We woke up this morning in our friend LeAnne’s RV in Sumpter, Oregon, a town with a population of about 160—a town very unfriendly to the GPS, but very friendly to us. LeAnne showed us around the town, even showing us the old gold dredge that ran in the river for 40 years.
We had so much fun in Sumpter that we didn’t leave town until around 11:00. We grabbed lunch at a Safeway in Baker City and ate it at a state park near Huntington. There we had to deal with something we haven’t ever worried about much in Seattle: mosquitoes! We really need to buy some bug spray before we get too much farther.
The drive from Sumpter into Idaho felt longer than it might have because there was construction here and there. But this was an exciting leg of the trip for me, because with each passing stretch I saw more and more town names I recognized: Boise, Mountain Home, Glenns Ferry, Jerome. We were nearing the town of my childhood, Rupert, Idaho—our final destination for the night.
We pulled in right at 7:00 at the home of Rob and Janet King, friends of my parents (and mine) since the late 1970s. Christy and I last visited them in 2003, at a time when Rupert was our final destination for the entire trip. This time we’re just passing through, but it’s Sarah’s first time here.
Over dinner with the Kings, we caught up on old friends, shared very old memories, and made plans for tomorrow night, when another couple, Jim and Barbara Morales, plan to join us for dinner. When I was a kid, the Moraleses lived next door to the church, and my brother and I used to play with their daughter.
Also, tomorrow morning we will visit with my best childhood friend, Travis Freeman. He and I haven’t seen each other in 20 years. This will be quite a reunion!
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