George Rebane
Jo Ann and I just got back from Kellogg, Idaho with our brand new GMC 2500HD pick-up truck. We flew up on Sunday, the trip through Seattle took all day because both of our airplanes had mechanical problems. It was already dark when we landed in Spokane. Snow covered most of eastern Washington, and it got even snowier as we rode to Kellogg in the van sent by the Dave Smith Motors dealership. Located on I-90, Kellogg is a destination resort town of about 2,500 people nestled in a valley of the northern Rockies. Lots of snow and ski lifts.
We stayed in a big hotel that catered to skiers and featured a restaurant that stayed open until 9pm. The next morning at 830am we were picked up by our friendly salesman who arrived at the front door driving a brand new shiny GMC that looked an awful lot like the one I had specced out. Yes, it was my truck, and I was given the keys to take it on a test drive before going back to the dealership for all the paperwork. It was 1pm before all the papers were signed, all the features explained, the cell phones synced to the truck (the truck even has its own cell phone built in), and on and on. The beast has about two million buttons and knobs, and I forgot more than I remembered. Jo Ann and I decided that reading the manual on the way home would be just the thing to pass the time productively.
The first leg of the drive took us back through Spokane, through a bleak snow-covered prairie, and down to a more hospitable region called the ‘Tri-Cities area’. Our destination was Richland on the banks of the Columbia. That is a trim and prosperous looking community and the home of one my Army buddies. We visited for a while and then had dinner at a very upscale riverside (of course) restaurant.
The next morning saw us head east on a very scenic stretch of the Columbia until we came to Biggs where the north-south US97 cuts I-82. There we filled up the truck and I had my first chance to swallow hard when the pump spit out the little white slip with the damages printed on it. Oh my.
The trip south through central Oregon was very pleasant. We passed little towns with antique stores that got Jo Ann’s heart all a-twitter; she made a mental note to come back. Bend was much larger than what we had remembered. And south of Bend the highway climbed onto a high lava plateau covered with miles of pine forest. The road itself was as straight as an arrow until we got to Klamath Lake and Klamath Falls. The lake was a very impressive and large body of quiet brooding water under a cloudy sky.
Back to California through an agriculture check station where the lady agent had the courtesy and good cheer to admire our new truck. We made it to Woodland before we pooped out after 12 hours straight in the saddle. Russ and Ellen had a wonderful hot chili lunch waiting for us when we went to pick up our puppy. Now comes the part when we start outfitting the vehicle. On the way home we had to stop at Top This and B&C, dropping a couple of hundred clams in the process.
This is going to be an expensive and fun toy, but now I can finally join in with my pals (truck owners all) and throw out my two bits when the topic turns to pick-ups – as soon as I learn how to talk truck. And when we go out to the parking lot, my new baby will be easy to spot, it’s the shiny silver one with the training wheels on it.
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