One reporter's trip across the country

So, I get to write a column.

Ha, it's my turn to write a My Turn.

Okay, that sounded more clever in my head.

Anyway, it's hard to figure out what I'm going to write about. It's not that I don't have opinions. I have plenty of those. I have opinions on the weather. I have opinions on traffic circles. I have opinions on the five states I've lived in. I even have an opinion on the New York Yankees.

They can go to a bad place for a long time. See. There's an opinion.

But after a lot of deliberation and soul-searching involving a couple of cigarettes (Yes, I have an opinion on cigarettes too) and cup of coffee (opinion there too), I decided I was going to tell a story.

Now, I'm not going to tell the story of my life. It included five states, two colleges and four moves across country (fact). But, for the most part, it includes long stretches of boredom with momentary flashes of excitement (opinion).

One of those moments of excitement was when I got this job. I've wanted to be a reporter for more than 10 years, but there was one catch.

I had to get from Maryland to Moses Lake.

This presented two problems. The first one is my car. I drive a 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier which runs on hopes and dreams and a strategically placed hamster. Sometimes I wonder if my car is a vampire. It sucks up the health and vitality of other cars to prolong its clunking, gasping half life.

As I write this, I'm looking for wood to knock on. I have an opinion on that too.

Not only did I have a car, which is old enough to drink, I also don't enjoy driving. Some people think life is about the journey. Personally, I think the journey is long, uncomfortable and contains too many stops at fast food restaurants.

I like destinations.

With such predicaments, I forged ahead. I left Maryland at 1:10 p.m. on a Tuesday, six days before I needed to be in Moses Lake. So armed with all of the worldly possessions I could stuff into my car, a pack of cigarettes and cup of cold coffee, I set out for Washington state.

I want to say, "Pennsylvania is beautiful in the summertime."

But it's not. It's pine trees, oak trees, maple trees and pine trees. Not to mention roads which were paved sometime during the Reagan administration.

Until I got to the Pennsylvania turnpike - toll roads are awesome. I had to pay to drive on them, but they have these shopping malls right off the side of the road. I drive an hour, pull off, get some water, smoke a cigarette and get back on the road. They are islands of awesome along the long stretches of asphalt.

There is one drawback to driving along the toll road. At some point, I had to exit the road. I have an unreasonable fear of interstate exits, especially when I'm not sure where they're going to drop me off.

Now this wasn't a problem with Pennsylvania, but then I got to Ohio. Once it got dark, I started thinking about stopping, but then I'd have to exit.

So, I forged ahead. Akron came and went. Cleveland came and went. Toledo was still 100 miles away.

Wait, I'm out of space for right now. I'll pick it up in my next column.

I have an opinion on that too.

Cameron Probert is the Columbia Basin Herald Grant County reporter. Despite his traveling experiences and trying to fit a really long drive in such short column space, he genuinely appears happy to be in Moses Lake, back near his favorite alma mater, WSU.