Great American Road Trip Part 1: Seattle to the Redwoods

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It's July of 2013 and it's my first full month off of work since I lost my job in Vegas in 2010. This time I've voluntarily left Weidlinger in DC after accepting a job in New Zealand. I start in mid September, giving me 10 total weeks off. Unfortunately I can't leave the country though. I really want to go chill on the beaches of Thailand for a few weeks, but New Zealand Immigration has my passport. So I'm passportless while I await approval of my work visa. I'm not sure when I'm going to get it back so I'm not buying a flight to Asia given the possibility of not having my passport back in time. So instead of Asia, I decide to make a road trip to some American National Parks and places I have never been before. It will start and end in Seattle, built around my friend's bachelor party and wedding. I have three weeks in between those two events and I plan to drive about 6000 miles and hit about 10 national parks, including Yellowstone, which I'm amazed I've never been to before.

Lo and behold, the day before my flight to Seattle my passport arrive in the mail. But it's too late to change plans now. I take a Wednesday morning flight at the ass crack of dawn from DC to Seattle (by way of Minneapolis because nonstop flights from coast to coast are ridiculously overpriced) and I'm there before noon. I've rented a car for 4 weeks. It's not cheap, over $1000, but driving all the way to Seattle from DC is something I just don't have time for. Plus who knows if my old Camry will last 10,000 miles on the road. So a Budget rental it is. I pick up my car, a sweet blue Ford Fiesta, that will be my home for the next four weeks and get on the road.

My friend's bachelor party is in Portland this weekend. Everyone else is flying in on Thursday and we're driving down to Portland on Friday. Till then, I'll be hanging out with my friend Karli from Vegas, who is originally from Redmond, Washington, just outside of Seattle, and home for the week. I've been to her folk's house before so I head over there to say hi. A friend of Karli's from high school is meeting up with us and we're gonna go do some wine tasting in Redmond, because that's the classy thing to do on a Wednesday afternoon.

We hit up a few wine tasting rooms and then decide to head over to the Red Hook brewery down the road. I like going on Brewery tours. They teach you all about their beer then they give you free beer. It's win-win. On this tour I learn that the guy who started Red Hook also started Starbucks. I guess Red Hook is just for fun then, because lord knows he doesn't need any more money. After the brewery tour I head back into Seattle to meet up with my friend Sean, the one getting married in a few weeks. I'm staying at his place tonight so I unload some stuff at his house once he's off work. I'm on the road for a total of four weeks so I have quite a lot of stuff. I'm also borrowing camping gear from Sean so I can camp out in the National Parks.

We grab some barbecue at a place down the road from his house. I've been here before (Sean is from Texas and, like me, loves Texas barbecue) and it's actually one of the best barbecue joints I've been to outside of Texas (http://rorobbq.webs.com/). I recommend it if you're looking for some beef brisket in Seattle. I don't really have anything planned for tonight, just to meet up with Karli and her friend downtown. I hop in and out of some alternative downtown Seattle bars and meet up with Karli for a few beers at a little Mexican joint. It's a Wednesday so I don't stay out late. Kind of a crazy weekend planned.

I meet back up with Karli at her folk's house on Thursday afternoon. She has picked a hike for us to do about 30 minutes down the highway. Her little brother joins us and we head off to Rattlesnake Lake to climb Rattlesnake Mountain. The hike is not too strenuous. It's a decently steep ascent of the mountain, but there are little kids and dogs everywhere so I wouldn't call it strenuous. In fact, it's amazing how many people are out at the lake and mountain today. It's a Thursday. Don't these people work!? Then again it is a gorgeous day in Seattle, which only really happens in July or August, so people have probably left work early to enjoy the outdoors.

On top of the mountain we get a great view of Rattlesnake Lake below and it's turquoise water. It's a really nice area so close to the big city, an escape for the locals. After the hike I drop Karli and her brother off back in Redmond. I'll see her again in a few weeks in Vegas where I'll be her house guest for like 5 days. She is thrilled.

When Sean gets off work we go to the track to do some running before the rest of the guys get in. At around 8:00 we head to the airport to pick up the rest of our group from out of town - two from Houston, one from San Francisco, and one from central Virginia. It's the first time we are all together in what seems like forever, probably since graduate school back in 2007-2008. After enjoying a beer at the airport in celebration we head back to Sean's place to kickoff the bachelor party.

Insert what you think happens at the bachelor party kickoff night here.

On Friday morning some of the guys have left early to get a round of golf in before heading to Portland. Not being a big fan of golf, I've chosen to sleep in and drive down later. Andrew and Matt join me and we head off for Portland at about 11. The only reason I mention this part of the journey is because of the traffic. I've been to Seattle a number of times over the years but never encountered traffic like I did this time. No matter what time of the day you just sit on the highway. We get on the I-5 and park the car in the parking lot disguised as an interstate highway.

Once we pass the airport speed starts to pick up. We're finally moving! But my joy is short lived. We check Google Traffic and our worst fears are confirmed. It only gets worse from here. From Tacoma to Olympia takes us about 90 minutes. Yes, that's right. A distance of 30 miles between two small Washington cities (although they're really just glorified suburbs of Seattle) takes us an hour and a half. I curse I-5 through Washington as we finally roll through Olympia at around 1:00. After a quick lunch in Olympia and a stop for almonds (...) we are back on I-5 and it's actually moving. We arrive in Portland around 4:00, about 2 hours later than we had planned. But we've made it. The bachelor party has begun.

Insert what you think happens at the actual bachelor party here.

Sunday morning I'm as hungover as I've been in a long, long time. Good thing the shortest leg of my 6000 mile journey is today. I only planned to get as far as Eugene, OR today, about 100 miles down the highway. I assumed I'd feel terrible and wouldn't want to drive far. Good assumption. I barely make it to Eugene without falling asleep at the wheel. By the time I roll into town it's about 5:00 and all I can think about is laying in bed. I'm trying to do this trip as cheap as I can so I'm staying with friends or camping most nights. But this first night I need a decent bed to rest and recover in so I check into a hotel in downtown Eugene.

After a short nap I head out to check out the University of Oregon campus. It's summer so it's quiet. I mainly want to see the track. Why? Because it's kind of a big deal. Eugene is knows as "Track Town USA." It hosts Olympic trials and other major track and field events (http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39023&SPID=243&PALBID=9850&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=22187). On top of this, mega-company Nike traces its origins to Eugene and the University of Oregon track team. It was founded by an athlete and a track coach in 1964. So yeah, this stadium is quite famous.

Unfortunately the stadium is closed and I can't get on the track. I peer through the gates and imagine the best runners in the world sprinting around the track. I snap a few pictures and head off for a brief walk around campus. It's a nice looking campus, a bit overly green though... maybe. After my walk I get in the car and head over to the football stadium, which is a bit of a hike from campus. I don't like these stadiums that are off-campus. Why do they put them there? This one is only 1.5 miles, so maybe a 30 minute walk. But I like VT's stadium, right on campus, a 5 minute walk from your dorm. Anyways, the field is under major construction so I can't really see anything.

I head back downtown to get some dinner, feeling a little better now. I wander around downtown for a while. It's a small downtown so I cover it pretty fast. Portland is known for its bums and Eugene is no different, except that here all the bums here have dogs. Yes, a beggar on the street who can't even take care of himself is taking care of a dog. I guess there are two ways to look at this: that it's disgusting that these people who can't even feed themselves own dogs they have to feed, or that owning a dog is a good way to get money from strangers because they will feel bad for the dog and give you money for dog food. I tend to lean more towards the former. I can't believe what I'm seeing here in Eugene. What is going through your mind when you are sitting on the corner of the street begging for change and decide to get a dog? "Oh golly, I can't take care of myself, might as well get another living creator and try take care of it." I feel so bad for these dogs. I'm sure they get plenty of food from strangers. But still, the life they are forced to live is not fair to them. Just sitting on the street all day while their owners beg for money from people who have actual jobs. These dogs look so sad. I feel like the stray dogs in Greece looked happier than these pups. I just want to save them!

I can't tell from looking at these bums if they are actually homeless or not. A lot of bums make good enough money begging on the street to afford a decent apartment. Some of these bums are so young I can't imagine they are homeless. I stop by a pizza place to get some slices of pizza for dinner and there is a girl outside, no older than 18, with a dog of course, begging for food. I want to feel bad for her, but she breaks the unwritten law of being a bum with her sign: "gluten free pizza only please." Are you kidding me!?!?!? You, the bum on the street, are making special requests for the food you are begging for. Now, if you have a gluten allergy and will die if you eat gluten, that's fine, but why don't you write that on your sign. It's doubtful this girl has an allergy. I wonder why she thinks she can make special requests for food. If you're a beggar, you accept what is given to you and don't ask questions. It's like an unwritten bum code. But here in Eugene, bums apparently have a lot more power. Ignoring the arrogant bum, I eat my pizza outside while overhearing a conversation between the girls at the table next to me. One has just come back from a weekend dancing in Vegas. Yes, "dancing." No, not at the club with her girlfriends. Good ole Eugene.

After a good night's sleep I'm on the road in the morning. My final destination today is Redwoods National Park in northern California. But first, I've got a drive along the Oregon coast to do. I drive south on I-5 and exit on Highway 38 west towards the coast. I hit 101, the Oregon Coast Highway and start heading south. As I drive I can't help but think this isn't what I expected. I was expecting something similar to the Pacific Coast Highway in central California, where the road literally hugs the coast through twists and turns on the mountains and breathtaking scenery everywhere. But this highway? Not so much. The road is offset from the highway by a couple miles. I can't even see the coast.

I bust out my phone and take a look at Google maps, where I see that there are only a few tiny portions where the highway is actually on the coast. Bummed about this I decide to take a detour to the coast. I pick the worst of all possible routes, of course, and eventually I'm on a rocky dirt road with pot holes half the size of my car. It's one lane and winds like a slithering snake. I sure hope there are no trucks up ahead. I'm about to turn around and go back when something darts out in front of me. A bobcat! I've never seen a bobcat in the wild before but that was definitely a bobcat. I award the road a gold star for being prime bobcat habitat and press on. Eventually I reach the end. There are a few other cars there but no humans to be seen. I walk to the beach. Eh. This really isn't anything special. The sand dunes are nice but you could tell me I was in North Carolina and I wouldn't argue. A bit bummed, I'm back in the car and heading back to the 101.

As I press south I pass the only stretches of the highway that hug the coast. This is more like what I expected. The mountains rise out of the sea and we wind along for a few miles before being thrust back into the endless forest. The coast drive was nice, but it was short lived. If you're considering driving either the Oregon Coast Highway or the Pacific Coast Highway definitely choose the Pacific Coast. Fly to San Fran and drive south to Santa Barbara. It's long but amazing. If I would have know the Oregon Coast Highway was nothing special I probably would have just stayed on I-5 to get to California quicker. Sorry if I have offended any people form Oregon. Just my opinion. Anyways...

Not long after entering California I arrive at Redwoods National Park. This is the first National Park on my tour. The redwoods are the tallest trees on earth. The tallest one, named Hyperion, is deep in the park and measures a whopping 379 feet tall (think almost 40 story building). Plenty of others top 350 feet. So why aren't these the "biggest" trees on earth? They are not the biggest because the tree people measure "biggest" by total volume. So the title of biggest tree belongs to their relatives down in central California, the Giant Sequoia. The redwoods are not as fat as the sequoias but they are plenty hefty. You have to be to grow that tall.

Redwoods National Park is the only national park that includes state parks in its authority. The redwood forests are under the control of the National Park Service and 3 California state parks. It's complicated how it works. But basically they all work together. So as I drive through Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park I have reached my first National Park of the trip. This is not one of the best redwood groves though. As I get into NPS land the trees really start to get tall. I make a few stops on the side of the road to do some short hikes through the redwood groves. The trees grow in groves. There will be hundreds of redwoods in one area, then none in the next area. It's kinda weird, but I guess that's just how it is.

Redwoods is an easy park to see in just one day. There aren't too many hiking trails and nothing is too far off the road. I'm disappointed to learn, however, that the road that leads to Hyperion is closed due to budget cuts (thank the government sequester for that). The only way to get to the tallest tree in the world now is to do like a 12 mile hike. Unfortunately I just don't have time for that. I'll have to find something else to do in the morning.

As 5:00 approaches I check out the visitor's center. Just outside there is a large meadow with some Roosevelt elks, a special species of elk that was named after Teddy. These things are massive. The signs say not to try to get any closer to take pictures but of course that's exactly what people are doing. I make a few more stops along the highway as I wind my way down to Orick, CA. My campsite is a few miles past this tiny town and I stop to get some supplies. After checking into my campsite and setting up my tent I head back to Orick for dinner. I step into a small cafe at 7:45 and the lady says I'll be the last customer. It's the only place to eat in town and I guess they close when they want to. I get a three course meal with salad bar for $11. Gotta love being in the sticks.

I'm up early Tuesday morning. I have a few more quick stops to make in Redwoods then I head back to Oregon. It's just been a quick trip to California. For what happens next see "Great American Road Trip Part 2: Redwoods to Boise."

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Photos

Hayward Field
Most famous track in the world