The last day of the second week of our Kia Motors Presents: Trail Blazers Make It Better Statewide Summer Tour began with a 7:30 a.m. breakfast with the director of John Day's parks & rec and his family.

The meal began with awkward silence, but was quickly revved up when a special fan named Jay walked in and began spitting out random facts about the Trail Blazers. Once Jay had solidified his knowledge of the team, we were off to pack our bags in the Kia Sedona and hit Grant Union High School for our final clinic.

While exactly 100 campers worked their way on to the gym's newly resurfaced court, I felt fatigued from the week of clinics and long travel (not to mention the early breakfast), but I was also disappointed that the trip was coming to a conclusion.

After a lunch with sponsors of the radio station (at the same restaurant where we ate breakfast) and an unexpected stop at the chamber of commerce, we filled up our gas tanks and hit the road for the five and a half hour drive back to Portland.

As we passed along wind power generating windmills in the middle of the state, our group reminisced on everything from kids whom we made connections with to meals that made an unfavorable impression on us. The experience was unlike any I had ever had, and is one I will never forget. One thing I won't miss is Duck and Jerome's never-ending joke of convincing people we met that I was 'Blaze'.

Before we could make it back, we stopped at Biggs Junction to fill up the gas tanks one more time. Never a dull moment, the gas attendant accidentally poured unleaded gas into Duck's diesel truck, extending our trip home by 90 minutes as the tank was completely siphoned.

After four days, three nights and countless hours in the Sedona, SST leg two was in the books. In the words of one of our friends we met along the way, "have a happy forever eastern Oregon."