back toward the forest

as of writing this, 47.44451N 117.77648W at 2281.48ft 1:08pm local
So it turns out that the access points aren't free. boo. Also haven't been able to connect via the modem, so I am just going to queue up posts and post them all up as soon as I have access.
We stopped for lunch and had tandoori chicken wraps. There were signs everywhere urgently warning us not to feed the seagulls and it was easy to see why, they were aggressive and tenacious. The driving has started veering northeast again to avoid the mountains. This also has resulted of more forest and less desert.
My naive assumption of internet from coast to coast on the highway appears flawed. I guess the distances are just too vast.
Also: Stef's windshield looks like a work of modern art.

We are also taking pictures with the camera but are going to post those on flickr and link in later.

Cities are a lot less of america than I expected, really most of it is the space between.

In the Desert

as of writing this, 47.10356N 119.69152W at 1178.81ft 11:21am local
We passed through the mountains, and stopped briefly in Vantage, WA for gas. A couple asked stef about the mini, and oohed and aahed over it. There was also a very creepy sign at the gas station that said, "We've been expecting you!" eek!
The cell modem appears to not work with edge connections, only 3G connections. This means I will only be able to use it near cities. The good news is that I-90 rest areas all seem to be wifi enabled. This blows my mind as I had no idea the government could do something this useful.

I say we are in the desert, but really large portions of it are farmlands irrigated by the Columbia river. The gas station attendants were talking about how rattlesnakes were around, but generally harmless. I have not seen any so far.

note: You have to park really close to the hut, otherwise no signal.

Underway!

We left the house at around 8:36am. A bit later than planned, but there is always the last minute stuff to do. Stef filled the tires to pressure, and currently we are at 47.56229N 122.09300W at 167ft above sea level. This puts us on I90 East around exit 15. The mountains are looming large ahead of us.