1,997 Miles To Go

Day 18 Location: Oregon, Washington

Day 19 Location: Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota

Day 20 Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

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Congratulations team Katie and Chad, you have not died on a mountain or have been killed by strangers in your car! Exhaustion was setting in and we both did not want to get up in the morning. We have never set alarms on this trip, letting our bodies wake up naturally, but this time I would have appreciated physically swiping the snooze button on my phone.

School would start in a few days for me and Chad would have to go back to work, but we were still on the opposite side of the country. We decided that we weren’t going to camp again (physically parking the car to sleep) and our plan was to rally drive all the way home. Oh boy.

Oregon

Oregon was nothing I ever expected it to be. There were large and small hills following the highway with shacks/houses decorating the ledges. Every town we drove through was very small and we kept driving without batting an eye. Our audio book at the time was getting really good, so good in fact, I can only remember the story line and not the scenery of what we were passing through.

The Progression of Chad's beard growth over the course of the trip

Chad was still driving and would drive the rest of the day because he liked to. His appearance has changed drastically since we left Minnesota because of his beard. From time to time I would catch him stroking his beard as if he was thinking about a serious topic and the motion helped him to think clearly. Since we haven’t been showering regularly and boycotting all shampoos/conditioners, his hair surprisingly still looked good.

Slicked into the man bun, which is finally long enough for a pony tail since his last haircut, Chad fit well into the mountain surroundings. The lifestyle he is portraying with the long beard, long hair, athletic Patagonia clothing and diesel Jetta is strikingly similar to a wanderer or hippie. Maybe a classy, technical hippie. Not to mention he loves, absolutely loves, sleeping in the car. This trip has created a monster that will not enjoy coming back to reality.

The Progression of Katie's hair curls over the course of the trip

The entire trip has been without shampoo or conditioner. The only treatment was intense scrubbing and rinsing of the scalp/hair. It would then be brushed when wet and left to air dry. You can see the difference in texture from the first picture to the last picture.

Taking a look at myself, I was still wearing the same clothing from 2 or 3 days prior. It’s hard to remember when the days all blend into one. Having kept up with our hygiene practices, we didn’t stink and we still felt comfortable. I have also not been using shampoo or conditioner on the trip but instead have been intensely scrubbing then rinsing my hair.

The natural oils have been able to build up for the first time ever and my curls are astounding. There’s a catch: I have to rinse my hair out and let it air dry for the best results. If this doesn’t happen, I will of course look like someone who hasn’t take a shower for a long time. It’s a fine line between beauty and homeless haha.

By the end of the day, we had passed through Oregon entranced with our audio book and had set the course to Seattle for dinner. Chad, having an obsession with Starbuck’s coffee shops, knew the original location was in Pike’s Place Market. Not knowing what we would find, we made our way across Washington. By this time, we had eaten almost every horded piece of food in the car and we were looking forward to the delicacies the city would offer.

I have been meaning to travel to Washington to visit my other family, the Hickmans, in Walla Walla. Unfortunately, we were unable to stop due to tight driving deadlines. During all four years of high school, I had spent my afternoons working in the Hickman’s sheep barns helping with chores, lambing and moving sheep. I absolutely loved every minute of it, even when the sheep were being stupid.

The Hickmans have recently up-rooted their farm, trekked across the country to Washington and have started a new life in the rolling hills of Walla Walla with their sheep. Visiting them should be my next vacation and I will totally be bringing my work boots to help out with the sheep. Having been away from manual labor or farm work for a few years, I can’t believe I miss it.

Pike’s Place

Rush hour in Seattle heading out of the city was horrendous. The line of cars were backed up for at least 20 miles out of the city. Yuck. Chad and I arrived in Seattle around 4:30 p.m. and headed straight for the market. We were starving and getting very crabby. The city had a different feel than San Francisco, but it was still refreshing to see compared to the little towns we had been passing all day.

The curse of staying hydrated in the car is not having an immediate bathroom to use. I had tried to stay hydrated all day but I was paying for it. We found a parking stop on the cobble stone in the heart of the market and I immediately was bathroom hunting. There were people everywhere, smells of foods I couldn’t distinguish and colors galore. There was an actual market with fresh fruits and veggies, fish, sea food and roots. Everything looked so appetizing. But first, I needed a bathroom.

We wandered inside the strip behind the stores to find an Asian family frantically running by me and Chad. The woman in the group looked like she also had to use the bathroom and I was thrilled. We followed them until they came to a bathroom but they didn’t stop. I wanted to stop, over joyed that I can finally go, but Chad was persistent that we follow them.

He claimed that they had a look on their faces like they were going to go find something amazing, but they had to hurry to get there. Chad thought that this group of people would lead us to the Holy Grail but my Holy Grail was through the woman’s restroom door.

Not wanting to be left alone in a large city, I hurriedly followed after Chad as we trailed the Asian family. They scooted around corridors inside the building and we found ourselves standing outside a clam chowder restaurant.

The Asian family looked absolutely thrilled that they had made it to this place on time before they closed and Chad was practically crawling out of his skin with this amazing discovery. Apparently, this place has won contests for the best clam chowder in the States multiple years in a row and we were about to try some. Chad could have been happier than a clam. See what I did there?

It was the best damn chowder I have ever had. We saddled up to the bar and tried our different chowders. We got there just in time because they were closing at 5 p.m. and it was 4:50 p.m. The line out of the shop was at least 10-15 people deep; all waiting to buy chowder before closing time. Wow.

I had forgotten that I was going to burst from not using the bathroom. Oops. I rushed out of the chowder place and hunted for another bathroom. We both were hopelessly still hungry and were easily sucked into any appetizing food that was on display in the street.

We settled for gyros sold to us from a Russian woman who complained of the cold (we could see our breath and a jacket was required). She told us about the use of legal marijuana in Washington and how she would rather stick to a good scotch for entertainment.

The street air was littered with the aroma of weed and people were bumbling about obviously having a ‘good time’. Taking the suggestions of people who worked in the shops, we sought after homemade mac and cheese. At this time it was a food frenzy because all of the shops, except for a few, would be closing. If we were to get any of the suggested items, we had to hustle. Running from shop to shop, Chad and I loaded up on varieties of food.

Gyros and mac in hand, we went back to the car to eat. I may or may not have walked through a group of guys that were standing by the car that seemed ‘questionable’ because they were so baked. I didn’t think anything of it and when I got in the car I was sternly reminded that I should be more aware of my surroundings (aka sketchy people). Yes, good point. I was just so consumed with the thoughts of eating my gyro!

Scarfing down everything, it was time for dessert. We high tailed it back to a German dessert shop and got our hands on some pretty bomb pastries. Mine had rhubarb in it; ugh, it was heavenly. The sun had set, we were full and the traffic was still terrible.

As of now at 7 p.m., this would be the last stop on our trip and we would now be rally driving all the way back to Minnesota. If you travel to Seattle, visit this market place. I would have loved to spend hours looking through everything and wasting my money on food.

Day 19 Location: Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota

Chad took the first driving shift and I passed out in the reclined passenger seat around 9 p.m. All I remember leaving the city and seeing the lights as we passed by. Traffic was still bad but I remember beginning the climb into the mountains. I fell asleep to the audio book and occasionally came to and would look outside to see snow, mountain rocks and high beam lights. Deeming this unimportant, I would fall back asleep.

Waking up as Chad pulled into a gas station, I thought I had only passed out for about an hour. He showed me the time on his phone and I didn’t understand it. The time was 3:30 but I didn’t know if it was a.m. or p.m..

A groggy mind really confused me and I realized it was 3 in the morning! Chad had been driving my unconscious self across Washington for 6 hours. He looked absolutely awful. This hair was a mess, his eyes blood shot and there were huge dark rings under his eyes. It was totally my turn to drive.

Chad was passed out even before I was able to get back onto the highway. My suggestion to night drivers or people who aren’t used to long driving times at night: get an audio book or podcast. The book literally saved me from falling asleep because I had to pay attention to the storyline. It was peaceful traveling through the remainder of the mountains (I had forced Chad to drive them if he wanted to live) and watching the landscape change from hilly to flat.

Obstacles Katie Avoided in the Road

• A large tumble weed the size of a Christmas tree
• An 8’ ladder in the left lane

Having avoided obstacles in the road, I caught up to the part in the book where Chad ended when I had woken. Woot Woot, 6 hours! We rallied like this all the way across Washington, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. It was so discouraging to be driving through Fargo around dinner time because I couldn’t stay and go back to my apartment.

All of my things and my car were back in Minnesota waiting patiently for me to return. Chad and I could have spent the night at my place, said hi to my lonely roommate and stretched but it was easier to complete the remaining 4-hour drive. If we stop now, there is no way we are getting back in the car to keep driving.

We had dinner at Johnny Carino’s in Fargo, an Italian restaurant, to stock up on comfort food. This was our last meal while on vacation and reality was literally starring me in the face (NDSU campus is not that far away and my apartment just up the road).

I drove the rest of the way back to Woodbury, MN. We arrived at a decent hour around 11 p.m. and the trip was over. But the audio book wasn’t! We had only 40 minutes to go! Dragging our car-worn bodies into the house, it was a relief to be home in Minnesota.

In the morning, Chad caught up on emails while I emptied the car. Having pulled everything out, I found items that I didn’t know we brought. More than half of the things I hauled out weren’t even used. This proves that we can bring a small amount of items next time and still be fine. Later, Chad vacuumed Royal and we got rid of the nasty smell of ‘humans living in a car for weeks at a time’ odor.

The car had been cleaned, my items packed for my trip back to Fargo and the monster road trip was officially completed. The audio book was also shortly finished when I made my way back to Fargo, which I think, officially officially ended the trip.

We are sure glad to be home and not in a moving vehicle.

We love Minnesota, you betcha!