It is 6 a.m., and Chris Clark is already out patrolling Court Street for the second time in his Ford F-650 tow truck counting the vehicles he will need to move off the Westward Ho! Parade route.

“This is the holy grail of my Round-Up week,” said Clark, who operates Blue Mountain Towing & Recovery in Pendleton. “This is what I’ve been waiting for.”

Clark is running on barely two hours of sleep and a travel mug filled with coffee. The Pendleton Round-Up keeps him busy around the clock, responding to any number of wrecks, duiis and people locked out of their cars. But on Friday morning, his number one job is to clear the way for America’s largest non-motorized parade.

Earlier in the night, Clark counted 52 vehicles left along the route after police put up the “No Parking” signs. Officers will run the plates and try to get in touch with the owners first, but if all else fails, Clark will load them up on the back of his trailer and haul them to one of several city lots where they can be picked up later — free of charge.

Most people leave their cars because they don’t want to drink and drive, Clark said. That’s a big reason why Blue Mountain Towing, in partnership with the city, does not charge impound fees leading up to the parade. Clark said they don’t want to punish anyone for being safe.

Still, the show must go on, he said.

“Everybody wants a parade,” Clark said.

The air is chilly while Clark makes his early morning laps, dressed in a black cowboy hat and dark leather jacket. His backup includes Dave Lindell, of Lindell’s Auto Salvage, and Tanner Bellamy, both of whom drive around in separate trucks. They meet up for Cowboy Breakfast at Stillman Park, and figure out how they will divvy up the route.

“We don’t really want to tow cars,” Lindell said. “We want the cars to move on their own. They aren’t all going to move on their own, so we move them for free.”

Clark decides to focus on a stretch of Southwest Dorion Avenue outside of Mac’s Bar and Grill. He flips on his truck’s flashing yellow lights and meets with a Pendleton police officer, who directs him to vehicles that need moved. He hums the theme to “Mission: Impossible” as he hops out of his rig.

Towing parked cars can be tricky, since there is no one to unlock the vehicles, no one to put them in neutral and no one to steer. But Clark has a few tricks up his sleeve. After hooking up his chains and winch, he hammers plastic “skates” beneath the wheels and squirts a healthy dose of dish soap onto the trailer to make the surface extra slick.

Lowering vehicles back onto the ground is even more of a headache. All Clark has is gravity on his side, but he is able to gently slide them down into the lot without a scratch.

“I can do surgery with this truck,” he says with a grin.

As the parade draws near, Clark must move quickly while also watching out for spectators and carriages in the street. He is careful not to spook the horses, a thought which makes him uneasy.

After several hours, Clark is sweating hard and ready for a nap. Yet despite the odd hours and heavy lifting, Clark said he would go insane working a regular desk job.

“This is what I’m good at,” he said. “Everything I do is to help people.”

By the time Clark tows his fifth and final vehicle of the morning, a crowd of spectators has lined the street and cheers him on. He rolls down his window and trades jokes with people who give him a wave or a shout.

“Let’s have a parade!” he hollers back.

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Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0825.