On Thursday after work we loaded up the Mustang, took the top down and headed south. Dale was going to meet some friends at the NASCAR race in Sonoma California and I was along for the ride. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, we put on our sunglasses and we were off.

The ride to the Peace Arch border crossing was uneventful. We were surprised, however, to see the number of people using the NEXUS lane. It almost seemed like there were more people in it than in the other lane. But as we got closer we could see that the “regular” lane branched out into mutiple lanes, all of them moving very slowly. The NEXUS lane branched out into two, both going at a good clip once the motor home with about 10 bikes strapped onto the back cleared. We moved up, Dale flashed our cards at the reader, then we moved forward again and talked to the customs officer. Less than a minute later we were on our way.

It was a gorgeous evening. The sun was still bright and the traffic was light. We chatted and got caught up on the day. We sipped the iced water that we always bring on trips and I could see and feel Dale finally relax. While we landed on our feet, the termination of his job in November, the search for a new job and moving back to BC to that new job had taken a toll on him. Me, not so much. I was always certain that things would work out. I knew Dale would get a great job, he’s very good at what he does. However, he wasn’t so sure and that combined with the inevitable concerns surrounding a new job, meant that he really needed a holiday. It was great to see him settling back into the driver’s seat, the wind ruffling his hair, a big smile on his face. That smile didn’t leave his face, even when we got into traffic as we got closer to Seattle. 

The traffic on I-5 was unbelievable. Once we got close to Seattle, it was very busy on both sides and it didn’t let up. We were close to Olympia around 9:00, so I suggested that we start looking at the signs advertising accommodations near the exits. We saw a sign for several good places and we noted the exit number. I can’t remember the exact number now but it was something like 105-B. So, the sign for exit 105 came up and Dale didn’t take it.  I questioned this. He said he expected the sign for exit 105-B to be coming up soon. I started to say that perhaps the “B” exit was attached to 105, when we passed by exit 105, which had two parts to it….

Well, no big deal. We would just take the next exit which offered accommodations, right? And we did, but the two hotels at that exit were full, and the guy behind the front desk at one of them said things were very tight, what with it being the end of school and lead-up to the 4th of July. Okay. It was starting to get dark but it was still warm outside. However, my eyes were starting to feel gritty, I was getting tired. And on we drove. At 10:00, we were in Centralia, WA. The Quality Inn had a line-up so I hopped out of the car and stood in the lobby, behind the six other people checking in. They all had reservations. My eyes were really gritty now and I was determined that I was going to take any room at any price. We couldn’t camp and although it was fun to drive in our Mustang convertible, it wouldn’t be fun to drive all night. I got to the front of the line and there was a room! I took it and signed the slip without looking at the rate. I went out and helped Dale with the bags. When he asked what the rate was I told him I didn’t know. He was smart enough to let it go. He was also smart enough to take my iPad once were were settled to book a room for Friday night in Jacksonville, in southern Oregon.

We had a good night’s sleep and in the morning when I checked out I learned the rate. It was less than $100 CAN, so there was happiness all around. We drove to a little restaurant we had seen the night before. It was rustic and had a large rooster on the roof. We have an informal road trip rule; if you see a place with an animal on the roof, eat there. It was called the Country Cousin, the Pacific Northwest’s take on Cracker Barrel. We had a quick breakfast, complete with butter biscuits and apple jelly. Then we headed back out to the I-5 to continue our trip south.

  
The traffic for a Friday morning away from major centres was amazing. And when we got close to Portland, the traffic increased exponentially. There were times when we were almost stopped. And as there was not much to look at other than concrete, asphalt and vehicles, it wasn’t terribly enjoyable. But when we put Portland behind us, the traffic thinned and the scenery improved but the temperature did not. It continued to climb. When it reached 38 C we pulled into a rest stop and put up the roof. As we started up into the pass area of the Oregon mountains it reached 40 C. When we turned off the I-5 to go to Jacksonville, it hit 45 C. As we drove into Jacksonville, it hit 51 C. Getting out of the air-conditioned car was like stepping into an oven. The wind wasn’t cooling anything off. However, our spirits were raised by the building we had pulled up in front of. (Of course, the official temperature was lower, only about 41 C or  106 F.)

 

 
The Magnolia Inn is a “beautiful 1928 classic that provides all the amenities in an affordable, romantic getaway of comfortable elegance”. It sits in historic downtown Jacksonville, so we could walk to shopping and dinner, which we did after we spent some time cooling off in our lovely room.  About 6:00 we ventured out. There weren’t many people on the streets. We passed by a saloon and thought it would be a great place for dinner. Unfortunately they didn’t do food so we had a drink and moved on.  We finally decided on the The C Street Bistro. We sat outside where it was only marginally cooler than inside. The food was fantastic but they said it was too hot to make desserts, so we walked to the local food store and bought some fancy chocolate. On our way back to the inn, we saw some kids running through the automatic sprinklers on the grounds of the art museum. It was very tempting, but we didn’t join them.  

Jacksonville OR is an interesting place to visit. On our walk we found several  shops that we’ll hit before we leave town in the morning. In the magazine that was in our room we learned they have a summer concert series on the beach and wine walks featuring local vineyards. I don’t think you could spend more than a day or two here, but if you’re ever in southern Oregon it’s worth a visit.