Day 10: Coastal Highway and Redwoods

Ok so today was a really long day. We got in the car at 9am and arrived at our hotel in Eureka, CA at 9:30pm. But, even though there was much driving, it came with a renewed sense of excitement and giddiness that could only be brought on by two things: the west coast and cheese. The reason our day was so long was because we took Route 101, the scenic bi-way of the Oregon and California coast. In the first three hours of our day we traveled only 90 miles due to the fact that we kept stopping to take in the endless cascade of jaw-dropping views and self-taking photographs.

I had no real expectations for the route today, other than some good ocean. What I discovered was a road dotted with the smallest of small towns filled with equally small shops and seafood shacks all screaming to be explored. One side trip led us to a tiny little restaurant called Mo's that had some of the best New England style clam chowder I have ever experienced. I would have loved to stay at the place and sampled its entire seafood-only menu, but we had to keep pushing.

After endless miles of driving, we finally, FINALLY, after settling into the daily dose of delirium, came across perhaps one of the most exciting sights yet:

After driving for seven hours yesterday, we were beginning to doubt we would actually make it, so seeing this sign was quite the thrill. Upon entering into Cali, the road leads through the Redwood National and State Parks, which has some really haunting forest. I really love trees, so it was exciting to be driving through such dense and ancient forest.

The weather for this leg of our trip was a bit less than what we hoped for, but fairly standard for this part of the country. As has been the way with this whole adventure, we were introduced to sunny skies just before it was time for sunset. We were able to experience a breath-taking sunset on the coast, which was well-deserved if I do say so myself.

Tomorrow we have our last day of driving together. Through more Redwoods and finally arriving in San Francisco! !

Quotes of the Day

Michaela: That shower is gonna kick your ass.

Me and Michaela: I can't get enough of this shit!!

Day 9: Oregon

One thing I noticed that changes immediately when arriving in an urban coastal area is the traffic. For the past seven days we have been driving through the central part of the country - two lane highways and almost no other cars to worry about. Driving south from Seattle today I felt like I was back on the east coast: three-lane highways, lots of cars, and lots of idiots. As much as we were relieved to be back in proper civilization, I found myself longing for the wide open road.

Today we had one quick stop at Mount St. Helens, the huge volcano that erupted in 1980 creating a huge wave of destruction.

Because of our lack of desire to drive any longer than we had to, this was as close as we got to the mountain. Just stamped our passport books, and off we went.

Once we got off the interstate and started driving towards the coast, our path turned into a two-lane road encased by dense forest. I was glad to once again be in the company of trees. Eventually they gave way to this:

Yes, that would be the Oregon coast. Cannon Beach to be exact. The rocks you see in the ocean are known as the "haystacks". The town at the beach is completely adorable, not unlike a town on the cape. I could spend days in towns like this viewing all the little shops and absorbing the local atmosphere. The change in scenery was most welcome as things have been getting a little rough for Michaela and I. We are goddamn sick of driving. I'm pretty sure if she could have, Michaela would have gotten on a plane in Seattle and been done with it. But I'm glad she didn't.

Tonight our hotel is a local establishment called "Wheeler on the Bay Lodge", which is run by a wonderful couple and their sons who live on the premises. I confess, I was a little... taken aback by the place. We were expecting it to be in Tillamook, and it technically is in Tillamook county, but it's actually a miniscule little town outside of the city called Wheeler. I was fairly certain Michaela was either going to kill me or go into cardiac arrest. The place is nothing short of hilarious - our room, "the Garden Room", is decorated like someone's grandmother's apartment: wicker furniture and florals. But, once we got settled in a bit and got to know the owners, we decided it was good to be supporting a local business, not to mention a family. We had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant by the ocean. Fabulous.

Tomorrow is our last long day: 7.5 hours of easy coastal driving to Eureka, CA. Expect many more coast pictures.

Day 8: Seattle

I had been looking forward to seeing Seattle, but I was not at all prepared to fall madly in love with it. To hell with Los Angeles, I'm ending my trip here and becoming a fisherman. Just kidding... barely. Where to begin. First, on our way in we met up with my new roommate Brooks, who lives just outside of Seattle in a hilariously named city called Sammamish. He was nice enough to hang out with us, drive us into the city and show us around. My impression of the place is a cross between Burlington and what I imagine San Francisco to be. It has the young, hippy soul of Burlington, the drastic hill landscape of San Francsico, with weather somewhere in between the two and a culinary palette all its own.

Now most of you know that I'm a total foodie. I love to cook and I love to eat good, fresh food, particularly that which comes from the sea. I come from New England - we know really good seafood. Brooks took us to Pike Place Market, which completely blew my mind - even I was flabbergasted by the selection of fresh fish, not to mention produce, flowers, and many local/homemade odds and ends (including the most amazing sugar free organic chocolate sauce that I swear was better than Hershey's).

I knew nothing about Seattle before coming here and so was completely broadsided by the scope of the market. As much as I loved seeing it, I was also slightly tortured since I couldn't buy anything to bring home and cook.

Brooks, being a big dork like me, took me to an instrument shop filled with cool instruments from all time periods and locations.

They let you play all the things in their shop and are happy to engage in conversations about instrument origins and playing techniques. I told you - total dork!

Being in Seattle we of course had to see the original Starbucks. Hard to believe it all started from one little shop. From there we continued along the water to an amaaaaazing spice shop that was stocked with freshly ground spices and the shop's own special blends.

Again I was being a total dork and talking to the shop owner about spices and what he was making, etc. From there, Brooks took us to the pier where Michaela and I took a boat cruise around the sound. It was one hour long and gave us a full view of the city. We opted for this rather than going to the space needle, which costs $19 just to ascend and look. I would rather take pictures of the needle rather than be in it. I originally suggested we have dinner in the rotating restaurant up in the space needle until I realized dinner entrees started at $40. ha! But, Michaela was a good sport and joined me in a bit of an upscale dinner at Elliot's Oyster House, where I had a life changing oyster stew along with plank-cooked wild Alaskan salmon. Soooo gooood.

Seattle is someplace I could definitely see myself living or at least spending a good long while in. I love the vibe, the people, and the food. I'm sorry to be leaving it so soon, but we must keep going! Tomorrow onto Oregon and the Pacific Ocean!!!!

Quotes of the Day

Michaela (agitated): I'm so worried about my flight home - I'm going to go crazy.

Me: It'll be fine, just get drugged up and sleep.

Michaela (yelling): Get drugged up - ON WHAT?!?!

Me (yelling back): I don't know... MIDOL?!?

Me: Woah, did you see that billboard we just passed?

Michaela: No, what did it say?

Me: Michaela's a bitch.

Day 7: Montana & Idaho

Today has been perhaps our easiest day thus far. Only 6 hours of driving with no "must-see" places. I tallied it up and we have traveled 3087 miles as of tonight with about 1000 more to go. We crossed into our third and final time zone - yes, I am now officially on pacific time. I have found myself feeling rather tired with sporadic headaches, which has reminded me of two things. For one, I'm pretty sure I'm still on eastern standard time, and for another I'm probably at twice if not three times the altitude I was in NYC. I'm reminded of my summer in Aspen last year when a walk up a hill would cause my life to flash before my eyes. Considering we haven't stayed in any place long enough to orient ourselves with what the hell is going on, it is no mystery as to why I might feel a bit... out of it.

So remember yesterday when I said that Montana and the north entrance to Yellowstone is our new favorite place? Here is why:

Ridiculous. Today saw no real exciting things, at least not in comparison to yesterday. Michaela and I had our bout of usual driving shenanigans. We stopped in Missoula, Montana, which we didn't find to be quite as cool as Bozeman, where we stayed. I'm sorry to say that the scenery deteriorated greatly as we entered Idaho. We did stop in a little old mining town called Wallace, which was fairly depressing, though quaint with history.

We stopped in Coeur d'Alene, a town that fell considerably below our expectations, especially taking into account the researched hotel prices and hype surrounding their resorts on the lake. Unexpectedly, we have found the most pleasure in the little town in Washington we're staying in overnight called Liberty Lake. First we managed to avoid what I thought would be a total Michaela meltdown when we discovered our hotel to be nice, clean, and pleasant, which Michaela has a hard time believing when we are not staying at a Fairfield Inn. Then, we had a fantastic dinner at a local place called Otis Grill, where I enjoyed a patty melt and ice cream. Just after we arrived the joint was invaded by a little league team getting after having finished a game. Precious.

Tomorrow is a big day - Seattle!! AND I will be meeting my future roommate face to face for the first time. Get ready for yet another fun filled entry tomorrow!

Quotes of the Day

"Aggressive Drivers: Chill or pay the bill"

Seen on the highway - they must have known we were coming

"There's no god like Jehovah!"

Heard as part of a song on one of three radio stations in Idaho

Me: Michaela, I don't actually need anything, but could you just fish around the ice in the cooler for a bit?

Michaela: hm, could you go f*ck yourself? Thanks.

Day 6: Yellowstone and Tetons

Saddle up kids, this is gonna be a long one. After changing our route and making our commute today only 4 hours (perhaps the most exciting news of our lives), we were ready for a relaxing day through Yellowstone/Tetons and an early arrival at our hotel for rest and catch up. We left at 9am. We arrived at our destination in Montana at 8pm. So much for that. The fact of the matter is that we were so taken by the whole experience that we couldn't help but stop at every possible opportunity. Pictures seemed to take themselves as every turn revealed some new jaw-dropping scenery that made us either gasp or drive off the road (often both).

One great thing about driving through National Parks is that there are hundreds of little side trails and loops, picnic areas nestled with historic markers and structures, hiking trails, etc, etc. It's quite overwhelming as the main roads are enough to make your head spin, but I adore finding little treasures off the beaten path. While driving through the Tetons we did a side trip for Jenny Lake, which took us down a narrow, tree-encased one-way street that led to this:

Simply amazing. Also in the Tetons we came across a picnic area with a chapel called the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. It was just a little log cabin style house nestled in the woods, left open for the public to visit with a beautiful carved wooden interior.

I was so taken by this little structure, sitting here at a random point in the park for who knows how long, how many visitors, services, and prayerful passerbys. Neat. Now rest assured there are many many pictures from the Tetons National Park, too many for me to share here. Once I'm settled into Los Angeles, I will post all of my pictures in a public forum. For now, here is one more.

Once we were able to deal with ourselves and move on from the Tetons, we entered into Yellowstone. Truth be told, Michaela and I were both more taken with the beauty of the Tetons, but one cannot scoff at all the geothermic activity. This was the first (and probably the only) place we encountered actual car traffic, first entering into the park, and then again at Old Faithful. It's so funny to me how you can drive around the park for hours in solitude, but then once you get into Old Faithful you are bombarded by seemingly 1000s of swarming people. But I have to say it was worth navigating the NYC-style hordes:

Yes, that would be Old Faithful erupting. Holy crap. And it's not just Old Faithful and you leave, it's surrounded by a huge field of smaller geysers and crystal clear pools of boiling water.

Crazy. As amazing as all of this was, our hands-down favorite thing was the "Yellowstone Traffic Jam". So when a wildlife creature gets close enough to the road, someone pulls over and takes pictures. Of course everyone knows that's the only reason anyone pulls over, so it becomes a domino effect. One car leads to three, leads to an all out traffic jam in the wilderness. And the wildlife could care less.

Now, Michaela and I were totally in awe of both of these parks. We didn't think it could get any better... until we exited from the north of Yellowstone into Montata. We both decided we will be moving to Montana. Tomorrow the bulk of our travel is through the state, so there will be wonderful pictures to come.

Quotes of the day

"Be Bear Aware"

Me: Look at this traffic. This is effin ridiculous. (there were no cars anywhere)

Route Change!

You may have noticed that in the previous post I said we're stopping in Bozeman, Montana, which is not on our route map. Once we settled into Jackson and had dinner, Michaela and I took a serious look at our next leg of the trip. We had originally planned under the "let's push it and see everything" mantra, causing us to map an excursion up to Glacier National Park. It supposedly is absurdly gorgeous and we desperately want to see it, but it involves about 10 extra hours of driving. At the time it seemed doable, but since we've been "pushing it" for 6 days, we are now operating under the "I am goddamn tired" mantra. So, after serious consultation we are cutting it out of our trip. Sorry Glacier, we will miss you. We are going instead to Bozeman, Montana, only 4 hours from Jackson, which allows us to take our time through Yellowstone. It will then be 5.5 hours to Liberty Lake, WA, and only 4.5 hours from there to Seattle. At this point we are very relieved.

Also, this trip has caused me (and Michaela) to bond with my car, Val. She has been absolutely wonderful thus far. We have decided she definitely has the soul of a New Yorker in that she is not only able to drive and maneuver like a bat out of hell, but she will randomly sound her alarm if you do something to irritate her. When she was being worked on at the Saturn dealer, I laughed heartily to myself as I heard the alarm go off three times during the course of her repair. hehehe. This change in our trip will save her hundreds of miles of driving, and save us that much more money on gas. Good times. See you tomorrow!!

Another Quote of the Day

... I called to cancel our reservation at a hotel closer to Glacier and spoke to the nicest woman with the thickest midwestern accent...

Dawn: Oh, heavens to betsy, someone put in Jamaica, Montana!!!

Day 5: Gillette to Jackson, WY

One word: WYOMING. Once we got underway driving from Gillette, we couldn't help but fall completely in love with the state of Wyoming. Every time we thought we saw big mountains, we would turn the corner and see even bigger ones. Perhaps my favorite part about driving into Jackson Hole, which, for those of you unaware, is the bustling little town that sits just outside of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, is that there is no interstate that leads there. We were forced to take Route 16 the "Scenic Bi-Way", which wound us in between and over mountains, through canyons, past the smallest of small Wyoming towns, finally circling into Jackson. When we entered into the Grand Tetons at around 5pm, we were met with rainy weather. But, it was ok because the rain allowed me to take this picture:

Ridiculous, no? We have decided that tomorrow we will return to this road and get the views we may have missed from the cloud cover - we'll have to just suffer driving through this miserable place again. ;-)

Tomorrow we are spending the day driving up through all of the Tetons and Yellowstone and settling in the small town of Bozeman, Montana for the evening. Be prepared for some serious pictures and hysterical babble about how friggin beautiful everything is.

Quote of the Day

...outside taking pictures of a herd of wild horses...

Michaela (screaming): HI HORSES!!!!!!!

...stopped to take a picture of a deer looking at us from the side of the road...

Michaela (screaming): HI DEER!!!!!!!

... notice a pattern?