My first U.S. roadtrip

8/8/2019 My first U.S. roadtrip

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A very important rule of thumb on any road trip you plan to take is safety. Safety is

always first, especially if you will be taking minors on the trip – it is a must! First, check

on the safety of the vehicle. Whether you are looking to rent a car or van or borrow

somebody‟s car, please have the vehicle checked thoroughly. In our case we were

using Sol‟s 2002 Chevy Tahoe which was a 4-wheel drive large SUV that had all the

options and comfort we needed. We had a sunroof, cruise control, seat heating etc. We

had the engine oil changed, brakes and tires checked, battery tested and fluids filled. It

was all set and ready. If you were to use a vehicle you have never driven before, I

suggest you get familiar with it prior to the trip. For everyone‟s safety it is best you

understand all the workings of the car and treat it with respect.

After all the safety items for the car had been ticked-off, the next very important safety

item is the route you plan to take. The best place to go is AAA. They have everything

you need and the guys over there will help you with all the maps and print-out guides for

your route. Make sure you get membership so in the event you have any car trouble,

AAA is just a phone call away. Just like an airline pilot plans his trip with a flight plan,

you have to plan your trip with a drive plan. Another awesome tool to have is a GPS. I

have always wanted to use a GPS on long trips and this was the time to put the device

to the test. Redundancy is very important to being safe. If the GPS won‟t work, we had

the maps and the AAA print-outs ready for back-up.

Calculating drive time is very important in every road trip. This way you know how to

keep yourself out of the highways at night. Long drives can be very tiring and it‟s easy to

fall asleep on the wheel if you‟re not careful. Other motorists may fall asleep too during

the evenings so stay clear of the road at night as much as you can.

It was 5:30am of the 13th of April when we finally set-out on our first leg which would

take us from SF to Portland, Oregon.



BY 6:40am, we passed Napa Valley and the sun started to rise over the horizon.



There is something very serene about driving and watching the sun rise. I can‟t really

explain the feeling; I guess you just have to see it for yourself. By 7am we finally

reached the I-5 or Interstate 5 which will be the main road we would be driving for the

next 11 hours.



I remember freaking out as the GPS said to continue on the I-5 for the next 919 Miles!

It was time to psych myself and enjoy the ride! Not long after we were greeted by thick

fog.

It is important to go slow and anticipate the road ahead. You never know what is ahead

of you so staying sharp was very important. It was around 42 F so we put the heater in

the car which kept us all comfortable.

By 9:30am we were winding around Shasta Lake. It was such a trip looking at the blue

water contrast against all the hues of green around it. Views like these make driving

such a pleasure.



By 9:40am we had to finally fill our tank with 21 gallons of fuel.

Always remember to have cash or your credit cards ready with a good budget for fuel.

In every road trip gas allowance is critical.

It did not take long especially as we were met with signs like these that our stomachs

started to growl.



After a good bite, we continued on down the long stretch of land in Oregon State.

Endless roads with great scenery kept me going and going.







By 11:35am we finally crossed into Oregon State. I must say that Oregon is a beautiful

State. The rolling hills, lush greenery and wildlife were very prominent. The wildlife can

be dangerous so you must always keep your guard up for anything that may jump out

in-front of you; otherwise, road kill!

Probably one of the more entertaining things in long road trips are the road signs you

see along the way. It‟s like flipping pages out of a magazine. I would always look

forward to seeing what‟s next. Some were just hilarious!



There are never too many Adult shops for interstate truckers!

Not only are the road signs very entertaining, you get to see all kinds of characters on

the road too. Before I knew it, it was 4:30pm and we finally reached the 1 st checkpoint of

our trip at the Northrup Inn Station in Portland, Oregon where we were to stay the night.



Portland was a really beautiful place, we enjoyed looking at the architecture and how

the different boutique shops and commercial stores all intertwined with the residential

areas on a grid road network.



Walking around at night was pretty cool. You felt very safe and the neighbourhood was

really peaceful. We had the opportunity to eat in this 100 year old resto called „Jake‟s

Crawfish‟ and „Blueplate‟ which was one of the restaurants featured in „Diners, Dive-inns

and Dives‟ in the food network channel.



Never leave Portland without stopping by „Voodoo Doughnuts‟. This place really rocks!

This hole-in-the-wall joint has really weird doughnuts with bacon but they taste really

yummy.

Parking around Portland is pretty neat. Once you find parking along the streets, you pay

for the amount of time you think you will use for the parking space. They have these

machines that spit-out parking stickers which you stick on your window to show you areauthorized until the time indicated. I think it‟s a really efficient system.

One of the good things about Oregon is that it‟s a tax-free state! So take advantage and

shop around. Since we were out of fuel, I took advantage of the tax-free gas and filled

the tank for our next leg which was to take us to Seattle, Washington.



We left Portland at 5:30pm and continued 130 miles north on the I-5 to Seattle,

Washington. Word of warning about Washington State is the patrol and radar around

are plenty and they are very strict with the speed limits. Stay on 60 mph or else. In fact

we would see signs like along the highway saying “Slow down or Pay-up”.

By 8pm we were right at the border of Washington. It was a nice relaxing 3 hour drive

from Portland.

By around 8:30pm we were in downtown Seattle. The city is pretty busy so it‟s

imperative to be alert at all times because you can really get confused with the many



signs and exits. Warning: never rely 100% on your GPS. Especially in cities with many

tall structures, the GPS will go nuts on you because of signal loss from the satellites. I

know because it happened to us when we were searching for our hotel. The GPS just

kept giving us weird directions to places that do not make sense. This is where the

back-up maps and street signage comes in handy. Stay relaxed and you‟ll get there.

Worse case you can always do the pinoy style – ask anyone in the streets for directions.

We stayed at the Camlin Hotel for 2 nights so we can enjoy and have a good lookaround Seattle. You cannot leave Seattle without visiting the Pike Market. This place is

really local and cool.



This is the place where the famous fish merchants throw their fish as you order and puton a great show. It‟s really worth visiting.

This market is also the birthplace of Starbucks. They still have the original Starbucks

location.

The seafood and produce in this market is just incredible.



By noon of the 16 of April we were off to Vancouver, Canada. For those who are not US

passport holders, you must carry Canadian Visas to enter so be prepared. The trip was

another short 131 Mile drive north on the I-5 for 3 hours.

It was cool to see the many different shows Seattle were having that week. Too bad we

had no time to see some of them. I mean some because there was no way I was going

to see Rick Springfield.

As we were on our way, I couldn‟t help but notice a deep growling sound of a car on my

left rear. Sure enough there he was, an awesome Mustang rushing from in. I was lucky

enough to have a camera on hand and took him from my left side mirror as he sped

past.



This is one baby I would love to own. Talk about US muscle car, I love the sound and

look of that Mustang.

By 3pm we were on the US Canadian border. It was an uneventful crossing, answered

all the questions of the border patrol police and crossed into Canada.

Before checking-in the hotel, we decided to meet-up with my sister and her husband for

some famous fish and chips. What better way than to have them at Moby Dick famous

for fish and chips since 1975.



After a great late lunch, we went to the hotel for a late check-in at the Canadian hotel.

Since we were staying for 5 nights in Vancouver, we decided to take it easy and enjoy

what Vancouver had to offer.

Granville Island is a must place to see in Vancouver. It‟s like a Pike Market with many

local fresh produce, artists and unique items you will enjoy very much. For me it was all

about the food.



At 7am of the 21st of April we started our trip back south towards SF. We filled-up the

tank and realized that the cost of fuel in Vancouver was way over! It was 100 dollars for

a full tank as compared to 70 in the US. If you can manage to fill-up in the US, do so or

pay the price.

We crossed the US-Canadian border and continued on for another 100 miles to the

Oregon outlet store of Woodburn. Our ETA was 12:30pm just in time for lunch.

As we crossed the border the skies fell with rain like we were in the Philippines. With the

lights on and wipers on high, my eyes were peeled making sure that it was clear up

ahead. Especially for trucks, sudden breaking can be very dangerous.



By 12:00 noon we crossed the border from Washington to Portland, Oregon.

By 12:45pm we were at the Woodburn Oregon Outlet Stores. Tax-free plus outlets

equals shopping galore!



After a good 5 hours of shopping at the outlets, we left for our last pitstop in Depoe Bay,

Oregon which is located at the western coast of the US. We decided to take on adifferent route back to SF so we can enjoy different scenery especially since this was

the view of the Ocean. From taking the I-5 we went west using 99 then 18 west all the

way towards the 101.

By 7pm, we entered Lincoln City using Highway 101 or the „Pacific Coast Highway‟

which stretches the whole way along the western coast heading south.

Lincoln really had the old laid-back town feel.



After seeing modern cities all along the way it felt like we were going back in time as we

crossed Lincoln County. This was the heart of the Oregon Coast. As we finally reachedthe coast, it was such a welcome sight to see the water after driving miles in-land.

We arrived at Depoe Bay Resort by 7:45pm. The resort was perched right at the cliffs

edge over looking the Atlantic Ocean.



That evening we had dinner at the Tidal Raves Seafood Grill. The restaurant had

picture windows overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was so cool to see the waves break

over the rocks. This place is truly a must-see for any road-tripper.



Depoe Bay is also known to have the smallest harbour in the world.

We left Depoe Bay at 12 noon the following day. With over 900 miles of road to cover

until SF this was the biggest mistake I could ever do. There was no stopping now and itwas going to be a long ride down the 101 towards Reedsport City.

The views were phenomenal! You don‟t get to drive faster along the 101 but it sure is

well worth it.



The zig-zag on the 101 can be quite dangerous. The GPS did help me with the road lay-

out ahead. Most especially when there were not too many road signs along the way.



As we reached the town of Waldport, I could not believe my eyes to see the speed limit

at crawling 25 Miles! Everyone was at a standstill. We were laughing in the car as wecrawled on our way through the town. The place was old-fashioned and it felt like you

were driving in a set of an old movie.



By 2pm we were in Florence Town and decided it was time for a good old fashioned

lunch. What better way than to have it the old fashioned way at the A&W drive-in! This



place was really cool. It felt like you were back in the 60‟s. The place was an antique! It

just made the whole experience really cool.

After lunch we headed towards Reedsport. There was only so much coastal views wecan look at and it was starting to concern me that with all the miles we still needed to

cover, it was best we took a faster route back to SF. We decided to take the 138 which

connects to the I-5 South all the way to SF.



By the time we reached Sutherlin, we filled-up the tank and proceeded down the I-5

South until SF.

For long road trips you have to remember to bring the right gear to entertain passengersand yourself. The PSP, Megasketcher and the Ipod were very helpful. They kept Max

and Iken company during the long legs.







T

The view of the snow-capped Mount Shasta in the horizon reminded me of Mount Fuji.



As the sun started to set I started getting worried because I knew this final stretch was

going to be a long one. We left Depoe Bay at 12 noon and with over 900 miles to coverIt was impossible to get back to SF before sundown – big mistake on my part.





This was probably the most testing part of the whole journey. The last few hours can

feel like an eternity. Like I said before driving at night is not fun and dangerous. Fatiguestarts to set in and the darkness over the highway can feel very hypnotic. The colours

from the dashboard and the rear lights of the cars ahead did not help my situation.



By 10:30pm I was driving for over 10 hours straight and the fatigue was just too much. I

decided it was best to fill-up one last time and take a breather. If there was one thing Iwould‟ve changed in the itinerary it would have been the 2 long stretches from SF to

Oregon and from Depoe Bay to SF. These drives were over 11 hours straight and that

is just crazy especially in the dark. It is not worth putting you and your passengers in

danger. Lesson learned.



It was after 12 midnight when we finally reached our home base, San Francisco! I had

mixed feelings knowing our road trip was coming to an end. The memories that we take

with us are just priceless. After over 36 hours of total drive-time we reached Sol‟s house

in Redwood City. I looked over the odometer and it clocked 2,253.8 Miles! Not bad for a

beginner! I really felt fulfilled in that I finally did my first road trip and it was awesome!



If there is one advice I can give it would be: understand that it‟s never about the

destination, but enjoying the journey getting there. It‟s not a race, it‟s an experience –

love it!



I can assure you after this, we are already planning our next one.

In memory of this road trip, Sol decided we reward ourselves with someone we can all

enjoy. Meet „Miles‟ everybody......

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My first U.S. roadtrip