The Adventures of Fric and Frac: Adventure 262: Madras, OR

George Esher Williams Jr.

Fric and Frac worked up quite a lather today as we ventured across the vastness of Eastern Oregon. We left Vale a little before ten, gained an hour when we passed into Pacific Time, and thoroughly enjoyed a perfect traveling day watching Oregon change from sage brush desert to high desert pines. We traversed three summits (The highest 5,224), swirled down three canyons, and flushed ourselves out onto the green grasslands and cattle ranches near Prineville, Oregon. The day was sunny bright, windless, and the vastness of Eastern Oregon was dressed in its most welcoming clothes. We had originally planned to spend another night out before we got to Madras, but we arrived in John Day a little after eleven, enjoyed a delicious panini at the local coffee shop, and decided to push on. We called Dad to expect us, and he was sitting outside his garage, watering bushes, drinking a Coors light when we arrived. As a widower living alone, his main battle is loneliness. As he says when we visit, "Everywhere I look, I see her." My stepmother, Margaret, died a little over a year ago at the age of 93. They were married over fifty years, and much like Stumpy and me, they spent a great deal of time together. We made the decision to detour through Oregon before heading home, mostly to see Dad, but also because next Monday would have been Margaret's 94th birthday. Loss gets exacerbated sometimes. Speaking of emotions, I've been letting the memories of the past four months rumble around in my head. Tomorrow will be the penultimate post of our current adventures, and when I get home, I'll post for the final time until we venture out again. For now, I will say that the vast majority of our traveling days, although not as long as today, have been picture perfect for driving. We have been continually blessed with traveling mercies, and we pray we'll be granted one more leg to get home. In the meantime, we'll hang out with Dad for a couple of days. Tomorrow, we'll take Dad to Redmond to visit Margaret's grave, help him do a couple things around the house, and listen to a few repeated stories. Like I used to tell my students who were struggling with family issues, "You either have a relationship with your parents, or you want one." Even though my father was absent most of my life, I remain astounded at how impactful he is in my life, and even more amazing, how much I see of myself when I look at him. how much I hear myself when I listen to him, and maybe most amazing of all, how much of what I think comes from him. It's like Deja Vu All Over Again, and I suspect I'm not the only one. All I have to say about any of this is, "Life is good, especially today".