Trucking Across the Northwest · Apr 17, 08:01 AM
These pictures could have been taken anywhere in the Northwest. They could be Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, or Northern California, I just can't remember. I know they're in the Northwest just by looking at the pictures, that much I'm 100% sure of. Also, more than likely, the photos were taken from a major interstate, which would mean somewhere on I-5, I-90, or I-84, possibly even I-80 around Donner's Pass, but I don't think so. They don't look like the same mountains in my Donner's Pass collection. 
When I was with CRST, we would take a lot of loads to Seattle, Portland, and Sacramento or the Bay Area, so we were always driving over the same highways. The Northwest was always one of my favorite routes, I loved driving through the mountains and National Forests up there. There's a lot less people up there, as opposed to the overpopulated East Coast, and I think that made the scenery better because you didn't have to constantly keep an eye on the road. You could look out into the forests, or up at the mountains, or across the Columbia River and gaze for miles and miles of untamed land. Driving through the Blue Mountains and the Umatilla National Forest in Oregon, I'd always keep my eyes open for Bigfoot, that elusive creature that dwells somewhere deep back in those mountains. I never did see one, but then again not many people have.
One of the coolest drives was going across Oregon on Hwy 20. I was coming from Portland and going to a lumber mill in Bend, Oregon to pick up something related to furniture, I can't remember exactly what, but I do remember how gorgeous the scenery was driving through the Willamette National Forest. The drive took forever because the road winds around mountains and lakes. You're up a hill, down a hill, or driving around a hill, all slow going either way, so night had fallen by the time we got there. The place was a huge lumber mill with several large buildings, and it took me a while to find someone to help me. It was Friday night, and I guess the place was kind of quiet, just the third shift workers. It was after midnight and raining heavily when I finally backed under our trailer. I got ready to pull out and start the trip back east, but quickly realized I wasn't going anywhere and was stuck in the mud. We had a light load that didn't have enough weight to pull us out of a puddle. Several hours later we finally departed and several days later probably arrived wherever we were going.
I always thought it was cool getting to drive to places like Bend, Oregon. The Northwestern United States is a very unique, wide open place, with lots of open roads, cool scenery, and great people. Anyone who wants to go on a road trip up there just let me know and I'll be your guide. One thing's for sure though, if you take enough pictures of the scenery up there, you're bound to forget where you took some of the pictures, but you'll never forget the region as a whole. I know I won't.
MORE PICTURES FROM THE NORTHWEST:
— Jon Fox
