VALE, OR.  Small town in the middle of nowhere, but nicer than the last 200+ miles to the west that we traveled today.  We crossed over into Mountain Time Zone, so we "lost" an hour, causing us to arrive here after 7 pm, but it was still very light.  The driving was monotonous through hundreds of acres of dried out sagebrush and blowing dust.  Every once in a long while one can see a patch of extremely green crops.  Amazing what water does here.  Wherever there is irrigation, there is an astonishing transformation.

We stopped in the afternoon for a rest at the only place we could find on US 20.  It was a rough gravel covered area where a few large trucks and RVs were parked.  As we prepared to leave, we noticed that the small building to the east of the clearing was a gas station.  I walked over to see that they sold both gas and diesel.  There was even a propane tank for pumping LPG.  I needed both diesel and propane and had been wondering for over 100 miles where I could get some.  This place was Providentially placed in our path.  If you have ever seen a movie of someone driving out west in the desert with nothing in sight, then there appeared seemingly out of nowhere a gas station, then you will know what this was like.  Nice people worked there.  Hard to believe that anyone lives out there and runs a gas station.  To the side of the small building was a cluster of small trees with bird feeders in them.  The whole cluster sounded like a giant bird cage with loud chirping.  Someone's little oasis in the desert.  As we pulled out, there was a large sign that said we had just left Riley, OR.  No other evidence in sight of Riley.

One thing one learns traveling out west is how much of this country is a desert.  So dry that when the irrigation is turned off the corn after season, the corn stalks turn a translucent yellow instead of brown.  Sagebrush everywhere, and that is all the cattle and horses have to eat unless they are given hay.  One sees hay bales everywhere, but it is apparently being stockpiled for winter.  Imagine winter here.  Pioneers a hundred years or more ago came in wagon trains to Oregon.  We see here the descendants of those who decided to stop here and call it home.  Hundreds of acres of sagebrush punctuated with a small prairie house and a barn with some cattle.  Every once in a while there is a patch of very green crops where water has been applied.  There actually are rivers around here to supply water, but it is used sparingly.

Tomorrow we leave Oregon.