Moromis - Blog
On the fifth I worked till 1pm or so at the Claussen’s, and Beth made me breakfast and lunch. Then, just before I left, she baked chocolate chip cookies and gave me a bunch. I’m a sucker for food so I’ll definitely be stopping by on my way back to Washington 😊
Down from Tieton into Naches I went, and then from Highway 12 to Highway 97, which I’ll be taking all the way to Klamath Falls, where I’ll be visiting my Uncle David. I drove for a couple hours and stopped on the Columbia River at Maryhill State Park.
There, I waded a bit in the water and had dinner – a burrito crisped on my stove and cookies. After eating and brushing my teeth, I started South once more (almost immediately entering Oregon, since the border is halfway over the Columbia). Soon after crossing the river, there was a sign: “Next Gas 94 Miles.” I had about a quarter of my front tank and a full (or so I thought) rear tank. That’s enough to make it… right?
A quick break since I’ve been calculating my MPG since I headed out from the Seattle area. Let me tell you, it’s not pretty. As in 7 miles per gallon ugly. Oh well, I love and hate the old girl in equal measure. I wouldn’t have it any other way – I’m not trying to live the “van life” or experience great comfort in my travels. That’s no fun.
Anyways, so knowing that I get 7 MPG (I didn’t really know that then, I would have guessed at least 8), and the front tank holding 22 gallons and the rear holding 13 (?)… I’ll let you do the math because I’m too lazy. Anyways, it was all too soon that I found my front tank empty, and then my rear tank sure did go down fast.
But then again, I know that. The rear leaks into the front because the valve that controls which tank the engine draws from and returns to works for the former but not the latter. So it goes down quick and then I switch back to the front and use whatever is in there. Sometimes I empty the front, use the rear, and when I fill up the next time the front only takes 5 gallons or so.
And then… I stopped on the side of the road cause I was sleepy, watched the rest of Squid Game (meh ending), and bedded down for the night. Though I don’t have my father’s gift for sleep, cars and semis can’t keep me awake even when they’re passing by all night right next to me.
Guess we'll find out if I made it, or how close I got before I ran out of gas, next time.