Last weekend, we headed east to Pullman, WA for kid #2’s graduation from Washington State University. The scenery starts off strong through the lush Columbia River Gorge, but once you cross The Bridge of the Gods and pass the Hood River windsurfers, it morphs into rugged basalt plateaus, and then eventually, the barren rolling hills of Palouse country. There’s not much to look at outside your window or things to do along the way, save for the Country Mercantile just outside Kennewick. If you’ve never been, ten out of ten.

At the two-hour mark, we always stop at a city park off Interstate 84 in Arlington, Oregon. It’s a prettier place to stretch your legs and use the bathroom than the rest stop a few miles further.

After emptying the Starbucks cups and wrappers from the backseat floorboard, I checked out a little library and was surprised by the number of Fredia McFadden novels inside. It seemed someone had donated their entire collection, and I was tempted to take them all. (I did not)

A couple of hamstring stretches and random dog pets later, I was settled into my passenger princess seat, happy it was my husband’s turn to drive. But it didn’t take long for my happiness to turn to panic when, distracted by a pack of Starbursts, my dear husband completely fudged it and got back on the freeway going the wrong direction.