DAY 15 - Unity, OR - 300 Miles from home

Julia bought the Stratton Station in Unity, Oregon three years ago. Built a cabin. Made Unity her home - coming out west from southern Ohio, farming land. "Farming culture is different from ranching. Farming's more communal. But there's a rugged individualism here. You're maybe going to wrassle with your neighbors over grazing rights and water and fences - but at the same time, you'll come together, bring your bulldozers, put out the fires destroying everyone's land. Self-reliant. Independent. But you'll do what needs done for the ranching."

Bob and I got our signals crossed today. I'd driven ahead to our campsite and gotten set up (at the truly glorious Unity Lake State Park), then headed on foot to meet him as he walked. He'd headed straight to Unity itself - avoided the cutoff to the park. I had 5G but he had nothing. By the time he got WiFi at Julia's store, I'd walked nearly 5 miles in the wrong direction. Julia gave him ice pops and cherries and they loaded into her truck and headed to fetch me. She'd brought an ice pop for me. "The plastic's already open," she said. It was utterly delicious.

Julia says that she first lived in forest land when she came to the West. "But I fell in love with the desert. You can't hide from yourself in the desert. It's too easy to hide in the trees."

And Julia says out here there's space. You can talk about anything to anyone, if you know how. "No one wants to talk about climate change," she says, as she takes a beautiful shortcut to the lake down Rouse Lane. "But everyone wants to talk about water and fire."

Julia, bearer of ice pops and proprietor of the Stratton Station in Unity

Unity Lake State Recreation Site

Time to Wake Up!