Road Trip to Washington; Exploring the Great Northwest

Featured Image by: Roman Talley

“A good traveler has no plans and is not intent on arriving.” ~ Lao Tzu

Although I am writing this months after the trip, I just knew I couldn’t not write about it, because this trip was definitely one for the books that includes lots of “must sees” of Washington State! It’s been a very busy 6 months with school and basketball, so I’m glad I at least jotted some things down in my journal about the trip. Reading through my journal now brings back a lot of smiles. Come along and join me on this drive down memory lane!

Just to give a little background on the trip, I was invited to go with my best friend Shannah, her boyfriend, Roman, and his son, Aiden, to visit Shannah’s family for the 4th of July. We loaded up the car early Monday morning on July 3. With such a long road trip (12 hours!), we had no choice but to leave early and prepared:

Roman, Aiden, Shannah and me sitting at Snack Shack in Eugene Oregon.

Full tank of gas. Check.

Car charger. Check.

Roadtrip playlist downloaded. Check.

Camera. Check.

Pillows. Check.

Snacks. Check.

More snacks. Check.

Yup. We were fully prepared. And what a beautiful road trip it turned out to be.

I’ve always known the northwestern part of the United States is beautiful, but there really is no way to capture the beauty through words. Pictures won’t even do it justice. It is definitely an area I recommend everyone take a trip to experience in person for themselves.

Our view of the beautiful Northwest as we drove through the mountains.

We only made a few stops, mainly for gas of course. Which resulted in an interesting learning experience: Did you know that until this year in the state of Oregon it was illegal for a person to fill up their own gas tank? It’s true. And apparently workers did not expect to receive a tip; it was just a safety procedure and another way of creating jobs.

That Mom and Pop diner you’ve only seen in the movies!

One of my favorite stops having to do with fueling our own bodies though was at a little diner we stumbled upon in Eugene Oregon called Snack Shack. Think of the Mom and Pop diners you see in the movies and there you have the Snack Shack.

The food wasn’t much to rave about, although they are known for their one-pound jumbo burger. The service, on the other hand, was great! We had a waitress by the name of Shiloh who was so sweet and very welcoming. Be sure to stop in and tell Shiloh hello for me if you ever make a stop at the Snack Shack!

A few more hours up the road and we made it to Shannah’s parents’ house. If you knew Shannah, you’d know one of her favorite things to do is go on walks and it makes sense now, seeing where she grew up – the northwestern area of the U.S. is the best place for nature walks. Having to stay in shape for basketball while on vacation, running was more of a priority for me. Here’s what I wrote in my journal for the 4th of July:

One of my favorite horderves at the 4th of July celebration.

“I woke up and went for a run to start the day and oh my goodness… it is so gorgeous here in Bonney Lake, Washington! I have running fever because it is such an ideal place to go on runs! I went last night when we got here and then early this morning and I can’t wait to go again!”

Shannah’s parents had just moved houses when we were there, but the old house was not sold yet so we got to go back there and see the house she grew up in which is surrounded by a whole garden. We ate all the cherries, mulberries, apples, huckleberries, and rasberries our hearts desired. Picking the raspberries for the 4th of July dessert was one of my favorite parts of the trip and got me thinking about my future home and ensuring that I live in a climate where I can have my own garden! I found it to be very therapeutic . . . and tasty!

The famous Seattle Space Needle.

We had another 4 whole days to explore Washington after the 4th of July celebration and Seattle was at the top of the list. Here are just a few of the fun places we visited:

The Monkfish that scared Aiden at the Pike Place Fish Market!

Pike Place Fish Market – Famous for fish throwing! Yes, we saw them throw the fish, but none of us bought one to take home and cook. We just went for the entertainment. If you get lucky enough, a worker may just make one of the frozen fish come to life (by pulling on the tail) and scare your child like they did to Aiden while we were there. They really do know how to put on a show!The Daily Dozen Doughnut Company was right around the corner, but so was the line! Definitely worth the wait though and the fresh, melt-in-your-mouth donuts will warm the heart of any fish-frightened child.

The Gum Wall is definitely a must see for all non-germaphobes! It sounds ridiculous, but really you just have to see it to understand why it’s such a tourist attraction. It’s really . . . um . . . colorful and oddly pretty, but definitely gets a little gross if you think too much about what you’re surrounded by. Yes, we did add our own chewed gum to the collection. My advice if you go: don’t touch anything but your own gum, and take lots of sanitizer!

The next stop was The World Spice Merchants store where I did not buy anything, but only because I am extremely indecisive. The attraction is in the diversity of cultures represented. There is so much to choose from! But taking some time to smell the spices is never a bad thing.

The International Fountain located at the Seattle Center is an awesome thing to make a part of your trip as well. The water spurts out to the beat of the music and yes, you can get just as soaked as Aiden did, or just sit around the edge of the basin and enjoy all the screams and laughter from below.

A very soaked Aiden after lots of fun in the International Fountain in Seattle.

Last, but definitely not least (and also right on time after an eventful day as I literally fell asleep seconds before arriving!) was the Starbucks Reserve Factory where you get to see how Starbucks works its magic! That was super interesting and delicious; a must experience for all Starbucks lovers!

I ordered a Grande Hazelnut Bianco Gravitas along with a slice of Chocolate Chunk Walnut Banana Bread. -Mmmm, my fav!

The next day we left Shannah’s parents’ house and headed out to Eatonville to visit her lifelong friend who just so happens to live in a lake house on Clear Lake. We dropped off our bags there and headed straight for Mt. Rainier.

Mt. Rainier on a beautiful July day.

“Mt. Rainier was beautiful! There was a lot of people up on the trails from all over the world… it was like the Tower of Babel up there. But I guess Mt. Rainier wasn’t a part of Shannah’s to-do list so she didn’t bring hiking shoes with her on this trip. She actually didn’t bring any type of trainers with her either so there she was hiking up Mt. Rainier with sandals! There was still some snow up there too and on the way down her sandals broke and she had to go barefoot! So all these professional backpackers were walking past us with their 200 dollar hiking gear and Shannah impressed them all!”

Shannah hiking snow covered Mt. Rainier with no shoes.

The big adventure for the next day was Northwest Trek Park.

Just a few miles off Clear Lake, this place is a hidden gem! It is such an awesome park that holds a lot of knowledge and history and when we went it was not very busy, so I feel as if not very many people know about it. I was told, however, that it has grown, so I can only imagine once the word gets out just how popular it will be! Basically it’s like a mini Jurassic Park minus the dinosaurs, but just filled with so much nature! They have a zip line there, which I didn’t do because it’s a little pricy, but would love to try one day if I am fortunate enough to return. We did do the tram tour though and that was spectacular! We saw ram, bison, elk, doe, swans, beavers, raccoons, lynx, caribou, goats, wolves, a black bear and a moose! Something that I was very surprised by is just how ginormous moose are! It was incredible.

The beautiful landscape that can be viewed while on the tram ride in Northwest Trek Park.

Of course, back at the lake house, we had to pull out the canoe eventually and what better time to choose that but the very last night. That experience was so peaceful, but definitely an arm workout! The whole evening to follow was very relaxing. Here’s what I wrote in my journal:

“Now we’re all sitting by the campfire, eating s’mores and listening to the wolves howl at the full moon (there is a wolf farm across the lake!); kind of eerie, but really awesome at the same time. I’ve never heard wolves like that before and believe me, it’s hard to explain, but it does not sound anything like the movies! …I love times like these. Such a peaceful night.”

The next morning was a Sunday so we had to pack up and head to church (the church Shannah’s dad is the pastor of). After church, Shannah was adamant about having me try a restaurant called The Rock Firestone Pizza before we left town. I had ordered the most amazing pasta I have ever tasted. I really think I mean this! The sauce was amazing smothered over shrimp, chicken and spicy sausage with penne pasta.

The Rock Firestone Pizza pasta that seriously rocked my world.

It was seriously so good and a perfect taste to end on before leaving Washington and start the long drive home. Here’s what I wrote about the drive in my journal:

“Now we’re on the road and there is an even bigger full moon than last night. This drive is unbelievably beautiful! We’re also a little weary of the deer out here. Hearing about the accidents is a little scary, but praying for a safe drive home.”

The deer in Oregon present a serious danger for drivers, especially at night. Estimates stated that 1 in every 254 Oregon drivers would hit a deer in 2017. “In the crashes, drivers and animals can be killed or injured, and vehicles can be damaged.” When traveling to Oregon, don’t go ignorant and stay on the look out!

We missed all the deer, but somehow we managed to hit something else. Here’s how the road trip ended:

“So we made it back safe last night around 2 am. But you’re never going to believe this… of all places we got hit by a coyote right about when we were getting into Reno. I was apparently fast asleep with my headphones in at this time so I didn’t hear or feel it, but Shannah said it was so hard and then I did see the little damage it did to the car. Nothing major, but still something. That’s so crazy that we made it all that way past Oregon with no deer hits (we passed like 5 dead deer on the side of the road by the way… that was depressing) and then a coyote gets us in Reno.”

We just always seem to attract adventure!

Thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear all about your adventures of the northwest or a fun road trip you experienced with your best friend. Comment here or on my Twitter or Instagram account!