The Great PNW Road Trip
The Great American Road Trip has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.
While I still haven’t made it all the way across the great USA, I do seize the opportunity to take trips whenever possible. In 2017, I have managed to travel from my home base of Pittsburgh to destinations across the East Coast, and most recently the Pacific Northwest! What began as a simple trip evolved into a 16+ hour trip – starting from the Sacramento airport all the way to the Seattle train station.
California
The California landscape that met us was dry + barren – far from the lush scenery from my “California Dreamin”. We drove through the desert for the first several hours of our trip until we stumbled upon Clear Lake. A remote town, frozen in time with retro signage and unassuming docks along the highway. It was an oasis for us tired travelers and reminded us of the joy of surprise and why we choose to travel in the first place.
Our first stop on the journey was Burlington Campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park – about 5 hours from Sacramento. We ventured here because I was determined to see the Redwood trees first hand and Humboldt is home to some of the oldest + largest trees in the region. As a 6’1” woman traveling with a 6’2” man and a 5’10” woman, it is not often that we get to feel small, but heck does a 300’ tree make a girl feel insignificant. Our favorite fact that we learned in this park was the phenomenon of “fairy circles”. When a “giant” starts to die, it creates a circle of smaller trees around it that spring up from its roots and use the energy from the passing tree to grow strong. Eventually, these smaller trees will grow to be giants in their own right. The renewal of energy and the witnessing the circle of life is one of the wonders of travel.
The second stop was Mill Creek Campground in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, 4 hours north of Humboldt. The journey to the campsite brought us passed black sand beaches with massive, jagged boulders protruding from the ocean floor to remind us of the passage of time and the flexibility of nature. Our campsite itself was unlike one I had ever seen – up a flight of stairs. It felt like our own little tree house, hidden away from the road by ferns and Sequoias.
Oregon
The third day took us into our second state of the road trip – Oregon. We traveled North passed ranches, mountains, and small towns unbothered by the busy nature of modern life. Our destination was the majestic and breathtaking Crater Lake – a crystal blue lake formed by melting glaciers after the devastation of a volcanic eruption some 7,000 years ago, yet another example of nature’s forgiving evolution. It took us two hours by car to traverse the cliffs of Crater Lake and see the freshwater waterfalls that outline the road.
From there we traveled against the traffic of the Solar Eclipse 4 hours to Portland to return our rental car. We got in with 2 minutes to spare, thank you very much. Here we were met by another friend, Donovan, who flew out to spend the remaining city days of our trip with us.
Our one day in Portland gave us the opportunity to check out its downtown area, food trucks galore, and biggest bookstore I have ever seen, Powell’s City of Books. We spent our evening at the DIY Bar – a place that combines crafts + cocktails. For a flat fee, you are given the tools and access to a myriad of paints and dyes to bring your creation to life.
Washington
We then took the Amtrak train from Portland to Seattle! Not often having the opportunity to travel by train, it was a welcome opportunity to take a relaxing ride through the countryside of Oregon + Washington. We gave ourselves 3 days in Seattle to take in the sites and decide whether it should be a contender on the list of “great cities we move to next”. We were lucky to have our friend, Andy, who lives in the city, be our tour guide for our time there!
Our first day we enjoyed a Savor Seattle Food Tour of the Public Market. This was a worthwhile excursion that allowed us to try some of the most famous stops – like Beecher’s Handmade Cheese + Pike Place Chowder – in the market without having to wait in line (I HATE waiting in line). The public market is home to one of the more odd sites we came across on our trip: the gum wall. An alley in the market entirely covered in bubblegum. We learned that the Market community regularly removes the gum and that it always ends up growing again. We ended the evening exploring the many restaurant and bar options of the hip Ballard neighborhood north of the city.
Our second day we allowed ourselves to have a full tourist day, going from the Chihuly Glass Museum to the Space Needle to the Museum of Pop Culture (AKA MoPop). I enjoyed all three, but was notably exhausted afterward and remembered how much being a tourist takes out of you! On our last day, we stopped by the Fremont neighborhood for Brunch at a French-Korean fusion restaurant called Revel and we stomped our full bellies around to see the Fremont Troll, Statue of Lenin and ended our afternoon with a trip through the Theo Chocolate Factory. Seattle is without a doubt the hippest city I have every been too with so many amazing food options that I wonder if you could ever hit them all – I cannot wait to return!
I walked away from this trip with a resounding renewal of love for traveling, an immense appreciation of the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and a fascinating new obsession with donuts.
“The Great PNW Roadtrip” is a great option for anyone who wants the thrill of an epic Road Trip but only has a short time to take it!