Idaho, Oregon & Washington

I was able to get my earliest start of the trip when I left Ogden, UT.

Northern Utah became more hilly as I got closer to Idaho. I reached the Idaho border while most of you were probably still counting sheep. While in Idaho, I came against a 100 mile stretch of road that was in a valley area surrounded by the epic, snow capped mountains of Northern Utah to my left (South) and the rustic, rocky mountains of Idaho to my right (North). I passed several signs indicating I was entering a strong wind area and could feel the car being blown to the right. My bikes in tow took a beating that stretch of road. Me, wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops, decided to pull over and get a picture of the dark nothingness in which I was driving. As I stepped out of the car my breath was taken away by the cold. Imagine temperatures in the low 40s with 35 mph (+) winds out of the South. Needless to say, I snapped my pictures and got myself back into the car as quickly as possible.

I made my worst mistake of the trip while stopping for gas in Idaho. Don’t tell my mother, but I accidentally left my car running while I filled up. Not smart, I know, but I was somewhat delusional from the 100+ mile drive through windy nothingness, coupled with the lack of sleep for the past few days.

But I lived.

For the most part, Idaho was bleak and rainy. As I got into Boise, I felt like I was in Denton or OKC. Idaho, or at least the parts I saw in the South, is pretty flat and looks a lot like North Texas, save for the hellish heat.

I entered Oregon around lunchtime. Here I was greeted with magnificent mountains covered in fur trees (although I’m guessing on the furs). Oregon offered some of the most beautiful drive of the trip. While the mountains of Utah were in the distance with a picturesque sky painted different colors, the mountains of Oregon were up in my face. Many times my route weaved in between mountains so large and daunting that I couldn’t see the tops of them out of my car. This went on for miles and miles. At times, the mountains resembled the Koolau mountains of Oahu. Needless to say, I was awe struck.

I stopped off for lunch at Taco Time, a Northwestern fast food joint and my new substitute for Taco Bueno.

I crossed into Washington around 2pm PST. I got to enjoy the sights of Washington wine country. Simply beautiful. I had been in Washington for about an hour and a half when I spotted Mt. Rainier. Standing 14,411 feet, Mt. Rainier is snow capped year round and was the point for me when I knew I was here. As I neared Rainier the landscape changed to more of the Oregon feel with the route weaving in between mountains.

I arrived in Seattle around 5:30pm and made my first stop at Redwood, a bar and grill owned by Mat Brooke, a singer/songwriter of two of my favorite bands, Carissa’s Wierd and Grand Archives. I love that place and go there every time I am in Seattle. They are one of the only places in Seattle that offers Shiner Bock on tap, as Mat Brooke is a huge fan of the Texas institution. For me, however, it was Manny’s Pale Ale. Manny’s is by far my favorite beer EVER. Seriously, if I were only allowed one beer to drink for the remainder of my days it would be Manny’s hands down, without even having to consider it. Manny’s is brewed by a Chinese man named Manny, in his basement and is only available in Seattle and only in kegs.

Manny’s Pale Ale, yum.

The only band I listened to more than once on the trip was Sun Kil Moon. Music definitely made the drive easier.

A few interesting things I pondered on the drive through Idaho, Oregon and Washington: 1) I saw so many wind fans harvesting the energy of the winds and wondered if any of that was actually being put to use. It seems to me that energy fans are indicative of us as a country, full of great ideas but too stuck in the old ways of doing things that our good ideas never bear fruit. 2) I learned how to drive on this trip. I learned that the left lane is for passing only and that when people utilize it as such it makes the drive easier and more efficient. I learned that Texas drivers, for the most part, do indeed suck because they use the left lane as a regular lane. Once I left Texas the drivers got better. 3) While Chris Simpson’s voice is at times very annoying, Mineral is one of the greatest indie bands of the 90s.