6:27 a.m.

What I did was I jerked awake at 6:27 a.m., having missed the alarm, but jumped out of bed anyway and drove 80 mph through the wet summer morning out along the Columbia. Still and mirror-like, the water, with ghostly mists. Ate an omelet for breakfast in The Dalles, then climbed up a trail to survey the Oregon summertime. It was all electric green grass and wildflowers, and we were exactly right where we should be.