Grants Pass, OR

I crossed over the state line on an eighth of a tank trying to avoid paying those California fuel prices. As it turns out, I should have filled up before I got here. Oregon state law requires an attendant pump your gas for you, which probably doesn’t keep prices down. I can’t remember the last time someone else pumped gas for me. I filled up so hopefully the next time I need gas will be in Washington, is it any cheaper there?

I’ve got to be honest with you, this trip is wearing on me. I hate to burst the bubble of anyone living vicariously through me, but even the best road trip requires a fair amount of work. For example, there is rarely a moment on the road when I’m not looking for something. Fuel, food, ice, wifi, a place to camp, a bathroom, propane, a Laundromat, and sometimes just a place to pull over and check the map all make the list pretty frequently. Also, but for the few hours a day I’m actually driving, mine is a cold and un-climate controlled world. Sure, there have been a few spots in AZ and So-Cal where the weather was ok, but most nights it gets below freezing and most mornings are hard. The most trying aspect is probably the bathroom situation. Since October 9th, the vast majority of the bathrooms I’ve used have been public restrooms. Some are nice and clean; many are not. Highway rest areas, fast food joints, grocery stores, gas stations, the list is long and ignominious. Now don’t misunderstand me, I love traveling, a man doesn’t embark on a journey like this if he doesn’t, but I love tacos too and three months of tacos would suck.