Two weeks ago I was driving across the country from coast to coast with J. It was quite the experience and not exactly what I was expecting, but in a good way!
What was I expecting?
– Fast Food only options on the road.
– Terrible rest-stops.
– Scary truck drivers owning the road.
– Scary hitchhikers
– Criminal Minds unsub contact with strangers
– End-of-the-world catastrophe
I swear I’m a positive person, but I do like to prepare for worst case scenario situations, so yes, I did carry an emergency kit to survive a few days inside of our car and I also, had in the back of my head that my chef knives were accessible, plus you can make a weapon out of nothing, so thank you personal defense training booyah!
What actually happened:
– We ate only once at a fast food joint (Waffle House) and it served better coffee than Starbucks (in ya face!)Â We tried all sorts of small local restaurants.
– 95% of the rest-stops were so clean and comfortable, except for the last rest-stop once we got to Oregon, seriously so odd.
– Truck drivers do own the road but they aren’t scary at all, really friendly, hard workers, there were so many of them, men, women, couples and when one truck had an issue, another would stop to help. They drove better than most regular cars we saw on the road!
– We didn’t see a single hitchhiker, we did see an abandoned car and then a person walking towards a gas station that was a few meters away already. Even if we found a hitchhiker, we had no space, we were carrying our lives inside of our car.
– Most strangers were very friendly. Not everyone was chatty which is understandable because most people have been driving for hours like ourselves.
– The world did not end while we drove to Portland, yes!
Which states did we cross from DC/Virginia to Oregon?
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Missouri
- Kansas
- Colorado
- Wyoming
- Utah
- Idaho
We were so lucky we got to explore a bit of Knoxville with my friend Sarah, thanks to her we also made friends for life with Jessica, Amanda and Michael. Kansas gave us the roughest drive because of the gust winds, at some point I thought we were going to die, I swear. Colorado (Denver, Boulder) and Utah (Ogden) offered a wonderful driving scenery and food. We really enjoyed our time there. Last but no least, Idaho (Boise), thanks to my friend Anastacia, we were lucky to stay with her sister and family, who now we also consider family of our own, they were that lovely.
Where did we eat? Every single place had vegetarian options! (I did carry some snacks, some nights we just ate fruits, cheese and vegetables to keep it simple.
- Waffle House
- Sarah cooked!
- Tomato Head
- Sarah and Jessica cooked!
- Sarah made a lunch box, thanks Amanda for the bagels!
- Bean Street Cafe
- Tong Phoon Thai
- Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue
- The Humble Pie Store
- El Taco de Mexico
- China Gourmet
- Chopstix
- Ruan Thai
- Farr Better Ice Cream
- Ben Lomond Hotel (breakfast)
- La Fiesta Mexican
- Flying M Coffeehouse
- Marina cooked!
- Mazatlan
Overall, it was an amazing experience, something I can only describe with videos, pictures and maybe a beer. I think everyone should do it at least once in their lifetime. I’ve crossed Panama City to Costa Rica and it was also quite the adventure.
Would we do it again? Who knows! We are happy staying around Portland, and now the adventure only begins.
¡a comer!
Didn’t know you were moving, good luck!! :D
Thanks Ken! <3