On my way on Route 261

Palouse Falls State Park area

Last weekend I flew up to Spokane to speak at a women's conference. Afterward I drove over to Walla Walla to visit my friends. I had a wonderful time with Joyful Woman and Husband, as he is affectionately referred to in her blog.


I hadn't realized how tired I was because as soon as I got there I plunked down in the chair and didn't think I could get out of it. Nor did I want to for the rest of my time there.


I got to spend time with my friend, Betty, and see former colleagues. It was a great time, but it ended all too quickly. My plan was to drive out of town at noon and instead of taking the (boring) freeway system back to Spokane, I'd go up the back way, as it's known. That means, up through the quaint towns of Waitsburg and Dayton right on Route 12, then out toward Lewiston and due north to Spokane from there. I used to make this drive every week when I was commuting over to Montana to teach, so I felt that I knew the route fairly well. So off I went, thinking that I'd just recognize landmarks as I went. Eschewing a map, I took off about 12:10. My plane was due to leave at 4:15, so a three hour's drive would get me there just about the right time.


Last time I drove this route was four years ago.


Maybe that's all that needs to be said.


As I sailed along in my zillion horsepower Pontiac rmmm rmmm car, I flew past a turn off that seemed to go down a hill into a valley. It was a large, rather important looking road. Maybe that was where I was supposed to go. I thought I was supposed to turn off somewhere. This was Route 261. Hmmmm. I pulled off the road and called Sam.


"Honey, get onto MapQuest right away."


I knew from Sam's humming under his breath that he was finding this to be an interesting challenge. He always hums when he cuts in front of someone on the freeway, or maneuvers around a big truck. So humming Sam logged onto the computer.


"I'm on 12 going toward Lewiston" I began. "Do you see where that is on the map?"


A few minutes later, he agreed that indeed he saw it.


"Now, my question to you is, am I supposed to keep going on 12 toward Lewiston?"


"Let's see..." he seemed to be scanning over the map. "I think that you need to go North somewhere."
"Yeah, that's what I thought. But is it on 261, or is it further on down 12?"


There was a pause. "How far are you out of Dayton?"


"About 13 miles."


"Hmmm...Are you near the turnoff for Lewiston yet?"


"I think it's further down the road."


To be honest, I don't remember what was said, but somewhere in the back and forth, I got the distinct impression that I was to go down that important looking road into the valley. So I sallied forth.


It was a most desolate place, even though it was beautiful. I didn't really recognize anything, but I told myself, I hadn't been over that road for several years and I'm not known for my good sense of direction. Funny, I didn't meet anyone on the road. In fact, I'm not sure when I have been in such a remote area. It was just this road that kept going down into a ravine and there didn't seem to be any kind of civilization anywhere. In a way, it was refreshing to realize that there are still places in America like this. I just didn't think I wanted to be in one when my flight was to leave in just a few hours.

The road started inclining upward. I passed by Palouse Falls State Park. Something wasn't right because I knew I wasn't supposed to go by that. But I kept on. I was doing just what my husband had told me to do and I would not deviate from the instructions I had taken down: Go North on 261 until you hit 127. Then it will take you to... So I was looking for 127.
My car popped up out of the ravine and in front of me was a winding road that seemed to go into the heart of Nowheresville. Where in the world was I?

I stopped and called Sam.
"Honey, I'm not in Kansas anymore."
"What? Excuse me?"
"I think I'm lost."
"Are you on 12?"
"No. I turned off on 261 like you told me to."
"I didn't tell you to do that. I told you to keep going on toward Lewiston until you came to 127."
"No you didn't...Can I keep going north on this road?"
He was humming again. "No. Your best bet is to turn around and go back to 12."
"That's 20 miles away!"
"Well then go to Starbuck and you'll hit 127 there."
Starbuck was about 13 miles away. I looked at my watch. It was 2:30. I'd have to hustle. I was still a good hour from Spokane, I thought.
So I wheeled around and stepped on it. 80 mph down through the ravine, up on the other side, and around corners all the way to Starbuck. I passed a little white car with a man in it who was peering out of his window, seeming lost, too. At Starbuck I stopped at a diner. The lady inside told me that my best bet was to go all the way back to 12 and then on toward Lewiston.

Off I flew, setting a new speed limit for those parts. But of course, it was doubtful that any police officer was within 50 miles, it was so desolate. Once I got back onto Route 12, I noticed that the airport was 104 miles away. I called Sam.
"Honey, I'm going to miss my plane. Even if I drive like Jehu I won't make it in time to catch the plane. See if you can get my flight changed."

It's a long story. But I drove into the car rental place at the airport at 4:15. I had missed my plane, but Sam had gotten me another flight. Surprisingly, I wasn't very stressed out about it. I just knew that once again my poor sense of direction had gotten the better of me. But more than that, I realized that it is very hard to know where you're going if you haven't even looked at a map.
It's like that in life. There are so many situations that we just muddle forward in without any instruction or guidance because that's just how it is. It's unclear whom to ask about the situation or what to do about it all. So as the Old Testament prophets read, "Every man did what was right in his own eyes." Just like me out in Palouse Falls State Park. I shall probably keep a map in the car now, and be sure that I follow the instructions in getting from one place to another.
It was a gorgeous drive, going and coming back. But it was not without consequences.