Looking westbound (northbound) from the old highway toward Oregon Exit 238 of Interstate 84. This is the exit for Kamela and Meacham. The fog was pretty, but it did not console me for the horror I was experiencing: I was hoping to dislodge a rat from my car's engine compartment.

When parked in the forest the previous night I was awakened by sounds of rustling and chewing under the car. When I lifted the hood I was greeted by a rat that popped up from the area of the windshield washer reservoir. It saw me and scurried across the compartment, then disappeared from view behind the battery.

Having left my camping site, I was now returning to the freeway, hoping that the noise and vibration of driving would dislodge the rat from my car. Shortly after taking this picture I stopped at the Deadman Pass Rest Area and sat for a minute, hoping not to hear any sounds. It was quiet. Ten minutes later I stopped again (on the old highway) and sat still for 30 minutes, not getting out of the driver's seat. Again, no sounds. That convinced me that the rat was either dead or not present. I made it home without incident, which I considered a godsend because I feared that some important wiring had been damaged.

An inspection at the Toyota dealer revealed damage to the housing of the air system blower and two chewed-up air system filters. A new blower and housing cost about $600. Labor was about $700. My comprehensive insurance covered everything over $100. At least it happened at the end of a long trip rather than at the beginning. The Green Weenie (my car) does not take kindly to rodent invasions.