hello Portland!
random ramblings on driving cross country.....
Maybe I didn’t start exactly on the eastern edge of America, but Mount Juliet, TN did offer a few days and hundreds of miles across the States of Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Oregon and these are just some silly facts I find to resonate, quite strongly!
best drivers: Kansas. maybe it’s the easy, flat terrain, or maybe just that not many people were on the road, but the semis kept to the right unless passing and the other drivers were alert and aware. High Five!!! also, the BEST bbq!!! https://q39kc.com/
worst drivers: Wyoming. I got run off the road by a large truck with an enormous hubris of an RV and was cuttof dozens of times by semi’s not paying attention, not caring, not knowing how to drive or a toxic combination of the 3. This state also gets the “highly gross” award for the most disgusting gas restroom, which had me muttering, “where the fuck am I for God’s sake”! as no one spoke English and also seemed unaware of cleanliness as well. Please avoid southern Wyoming, unless you want to end up in a dusty, arid ditch wondering how the hell you found your way into the deserts of the Middle East without crossing the ocean.
best Bartender: Fisher brewery, Salt Lake City, Utah. super thankful for Rich sharing this gem with me- the beers were tasty and crisp while the bartender was sweet and thoughtful. She suggested supper at the Red Iguana for their delicious 12 mole sauces and fresh recipes. I ordered the mole verde enchiladas with a side of guacamole and it was so good I may have cursed a few times from joy
https://www.rediguana.com/
https://fisherbeer.com/
best scenery: 2 parts:
Northern Colorado into Wyoming is breathtakingly gorgeous! The hills and pines had me dreaming of a little ranch with horses and a hot tub out back.
Northeast Oregon is stupid beautiful- on the right is the Columbia River and the left is Mt Hood, or depending on where you are at, Multnomah Falls. Either or, the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful!!!
https://www.fcgov.com/
https://www.fs.usda.gov/mthood/
https://www.multnomahfallslodge.com/
best gas station prices and pee time: any Sinclairs or Pilot’s. Hilton Bathrooms what?!?!
Best vinyard in Willamette Valley:
Brooks, brooks, brooks, and Sarah was amazing! Rae and I drove through the orchards, vinyards and farms of Willamette Valley yesterday and checked out 2 incredible vinyards, but Brooks takes the trophy by a long shot.
The gardens and vinyards are exquisite, with Chef Norma’s rotating seasonal monthly menu pairing with our wines beautifully. Rae and I both choose the White wine flight, and our wonderful server, Sarah, gifted us with a popular Pinot Noir at the end. The generous chilled pasta with dill, basil and lemon tossed with thinly sliced cucumbers, celery, radish and feta was destroyed with no mercy.
We made friends with the Bantam Araucana chickens and the lovely gardener who gifted us with thier holy basil seeds after we popped some in our mouths to verify that it was truly basil and not mint. At every opportunity we were impressed with the genuine joy and giving spirit- I will never go to another vinyard in Willamette without saying hello to our new friends at Brooks.
Heaven is Brooks! that is all.
https://www.brookswine.com/
best fast food: McDonalds kids happy meal: cheeseburger extra pickles, baby fry, apples and soda with caffeine to get you to your final parking spot and hopefully a good supper. 2 days in a row, 4.05 cents, thank you v.much!!! also, the toys are fun to play with when you have to do something to keep the boredom of driving at bay.
best rest station: Highway 84 going into Oregon from Idaho. It was clean, with mature trees and a green grassy space with plenty of shade where I took a nap for a good bit. Also loved that it was quiet, small, and minimal amount of space so the truckers didnt seem to come here…aka no noisy big engines!
worst roads: Highway 70 over the Kansas border into Colorado. Lets just say you knew immediatly when you changed state lines. Bumpy, rocky, uneven, potholes, you get it. No speeding here!!!!
best travel partner: Rich! My fella made the TN to CO drive seem like a walk in the park, and when hour 12 in the solo car drive from SLC to Portland started to take its toll, I remembered all the fun we had this last week and it got me through it. so thankful for him!
note: spotify “surf rock sunshine” playlist was great for chill times. enjoy!