On Vox: get some onions

[lauralh]

view from hill

We left around 2:30 to go get supplies. I had made baguettes earlier on and we already had cheese, so we picked up red glowsticks and caffeinated beverages and we were off. We blew through 90 then went south around Vantage and then through Hanford and a nature preserve, which was absolutely gorgeous. It's amazing how much nothing there is after going through orchards and vineyards.

Rattlesnake Mountains

And then through the tri-cities and up US-12 past the wonderful smelling PAPER MILL and then, Walla Walla. Reg drove me around town quickly, pointing out where he had lived and attended school, and then we took a road out of town towards a farm. It was clearly a favorite spot of locals or college students: beer bottles and shot gun shells were littered everywhere. We unloaded the car and hauled it up the hill. Boy, not drinking too much water to avoid peeing, then climbing up a steep hill with luggage, not the best idea ever.

ME

But we persevered and set up a tarp on the fallow field (read: totally dirt) and made things quite comfortable. We had 2 mp3 players and an XM radio, but for a while we just listened to the nothing, but the crickets down below, carried by the wind. (The sound, not the bugs.) It was quite lovely and we ate cheese and bread and watched the glorious sunset.

sunset

And then we got down to business. We put on our slightly warmer clothes and arranged the blankets and started the chillout station. It seemed to take forever for the stars to come out, and the haze extended a little bit over the horizon, but we could see the Milky Way and about 5 meteors an hour at first. The rate increased as the wind off the ridges. Pretty soon I was wearing all my clothing (including an extra shirt tied as a bonnet) and was still a bit cold. Reg tried to make a windbreak as best he could, and it did help.

Cars kept driving by this gravel road, and I guess one of them lived there and called the cops. Reg and I saw a strobe and he grabbed his flashlight and went to talk to the cop. I was huddled under the blankets hoping like hell that he wouldn't get arrested for the 3rd time in Walla Walla. Fortunately he didn't, but we had to leave. It was 1am. (The owner of the land filed a standing order with city hall to arrest all trespassers. Hey, a sign would help, all I am saying.)

So we got everything back down the hill, changed, and went to get gas. We drove around Walla Walla one last time, then hauled out. We still managed to see a number of meteors on the way out, and just past Yakima we stopped at a scenic overlook and stared at the sky for about 10 minutes, and saw 3 more. Mostly satiated we headed back, slept at a rest area outside Cle Elum till 8am, then got breakfast at BK. We got home before 10am and passed the hell out.

Originally posted on herbaliser.vox.com

Comments

[jahnny.livejournal.com]

Can we please hang out together next weekend? Because I am not saying that everything went according to plan, but at least our trip didn't involve the cops. Wendy will post pictures of Goat Flats soon. Lets sleep in a lookout together.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

but but but HEMPFEST!

yeah probably

[jahnny.livejournal.com]

fucking road's washed out anyway.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

?

[jahnny.livejournal.com]

Oh the road to the trailhead for the look out is washed out 5 miles from the trailhead. There's another one we want to go to instead, but the hike is about 9 miles round trip.