The epic journey to Portland

Leaving our Fishermans Wharf hostel

View more photos 

Early to rise at 7.00am and after our last free breakfast at the hostel we caught the no 44 bus from Van Ness Ave to O'Farrell St. After a good 10 minute walk struggling with all our bags we got to National Car Rental where we picked up the beast: Chevrolet HHR LT, which we sooned nicknamed 'The Purple Helmet' due to its lovely mauve paint work! We manged to find our way out of San Francisco (only 1 wrong turn) then got on the Bay Bridge and onto the I-80 East. AFter 1 false thought that we missed our turning (which involved a 10 minute tour of Oakland) we were on our way. After about 1 hour we joined the 505 North highway and then the I-5 North highway which we cruised on all the way to Portland, some 646 miles away! We couldnt get more American, cruising the California highway in a Chevrolet singing along to 'Summer of 69 & Hotel California' blasting out of the radio. We stopped at a gas station/snack food shop in Dunsmuir for 30 minutes where we ate lunch and had a coke and a couple of ice pops. Apart from one other 10 minute stop to refuel we just drove and drove and drove for 10 hours 25 mins in total all the way to our hostel in Portland. This hostel was more like how we both imagined a hostel to be before we left England: a little bit hippyish where there are no lockers and everyone just trusts eachother and the halls have pictures and words of peace. Saying that this was not a bad thing infact quite refreshing compared to the colder more business like hostels elsewhere. To honest we were both won over when we saw the $1 all you can eat shared pancake mix which we duely had as dessert after the usual tuna and pasta dinner. Location may change but the dinner menu never does!