Early Honeymoon Days
{ Life }
August 9, 2005
I am in Walla Walla, Washington (a town so nice they named it twice), staying in the Eisenhower suite at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. Yes, that’s where Eisenhower stayed quite some time ago, for one night. There is a great period black-and-white framed photo in the lobby of the affair. If the men in it aren’t chomping on cigars, they should be.
In the past few days, David and I have talked to nearly all of the people who live in eastern Oregon. There are Patty and Jay, who used to run the Millican Store but then bought the town of Hampton, some fifty or so miles east. The town of Brothers is for sale. We stayed in the Frenchglen Hotel in Frenchglen at the foot of the Steens. It’s more like staying at someone’s old farmhouse. Family-style meals and cottonwoods.
Yesterday we drove around the Catlow Valley and into the Alvord Desert, hiked around the creepy Borax lakes, drove on the playa (fast), and then something like one hundred miles on small gravel roads.
North further, still on gravel, we encountered a peculiar old graveyard with gravestones from a hundred years ago and more, clearly all one family, dying here and there of tragic events (especially the three children that died on the same day). Shortly thereafter the road was blocked by a Chevy Suburban and a Les Schwab tire truck–the Suburband had gotten three flats at once.
“It’s been 24 hours,” said Suburban owner, “and you’re the first car I have seen pass.”
This made David extra alert for the rest of the drive over littered baseball-sized rocks and absolute nothingness. Finally we were dumped out on highway 20 near nowhere.
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you’d better have lots of pics when u get back [of the scenic stuff, of course!]. just dont let me near your camera! ;-)
ps – apparently the rumor has already been spread around that i’m in love with your sister. hah! pretty amusing..
great reading about life after the wedding! sounds like you guys are having a blast.
good news on my DJ equipment. the only replacement stuff i had to get (so far) was the special tracking records. the needles were fine. i’m getting nearly 100% tracking (excellent) after replacing the records ($10 each). sweet.
I want to buy Brothers, OR.
How much?
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