June 2016, a nine-day road trip!

Our starting budget, per person:

• $20 for an expected 2 meals every day
  • total for meals: $200, accounting for a tenth day just in case. We also tried to find motels that offered free breakfast
• $70 for general fun
  • $5 for San Francisco's Pier 45 penny arcade
  • $7 for the Shrine Drive-Thru Tree in Humboldt
  • $22 for Chihuly Garden and Glass near the Space Needle
  • $16 for the Seattle Underground Tour
  • Extra for day passes if we wanted to experience a state or national park
    • if you don't want to buy the park pass that gets you in without a fee, save your receipts every time you pay for a day pass. They may count this toward your purchase of a state park pass, if you decide it will be better bang for your buck. 
• $112.50 for lodging
  • we stayed with family for six of the nine nights, so we estimated $75/night for motels (with AAA discounts!), divided by two because this budget plan is per person.
• $181 for gas
  • my car gets 37 MPG on average, so I estimated with 30 to be safe. 
  • the distance between our starting point and Seattle was 1,192 miles, so 2,384 round-trip.
  • the way I calculated gas: distance (2,384) divided by MPG (30) multiplied by the price of gas ($3.30, the most expensive I found between California, Oregon, and Seattle), which came out to $262.24
  • additional $100 gas cushion for frequent stops and mountains, then divided by two
• $150 for trinkets along the way (this is obviously flexible depending on the person)
• Total: $713.50 per person

What we actually spent: closer to $450. My car's performance in the mountains was phenomenal and, thanks to the downhills, we actually got a little better than 45 MPG, we stayed with family and friends for most of the trip and they were adamant to treat us to meals, lodging was precise, and I heavily overestimated how many mementos I was going to buy.

One last thing I want to say before I jump into the road trip: I was diagnosed with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis in November 2014 and had my total colectomy in January 2015. I know because of the J Pouch, a lot of people with Crohn’s/Colitis/FAP have a hard time with long trips, are nervous about bathroom availability, all that jazz. But I wanted this challenge. My mom had her surgery when I was three and I grew up watching her live like nothing had changed. She’s a flight attendant. If she could do that, I could do this road trip. And I learned that I am damn good at road tripping.

Day 1: Mammoth Mountain

The key to road tripping is to not have a strict plan. I am a planner, though; I had a list of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to see, and Ben pulled me back and said chill. We'll get from point A to point B and see what's on the way. So that's how we tackled this trip. 

Now, Ben and I have a friend named Steven:

Yes, Steven with his gorgeous curly locks. His family has a cabin in Mammoth and they were generous enough to donate it for the first night of our road trip adventure. Steven and Muskaan wouldn't be joining us for the other eight days, but we used Ben's philosophy, anyway, and went hiking on a giant pile of obsidian rocks! 

Obsidian Dome is a great alternative if Devil's Postpile is closed. The road leading in is unpaved, but we handled it just fine in a Mini Cooper. There are trails on the rocks you can follow and, for the more adventurous (like Steven and Muskaan), climbing up the obsidian peaks will take you to parts that look like trails--probably aren't--and many laughs. Do watch your footing. A couple close calls with twisted ankles and, you know, some long and narrow holes in the floor later, and you'll easily find your way back to the slope that leads to the cars. It's very difficult to get lost. We had two camel packs for water and were perfectly fine for a few hours. I have mild arthritis in my knees and wore my brace, but it wasn't very strenuous (as you can see below, by Ben's jeans and lack of traction in his shoes). 

Warning: it was very rainy in June.

Dinner afterward at Mammoth Tavern was fantastic! The hosts and servers are welcoming, extremely conversational if they sense that in you, too, and love to talk about the area. And their wide selection of beers--did I mention their wide selection of beers? Also, their salmon and mac & cheese is as amazing as the mountain views through their massive windows. 

(I'm sorry, dear reader, but Mammoth Tavern goes against the budget I set at the beginning. A dinner for four can easily run around $100, but Steven's dad is an extremely generous man and gave him money to treat the four of us to this specific dinner place.)

Lastly, breakfast simply must be enjoyed at The Stove. The omelets. Do the omelet thing. You will not regret it. And challenge your circadian rhythm! Embrace the morning. We got there when it opens (6:30am), which, I admit, is a little excessive. Steven admitted it, too, much to our surprise. But even the server said the line is horrific no later than 8:30. 

We left Steven and Muskaan after breakfast and continued with our trip.

Day 2: Boise State

Alright, so here's the thing: this road trip started out as a way for us to check out creative writing MFA programs on the west coast, because the five major publishers and the big-name MFA programs are all in the east. (Sorry, east, but you just don't call to us that much.) Hence, our pit stop at Boise on our way to Washington. 

Yes. Yes, we did take pictures with every State sign. Note: we briefly cut through Nevada and took a picture with that sign, too.

Now, while Boise's campus is surrounded by beauty (I mean, it has a  river running right next to it. And a park across the river. AND a zoo in the park!), it just didn't speak to us. It's very sporty, and we aren't particularly sporty people. That park, though, is gorgeous and serene, perfect for a little stroll or picnic or what have you. And everyone we passed was ready with a genuine smile and pleasant greeting; even if the campus didn't jive for us, the people certainly did. 

Also, Boise taught us that squirrels will one day take over as the dominant life form. 

After we checked out the campus, we found our motel: the Rodeway Inn at the Boise Airport. They had free breakfast and cheaper rates when I called versus checking them out online. The downside to booking over the phone, however, is that Ben and I missed out on their promotion: if you stayed in one of their motels twice, the third stay would be free. Lesson learned. Be annoying and ask about promotions before you book, just in case! Instead, we used my AAA card and got the room for $73. Free breakfast, free wifi, thin walls, and a comfortable enough bed.

We had lunch at Rockies! One of the reviews said, "After they get frightened by the evening news, many people seek the foods and soothing music of a pre-racial America." That said, the food was really good and all the waitresses were on roller skates! It was also within our budget.

Day 3: Spokane!

Scenic pit stop in Idaho on the way to Spokane

Honestly, we supermega moseyed on our way to Washington. Whenever we saw a scenic pit stop sign, we stopped and walked around. I took a couple twenty-minute naps in the car at rest stops. Ben was very patient with me while I took pictures of all the flowers. 

The drive from Boise to Spokane quickly became the best drive I've ever done--which, by the way, says a lot with PCH so close. Also, Ben doesn't have a license. Yes, that's right. I was the only driver for 3,000 miles. I was quite done with driving by the end of day two, but popping from Idaho to Oregon until we got into Washington rejuvenated my love of the road.

I'm sure Ben's music helped, too. We sang loudly, obnoxiously, and proudly to both the best and worst music of the century in a playlist he put together just for this drive.

Snake River along the Idaho/Washington border

We stayed with Ben's family in Spokane and explored the quirky downtown area. I quickly became obsessed with a shop called Boo Radley's. 

Auntie's Bookstore is a mandatory pit stop for bookworms--and creative writers, of course

Day 4: scenic routes through Washington

Yes, that's right. A whole lot more of this. Long stretches of roads, sometimes green like Ben and I expected Washington to be, but often dry and barren like the part of California we call home. It felt like we hadn't left home with the middle-of-nowhere deserts, and I even ran out of gas at one point. Which is why I packed a gallon. And then, almost as soon as we were back on our way: desert for five minutes, then it was raining and we came across signs for a waterfall. Snoqualmie, to be exact. 

Steven would have loved this sign. 

There are a lot of lovely walking trails, clearly marked, below the viewing area for Snoqualmie. (But, you know, clearly marked paths don't do well enough for me.) The other nice thing about the paths, though, was that they had a lot of plants native to Washington, each marked with a placard. The trails are very easy; you can walk them in street clothes.

We stayed with my cousins near Seattle, but beat them home despite our leisurely pace. So we wove in and out of other neighborhoods for a while and came across these—well, I’ll call it a park, even though it’s really more like a “park” to me. There were pockets of natural forest in neighborhoods where the developers just decided to leave trees there. Lovely walking paths! We found three before my cousins got home.

Day 5: Seattle

So Ben has never been to Seattle, which is great for me because I got to pretend like I knew everything for a day. We didn’t go inside the Space Needle (budget traveler problems), but we did a lot of touristy/fun things, instead! Like Pike Place!

This is where I took him first. My parents took me to Seattle when I was a kid, and this (if not the Underground Tour) was the most memorable part of the trip. We wandered down the whole stretch of the market, starting on the end farthest from the flying fish. We both fell in love with different pieces of art and ended up buying two for each other. He got me two painted squares of wood, one with birds and one with elephants; I got him two framed ink paintings, one with Snoqualmie falls and one with the Space Needle. We wove through the crowd and did our best to keep our fingers connected, but we if we did get separated, I had bright orange hair and he was taller than most of the others. We made it work. If you do have a hard time with the crowds, though, there’s a brief reprieve downstairs, which isn’t (usually) quite so packed as upstairs, and one shop down there has quirky posters from movies, protected record sleeves, old Time covers and the like. There are other stores down there, but we spent most of our time in the poster store.     

And, of course, the mandatory visit to the gum wall. Because reasons:

Yes, this is my brother, a far less superior road trip companion pulling a piece of gum off the wall.

After Pike Place, I took Ben just three blocks to the monorail that goes to the Space Needle (adult tickets $2.25, dipping into our extra “fun” funds). We briefly entertained the idea of going up to the observation deck ($22) and I wanted to surprise him with dinner in the restaurant that used to rotate when I was a kid, but we decided against it.

Instead, we hung out at the base of the needle, and as it turns out, there’s plenty to do! There’s a lovely musical park for kids, which we ran around for a few hours, a food court, the EMP museum, and Chihuly Garden and Glass. (I had asked my cousins about parking near the Space Needle [know before you go!] and they said the monorail was a good idea, because monorail, but also because it’s cheaper than parking near the city center.) I cannot say it enough: this is a great area to hang out, especially on one of Seattle’s sunny days. I, as a Southern Californian, absolutely crave the rain, and rain couldn’t have possibly dampened the experience, but I do have to say I actually appreciated the sun.

Chihuly Garden and Glass was one of our favorite things here. It’s near the Space Needle. When you see what looks like a giant piece of rock candy poking up over the hedge, you’re in the right place and should cough up the $22 for an adult ticket immediately. Ben and I were blown (no pun intended until writing this parenthetical) away. Here’s a little of what to expect, but know that the pieces are massive and photos cannot possibly do them justice:

We had lunch at Toppers, because there’s one in Ben’s hometown and I’d never heard of it and if we couldn’t have In-N-Out, then dammit, we were gonna have something nostalgic for at least one of us.

Later that afternoon, we did the Underground Tour! Which was my favorite thing when I was here as a kid because of a few well-timed poop jokes and my dad’s dry wit enhancing the experience further. And it was just as phenomenal as I remembered, but seven thousand times as funny now that I have a deeper appreciation for all things related to bowel movements. And Ben, lovely Ben, knowing all about my condition since I won’t shut up about it, laughed harder than everyone else, right up there with me.

This is something I don’t feel very justified talking about, except to say that a lot of tourists opt for this tour. And for good reason! My cousins haven’t done it yet, but it’s on their bucket list. The tour guides don’t get many Seattleites, and in fact, a great many of Seattleites don’t know they’re living on top of what Seattle once was. They certainly don’t appreciate modern plumbing as much as they should.

One of my cousins is an alumnus of the University of Washington, so she gave us the grand tour and talked about how the campus was constructed to provide unobstructed views of Mt. Rainier, which, I mean, who can argue with that? The buildings feel old and regal, the trees make everything fresh and lively, it’s spacious, green, so very green, unlike the desert in which I currently reside, and it’s cold. I don’t typically do well in the cold, but for UW (and Washington in general), I’ll acclimate.

Day 6: Portland

We said goodbye to my cousins after breakfast and drove down to Portland, intending to experience the city for the day, but we ended up going straight to Powell’s and spending five hours there. (What else do you expect out of creative writing majors?) I found a note about one of my friend’s recently published books! (Shameless plug-plug-plugging.)

While we intended to experience the rest of the city, we found the day’s feel a little too close to Los Angeles, oddly enough, for us to really want to linger. So we found a motel, read our new books, and I slept early and woke up late. Have I mentioned that I’m the only one doing all this driving? Ben’s constantly sleeping in the car.

Day 7: Southbound

So, of course, one of the first things we encounter on the scenic route home is a waterfall!

We had enough time to kill for our drive, and my legs were stiff, so naturally we decided to hike to the top of Multnomah.

We were severely unprepared. Ben had done this when he was a kid; he remembered it being an easy and short hike, less than one mile, so one water bottle should be fine. I brought my knee brace just in case, and it’s a good thing, too, because the hike he remembered was just to the bridge.

We walked from the car to the base of the falls (~1 mile), then from the base of the falls to the very top (some websites say 2 miles, some say 2.5). It’s extremely steep, extremely exhausting, and extremely strenuous on a bad knee. But so very worth it. I mean, do you see this?

So worth it.

Then we drove through Humboldt! Our goal was to reach Eureka to stay the night.

We called our motel around six and warned them we wouldn’t be getting in until ten. I wish I could remember exactly which motel it was, because that front desk woman was amazing. English was her second language, so it was a little difficult for me to understand her accent over the phone, but she was very patient with me, very kind and cordial when we arrived, despite it being so late, and if I weren’t so exhausted, I would have absolutely taken note of where we stayed to be there again. She was that fantastic.

Day 8: More Humboldt, then San Francisco

We left the motel early so we could soak in the Redwoods and linger in this part of California for as long as possible. This was our plan from the get-go: city, city, city, city to thoroughly exhaust ourselves, then slow through Humboldt. Plus, San Francisco (and Portland to some degree) are a lot more accessible to us than Washington.

We took every scenic street possible, stopped often to take photos along the Avenue of the Giants, and pulled over until we found the perfect song for that curving tunnel of trees.

We pulled over for a bathroom break near some campsites and decided to go on a miniature adventure right then and there, and as we hiked we came across an overgrown path, barely visible through the bushes. On the other side: water. Actual running water. In California!  

I’m sure this river/creek has seen better days, but it was still a pleasant surprise and fun to joke about the drought's end. On our way back to the car, I found a massive patch of clovers, so I sat down right in the middle and started looking for four leaf-ers. Ben was very patient with me. He counted to thirty, which turned into five minutes, before he asked nicely if we could go back to the car. I did not find a four leaf clover, but I took a picture of the patch. You know, just in case one is in there. At least it’d be on my phone.

We’d picked up a visitor’s pamphlet at the start of the Avenue of the Giants and found a list of must-dos on the back, so naturally we did them all. The Avenue of the Giants was predictably on there, as was the elk field, which we saw the day before. The Shrine Drive-Thru Tree, One-Log House, and Main Street in Ferndale were also on the list, so we took detours to see those, too.

 Then, unfortunately, it was time to leave the redwoods behind. We got to our friend’s place on the outskirts of San Francisco, took a nap, and then took public transit into the city. By the time we got to San Francisco, we were exhausted from our trip—Ben possibly even more so than me. But we made it (thanks to the Moovit app) to City Lights Bookstore, where we spent three hours before heading over to Pier 45 for the penny arcade, only to realize I left my pennies in the car. On the way back, we got separated on the train with his phone at 1% and my phone at 5%, found each other only because his phone was kind enough not to die until after I told him I’d go back for him, and we made it—in one piece and together—back to my friend’s for dinner and much needed rest.

Day 9: The coast back home

We took the 101 to the 1 the rest of the way home, windows down, salty hair whipping around, and yes, we stopped at the first set of crossed palm trees we came across. We may be set on moving to the Pacific Northwest someday, but In-N-Out is a luxury we will always miss when we leave California.    

We stopped at the elephant seal rookery and hiked around a beach where you’re supposed to be able to find otters all year around, too, but we had no such luck on the latter front. Still, PCH is one of my favorite drives. Humboldt and the Washington drives (tied for first) knocked it down to second place, but it will always have a spot in my heart. 

Until next time! Drive safely, have fun, and don't forget your AAA card or that extra gallon of gas.

-Leah.