Washington & Oregon
Road Trip

Sept 20 to October 5, 2011

Story and Photos by Maren & Al Schober

We're back on the road again! The urge to see some more of our country took hold over the summer, with a desire to see more of the Pacific NorthWest. Our original thought was to drive cross country starting right after Maren's high school reunion, but friends talked us out of this grueling and expensive endeavor. We decided to fly to Seattle (less expensive than Portland), rent a car, travel, and visit friends in Portland, OR and on Orcas Island, WA.

First part of the planning is to decide on a clockwise loop, beginning in Seattle, WA and ending in Portland, OR. We make extensive use of a book from National Geographic titled "Guide to Scenic Highways & Byways" to decide what we would like to see. We also decide to add in a side loop through British Columbia seeing Victoria and Vancouver.

This early planning is tied closely to the schedule of the ferries run by Washington State and the Province of British Columbia. The Washington ferries don't take reservations except for ferries to Canada where reservations are mandatory. The BC ferries, however, do take (and recommend) reservations. This results in the early part of the trip being locked to the ferry schedules. The first ferry from Anacortes to Orcas is no problem - just show up, get in line, and take the next boat. The leg from Orcas to Sidney, BC is a bit trickier as the international ferry leaves from Friday Harbor, not Orcas! This leg involves rising early (without breakfast) to get in the ferry line at Orcas, take the ferry to Friday Harbor, then getting back in line for the ferry to Sidney, BC (only one a day, so don't be late). Fortunately, we learned all this early on in the planning phase so it didn't come as a surprise during the trip.

So here we are back again. It feels so right. So, just select a link below and jump right in!