Road Trippin' Seattle Summer

The Crack of Dawn // Coffee at Corner Stone // PDX Love // Portland Roses

I suppose I should pick up where I left off – with Seattle! Emerald City Comic Con has come and gone; Eric and I had a blast. But that was in March. Just a few days ago I returned from another trip to Seattle, this time with my sister. In the wee hours of the morning we piled into her car and hit the road.

The sun may have been coming up, but nothing was open. So we drove. And drove. We drove over the mountain. We drove so far from everything that the closest coffee shop was an hour away going in the opposite direction, on another route. Shortly after pulling off the side of the road and finding what was in fact a shack and not an eatery, we stumbled upon a mountain town called Dunsmuir. It was very Twin Peaks. If you are ever driving up the I-5, Corner Stone bakery and café is where it’s at. Seriously. Best omelet I’ve ever eaten. A few hours in later we were in Portland. After procuring some much needed espresso drinks, we embarked on our final stretch. We hit some gnarly traffic between Portland and Seattle, but otherwise – made perfect time. With three stops the drive took only thirteen hours.

Breakfast over the Seattle Times // Tacoma Totem Poll // View from Kerry Park // DICK'S

Seattle itself was a blast – as always. We had lots of quality family time, and I had a chance to enjoy lunch with one of my dear friends who had moved to the area last autumn. We honestly couldn’t have asked for better hosts. Monday highlights: the Seattle Center, Pacific Science Center, and neighborhood tours of Queen Anne, Fremont and the U District and DICK’S. Tuesday highlights: Daily Dozen donuts at Pike Place market, riding the Monorail, Bill and Melinda Gates Visitor Center, Comic Stop, U District thrifting and family dinner. Oh yeah, and Ancient Aliens. It was so hard to pile back into the car the next morning. The only consolation is that Eric and I have officially decided to move there! There are a few things we need to finish up around the Bay Area first, but it is happening and I cannot wait.

With that in mind, Emily and I were on the road again. We were making excellent time until I-5 caught on fire. Yes. I-5 and several surrounding towns in the Shasta area were on fire. As such, the interstate was CLOSED. Thankfully the alternate route around Shasta National Forest was open, but it was a one-lane mountain road that just happened to be being repaved that day. The detour ended up adding three hours to our trip. Needless to say, tension was thick. I love my sister, and it has been such a joy to build our relationship as grown women, but we’re still very different people, who handle stress very differently. At one point traffic was dead still on the mountain. Engines off, safety breaks on. I asked her to pop the trunk, and I broke out our books, and all was well in the world. We brought back together by our love of literature and fart jokes. True story. Emily was home before midnight, and I was in my very own bed less than an hour later.

As awed as I was by the stunning mountain vistas and the incredible small town omelets up on the I-5, I don’t think I’ll be making the drive up to Seattle again any time soon. Summer has gone by so fast; I’m going to soak up what’s left of it here in the Bay Area before it’s back to school and sweater weather.