How To Not Travel Through Eastern Oregon

I love my family.

I do.

Which is why, every single year, I go visit them.

And travel through the desolation know as eastern Oregon.

People who think the world is over populated have never driven those sorry stretches of state high ways.

I mean, it’s pretty barren.

Which is exactly why I was pluggin’ along {going roughly 30 miles over the speed limit} earlier in July.

And also why I got pulled over.

In Christmas Valley.

Actual name.

Actually as lame as the name implies.

I had just driven through the center of town.

And by center of town I mean I rolled through it’s one stop sign and glanced at the one store. 

And I picked up speed. 

And then quickly slowed down as I saw the Sheriff that had just passed me make a U-turn and flip on its lights.

Officer: Hello.

Me: Hi.

Officer:  Do you know how fast you were going?

Me: Yes, sir.  I was going 60.

Officer:  Did you know it was 35 mph?

Me:  Are you kidding me?  I thought it was 55 mph.  {I really, and truly, thought I had hit the sign that said 55.}

Officer:  Nope.  It doesn’t turn to 55 mph till that sign right back there.

Me.  I’m sorry, I had no idea.

Officer:  Where are you headed?

Me:  Idaho.

Officer:  What for?

Me:  To see my family for the 4th of July.

Officer:  I’m from Orofino.

Me:  Are you really?  That’s such a nice area.  {Never been there in my life.}

Officer:  And a guy I trained and is now my friend is working in Meridian.

Me:  That’s amazing.  I grew up in that area.

Officer takes my license and registration.

Officer:  Normally I would ticket anyone that was going 25 miles over the speed limit…..

Me:  I can understand that.

Officer:  Ten over the speed limit…?  Wouldn’t have even batted an eye.  Twenty-five over the speed limit…?

Me:  Totally different story.

Officer:  But I’m letting you off with a warning.

Me:  {Obnoxiously thankful}

Officer begins to walk away and comes back:  I’m also letting you off because you only have one more kid than me!

Thank you, Officer

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And on the way home…

we got to see this beauty:

How you might ask?

Because our tire had shredded.

Forty miles on the east side of Christmas Valley.

And we weren’t breaking 50 mph.

Driving with a spare tire.

Which we had no idea we had in our car.

{P.S. it wasn’t in the trunk.  Discovered only after we had unloaded all of the luggage for seven people coming home from a week long trip to Idaho in 100 degree weather on a deserted highway.}

The trip home took two hours longer than normal.

I love you, family,

so much, that I’m letting you come visit me from now on….

Katie