This time Manny and I trekked through the gorgeous Pacific Northwest. Making our way from Los Angeles all the way to Seattle. This was the perfect trip to appreciate beautiful mother nature. The drive to each destination was just jaw dropping. We passed through so much greenery, giant trees, snow, rivers and creeks and I never grew tired of the picturesque road. Just being in everything we aren’t able to see in a big city like Los Angeles was beyond refreshing. I’ve broken down each place we visited and included the highlights we loved.

We used the app Roadtrippers once again. We loved it when we drove to Dallas, TX and decided it was a must for this trip.

This was our trip and all the stops along the way. If you are itching to take a roadtrip I would recommend you use the Roadtrippers app. FOR SURE. Its so helpful when you’re trying to map where you want to visit.

First stop……

Big Sur

First stop was Big Sur. The drive although a little TOO windy for my taste was absolutely sublime. Gorgeousness all around. I have to admit one morning was not enough time spent in this magical terrain.

Must Sees

Pfeiffer Beach to see the Sun Portal. Its best seen around sundown but beautiful any time nonetheless.

Bixby Bridge

San Francisco

We had a pitstop lunch in San Francisco. Even though I had visited San Francisco twice before I had yet to visit the Painted Ladies. They are so beautiful dressed in the perfect color palette. We also decided to go to the Golden Gate Bridge because why not? What’s a trip to San Fran without seeing this beautifully engineered landmark.

Napa Valley

We spent the night in Napa Valley and the moment we left I was already itching to get back. Napa is so beautiful and definitely kicked off this roadtrip’s tour of red wines and cheese plates. I just can’t seem to turn either away. The town itself is very quaint and I really wish we were able to explore during the day. We met the nicest sommelier that night who treated our taste palettes REAL well.

Redwood National Park

Leave it to mother nature to make you feel like the smallest speck on earth. These redwood trees were spectacular. The mist amongst them and all the greenery surrounding these majestic giants was unreal.

Medford, Oregon

Medford was like an in between stop so we wouldn’t have to drive so far but my god am I glad we chose it. Medford had some of the best “american” food I’ve ever had. We had dinner at Immortal Spirits & Distilling Company, I ordered the Drunken Goat which was a burger with goat cheese and other really savory flavors that took my mouth for a whirlwind. I’m still dreaming about that damm burger. They also offer really cool whiskey flights and absinthe which I passed on but Manny loved it!

For breakfast we ended up at Buttercloud where they are known for their biscuits and other baked goods. I had the peanut butter and bananas atop of their famous
made-from-scratch biscuits and a side of veggie hash. Manny got the french toast biscuit plate and we shared the biscuits and gravy. Easy to say we were in a food coma. I was literally saying “oh my god!” in between each bite. It was soooo delicious. I wish we had places THAT good near me.

Well played Medford, you surprised me!

Crater Lake

Crater Lake was so dreamy. I was so excited for this place but I had ZERO idea that it would be snowing. Its like it has its own weather up there. I bet its absolutely stunning in the summer but I’m so happy we visited during the snow because I had never touched snow like that in my life. For a split second I thought I was touching the fake snow from Christmas time at the Grove here in Los Angeles, because it was that beady, powder snow that I have never ever seen in my life. It was a highlight of the trip for sure, even though I was freaking out during the drive in our little compact rental.

White Salmon River

Another highlight of our trip was white water rafting down White Salmon River in Washington. We booked our trip through River Drifters which I would 100 percent recommend. Our guide was awesome and so knowledgeable in a really relaxed way if that makes sense. I never thought I would do something so adventurous but it was one the best times. I’m so glad I did it! The White Salmon River is known to be one of the best destinations to white water raft.

Portland, Oregon

I’m number one to say California Girl FOREVER, but damn I wouldn’t hate moving to Portland. (West Coast forever, perhaps?) I really really loved Portland. We rented an Air Bnb for our 3 day stay. We guzzled beer + wine and stuffed our faces through the city. The Portland way is very organic with farm to table ingredients and lots of cutting edge breweries so we really did it up.

Must Dos:

Brewcycle Portland was our highlight in portland. You get on a 12 seater bike with others as you pedal to 3 different breweries. By the 3rd brewery everyone is like besties!

Powell’s Bookstore. Its the largest independent used and new bookstore in the world. With so many levels you can spend an afternoon shifting through everything. Their prices are great too!

Adler Street Food Truck Pods. I think that Portland, Oregon was the birthplace of the food truck craze. They are everywhere! We made our way through the many, many food truck pods posted on Adler street. I circled around twice to decide on which I wanted. Commitment issues? FOMO issues? Not sure… but you really can’t go wrong. The food in Portland is so tasty.

Voodoo Doughnuts its one of those tourist staples that sucked us in but hey its a must. *We were there around 11 am and totally beat the long line.

Bicycle. Rent a bike for a few hours and ride around as the locals do. We rented ours from Cycle Portland. They offer city tours which could be fun, but we just went off on our own.

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is a destination I always wanted to see. We rented another Air Bnb for our 3 day stay.  We were expecting lots of rain and super cold weather but I guess we brought the sunshine from CA. It was perfect weather, at least for Seattle standards I’m thinking. I felt very cozy in Seattle. Lots of coffee, wine, books, and pho. Its all the comforts I yearn for on a rainy day.

Must Dos

Space Needle. Definitely book during sunset. Nothing beats those views.

EMP Museum. I’ve seen every documentary on Nirvana/ Kurt Cobain. I’m so obsessed so you can guess how excited I was to visit the Nirvana exhibit here. They have so many cool artifacts and is very well presented.

Chihuly Garden All the colors and shapes, its amazing to see that everything is glass, done by Washington bred Dale Chihuly.

Pike Place Market (including the gum wall) Lots to see and do around here. The gumwall is kinda gross but at least it’ll make for some colorful photos. We ended up grabbing sushi nearby. 100 percent the place for fresh fish.

First Starbucks At pike place, you’ll notice the line !

Kerry Park for the best views of Seattle. You spot Space Needle, Mt. Rainier and all of Seattle from here.

Ba Bar for really delicious Pho with a dope bar. Also it is Anthony Bourdain approved.

Purple if you’re into wines. They have an incredible wine tower. Also order the baked Brie to start along with a pinot noir. Just trust me on this.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjr0adoy5To]

Here is a collective video, (as i always do with my trips) of how it all went down. Hopefully this inspires you to take a trip you’ve been itching to go on. Let me know in the comments below where you would love to road trip to 🙂