2nd Day (The Dalles - Ellensburg)

I wake up twice during the night, but at least I manage to fall back asleep until 6 o'clock. That's enough to feel somewhat fit and finally do what I have planned: write down everything I experience. I skip breakfast - there's nothing except coffee, tea, and hot chocolate anyway. Motel 6 are probably the most spartan motels in the USA, but they are consistently clean. Since I don't have shampoo, I wash my hair with soap. It's also unfortunate that it's the first day because I usually take the partially used small bottles with me.

After eating, I go shopping - mainly I need water. I also realize that instead of deodorant, I brought foam styling mousse, and after trying it out and realizing it doesn't have the same effect, I buy 'Old Spice' Body Spray with blackcurrant. In our country, this scent has the reputation of being used by pensioners, but here it is available in several variations. In Oregon, there is the oldest bottle return system in the USA (since 1973), where 10 cents are charged for each plastic bottle. In Illinois, they didn't have it during Easter. I throw the bottle collection on the bed of my pickup truck, hoping that nobody steals it. And then, I also get, to my shame I admit, that I like root beer. Most people imagine their dentist while drinking it, but now I can associate drinking it with joy.

After enjoying 2 bagels, I drive my vehicle onto Interstate 84, along the Columbia River, which is quite wide here and also supplies several hydropower plants. 30 km later, I cross it, thus entering Washington, and then I drive over the mountain ranges, which are the foothills of the Rockies, on Highway 97. The road winds through the passes in serpentine curves. The signs that instruct to put on snow chains (from Nov. - April) show that it does snow here in winter. But today it is sunny and the sparse vegetation makes me compare the area to the deserts in California, even though it's much further north. Impressive on the numerous viewpoints is always the vastness of the land, which seems neverending. In Toppenish, a city in the Yakama Indian Reservation, the landscape becomes more agricultural, and you can always see the mountains in the background of the wide valley that you drive through.

My journey ends today in Ellensburg, 'only' 224 km from my starting point. First, I check the bathroom at the Econolodge - and there's a soap and shampoo dispenser (the absolute exception in the USA). A look in the mirror tells me that soap is not the best substitute for shampoo for my hair, so I'm looking forward to a better hairstyle on my journey towards the north and Canada tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, I will cross the border, and I'm very curious to see how that works. Drug checks are not necessarily expected, since marijuana has recently been legalized not only in Oregon but also in all of Canada.