Day 8 - Monday August 29, 2011

Day 8

3139 miles done

476 miles to go!

Medium coffee $1.75
It's our last day of the road trip. I'm relieved we've made it this far, happy to have slept last night, sad that it's almost over, and scared as hell of what comes next. I’m so grateful to Anna for coming with me on this trip – we’ve laughed so much together and turned a potentially cramped and boring week into the ultimate adventure. I have to admit, even though I had to drag her away from every person she encountered and struck up conversation with, I’m glad she did it. People were so unbelievably friendly everywhere we went on this journey – and sometimes I wondered if it was because they felt our excited and curious energy and were opened by it. There is nothing like connecting with strangers on the road, and sharing moments that you’ll both remember for the rest of your lives.

A landscape taken straight from Twin Peaks rolls pass our windows, as we drive through Coeur D'Alene National Forest. Obama’s ARRA money is hard at work as the highway frequently turns into two-way streets for construction. The sky in front of us is looking darker and Sofia wonders if it really will rain everyday in Seattle.

Welcome to Idaho, the sign switches by the last state before we enter Washington state, once we get there we can add 13 states and and a visit to Canada to our trip report. We pull in to Wallace, ID and immediately meet a freaky David Lynch character. "I’m Diana, Wallace's Wolf lady," she slurs, and invites us to see her chained up hybrid wolf dogs, as she tries to draw us a map. She misspells every word and we decide to head straight out of town, secretly wishing we had run into the log lady instead... so much more peaceful.

The landscape continues to change, climbing up and down fir-clad mountains, to swiftly change in to vast prairie. We stop at the Colombia River viewpoint and learn about the petrified wood forest on the other side. All of a sudden we get a glimpse of what is to come... at a rest stop we see a sign declaring proudly MOUNT RAINIER (at a distance). We squint but can't see it yet.... we continue on. The sun breaks through the clouds, a heart shape is formed as if to say "Welcome Sofia, you will like it here"

Seeing Mt. Rainier for the first time, it hits me in the gut. It's beautiful and majestic. Right now it also feels like a symbol of my unknown and challenging future. It sits in the distance, tangible and waiting, and then the next time I look up it has faded behind the trees. I’ve arrived at my destination and this is where my true journey begins. How am I going to make it happen? Am I following the right path? It seems so random, ending up here. But the mountain is there - I've seen it with my own eyes now, and all I can do is start climbing….

Two-lane highways turns into three and then four lanes, the city is near...traffic gets heavier and we are there. Seattle or  Bust - we made it! 3652 miles down and 0 to go!

For more pictures from day 8, check out the slideshow below!!