7/14/18 Saturday

            Finally, it has now been a week in into the people of the big river trip. Today has been a really long day, probably the longest day on this trip so far. Early morning at 5:00 am I started to pack my tent and gear form the Deschutes National Forest. To be honest I was ready to leave camp there because I just felt like a new change of location would be good. Since most of my things were packed up by 5:30Am, I Helped take out some breakfast and put some water to warm up for the dishes. I do not know what it is but when we have to change locations I just get really excited and want to leave as fast as possible. Especially since I knew we were going back home to Washington state. The trip itself was a total of seven hours. Before heading off from Bend the vans needed to refill gas and so we went to get some gas. The first gas station was funny because Jonathan got off so fast to order a Burrito but as soon as he started to order we had to leave because that gas station would not accept debit cards. He came back to the van so sad because he had been complaining about sandwiches for a few days now. We ended up filling up on another gas station and I bought a drink and some snacks, and let me tell you my partner Jonathan was right, those snacks were the best junk food I have ever eating. I guess after eating sandwiches for a whole week for lunch can start getting to one.

              After traveling for a few hours we arrived at the border of the Washington and Oregon which is the Columbia River. We stopped to refill for more gas at a familiar gas stop that I know, it was named Pilot. I knew that Goldendale was just twenty minutes from there and past that was home just another forty minutes away. That made me sad because I was so close to my home and I just started to think of my loved ones and my fiancé. But I also knew that I ‘am doing this trip for school in order to obtain credits in order for me to get a degree and provide a better life for them. So I let go of the feelings and got back on that van ready for a whole new week of adventures. We then drove around two hours to get to tri cities Washington. When we finally arrived there I knew I was home, I did not feel like a stranger anymore, I no longer could get lost there. It was just nice seeing a piece of home for motivation. When we arrived there I finally got to do my dirty laundry. It felt good folding clean clothes. While waiting for my laundry I went to the dollar tree and a thrift shop with my friends Pablo, Omar, Rudy, and Maria. We were so excited to buy things we needed. After we went back I saw Jonathan departing from the group because his dad had come to pick him up due to work reasons. I’m going to admit that seeing how happy Jonathan was to see his dad made me a bit jealous. He gets to go home and sleep in his room at night, he gets to eat all the food he wants, but most of all he gets his freedom back from being treated like a kid. Whatever his reason was for leaving I’m going to feel weird because now I’m the only senior on this trip.

              When we arrived at the Spokane Indian reservation I felt good because this almost reminds me of Goldendale. On our way here tough we passed through a small town where there was a lot of hay fields and with the sunset it just looked amazing.  It looked like a really huge golden ocean, it reminded me of the movie Gladiator when the main character is walking on wheat fields. When we finally arrived at the Wellpinit Fairgrounds I started to set up my tent but the place we got for camp the ground was really hard to stick my tents down. After that, all the heritage males had to go shower including me, but to my surprise the showers there have no curtains. So that shower was one of the most uncomfortable ever. Over all I have been talking to Taylor one of the high schoolers from white swan about this place. He says he has been here last year and stated that he really liked it here last year. Overall my expectations for this location are high, I just hope I do not get disappointed.