While we had been anticipating and getting ready for this trip for days, it still felt like a rush to get everything gathered and the car packed this morning. It reminded me of the reflection question (or the party game) where someone asks “If you had to leave the country and had only 30 minutes to pack, what would you take?”

Well, we had significantly more than 30 minutes to pack, and I still couldn’t settle on what exactly I was taking. Cool clothes for hot weather? Warm clothes for cool weather? Rain clothes for wet weather? And, which books do I want to take? The one I should finish? Or, bring an entirely new one or two just for this adventure?

Of course, my dear husband is a great adviser. His solution, you ask? “Why not take a little of everything.” So, of course, I was the one who still had to make the decisions. And a “little of everything” won out. Why else do we take the car?

But, we did manage to get the car packed and after a stop for some Starbucks for the driver, and a fresh bath through the car wash for our little Prius, we were on the road by 10:30 a.m.. Off like a herd of turtles, as my Dad used to say.

We went over the mountains and turned toward Yakima, stopping there for lunch at Mel’s Diner – which was actually delicious. We stretched and took a little walk around the parking lot at the diner, then saddled back up for the ride East and South to Baker City, OR.

Along the way I began to smell onions . . . for some reason, onions. But I didn’t think much about it until we passed this truck – full of more onions than I’ve ever seen in one place. And, it smelled of onions. Headed for some Costco, I’m sure and those giant bags of onions they have in their produce department – those big delicious Walla Walla onions.

For entertainment, we talked. And, talked. And talked. I love road trips. That part maybe the best, and all the varied and picturesque scenery is an additional grace.

In Baker City, we found a Mexican restaurant for dinner, which was extraordinarily good, and settled into the Rodeway Inn just off of Main Street.

I walked the parking lot for my exercise and listened to the country crickets and far off train whistles as I watched the crescent moon setting to the West.

We’re off to a great start!