The Oregon trail

August 21st was nearing. Fast. It was the 18th, and we had one giant leap ahead of us. We were to drive from Palm Springs to the small town of Creswell. Just south of Eugene, Oregon. There wasn't anything special about that place. Maybe I'm insulting the good people of Creswell here, but Creswell was just a place I found a cheap hotel to sleep before we travelled across the mountain to Madras, where we were going to watch the sun eclipse.

We had divided the drive into two parts. First part from Palm Springs to Santa Clara, just south of San Francisco. Then from Santa Clara to Creswell. Originally, we wanted to drive the I-101 north, the scenic highway, but we quickly realized it would take forever. So we decided to pass on it and just drive as straight and quickly as possible on the I-5. 

The good thing about the interstate, is that you can move quickly. Well, for the most part at least. Sometimes traffic piles up there too. But after getting out of the LA area, there was less traffic and thus the speed was higher. 

The bad thing about the interstate, as I have stated earlier, is the lack of interesting things to see. So this leg became mostly a "ferry trip". Some images below that I did take, thought. Mostly of traffic. And some things that popped up here and there.

Not sure if this "nodding giraffe" was pumping oil or water.

Lots of fields of different crops by the road.

At one point, an unbelievable stench filled the car. My sister and I both looked at each other. "Did you just fart?!". The stench got more and more intense, and we realized it came from outside. So we set the ventilation to recirculation. Soon after, we found the source. We drove past a vast field, absolutely packed with thousands upon thousands of cattle. The stench was from cow-dung. It was intense! I have never in my life smelled such a level of cow-dung smell anywhere. And I have been in cowsheds before. Even large ones. And this was open air! We had to keep the ventilation on recirculation long afterwards to escape the smell. And then we opened the windows to refresh the air inside the car.

We arrived in Santa Clara in the evening. My niece opted for tv, snacks and Snapchap, while I and my sister went shopping, and enjoyed the beautiful sunset. Only two and a half days to go.

The next day would be the longest leg of the journey. It would take us to Oregon. We could have driven straight to Madras, but previous experience of such events told me that we would probably meet a lot of traffic. And since we would have arrived late in the evening, that was something I wanted to avoid. One thing is heavy traffic during daylight when I am awake and alert. During night? Not good.
I had watched with increasing concern reports on the news about a lot of forest fires in Oregon. They were uncomfortably close to the area we were supposed to watch the eclipse. I studied smoke maps and satellite imagery online to see the spreading of the smoke. It was still somewhat in the clear, but that could change if the fires spread. Btw : Hats off to the firefighters and volunteers fighting the wild fires!
We headed out and started the long drive on the I-5 north. The traffic was thickening, but it still moved relatively smooth, except past San Francisco with possibly some rush-hour. From watching the cars and mobile homes we drove past or that drove past us, we were obviously on the trail of the solar eclipse. Stickers, gear and such.

Closing in on Oregon, the landscape changed to more lush forest and hills and valleys. It started to feel more like home. Only thing I didn't like was the sight, and smell, of smoke. But that didn't take away the enjoyment of the beauty of the nature surrounding the road. I tried taking some photos from the car, as I had done the whole trip, but they cannot do any justice to the scenery. Neither can my photographic skills...

As we were getting closer to the point where the road to Madras split from the I-5, the traffic got thicker, and moved slower. A few people became impatient and started taking chances. One car took a hairy cut through traffic, and I though to myself "that guy is gonna cause trouble ahead". And sure enough. About ten minutes later, I saw him standing beside the road, pulling his hair in frustration. He had rear-ended another car. As the Norwegian saying goes : "Hastverk er lastverk". Or something like "haste makes waste". There were several accidents on the road. Some minor, others that were obviously more serious.
As we were closing in on Oregon, I looked at the gas meter. According to the distance calculator on the dash, we had just enough to get us to Creswell, but I wanted to fill it up just to be on the safe side. We turned off the road and into a gas-station. It was packed. I stopped and got out. "No Gas", it read on all the pumps. People around me were frustrated and discussed loudly what to do. "We have no gas to get anywhere". I went inside the shop and asked a clerk. "We ain't getting no gas for at least a day! All the stations here have had massive influx of travelers. We're not equipped for that. So our tanks are dry! And we are in a queue for fill-up!". We got into our car and drove on. I felt a slight nervousness rise. What if?
A few miles later, a new gas-station sign. A new attempt. "We just have to try" I told my sister. The same chaos in this station. I managed to get to one of the pumps, and started filling. "The pump next to ours just stopped!, my sister told me. Ours was still running. I prayed it would continue. It did until I could hear the wonderful sound of the rushing gas in the upper pipes of the tank. The pump stopped. We were full! I sighed in relief. Others weren't as lucky. Still more people stranded. We had a car with a huge gas-tank. So we would have been able to get to Oregon without a problem. Others obviously trusted everything to go without a hitch.
As we drove out on the interstate again, I felt relieved. But took this was a warning. When we arrived in Creswell, I decided we were going to top up the tank both there and in Sisters, across the mountains. If possible. Madras was a small town of a few thousands. During the eclipse, the population would rise to around 100 000, according to the latest estimates. We definitely couldn't rely on the gas stations to have enough for us all.
The smoke thickened as we approached Oregon.

 

 

 

As we arrived in Creswell, I turned on the TV, and checked sites online for the latest on the forest fires. One of the roads I had checked out as possible routes across the mountains, was closed. And they warned that others might be jammed due to fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. They would, of course, have the right of way. My brain worked in overdrive to find possible solutions should the worst case scenario materialize. I didn't sleep well that night.
The next morning, we got up early, and I popped out to top up on gas, and to buy snacks and water/soda for the trip. We had breakfast and started our drive across to Sisters. As we ascended the mountain, more and more smoke filled the air. And the scars of the current or previous fires were visible around us.

As we drove into the small town of Sisters, the thick smoke filled the air. The closest fire was just a couple of miles away. We stopped at a store for a final trip to the bathroom before the final leg to Madras. I looked up at the sky. The sun was almost gone in the smoke. If this was the case in Madras, we would be in trouble. I was hoping it was not.
As we closed in on Madras, the traffic ground almost to a halt. The sign postings wasn't up to what we needed to navigate so I wasn't able to figure out where to drive. Moving slowly ahead, we came to a crossroad. I made a wrong turn, and we had to backtrack to almost the beginning of the line again. It felt like it took forever. We had a campsite ticket for what they called Solar Town just north of Madras. Getting there, however, was a loooong wait. All roads in this small town was clogged up with traffic. And we just had to sit in the car, waiting our turn. Finally, we were admitted to the campsite. I drove to a spot on a small hill. With clear line of sight in all directions. We had arrived! The only thing preventing us from seeing the eclipse would be clouds of either water vapor or smoke. Or both. But everything looked like it would go our way. My 10th total eclipse. My sister's and niece's first.
We also had bought tickets for the SolarFest party just south of Madras. A long line of buses shuttled people up and down to the area. Another long wait in the heat. I was encouraged by the fact that the skies where clear here. Little to no smoke. We were ready for the eclipse!
18 hours and counting...

Ragnar
Eclipse chaser