Day 1 - We're Off!

Blessings upon Mr. Alexey Pajitnov. To him I owe a debt of gratitude for teaching me the art of spacial relations and that rotating a square really doesn't make that much of a difference. 

The real feat of the day was not staying awake on the road or finding a decent radio station east of the mountains. It was getting all of my beloved crap into my car. With the help of my dad, my uncle, and a final inspection by Mr. Quints, we pronounced the car at full capacity. Those who witnessed it will testify that every available nook and cranny is occupied with decent sight-lines, too -- although not so much in the back so kindly do not place your small children and pets directly behind my vehicle. 

I had my Claire moment leaving the city (complete with Sia soundtrack), but sadly without as much prescience. 

The drive to and through Yakima was fairly rainy (and it it turns out my Aunt Sue was right, I did see snow over the pass). I interpreted it as WA's tearful goodbye to me in return for my tearful goodbye to it. However, when I passed under the "Welcome to Oregon" sign, the sky burst into sunshine, welcoming me back. 

The sunny-ness gave me the perfect reason to wear my new sunglasses. I usually don't wear sunglasses as I'm rarely outside for very long and it didn't seem like the hassle of prescription lenses would be worth it. Spending a month on the road, though, traveling through the Sunshine State, among others, pushed me over the edge and I splurged. 

(Okay, imagine these in sunglass form.)

The lovely sales lady had a great pitch about how I needed to get polarized lenses because they are great for seeing into water. As I am on water even less than I am outside, I fended her off . . . until she halved the price. I must say that something in those lenses makes everything much more interesting to look it. Not just shady, more like the landscape had been PhotoShopped by someone all about saturation and contrast. I am very happy with my purchase. 

Next on my route was Sisters, OR because 1) it was on the way 2) I know someone who grew up there, and 3) it's a freakin' western themed town! Apparently, it is the only town that has special permission to make their Subway sandwich shop fit the town theme. I got there after most of the shops were closed so I just drove through and confirmed, that indeed, it is indeed western-y. 

I rolled into Bend, OR just in time for dinner. I chose to dine at Zydeco Kitchen based on the recommendation of the woman who used to teach me how to ride a horse. 

She was not wrong. At 6:00 there was already an hour wait. I checked into the hotel (which is about 5 minutes away) and they called me when it looked like someone was full. 

I was well impressed by their vegetarian fare, including artichoke heart + corn fritters, and, a first for me ever, vegetarian shepherd's pie. It is the perfect dish for this meat and potatoes girl -- minus the meat! I am hard at work trying to track down the recipe online.

And thus begins the voyage. I am tucked in, comfortable and cozy for the night. Tomorrow we set sail for Ashland and Eureka!

Thank you to all who helped me say goodbye (for now) to the Pacific Northwest. Much like this new strain of drug-resistant gonorrhea, I will be back!

Odomoter Start: 33820

Odometer End: 34225

Miles Driven Today: 405

Miles Driven Total: 405

Today In/Around: Tacoma, WA and Sisters, OR and Bend, OR 

Tomorrow: Ashland, OR and Eureka, CA

States Visited: 2 (Washington, Oregon)