Alaska Bound… Day 1

May 28, 2017 2 comments

Passing by Lassen Volcanic & Crater Lake

San Jose to Portland

May 27, 2017

Miles Driven: 663

Sunrise (San Jose): 5:50am / Sunset (Portland): 8:48pm

Latitude: 37.34N to 45.38N

Sites Visited: 0

 

Oh to be on the open road again! The joys, like eating fabulous Vietnamese food in a too-hip-for-me restaurant! The perils, like the packing bins, duct-tapped to the roof rack. The travails, like the lack of functioning air conditioning in the hotel room when there's a heat wave. Yes, that's right, the road is a place of true adventure, the stuff of life.

On the road near Crater Lake NP

On the road near Lassen Volcanic NP

The Bin Saga Begins


On a more serious note, don't panic. Those bins were also tarped and tied down. There was a worrisome wobble at the start, but it was taken care of in a Target parking lot. Which brings me to why I'm on this road trip. This go-around, I'm not alone. I'm helping my friend Nicole move to Juneau for grad school and sea otters. So, the car is packed to the gills. The saga of the bins began today...

As for the rest of the day, we sang along in the car to The Lumberjack Song and Ring of Fire, which given our location cruising near the forested mountains along the Volcanic Legacy Highway seemed rather appropriate. And there is nothing better after a long day in the car than hitting up the ultra-hipster downtown Portland scene, looking just like we had in fact driven for 10 1/2 hours. Our dinner was served by annoyed-looking waitstaff after we did this order-while-standing-outside-waiting-for-our-table-thing. Nevertheless, the food was spectacular, Luc Lac did not disappoint. And, of course, we were with friends. Merriment and full bellies prevailed over the surly staff.

Hipster Decor

Thirsty?

Now we are back in our hotel room and its rather quaint malfunctioning a/c. It says 60 degrees, but it's blowing warm air. In any case it is late, and it's time for some much needed sleep. As anyone who has ever been on a road trip knows - the first day always seems the longest; the packing and prep take a lot out of you. 

Until tomorrow from Bellingham…

Safe Travels!

2 Comments on “Alaska Bound… Day 1

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