2019.07.16 Oregon to Utah

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Marissa!  Marissa had the honor of turning 16 in Oregon, and driving across multiple states on her birthday.  Mallory turned 16 several years ago in Florida on a high school marching band trip, but come one, that’s not Oregon!

We started the day with a birthday breakfast down the road in Klammath Falls at Nibbley’s.  (“When a nibble just isn’t enough.”) This place was highly rated on Trip Advisor, and we’ve known for weeks we were going to eat here.

Our waitress was awesome.  When we told her it was Marissa’s birthday, she started talking about her own two kids in Junior High and almost started crying. 

Big gooey cinnamon rolls, oatmeal pancakes and omelets dominated our selection.  The food was outstanding, and the staff sang Marissa happy birthday.  It was a great location for us.

Celebrating Marissa!

Klammath Falls is home to not only Nibbley’s, but also a Fred Meyer store (our new favorite).  This time, the entire family went.  KK was underwhelmed because they did not sell ammunition.  That may be true, but Stephanie and I found a dining room table we are interested in!

Next up was a visit to Steel Sensations, where Marissa got an ear piercing.  The guy who owned the store and did the work was fantastic.  He had Marissa sit down on the chair, and before he pierced the daith, he told her he had two rules:

 “Don’t move, and don’t hit me.  I will hit back.”

The process just took a second (no moving or hitting) and Marissa had a new hole in her head.

There was a lot of interesting things to look at in his store.  He had a shelf with an autographed picture of drag racing legend John Force right alongside a Christmas card and letter from President Bush (41).

John Force and President Bush Shelf
Marissa at Steel Sensations in Klammath Falls

We had spent some time at Steel Sensations, so the other car had a head start on us.  We took off across the state of Oregon.  There is not much to report on the state highways across southern Oregon, other than they are lightly traveled. 

We caught up with the rest of our group near Lakeview, Oregon.  Pulling into town past the fairgrounds, there are very tall pictures of cowboys.  Very tall.  Scott told us that Lakeview is the town sitting at the highest elevation in Oregon, and they have named themselves the “Tallest town”.  Scott and company stopped at a Safeway in Lakeview, and they also had a tall cowboy outside.

Ellery is standing at the bottom of this cowboy. The cowboy is TALL.

When we stopped for a break at a gas station in Longview, I found the following sign attached to the front of the store.  I still do not understand Oregon and their self-serve gasoline laws!

Pumping gas in Oregon is complicated.

We caught up with the family as we neared the Oregon / Nevada border, just in time to drive up a hellacious hill without guard rails.  When we got to the top, we pulled over to stretch our legs and enjoy the view.

Hellacious Hill
The top of this hill was a hang glider launch pad.

Once we arrived at the Nevada state line, we pulled over for some pics. 

Goodbye Oregon
Hello Nevada! Featuring the Birthday Girl and KK.
With no traffic, Marissa posed on the center line.

As we continued on our way toward our final destination, we passed through the town of Winnemucca, Nevada around 6pm.  KK pointed out that Winnemucca is the first town mentioned in the Johnny Cash song, “I’ve been everywhere”. 

Around this part of the day, we were seeing pickup trucks with tall flags flying off the rear.  The kind you might see on the back of a dune buggy to make them easier to see between the dunes.  We asked a clerk in a convenience store about these, and he said they are trucks that work in the local mines.  Lots of mines including gold, copper, and other precious metals.

We passed over the Utah state line very late in the evening and checked into our hotel in Wendover about 9:30, except with the time change, it was now 10:30.  The days are getting longer!

It was a full day of driving and celebrations and Fred Meyer.  What more could a birthday girl want?

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