DC to Seattle in a month: My life on the road

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This is my first blog. This is also my first road trip. This month is actually holding a lot of firsts for me.

Until recently I was very unhappily working at a corporate retail giant in the DC/metro area, until I finally decided I had had enough; enough of my job, enough of the east coast, enough of a stagnant life that I no longer wanted. So, I quit my job, packed up my things, dropped about half of them off at my parents' house, and set off on the road for Seattle, where I have decided to move. Crazy? Maybe. Exciting? Totally.

I decided that instead of the taking the direct northern route that google maps gave me that would take about two and a half days, I would swing down into the deep south and hit up cities I've been wanting to visit for a while now, and turn this move into a month long road trip. And I decided that I'd write about it.

So, here goes:

My starting point was Gainesville, VA. After dropping off what I (hopefully) will not need for the next three to four months, I started heading west towards the Shenandoah Valley area. My first stop: Veritas Vineyards in Afton, Virginia. My GPS took me through route 17, which, by the way, is very dangerous if you are a wine enthusiast like me. Why? Route 17 takes you straight through Virginia wine country... tasty. While I was tempted to stop at just about every vineyard I passed, there are at least two whose wines I've tasted at several festivals that had me drooling to stop.

The first vineyard I passed was Prince Michel (http://www.princemichel.com/). I tasted their wine at the Richmond Wine Expo in Ferbuary of this year and the two wines I'd recommend are their 2009 Barrel Select Chardonnay and the Merlot. Tasty.

My second would-be stop, which would have been my first if I had passed it first, was Horton Vineyards (http://hortonwine.com/). My mom is in love with their Niagara wine. I personally love their Xoco wine, a delicious chocolate wine that comes in red or white!!! And, of course, the Eclipse needs to be tasted (it has nothing to do with vampires... I promise).

Before, after, and in between these two vineyards there are plenty of vineyards that you can visit if you don't mind straying a little from the beaten path. If you're interested in finding more vineyards in VA, check out http://www.virginiawine.org/.

102 miles in, I arrived at Veritas (http://www.veritaswines.com/) to meet up two of my friends from college.
The vineyard is beautiful: there is a huge porch with grapes dangling from the rooftop where you can sit and look at the vineyards Try their 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, their 2011 Rose, or their Red Star. Red Star especially goes well with chocolate; makes it taste like raspberry infused deliciousness. Just be sure not to bring in outside food because they do not allow it, however they do have a food menu in house. Yum.

I think my favourite part of the journey was after we got kicked out of the vineyard (they close at 5pm) and hit the road towards Harrisonburg, which is about 40 miles west of Charlottesville. It's a bit of a steep climb and my car definitely groaned a bit, but so totally worth it. You climb up into the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley sprawling out beneath you and it's difficult to keep your eyes on the road because you're so busy staring at the scenery. Thankfully there are some good pull over spots to stop and take pictures, gawk, etc.

Once safely in Harrisonburg, I needed a place to score some grub, so, naturally, Thai Flavour was my go to spot. They have the best pad thai in Harrisonburg, not to mention an amazing panang curry. Their thai iced tea is also a good bet. After food, I obviously needed drinks and dessert... for that my friends and I needed Jack Brown's. They have deep fried oreos for a dollar and an extensive beer list that spans the front and the back of the card. If Jack Brown's is not your cup of tea, Billy Jack's is the next best option. You have a choice of five different flavours of mini doughnuts spanning from marchmellow fluff and sprinkles to nutella and bacon. SO GOOD. Plus, all of the waiters and waitresses are dressed in crazy Bavarian clothing. Love it.

After so much drinking and eating, all I need is a comfy couch on which to pass out, which, thankfully Katie had for me. Here's to my first night of road tripping!

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