This was the real “road trip” part of my Seattle/Portland trip, and it was exhausting. This was not a straight drive down I-5, but rather a coastal diversion that more than doubled the usual travel time.
On Wednesday, iIt took me about three hours to get from Downtown Seattle to Westport and Westhaven State Park, on the Washington coast. Most of the people visiting the park came to try out the waves, and they were not disappointed, as it was windy enough to create some significant waves on the Pacific.
I then stopped at Raymond, a small-enough town. I was drawn in to this cafe strictly for its wifi access. There was even a small booklet full of humour, such as adjusting to the mentality of rural Washington state, and variations of “Kids Say the Darndest Things”.
I followed US 101 into Astoria, Oregon, using a very long bridge over the Columbia River. The speed limit is supposed to be 55 miles per hour, but luckily we weren’t going that fast, which allowed me to attempt these photos. Seriously, don’t ever try it – just take photos from the ground instead, like the last photo.
Even on the approach to Portland on US 30, I was surprised at how rural the layout was when I saw a sign that read “PORTLAND 20″. 20 miles (~30 km) outside downtown Portland, and it’s still the middle of nowhere. I got to my accommodation almost ten hours after I set off, and needless to say, I was tired. Nevertheless, it was an experience.
[...] me mentally. In case you can’t tell, I’m doing this trip by myself. While I did do a coastal detour from Seattle to Portland two years ago (at least 500 km through nine hours of driving), I’d [...]