Friday, 7 Sep: (No photos)  There’s nothing like a good drive on empty country roads.  And driving from Bend to Portland is nothing like that.  Mostly two lane roads with heavy traffic in both directions.  55 MPH, even on the four lane sections.  Frequent towns.  Limited views other than the rear end of the car in front of me.  Just the worst.

Note: Oregon is now the only state with mandatory gas pump attendants, New Jersey having come to their senses.  I ran my card, then reached for the handle and the guy came running over yelling (not politely) “You can’t do that! You’re in Oregon!”  He grabs the handle and pushes the Premium button.  “You can’t do that!” I respond.  My bike takes regular.  So he switches it over to regular.  Then hands me the handle and walks away!  (Premium at this station cost $1.10 more than regular.  I sense a con game.)

Washington is a breath of fresh air.  70MPH, 4-6 lanes.  A little drizzle, which indeed freshens the air.  But what should have been a short day with nice scenic stops turned into a photo-free day.  (Mt. Hood is really pretty ugly this time of year.)