We began the journey with a measure of trepidation. Although Miles reliably falls asleep in his car seat, we had never taken him for a drive more than an hour long. We'd been advised to double the amount of time necessary for any car journey with an infant due to frequent meltdowns and feeding stops.
Our fears proved unfounded as Miles slept soundly all the way from Seattle until our lunch stop in Toppenish on the other side of the Cascades. Then he fell asleep again until we crossed the Columbia River and began our climb up to the Central Oregon plateau.
Miles didn't start to make any fuss at all until the homestretch between Madras and Bend. We took the opportunity to take a time out and check out the Crooked River Gorge.
Finally, a mere 7.5 hours after leaving Seattle, we pulled into Bend, where my cousin Martin and his wife Robin kindly (and bravely) hosted us, and where Miles finally met his Great Uncle George.
At 82, George maintains an active lifestyle that puts nearly all of us to shame. In summer, this means lots of kayaking, a subject he used to teach professionally.
After hello, George's first words to Miles were, "Did you bring your paddle?" It turns out, he had.
Stay tuned for our next episode, when Miles gets his kayaking baptism in the Deschutes River.
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