Explore the journey — one trail, museum, meal, and memory at a time.
Paper Tickets and Desert Highways
A quarter tank of gas feels very different in rural eastern Oregon. Driving north from the Painted Hills toward Pendleton, I stopped in Spray at an old-school gas station running on trust, paper tickets, and ancient equipment. Later, over lunch in Long Creek, I met a man named Al whose stories ranged from Harleys and prison time to caring for his daughter through cancer.