The best road trip I’ve ever had, which probably rings true for a lot of people, came after a nasty breakup. Being a native Californian all my life I was thinking about doing the unthinkable and moving out of the state; that’s how bad the breakup was. The only area I’d ever consider moving up to would have been the Pacific Northwest, so I decided to take two weeks off work, take a plane up to Portland – with zero plans at all — and just scope it all out.
After making some fast friends at the Airport, I was advised to go rent a car and make the drive from downtown to Bend. It was only a 200 mile drive, but would offer the best sights the state has to offer. This turned out to be the perfect suggestion because funds were a challenge and staying near the main roads meant I had enough opportunities for hot meals. So I ended up driving around that route for seven days straight – with a bunch of stops on the way, sleeping in my rented Toyota Corolla, soaking up the fall sights.
The first stop was Mt. Hood, which housed the interestingly-named town of Government Camp as well as some beautiful vistas. A highlight was walking down a trail and ending up at Ramona Falls, completely unplanned. “Govey” reminded me of Idyllwild, CA with all its quaint stores and good eats. I found the perfect time to hang out as it wasn’t ski season yet.
Other great stops were Trillum Lake and Smith Rock. Just majestic. All these vistas got me pumped up to continue trekking forward. I was getting tired and wanted to go back, but I wanted to see more.
The highlight of the trip was ending up in Bend. It was a bigger city than I envisioned, but it was still pretty awesome – there was tons to do from sightseeing to hitting up the local breweries. Totally awesome and I was already looking for an apartment, but…
In the end, I chickened out and decided to not move to Oregon, but I’ll never forget that little road trip – it at least let me clear my mind and get some perspective. Looking at these photos has me waxing nostalgic; maybe I should fly up this fall again…
Ah yes, obligatory Facebook share screenshot: