<p>Jon Rombach</p>

All roads lead to Wallowa County. Even a dirt road next to the beach in Baja Mexico a few weeks ago.

I knew Chris and Christina Geyer of Lostine would be at their place in Los Barriles. I was visiting Baja with my mom, dad and aunt Donna and hoped to see the Geyers, but we were staying a couple hours south of them and the timing didnt look like it was going to work.

Then Chris put on an M. Crow & Company T-shirt. Im convinced thats what triggered the Wallowa County homing beacon. Our plans changed and we ended up driving by Los Barriles, where the Geyers have their place. I didnt have a way to get a message to the Geyers on the fly. But I didnt need to.

To calculate the probability of me driving by Chris Geyer at the precise moment we crossed paths would take one of those computers that fill a warehouse to factor in the chain of events, wrong turns and me getting lost on just the right dirt road at precisely the right instant for our rental car to be where it was when I saw Chris turn onto the road. Los Barriles has a population of around 5,000 and its spread out pretty good. Big enough that the magnetic force of an M. Crow & Company T-shirt is the only reasonable explanation.

Chris was coming back from a beach volleyball game. I performed a highly illegal U-turn that should have landed me in a Mexican prison and set off after him in a low-speed chase, tracking him down at his hacienda.

This wasnt the first time Wallowa County magnetism had worked for the Geyers in Mexico. Theyd had a similar run-in when they knew Ted and Sue Juve were in the area but didnt know how to oh, look, there they are right there.

My last Wallowa County coincidence before this was crossing paths with Brady Goss in the Columbia Gorge. I said Hi, Brady. Instead of looking surprised he shook his head and said I was the third person from Wallowa County hed seen in a few days while traveling from a music performance. I dont know whats going on, he said.

Well, Brady, it works like this. People are drawn to Wallowa County for various reasons. The natural splendor, Andy Griffith Show sense of community, outstanding warrants, whatever. Our law enforcement crew handles that last bunch. Once an individual resides in Wallowa Country for a particular length of time, they absorb certain characteristics and properties.

Some pieces of evidence that Wallowa County has a grip on you are simple enough. Recent studies indicate that 86 percent of Wallowa County residents have dog hair woven permanently into their clothing, vehicle upholstery and/or home floor coverings. Sixty-eight percent of that dog hair is from border collies. My Husky dog accounts for four percent of the remainder all by herself. She sheds at a startling rate.

Another outward sign of Wallowa County connection is wincing when the words Portland and traffic are heard spoken together. Often this triggers a curling of the lip and looking away in disgust.

Swearing you cant stand fast food but eating it on the down-low when you leave the Wallowas is another common trait. Confusion over popular culture. Becoming partial to Carhartt clothing. The list goes on.

The unseen effects of Wallowa County entering your double helix are the result of invisible magic laser beams sent from atop Mount Joseph. When you are outside the Wallowa County line, your internal processor searches for that signal, much like a cell phone that is roaming and trying to connect.

External antennas, such as Carhartt jeans, border collie hair on your clothing or an M. Crow & Company shirt boost the signal on the Wallowas frequency. If other signals are in the vicinity they exert the same magnetic draw that pulled you to the Wallowas. Next thing you know, youre eating lunch in Baja with friends from Lostine. Its a small world. But only when youve just had a strange coincidence; otherwise its still a pretty big world.

Jon Rombach is a local columnist for the Chieftain.