A Change Of Plan
Out of the window the weather is still overcast and drizzly. Not good. I’m down in the Pub by 9.30 am for a Yo! Berry breakfast, a mix of yoghurt, granola and berries. It’s nice but quite large so I decide to eat half and doggy-bag the rest for tomorrow.
I check-out at 11 am for the drive to Eugene. I knew the route today was all Interstate but it was a 250 mile, 4 hour drive and there didn’t seem much along the way to stop for or at.
That said, Portland was a place I considered stopping over at. But when researching the city, it seems it has some serious problems with homelessness and an opioid crisis. I read some troubling news reports of tourists being hassled in what were once safe areas, an open-air fentanyl market on a “downtown intersection, ringed by some of Portland’s swankiest hotels” (www.wweek.com) and of sidewalks being ‘full’ of junkies openly shooting up in plain sight. In short, downtown Portland did not seem a safe place to stay in 2023. So I didn’t even consider a fleeting visit.
However on checking my route before leaving the hotel, I see two red hot-spots of congestion on I-5 S in the first 100 miles or so. I decide to bypass these by using State Routes to get to Chehalis. I’ll see some countryside this time hopefully, albeit likely covered in rain. That forecast is set for most of the day.
I get out of the city using my pre-planned route. I’d figured out earlier where to get off I-6 and join US-7 S. Once there I kill the route and program a non-interstate route to Chehalis, where I will re-join I-5.
Wrecked Car Nirvana
Inevitably the drive this morning will take longer than I-5 would have done – if clear – but at least I won’t be on I-5 all day. There is nothing outstanding or of interest to see on the way, just towns and villages where folks get on with their lives.
There is one thing though that I keep noticing as I drive. It seems prevalent throughout WA state. I first noticed it on the Loop where there were houses. There are many, many houses with huge numbers of abandoned, rusting and wrecked vehicles – cars, RVs, pickups – just sitting in gardens and yards. The numbers are astounding. I’ve seen houses with 20+ vehicles on a lawn. Why?
They clearly don’t work anymore so why not get rid of them? Apart from the fact they an eyesore, why not re-cycle at a junk yard? It’s more prevalent in sparsely populated rural areas but you can see the problem in towns as well. Where do they all come from? How does one household accumulate 20 cars in the first place? I’ll never know…
WA-507 S near Tenino
WA-507 S near Centralia
It Never Rains, But It Pours
By the time I get to Chehalis and find my way back onto I-5 S, the sun has finally broken through. But it doesn’t last long. I’m about 40 miles north of Portland but by the time I’m driving through that city – I-5 goes right through the centre – it’s is pouring with rain again.
This cycle will persist all the way down to Eugene. Showers, light then heavy, sunny spells, then a huge downpour. Repeat. There is nothing of interest to see from I-5, a typical Interstate drive. About the only interesting thing was entering Oregon!
As I approach Eugene it stops raining but is still overcast. I leave I-5 and head for my motel. Just before it I see a gas station selling gas for $4 a gallon. In Washington state it was over $5. I then miss the Signature Inn first time around somehow and have to do a loop around to get back to it. I thought I was near to downtown Eugene but I can’t see much evidence as I drive around.
Great Motel
At reception the guy checking me in is very friendly and welcoming. Turns out he’s the owner. Once in my room, it’s a revelation. It’s superb. Probably the best motel room I’ve ever stayed in. The owner renovated the motel from scratch and re-opened about a year ago. It’s very well done, good design touches and everything works – including a fridge that is quiet!
No breakfast on offer of course but there is a microwave as well as the fridge. I’d found there was a 7-11 down the road pre-trip, most useful, in walking distance a block away. The big problem though is that despite a bit of sunshine now at 6.30 pm, there is rain forecast for later. Just when I would be walking back from the bar I found. The probability of the rain is high as well.
I don’t want to get soaked, and given the unpredictability of the weather forecasts all day, I decide I can’t risk walking to the bar. I’m not going to drink and drive of course, so I’m kind of forced to stay in my room tonight.
A Night In For A Change
I had already decided to try the pizza from Leavenworth for dinner. It won’t keep beyond tonight anyway. I walk down to the 7-11 where I buy some stuff for breakfast but as I’m staying in a I need a few more things. The beer selection though is not good. I Google for options. As luck would have it, there is a supermarket the next block down, a Bruns’ Apple Market.
This is a new one on me. I find out later it’s a one-off in Eugene. It does however give me what I’m looking for. I buy some more supplies for the next couple of days as well. Walking back to the motel however, I pick up signs that this might not be the best of neighbourhoods in Eugene. So, rain issues aside, maybe not walking to the bar later was a good idea after all.
Back at the motel, I remember it’s MNF on TV, so that keeps me amused as I eat pizza and do some diary.
Later on I throw some empty beer bottles in the large trash can by reception just before bed, and note that is has rained again. Good decision to stay home, sadly. I get to do quite a bit of catch-up on my diary but still feel I’m behind.
I reflect on a pretty shitty, rain-filled day. Thankfully it was a transition day from the Cascade Loop to the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. There were no ‘sights’ that I missed because of the rain, it just made for a miserable drive. One of those days I guess.
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