So the trip to Eugene proved to be a bigger adventure then I was expecting, in a good way.
I left my apartment at 9:30, got into town at about 3:30 or so. It rained a lot on me, but not as much as I was expecting. I met up with my friend Claire, she was in the middle of a kick ball game, so I sat and watched, then we went for a motorcycle tour of Eugene. Very cure community. We sat around her apartment and chatted for a while, then headed out for food. We went to a couple places, ate at a very swanky vegan pizza place with a DJ spinning some very delicious music. It was great. Got back to her apartment about 11:15 or so, this is when she got a text from her brother that her mother was going in to have her gall bladder removed. In Yakima.
Needless to say, Claire was freaking out a little. She doesn't drive. I said "Well, let's just jump on the bike and I'll drive you there." So that's what we did, right around midnight we suited up and hit the road. Made it about one hour and realized I was far too tired for this, and the consequences for being tired were a little too steep, so we stopped into a Super 8 in Woburn (about 10 miles north of Salem) and slept for 4 hours, got up and hit the road.
That drive from Portland to Yakima is fucking gorgeous. I highly recommend taking it.
We pulled into Yakima Memorial Hospital, I gave her a hug goodbye and headed off toward Snoqualmie pass. I was a little concerned about the conditions, but I honestly didn't even look in to it. I figured we were close enough to April for it to be impassible. Got home around 3:30, took a shower and pretty much crashed. I google mapped the route and it was about 712 miles.
It's strange that after about 700 miles, the distance between North Bend and Seattle can seem like an eternity...
It was fucking great. Great distraction, great mind clearing time. I feel fantastic today and I keep thinking about that ride. Many more road trips in the future.
I left my apartment at 9:30, got into town at about 3:30 or so. It rained a lot on me, but not as much as I was expecting. I met up with my friend Claire, she was in the middle of a kick ball game, so I sat and watched, then we went for a motorcycle tour of Eugene. Very cure community. We sat around her apartment and chatted for a while, then headed out for food. We went to a couple places, ate at a very swanky vegan pizza place with a DJ spinning some very delicious music. It was great. Got back to her apartment about 11:15 or so, this is when she got a text from her brother that her mother was going in to have her gall bladder removed. In Yakima.
Needless to say, Claire was freaking out a little. She doesn't drive. I said "Well, let's just jump on the bike and I'll drive you there." So that's what we did, right around midnight we suited up and hit the road. Made it about one hour and realized I was far too tired for this, and the consequences for being tired were a little too steep, so we stopped into a Super 8 in Woburn (about 10 miles north of Salem) and slept for 4 hours, got up and hit the road.
That drive from Portland to Yakima is fucking gorgeous. I highly recommend taking it.
We pulled into Yakima Memorial Hospital, I gave her a hug goodbye and headed off toward Snoqualmie pass. I was a little concerned about the conditions, but I honestly didn't even look in to it. I figured we were close enough to April for it to be impassible. Got home around 3:30, took a shower and pretty much crashed. I google mapped the route and it was about 712 miles.
It's strange that after about 700 miles, the distance between North Bend and Seattle can seem like an eternity...
It was fucking great. Great distraction, great mind clearing time. I feel fantastic today and I keep thinking about that ride. Many more road trips in the future.