01_08_2008_running from the sun_bv

--01_08_2008_running from the sun_bv--

It's always fun to drive west into the sunset, but the rest on the eyes coming back east isn't anything to complain about either.


Two days in the books and two more to go. After close to 1,300 miles (would have been a couple hundred less if there were no flooding) I have just under a thousand left. Something like 946 or so. After the minor setback of Wednesday I made up some time today as I made my way through Salt Lake City and out onto I 80. With only a few more mountains left before the boredom of Nebraska sets in I spent a lot of today enjoying the sights and trying to make a few pictures.

641 mi – about 9 hours

The sun was hiding a lot of the day behind a blanket of clouds, but when it came out it made for some spectacular light. Between those brief moments of light I played around with the clouds and the mostly backlit conditions.

Here are some scenic shots along the route. Enjoy the clouds and mountains.

Thanks for looking,

Brad Vest

Listening to: Kids, MGMT

Utah, beautiful.


Devil's Slide.


25 MeH, Devil's slide.


The Great Salt Lake. My brother Jake, and I looked for this lake at 2am or so on our first road trip west. We were heading for San Francisco pulling an all night drive when we saw the exit sign for the lake overlook. We smelled fish and were wandering around a salt flat when some guy drove up on a motorcycle and told us we were about a mile away from water since the lake had receded so much.




A little peek from behind the mountains.


Rest stop.


Not that you can see to well, but there is a giant field of windmills. Awesome.


Seeing how many dead animals I've encountered along the road so far, after the sun goes down I usually find a fast semi and hide behind it as to not take any direct impacts from deer or elk.

01_07_2009_feeling the grasp of the northwest_bv

--01_07_2009_feeling the grasp of the northwest_bv--

Leaving Seattle was a really tough thing to do. Emotionally and literally. After packing up all my stuff in the morning and dropping off a book at a friends I started out heading west on I 90 thinking the little bit of rain wouldn't impede my travels. I was wrong. Snoqualmie pass was closed to traffic due to avalanches and heavy mud and rock slides. I figured I'd give 410 a try since it is a tad more south and less busy..... Shut down. As I was turning around on 410 I came close to becaming stranded in Enumclaw, Washington. Enumclaw is a town surrounded by rivers along with roads that were clogged with bumper to bumper traffic in every direction searching for a way out.





After a little weaseling, I squeezed out of the gridlock and over a small bridge up to it's neck in water.

With high hopes of at least getting somewhere farther than 30 minutes from Seattle after three and half hours of driving I started to head south on I 5 to Portland. From Portland interstate 84 heads directly east along the Columbian River through the mountains.



The river was about 2 feet from flowing over I 5. I assume this could have been one of the sections that ended up having to close to traffic.


I managed to make it to Portland and from there everything was smooth sailing. The route is a little out of the way, but it paid off as I worked my way west out of the rain and through the mountains. It was pretty close though. All the roads are traveled on today, are or were at some point in time, closed. Including interstate 5 which isn't even near the mountains. I took as best of photos from my car as I hurried out of the rain.

A different route than planned. But at least I am east of the first set of mountains.


I felt a little weird driving away from a huge news event. But I knew that if I didn't make it out today I may have been stuck for days in the epic floodwaters that engulfed the northwest. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395143_stormonline08.html

Pretty glad that I was driving on the side of the road without the waterfalls and giant rock walls.


Currently I am in the border town of Ontario between Oregon and Idaho. I'm on the Oregon side. I wish I could have had more time in this state. Just the drive along the river had me itching to come back and do some hiking.

Front focused waterfall.


I tried something different here with a longer exposure to blur the road and trucks passing to bring in some lines while keeping the relative shapes of the mountains along the horizon.


A long tunnel through one of the mountains along Interstate 84.


Cheers,
Brad

Listening to: (song that popped on shuffle as I drove out of Seattle) The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts, Sufjan Stevens

Kinda excited to use these guys after a long day of driving.