Seattle > Oregon > Northern California
Due to an adminstrative error, I had to swing back through Seattle last night and fix some plane tickets with Lisa. I had intended to do the ticket change, eat and get back on the road and try to make it to at least Portland, but I was just too tired and hungry. Besides, I still had a free place to stay chez my friend Andy, who wouldn’t be back in town until this afternoon. So I decided to stay the night and head out in the morning. I tried to go eat at La Carta de Oaxaca, which my friend Andrea raves about, but drove past there and they were closed. So, I decided to feed my Indian food habit, and went to Chutney’s Grille on the Hill on 15th.
One thing I am going to miss when I initially get to Miami is knowing where things are and all of the ways to get there. I love thinking of the best driving route to a location, and then alternate routes, and making elegant trips that are circular with no back-tracking. But I also love finding out how a place is laid out and how to get places, and which roads connect you to what place, etc. So I will get both needs met by being in a new place.
Seattle in the rearview mirror as I drive away
This morning, at 10:20am, I pulled away from the Coastal Kitchen on 15th to get on I-5 south to start my journey in earnest. I tried to catch a picture of the Seattle skyline from the rearview mirror, but was not overly successful. In the south, there was a cloud break with rays of light streaming through. It was like manifest destiny, in a way — like the universe was saying, “yes, Girl, you know you doin’ the right thing!”. It was really quite magnificent, and once I passed Southcenter, it dissipated.
I stopped for lunch a little north of Corvallis, I think, at a Pilot gas and travel center. I had my Indian food leftovers, a microwave dish, and some cutlery (no use dining like a savage if you don’t have to, I say), so I rolled up in there, heated up my food, and looked for a place to sit. All of the booths were taken, and with my now boney butt, I’ve got to sit on cushions, okay? So this man at a booth said “you can join me if you like”, which I replied jokingly “oh, you’re just jealous because my food smells so good.” So I sat down and we chatted a bit: George is a truck driver for a local company, used to live in Redmond, but now he and his wife live in Boise. He used to drive all 48 states, but now does just the 11 western ones. He was such a nice, pleasant man. He gave me the low-down on which travel centers are the best ones (Pilot, TA, and Petro), and also let me know that the passes were okay and nothing to worry about. And when I told him that I was just going to drive until 9pm, and then stop whereever that was and get a room, he gave me a “right on the nose” gesture and told me “yep — we drive 11 hours, and then we have to rest 10 hours.” He was very kind, and it was nice to have someone to dine with. My mother will be very disappointed that I did not get a picture of him, though.
More driving, driving, driving. Once across the Oregon border in California, I called Mom to say “I’m in California!!” I got to Redding about 1.5 hours later. Yeah, I kicked it driving-wise, but you just get into a groove. As a matter of fact, once I got to Redding, I didn’t want to stop! But I did — found a Motel 6, got a room, and then went searching for wi-fi access.
I have to say this about Motel 6: I was NOT feeling that place. The bed was hard, the room was too hot (I know many people will find that hard to believe), and there was no bathtub in the joint, only a shower. And no wi-fi, which is starting to be a priority for a sista. So, that was the first, and probably the last M6 for me. I will be eating higher up on the food chain for my next motel stay. They can leave the light on for someone else.
