We left New Plymouth, ID Sunday afternoon and headed 390 miles north-west to Portland, Oregon. It was a very scenic ride during the daylight as we traveled thru the eastern prairies and then along the Columbia River, which divides Oregon from Washington State. However, we had a little surprise in store as we were passing thru the town of Biggs. As we were traveling down the interstate, the driver side rear axle tire on the trailer blew out. Thankfully we were very close to an exit ramp and were able to limp the rig to a truck stop and slap on the spare tire. We finally arrived in Portland around 10:30 PM and set up in the Jantzen Beach RV Park, which is located on an island in the middle of the Columbia River.
On our first day we decided to travel into Washington and see what The Evergreen State was all about. Our first destination was 145 miles due north to Tacoma. Tacoma is a major port city and is located on the southernmost end of the Puget Sound. The Puget Sound is comprised of all the inland waterways in NW Washington that lead to the Pacific Ocean. We discovered a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant located in downtown Tacoma called Southern Kitchen. Earlier this year the Southern Kitchen was featured on the Food Network show called Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The show rated the place well and claimed it served authentic southern style foods. We were both feeling long overdue for some sweet tea, fried chicken, cornbread, and home-style mac and cheese so we decided to give the place a try. The food was delicious and we got absolutely stuffed on the food we have grown to miss so such.
After visiting Tacoma, we traveled 35 miles north to Seattle. Seattle is larger than Tacoma and is also a vital port city located on the Puget Sound. Our first stop in Seattle was at the Space Needle, which is a 520 foot tall observation tower that provides a 360 degree view of Seattle. Aside from the incredible views, the Space Needle also provides some of the finest and most puzzling people watching in the country! We next checked out downtown Seattle and then set off south east for Mount Rainier.
Mount Rainier is the 5th highest mountain range in the US and towers at around 14,500 feet. The mountain range was formed by several massive volcanoes and is now dormant and capped with 27 major glaciers. After traveling thru the park we set off for the 3 hr ride back to Portland. We wrapped up our Portland adventure with the excitement of getting a new spare tire and doing laundry at the campground!
On our first day we decided to travel into Washington and see what The Evergreen State was all about. Our first destination was 145 miles due north to Tacoma. Tacoma is a major port city and is located on the southernmost end of the Puget Sound. The Puget Sound is comprised of all the inland waterways in NW Washington that lead to the Pacific Ocean. We discovered a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant located in downtown Tacoma called Southern Kitchen. Earlier this year the Southern Kitchen was featured on the Food Network show called Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The show rated the place well and claimed it served authentic southern style foods. We were both feeling long overdue for some sweet tea, fried chicken, cornbread, and home-style mac and cheese so we decided to give the place a try. The food was delicious and we got absolutely stuffed on the food we have grown to miss so such.
After visiting Tacoma, we traveled 35 miles north to Seattle. Seattle is larger than Tacoma and is also a vital port city located on the Puget Sound. Our first stop in Seattle was at the Space Needle, which is a 520 foot tall observation tower that provides a 360 degree view of Seattle. Aside from the incredible views, the Space Needle also provides some of the finest and most puzzling people watching in the country! We next checked out downtown Seattle and then set off south east for Mount Rainier.
Mount Rainier is the 5th highest mountain range in the US and towers at around 14,500 feet. The mountain range was formed by several massive volcanoes and is now dormant and capped with 27 major glaciers. After traveling thru the park we set off for the 3 hr ride back to Portland. We wrapped up our Portland adventure with the excitement of getting a new spare tire and doing laundry at the campground!
-Cheggy
