Road Trip

three days driving big Oregon loop Santiam valley towns decrepit failing pass lush forest lakes deep top burnt piss pick one wild lily fills car scent clouds vaporize solidify floating puffs Sisters charming tourist Bend usual endless strip commercialized America after open highway empty sagebrush dry hopeless homesteads blown away we picnic empty vast eases my soul buzz on across desert deadly pioneers my VW loafing at 75 loves 3000 rpm Hines Burns south ambiguous water land desert lake causeway see no lake wildlife refuge Malheur now blessing bird migration hub thousands acres Donder Blitzen river valley protected eight room hotel preserved historic tiny room old fashioned double bed dine family tables porch talk anyone screens limit mosquitoes night long Steens Mountain destination famous dramatic fault west side gentle east drop sheer mile Alford desert playa loop road snow plowed top closed we head south Catlow valley nary car beautiful ranches grasses trees magnificent isolation endless work north east side Steens spectacular peaks ridge chasms slopes blush green gravel road trail dust cloud scores more miles Oregon beyond picnic round barn century standing nap bigger room bigger bed read John Daniel months alone porch swallows clear mosquitoes feed chicks mud nests eaves peeping drive up Steens remark tree zones gradual high as snow breathe sweet road gate closed lone hiker coming down photo falling P Ranch barn dinner talk alpacas horses cruises tricky too many bugs outdoors bed better read sleep wake think stars step outside naked sky splendid splinter toe pants shirt shoes past roofs whole overhead stand gravel head back open Milky Way glowing clouds of worlds beyond conception clear no lights visible grand sublime neck stiff staggering what do with it trouble coming here below mistakes mendacity catching up stars go on hearty breakfast pay up hit road goodbye clear quiet space ready go birds galore still no lakes steer north pristine canyon mountain labyrinth John Day valley wide mad geology slow lunch busy only food many miles sail down Prineville oldest city ugly Redmond growing badly on and over steep Cascades pines yield Douglas firs Carol driving too much for me happy home flowers trees in cats salad blueberries moles comfort so June closed going glad return