HELLO MY LOVES – it’s been a while! Sonal and I apologize – she’s been busy crushing culinary school and well I’ve been busy MOVING ACROSS THE COUNTRY!! I’m happy to say I’m finally in Seattle and I AM IN LOVE.
But, from the beginning. Bhavik (my cousin) and I left Charlotte, NC on Sunday May 17th. We got to Seattle on Friday (May 22nd), but because my apartment wasn’t ready, we drove up to Vancouver, BC (to Sonal’s) and spent some time with her, her husband and Khersi!! (more on my adventures in Vancouver in another post J)
Any who – Bhavik and I’s journey went like this – Charlotte, NC — St. Louis, MO — Denver, CO — Salt Lake City, UT — Nampa, ID — Eugene, OR — Seattle, WA — Vancouver, BC. Typing it out seems like way more than what it actually felt like!! Bhavik and I had A BLAST driving across the country. It’s definitely something I recommend to do once in your lifetime!
The first half of our trip was a little boring but it got a lot more interesting in Denver! We of course had to stop at the arch in St. Louis and walked around a little in downtown (saw the Cardinal’s stadium, old Courthouse, etc.). Oh, we also stopped at Metropolis, IL – home of the Superman museum – that was actually pretty neat!
But then we kept it moving to Denver. I had been waiting on Denver FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP. It’s the reason I picked the route that I did! But – when we got there it was 1. FREEZING and 2. SNOWING / ICING. Since Bhavik and I weren’t prepared for the weather we didn’t really get to do muchL (Denver, I will be back!!). Regardless, we decided to get a head start to Salt Lake City since the roads were bad and thought we could find more to do there than freeze our butts off in Denver. BEST DECISION EVER. The trip to SLC was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DRIVE EVER. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We literally hit pretty much every type of weather. There was snow, ice, a rainbow and everything in between! A 7 hour drive turned into a 10 hour drive (Bhavik was about to kill me because I kept stopping / making him stop). There is no way I could describe how beautiful this part of the country is so you’ll just have to see below with the pictures that I took!
Bhavik and I taking a break at a rest area
The rainbow at the end of our drive!!
Once we got to SLC, we went to Red Iguana, a Mexican restaurant one of Bhavik’s friends suggested. We knew we were in the right place when there was a 45 minute wait on a Tuesday. Oh – and it’s featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives! Anyways – if you’re ever there – you must get the ENCHILADA RANCHERAS. SOOOOOO GOOD and definitely not diet friendly!! The next morning, we went to Gourmandise to get fueled for our hike.
After SLC, Bhavik and I went on our merry way to Nampa, ID. Before we got to Nampa, we did a little hiking / exploring at Craters of the Moon National Monument. I had never heard of it before this trip, but it’s definitely a really neat place! It’s basically a huge area of lava flow and trails that span miles and miles and miles and underground caves that are open to the public as well. I had no clue such a thing existed in Idaho. Bhavik and I spent about two hours up there just wandering around, through all the lava parks and one of the caves – if it wasn’t so windy and cold, we would have definitely spent more than just 2 hours up there! After Crates of the Moon, we headed to Nampa (right outside of Boise, ID) where we were staying the night. This next sentence is going to be odd and you’re going to think I’m crazy, but Nampa had the BEST FOOD Bhavik and I ate the whole trip!! First, Messenger Pizza and Brewery for dinner and The Egg Factory for breakfast the next day (Bhavik was adamant on trying Idaho potatoes while he was there lol!!). Let’s just say, I probably gained about 3 lbs in that 12 hour period. If you’re ever near Boise, you have to try both of those places!
After Nampa, we headed to Eugene, OR since Bhavik and I have family there. It was such a cute little city and well, we also had our first Voodoo Doughnuts experience there. BEST DOUGHNUTS EVER. The Apple Fritter was as big as my head and worth every single bite! The next morning, we went to Off the Waffle. I’ve learned in my brief time in the Northwest (any by that I mean Eugene and Vancouver) that waffles are a bit different here than the waffles they serve down south. They make waffles that have little chucks of sugar folded into the dough and they are delicious! You don’t even need any syrup because they’re the perfect sweetness. Not a big waffle fan, but I would definitely eat there again!
After Eugene, it was finally time to make the trip to SEATTLE!! My new home. I was so nervous because my trip was finally coming to an end yet so excited to finally explore and walk around my new home. I made Bhavik drive because I wanted to soak in the view as we came into the downtown area! The water, the Wheel, the Skyline, it was all beautiful! Bhavik and I only got to spend a few hours in Seattle because we had to keep driving up to Vancouver since my apartment wasn’t ready, but we definitely both FELL IN LOVE. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bhavik so excited about anything! We did the most tourist-y things in our brief time here, the Wheel, the pier, Pikes Place Market, but as I really explore, I’ll write more about my Seattle adventures later!
As I write this blog post, it’s so surreal to me that I finally made it and that this beautiful city is my new home. I can’t wait to share my adventures of a southern girl in the Pacific Northwest. Stay tuned because it’s definitely going to be interesting!!
Sugar Spice and Sit-up Twice 
I know I’m REALLY late here, but thanks for documenting your trip here Dhara! I’m glad you actually stopped by Metropolis, and that Superman picture may be my favorite :D. I’m sad Denver was cold; Vipul-bhai and I didn’t spend much time there either. But you’re absolutely right about the drive from Denver to SLC! We went in the summer, so thanks for these pictures which show the area in late spring. It’s great that you took the time to stop and take in the view in so many places. The picture you post after “Bhavik and I taking a break at a rest area” is especially amazing, because you can see a rain cloud far in the distance and have this serene rive in the foreground.
So glad you and Bhavik has as much fun as I hoped you would!
–Vinal
LikeLike