Brendan Gates

Oregon Trail
When: 3/15/2008 2345 Hrs PST
Where: Eugene, OR (The Residence Inn)

We made it to Eugene! To the Residence Inn, specifically. A welcome reprieve from the budget motels we had been frequenting along the way.

Let’s recap the trip:

Miles driven: 2853
Hours on the road: ~44
Sodas consumed: Too many
Motel 6’s visited: 3
Times dog “relieved himself” in a hotel room: 2
Times we were asked about the prius: 2
Cans of V8 consumed: 4
Highest point: 8046 feet (outside of Flagstaff, AZ)
Oil Changes: 1
Knives purchased: 1
Times I was lost at the Hoover Dam: 1
Pictures taken: Countless

I mapped the whole thing out in Google Maps, but I exceeded the number of stops you can add to a map so I had to break it into two parts:
Part 1 (St. Louis, MO to Turlock, CA)
Part 2 (Turlock, CA to Eugene, OR)

My pictures are all up, you view them here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brendangates/sets/72157604109924659/

Once Ladyfriend posts hers I’ll link to those as well.

It was a very long trip, and we’re very glad to finally be off the road (though still not quite in our own apartment). Thank you to everybody who left comments or called or sent notes along the way, your support is much appreciated.

Oregon Trail
When: 3/15/2008 1935 Hrs PST
Where: +41° 18′ 39.14″, -122° 19′ 1.39″

We had been driving up and down hills (mountains) past lake Shasta, and it was starting to snow. We hit the town of Mount Shasta and we decided it would be wise to top off the gas in case the weather got worse and there were no “mountain gas stations” for a while.

In line inside the foodmart, there was a very drowsy looking native american man making confusing small talk with the cashier. She didn’t seem to mind, and even seemed to know him, though she did ask him if he was high. Then she told him to step aside so she could ring me up. He apologized to me and then went to stare at the slushee machine.

Oregon Trail
When: 3/15/2008 1830 Hrs PST
Where: +40° 38′ 53.34″, -122° 21′ 41.56″

Another gas station. This stop was to let dog and I out to use the bathroom, and to purchase a few snacks.

A white pickup pulled up next to us and the woman who got out asked what kind of mileage we were getting. Then she told me that she was looking at getting a prius, if she could ever come to part with the truck. For those keeping track, that is the second consecutive stop where somebody asked about the prius. Can you tell we’re in California?