changing plans mid-stream rarely works out as expected.

We arrived in Boise after 5:00 with no clue where to . . . wait! There is the store I need, and it is still open, and they have (sort of) the items I want. Perfect. Now gas for BOB.

That is when I discovered that my debit/credit card was missing. The last time I used it was for gas in Arco ID.

OK, I have cash for gas and food, but I can’t get a room without my Visa. I searched BOB and found the Newport RI file photos, but no Visa. I called home and had her cancel my card and then, with plenty of daylight left, headed north on I-84 - the connection between Boise and Ontario OR.

BOB is merrily humming. With an hour or more of daylight and only 400 miles or so to Portland, I say to BOB: change of plan. Let’s just buzz home on I-84 (we can always do Return To Oregon later - we live there). 24 hour gas is available, McDonalds is always open, there are rest areas every 50 miles or so, plus, the only major hill is between La Grande and Pendleton.

It got dark (I hate driving in the dark), so I pull into a rest area just west of Pendleton to catch some ZZZ’s.

The pictures are from the day I was in Newport RI (July 5).
-Dad

July 18 Pendleton OR to HOME

Well intended plans - those made far in advance, and those changed in the moment - can often go awry due to unforeseen circumstances.

But, first, let me tell you about BOB. BOB is a real trooper (no, he’s not an Isuzu, he’s a Ford). Nearing a quarter million miles, and starting to feel his age (like me), he never let me down even on those long, steep upgrades, or in the hot stop and go city traffic. To arrive at the Borah Peak earthquake fault he proved he could 4 wheel drive like the big boys.

I had removed the back seat and built a pallet for my air mattress which gave me a comfortable bed inside a lockable steel cocoon. I made screens for the rear windows for bug preventing ventilation. On top, attached to the roof rack, I built a folding platform for my tent. I discovered that, other than a flat, dry, safe tent site, that platform served multiple other purposes and I was glad it was up there. And then it wasn’t.

I was rudely awakened this morning just prior to dawn with the wind gusting against BOB. I left the rest stop on I-84 and headed for home into the wind which got stronger in the gorge. That is when a hard gust broke my platform and I needed to stop and disassemble the remains. It was the only breakdown during the entire trip.

We are home now. 9147 miles. 537.9 gallons of gas. 28 days and every one of them amazing.

I didn’t take photos after Pendleton because I was busy trying to keep BOB on the road in the wind. These are from a variety of earlier days. 

Thanks for following along with me on my incredible journey.
-Dad