2023-05-01 45 -119

Mon 1 May 2023 in 45,-119: 45.8278177, -119.8096571 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

Off of the Tower Road Exit of I-84.

Participants

• Michael5000

Expedition: Part I

I started northwest from Baker City in the mid-morning and drove about 22 of the 160 miles towards the hashpoint when the engine temperature spiked, the "check engine" light came on, and the truck began to lose power. I took the next exit, and reached the top as the engine died, smoky steam coming out from under the hood. So that was exciting.

Various misadventures and a tow truck ride later, I'm back in Baker City at 1:25 pm. The truck is in a local garage, where it may or may not be being tended to by a guy who central casting might have sent over after a request for a "cantankerous elderly rural mechanic."

Maybe the truck will be easy to fix. In that case, I might yet make my way to the hashpoint.

Expedition: Part II

Shortly after writing the above, I got a call from the cantankerous mechanic, who gave me a technical description of the problem with the truck. I had to ask some follow-up questions before he really spelled it out for me: the truck was a goner. It was all done going places. It had become a repository for spare parts, except for the engine, which was more in the scrap metal line. And this was all perhaps not terribly surprising for vehicle with 343,443 miles behind it, but it was a bit sudden.

It also raised the intriguing question: "How am I going to get home?" Baker City is an almost five hour drive from Portland, so while Mrs.5000 was almost certainly willing to retrieve me, it wouldn't have been especially convenient for her. There is one bus a day -- but I had my bicycle along. I could theoretically purchase a replacement vehicle, but Baker City didn't turn out to have a dealership in my brand. They have car rental... but only for local travel, not for point-to-point.

So then it struck me -- pretty much every town has:

And so, with a moving van packed to bursting with a bicycle, a travel bag, a small backpack, and a sack of groceries, I started towards home. It was just as beautiful in the afternoon as it had been in the morning, but I got a lot further.

Outside of LaGrande, I slowed for a traffic stop up ahead, then came to a stop as a bedraggled guy in a bright orange hoodie leapt out of the car and ran across all four lanes of interstate highway. The copper, looking a bit put-upon and apologetic, gamely gave chase as the apparent scofflaw continued his flight towards a children's playground. I'm sure there was an interesting story behind the whole thing. Or perhaps just a really shabby story. In any event, I don't think the guy in the orange hoodie ever made it to the hashpoint.

But I did. It was almost sunset, and the nearby truckstop was bathed in golden light. It was a little further from there through the grass and sagebrush to the hashpoint than I expected, about half a mile, but I was pretty used to tramping through sagebrush after the last few days. Where the recent expeditions had been all about vast solitary silences, though, this one was all about trucks passing on the interstate. It was great: a good way to break up a long drive home, and a good way to wrap up a difficult day.

Photos

• 

  in North Powder, Oregon. Not very close to the hashpoint.

• 

  The truck stop, bathed in heavenly light.

• 

  Huah!

• 

  River, freeway, hashpoint.

• 

  Me at the hashpoint, with trucks.

• 

  View to the west.

• 

  Powerlines from Columbia River dams marching off southwest.

• 

  Looking back towards the truck stop.

• 

  Later, in The Dalles, another good way to wrap up a difficult day.

Achievements

• First Expedition to Morrow County. I've now been geohashing in 34 of the 36 Oregon counties.
• Changed from "Category:Not reached - Technology" to "Category:Coordinates reached" after Part II.
• Is there a "Superfluous Moving Van" Accomplishment?