May 8, 2004 At the end of a quiet road, just a few miles outside the town of Leavenworth, WA, I turned into a small driveway. A drizzle of rain had started to fall, and I knew I needed to be in Idaho later that day. But I trust the recommendations of locals, and Leroy […]

May 6, 2004 I woke up to the glimmer of water reflecting against my windows. Dramatic lighting filtered through the clouds and across Penn Cove, a secluded inlet on the east side of Whidbey Island, Washington. I flipped the switch on the room’s coffeemaker and settled back against the pillows of my featherbed to enjoy

May 4, 2004 I left Portland in the late afternoon, loaded down with books from Powell’s and a little weary from the last week of travel. I had not planned where I would go after leaving Oregon, but I knew my general direction was northeast. I pulled over after crossing the bridge that leads from