East Lake (Leaving)

After picking up a few supplies and visiting Taco Time one last time, I headed north from Bend to Redmond. I stopped at the local Exxon station in Redmond since Exxon always seemed to have the lowest gas prices and the lousiest service. I had stopped consistently at Exxon's on the trip and always reminisced about my seven years as a gas station manager or attendant. I wonder if I would have ended up as that 40 year old pumping my gas with that vacant stare in his eyes and trying to manage the high school dropouts with pony tails or body piercing. Occasionally I would see a relatively new station where the workers are bright and cheerful and wonder if I could get a job managing a station like that, maybe I would do OK. The Exxon in Redmond actually had a help wanted sign in the wind of the island booth. But, as I watched what I supposed to be the manager, in his threadbare white t-shirt hanging out on both sides of his spare tire, wolf down three pieces of KFC in between checking on the status of the two cars he was filling with gas, I said to myself "No Thanks." I think I would like to live in the Bend/ Redmond area, but I know how demoralized and all-consumed I would be with such menial tasks. How do people like me become so consumed with a job like pumping gas that we think we don't have the time to sit down and eat a proper lunch. One thing working at my last employher taught me (I hope) is to take the time to take care of yourslef because the work will always be there. I had the good fortune to miss the turn off to John Day and find the Redmond library. It was as busy as the Coos Bay library and I was able to check my email, but still not upload any journal entries. I had decided to go as far east as I could before camping for the night then heading for Yellowstone the next day. It was 4pm and I expected to drive until almost dark so I headed towards Prineville and Eastern Oregon.

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