16 hours in a car

The drive from Yosemite to Portland is about 12 hours, no stopping, no traffic. We got up early and made ourselves some breakfast at our inn in Mammoth Lakes; I had frozen blueberry waffles with peanut butter, jam, and syrup, yogurt, orange juice and some herbal tea. We all grabbed a banana for the road, I signed the wall, and we loaded the car and got ready for our long journey northwest.





After much debate, we took the inland route rather than the coastal highway which would have added four hours to the trip. We unknowingly stumbled into the desert that was Nevada, and witnessed a very different landscape from the lushness of the valley.





Driving along the highway really limited our food options; one of my friends really wanted to try Jack-in-the-Box, so we found one just as we hit Oregon. We only found out we were in Oregon when we ordered only to find there was no tax charged - yay! I had so much junk food in the previous days that I honestly did not want another burger and opted for a salad, although all the dressing I slathered on it didn't make this a very healthy choice either.




We were on track to make it to our Airbnb in Portland before 10pm - however we ended up being stuck in a traffic jam due to a major accident on the I-5. It was unlike anything we have seen before - for miles before the traffic jam, there were signs set up informing us of an accident. I think the ensuing traffic jam from the first accident caused a second, and we unfortunately witnessed the sad, disturbing aftermath. We were at a standstill for nearly an hour in total, and it was so surreal to get out of the car and be able to stand on the interstate.



Thankfully we made it to Portland without any further incidents, and met our lovely Airbnb hostess and had a wonderful bed to tuck in to after spending nearly 16 hours in the car.