June 2022 Vacation Day 16, Eastern Oregon and Southern Idaho · · PAGE 40.

June 7, 2022:  We had a false start to our travels today.  I left my pill box of vitamins in the room at our motel.  I discovered that problem at 8:36 AM when we pulled into a McDonalds in Pendleton, Oregon to get me a breakfast sandwich 20 miles from our motel.  I called the motel to tell them I would be back shortly to get the vitamins and my one prescription. Let's get started again.   (01)

We stopped at this Independent gas station south of Hermiston to top off the fuel tank before getting back on I-84 going toward Idaho at 10:15 AM.  (02)

This image is on US 395 adjacent to an irrigation pump and sprinklers as we are approaching the entrance to I-84 and US 30.  (03)

We have come to the intersection of I-84, US 30, and now US 395 South tagging along for the ride East and later US 395 will head south from our route toward Nevada.  It had been raining here when the Google Earth vehicle captured this photo in November 2021.  (04)

This mile marker for 189 miles from Portland, Oregon is on the entrance ramp for Eastbound traffic.  The rain is also in this image as we approach the main highway.  (05)

This whole section of our travels has been under clear skies.  (06)

This is the first of three exits for Pendleton, Oregon.  The Airport is on the north side of the interstate highway on top of this ridge near the solar panel arrays.  That gray rectangle ahead on the left side of this image is an array of solar electric panels that creates the solar glare depending on time of day and the sun angle on that array.   (07)

It was not apparent in the image below, the solar panels down the hill are on the north side of I-84 on slopes with southern exposure.  All the panels in a solar power array usually move in an East/West direction to get the maximum sunlight possible on every solar panel.  I see it here in Florida and the same rules of physics apply here in Oregon.  The airport is up the hill from the solar panel arrays.  (08)

Exit 207 from I-84 crosses over the freeway to get to the Pendleton, Oregon Airport on the ridge above the solar panels on that north side of the road.  The mountain range seen looking ahead in the image below should be along our route into Idaho later today.  (09)

This McDonalds located in the Arrowhead Truck Plaza was open when I first came by here and purchased a breakfast sandwich and discovered I had left my vitamins and prescription pill box at the motel in Hermiston.  This location is at exit 216 on I-84 on the East side of Pendleton, Oregon.  (10)

This is the view heading East after getting on the interstate highway at Exit 216 leaving Pendleton behind us.  There are mountains ahead to be crossed heading for Idaho.  (11)

Here is the view looking northwest back toward Pendleton from a rest area overlook with elevation 2,546 feet above sea level.  I measured the line-of-sight distance back to Pendleton and was surprised to see it is less than 5 miles.  The road miles are more due to the zigzag of the highway climbing this mountain where this image was captured.  (12)

A few miles across the top of the mountain, the East and West travel lanes come together after their zigzag climbing routes are up higher.  The elevation here shows 3,402 feet.  (13)

The name for this mountain pass must have been from a harsh weather time before the modern Interstate Highway System was built, probably in the 1800's of the old west.  The elevation here is 3,680 feet above sea level.  We are still in Oregon for now.  The 228 mile number is the distance from Portland and the beginning of I-84 over there.  (14)

This road construction area is getting new concrete in the Eastbound lanes.  The steel re-bars are visible in that lane.  The elevation sign for the Summit indicates 4,193 feet MSL.  Google Earth is showing 4,200 feet in the bottom margin of this image.  We passed this way on May 7, 2022.  I could have come this way during the construction time period, or not.  I would not have been paying attention to the construction or the elevation sign for the summit.  My focus was to stay in my lane and keep a proper following distance from the vehicle ahead of our car.  (15)

This exit is about 1,100 feet lower than the summit of 4,200 feet seen above in the road construction zone.  Looking at the image below shows the new concrete resurfacing has been completed at this location.  (16)

Interstate 84 is the bypass around La Grande, Oregon while US 30 runs straight through the city as the main route.  We stayed on I-84 as we have a long way to go before bedtime.  (17)

We have passed by the city of La Grande, Oregon heading south jumping from one canyon to the next.  This is the first time I have seen a Variable Speed Corridor sign.  The town of Baker City is at the end of the next 30 miles of highway.  (18)

I took the Google Earth camera vehicle up the ramp and discovered the last time Google went across the overpass was 2012.  Not much to see here folks.  Clover Creek is used with a pair of irrigation crop circles south of the intersection.  (19)

This rest area on I-84 at milepost 295 is where we stopped for a break after leaving Pendleton, Oregon.  Chase had fun in the green grass.  (20)

Baker City, Oregon has their Municipal Airport about 3 miles north of the city center adjacent to Interstate 84 on the East side of the highway.  This is a general aviation airport with no  commercial airline service here.  The mile marker here is 301. The highway elevation as it passes the airport is 3,378 feet MSL.  (21)

A few miles south of the city, I-84 climbs to an elevation of 3,693 feet MSL to get around a ridge and enter the valley on the south side of that ridge.  From this point, the path of the highway turns from south to SOUTHEAST for a distance of 63 miles to the town of Ontario, Oregon.  (22)

Some rolling hills and passes between them brings I-84 and US 30 about 66 miles to the city of Ontario, Oregon close to the Snake River where Oregon meets Idaho.  (23)

Here is the information on the last Interstate 84 exit in Oregon with the SNAKE RIVER less than seven tenths of a mile to the East of this exit where US 30 enters the state of Idaho going East.  We stay on I-84 going a bit more to the South about one mile to enter Idaho.  (24)

Welcome to Idaho after crossing the SNAKE RIVER south of the city of Ontario, Oregon on I-84 heading East.  (25)

It looks like the local deputy sheriff happened to be in the crossover when the Google Earth camera vehicle passed this way in June 2022.  (26)

The fuel receipt for this Love's truck stop at BLISS, IDAHO shows 5:22 PM as we leave here heading East.  (27)

We have been following Interstate 84 all the way from Portland, Oregon.  We are now 222 miles into IDAHO where I-84 heads southeast toward Salt Lake City, Utah.  We switch over to I-86 which begins 1 mile ahead and takes US 30 with it going East.  (28)

Here is the split mentioned above with I-86 and US 30 continuing East at I-84 Exit 222.  I-84 is the highway at the right side of the image below turning southeast.  (29)

A few miles beyond the image above is this mileage sign showing the town of Pocatello Idaho 58 miles ahead from this sign.  (30)

The REST AREA sign does not indicate how far it is to the rest area.  I peeked ahead and found I-86 mile marker 19 at the rest area.  Yes, the mile markers on I-86 reset to ZERO when we passed the split where I-86 began and I-84 continued toward Salt Lake City.  That big white structure in the median is probably a DOT facility for salt to keep the highway open when there is snow and icing conditions.  (31)  The numbers you see in parentheses on this page are counting the number of images on this web page.

Here is the rest area mentioned in the image above.  It is above the roadway on this "hill" on the right side of the highway.  Mile marker 19 is visible above the Google Earth logo in the bottom right corner of this image.  Looking ahead down the road, the SNAKE river comes into view.  We will follow the river on our way to new sites tomorrow on the next page.  (32)

I-86 enters Pocatello from the west.  Our exit of interest is US 91 as the nearest Wendy's is on this street at 4519 Yellowstone Avenue.  (33)

A left turn is required to get to Wendy's.  (34)

Wendy's has one entrance at the front of the store.  The drive-thru lane is on the other side.  (35)

This Google Earth view of the other side of the building shows the window to place your order near the rear on this side.  The next window seen above the windshield of the pick-up truck is where you receive your order.  With Linda's dog Chase in the car, we always used the drive thru and pick up window every where we traveled on this 9,600 mile adventure.  After getting our food at 7:21 PM, we parked at the last space on the left side of this photo near the Wendy's sign back there.  (36)

I usually walk with Chase when he needs relief after our long sessions on the open road (yellow walk path).  This Wendy's had plenty of grass out back and we explored it all before we got in the car and headed for our motel for tonight.  (37)

Interstate 86 East ends when it reaches Interstate 15 where we will go North on I-15.  This intersection below is only about two blocks from Wendy's.  (38)

Heading out of the town of Pocatello with dinner behind us says the next stop is our motel for tonight at Idaho Falls about 45 miles north of here.  
A LEFT TURN and going northbound is the action here.   (39)

Here is our last exit for today at Idaho Falls as the Motel 6 just west of the freeway is our motel for tonight.  (40)

Engine stop, get checked in for a good night's sleep in Idaho Falls.  This far north in summer provides a late sunset at 8:44 PM on June 6.  The Weather Channel web site using the monthly calendar provides that information about sunrise and sunset for any day, anywhere.  (41)