Last full day in the lower 48

This was it, our last full day in the lower 48 states. Adam woke up about 7:45am to go feed the car parking meter to avoid a fine and then headed back to bed.

We awoke around 9:30am and went to have a pretty scrumptious free breakfast downstairs in our hotel. This morning we had a few jobs to do that included cleaning the car out and taking it back to Hertz for the final time.

Our first stop was the Lake View Cemetery, the final resting place of Bruce and Brandon Lee. We checked out their tombstones and paid our respects before heading back to the city, filling up with petrol and dropping the car off at Hertz.

Worried now because of the massive crack that was on the wind screen and how much it was going to cost us, we head to the main office with a story prepared.

Turns out the guy behind the desk was a big fatty where breathing looked like it was a big effort. He asked us the mileage and that was it. He didn’t even come check out the car with us. Maybe we have got off having to pay for it? Time will tell.

It was pretty sad giving the car back after 77 days of driving all over America. All in all we had driven 13,075 miles, or in other words 21,042 kilometres. That was an average of 273.27 kilometres per day! A massive effort that we were proud of.

With the car now dropped off we decide to go looking for some lunch. As fate would have it, we walk around the first corner and there stood a Jimmy Johns. It was great luck and we dined out on our favourite sandwich place for the last time this trip.

On our way back to the apartment we walk past the Space Needle and purchase tickets for 8:30pm later tonight which should see us through sunset, and we also stopped by another Science Museum.

This museum was pretty similar to the previous ones we went through, but it was a good way to wind down. We even watched a 45 minute Imax film about air travel and how the world is connected and it was pretty entertaining.

After spending a bit of time back at the apartment we head to a Thai place for tea and then head up to the Space Needle for our sunset tour where we got some breathtaking views.

We even got to see where our cruise would be taking off from tomorrow. On our way back we stopped for a little nightcap off coffee and apple pie, before heading back to the apartment for one final time to pack our bags ready for Alaska tomorrow.

Another brilliant sunset, this time over Seattle

The Seattle skyline at dusk

Enjoying the views at the top of the Space Needle

Noooooo don't take our car

Damn that is a lot of apples consumed

Saying one last goodbye to our awesome little car

Our room is the one third from the left up the top

Last long drive - Seattle bound!

With the light streaming in waking us up early as usual, we roll out of bed and make our way down the 4 flights of stairs as the ancient elevator wasn't working.

Today we make our way over to Seattle, our very last drive in our little brown car. It was a somber 3 hours, no more long lonely countryside roads, no more busy highways and trying to figure out just where our GPS (Michelle) was telling us to go... She was a bit of a confusing at times, always telling us to turn off one too early.

The traffic was heavy the whole way in, very happy to finally make the turn off to our street we get yet another epic car park right out the front of our hotel, score!

We get out of the car and I don't know if it was because we were starving, but we immediately smell the nicest pizza we've ever smelt and head straight in and order up. It was fairly epic and the waiter was a champion, a great start for Seattle!

The hotel was awesome, just a little room with industrial features and a big window that opens up to the street, our bathroom and showers were shared but they were some of the nicest ones we have seen so far and our room was right next to them anyway.

We head out for a spot of shopping, Linnies thongs had died so we needed to get some new ones for the cruise and Hawaii. We also stopped by a famous Farmers Market which is known as one of the longest continuous farmers markets in America.

A lot of walking around and one pair of shoes later, we wander over to the cinema and see Southpaw, which was a damn good movie. One of the best we had seen for a while.

With time getting on after the movie we were once again hungry little tourists, we find a nice looking Italian restaurant and get stuck into our favourites, spaghetti bolognaise and lasagna and a ton of bread that just kept being brought out by a very strange waiter whenever we emptied the basket.

We finally make our way back to the hotel, it was a very warm night so we had to sleep with just a small table fan blowing on our faces, a bit of a change from tents and having to rug up.

Giving the car one last clean

Adam enjoying the last drive on a highway

Another night at the movies, this time Southpaw

Aerosmith, Doughnuts and the Zoo

Our first night down in Portland, we wake up to some good news to see that we got a full refund from the Segway tour mob which was a nice gesture. We grab a granola bar for breakfast and then start our day. Tonight was the Aerosmith concert, but we had plenty to do during the day.

We started with a trip to the Oregon Zoo which was pretty basic, but still good fun. The Malaysian Sun Bear was probably the highlight. It was a cute little bear looking thing with an adorable face. We also loved the Polar Bear.

After an hour so we decide to head off and go for a wonder in town. After ages of driving around, we find that elusive carpark near our apartment and then go for a walk into town.

It was an extremely hot day so we soaked some sunscreen on and went for a walk to Voodoo Doughnuts which was recommended highly by Matt and Jac and where we planned to go for long.

On our walk though we hit a little park area with police and people just standing in one spot which seemed a bit strange. It was like some kind of tv show or something, so we walked through cautiously.

Turned out it was literally a tv show being filmed, a show called Grim. We had walked through their set as they were filming and one of the extras told us we are being filmed and will be on telly.

We decided to hang around and watch a few scenes being filmed and jumped on Wikipedia to read about the show and the people in it. Could be one worth watching down the track.

Voodoo Doughnuts was just around the corner and after qa 15-20 minute wait we stocked up on doughnuts. Damn these were big and at about $2 each they were unbelievably cheap. We ate them until we got sick and walked back to the apartment for a rest.

Next up we decided to go check out a couple of local breweries and after getting denied service at Rogues because the regime deemed our drivers license was not good enough and that we should carry our passports around, we decide to find another bar.

In the end we ended up in Deschutes Brewery where they gave us little 8oz sample glasses of all their different beers. We hung there for a while before it was time to head to the concert.

Turns out the Aerosmith gig was about 20 minutes out of town and across the border in Washington, so that meant we had hit all 48 lower states a night early. It was in an outdoor amphitheater and had a great atmosphere.

The concert was highly entertaining. We were about 20 rows from the front and had a brilliant view as they played a setlist of all their hits.

Steve Tyler was a bit crazy, but he showed why he is one of the best frontmen of the past 40 years. Having an idea of what the setlist was going to be, we decide to head off right before the last encore song which proved an inspired move.

We missed the inevitable traffic jam and got back to our apartment within 20 minutes. Tomorrow we head to Seattle which is the last stop of our trip, before heading off on the cruise and then on to Hawaii.

Voodoo Doughnuts menu

Sample beers at Deschutes Brewery

That cute little Malaysian Sun Bear I mentioned earlier

Some ducks and flamingos

Decent seats for an Aerosmith gig

Performing the song Dream On. Highlight of the night.

Last night of camping, onward to Portland

Our very last night in the tent now over it was sad to be packing it up for the very last time. We deflate the air mattress, roll up our sleeping bags, fold up the sheet and then lastly collapse the tent down and put it back in its zip bag.

We put the mattress, sheets and pillows to one side and head into the park office to ask if they would know of anyone who would like them, thankfully she said she has someone in mind and she greatly accepted the bedding. As a little bonus we also threw in a beach umbrella and a little bag full of hotel shampoos and soaps.

A VERY clean car now with all of our camping bedding gone, we can now see out the back window with ease, and as we do we wave goodbye to Idaho and set our sights on Portland, Oregon, just a short 7 hour trip...

We finally arrive after an uneventful trip, only stopping for fuel for the car and ourselves, thankfully we gained an hour with the time difference so technically it only took us 6 hours.

Finding a fairly epic park right near our apartment that we rented off airbnb, we haul our luggage up a very ancient elevator to the 4th floor, settle in and the plan our day with a beer and some food in mind.

Being the micro brewery Capitol of the USA we head to a bar, unfortunately we needed a passport as ID or they wouldnt serve us...

Seriously, why would anyone carry around their only means of getting home around with them and risk it getting stolen or lost... You're not the only country in the world USA, get with the times and learn to accept other countries drivers licenses!

A little rant over we end up heading into a Starbucks, our poor stomachs growling as it was near 5:30 by the time we hit the street. We decide to book a Segway city tour which was close by, meant to be a sunset tour of the city it sounded delightful and we were quite excited to be getting on the 2 wheeled beast again.

After our snack we head over to the Segway meeting place and get the usual spiel about safety from our guide Natasha, we pretended that we hadn't been on one in ages and then jumped on and zoomed around straight away, we got her!

As it turns out, the Segway tour was a bit of a joke, so much so that in the end we emailed the company and got our money back. In short we spent the whole time chasing this guide around the city while she gave us nothing about where we were, what we were seeing or any sort of history, she even stopped so we could have a 'break' at a bar while she joined her friends for 15 minutes.. Not a tour at all, just a romp on a Segway, which was fun but hey, at $65 a pop we expected to actually get a tour.

Bloody hungry and disappointed we find a nice little restaurant and order up some dinner, luckily we didn't get asked for passports or I'd fear for the waiters life for the death stares that he would received off the both of us.

Full and content we head back in the direction of the hotel until.. A GIANT bookstore slapped us in the face, when I say giant I mean giant, this place has nearly an entire floor per section, safe to say Adam was in book heaven!

Spending a good hour sifting and searching through the shelves we come out with 2 books and one very happy Adam with a big smile on his face.

We head back to the room and watch a bit of TV until it was bedtime, totally knackered from driving so much it wasn't long before we both dropped off to sleep.

Ahhhh, only 637km until our next turn off

Moda Center - Home of the Portland Trail Blazer

Saying the last goodbye to our stuff before it goes to a better home

Our last night camping

This morning we wake up pretty sad to be leaving our little resort in Salt Lake City, but excited to be back in the tent, camping again for one last time.

We start the day by packing and then grabbing a buffet breakfast, but little did we know it would cost an arm and a leg. It was beautiful, but certainly not what we paid for it, so we decided to stock up on a few items for the car.

Today was a 5 hour drive to Boise, the biggest city in Idaho. We set the GPS to the Old Ohio State Penitentiary, another shut down prison that you’re allowed to tour that housed some pretty nasty people throughout time.

It was worth the stop, although it was pretty run down, we got a good look into how life would have been back in then. Four inmates were cramped into a single cell with barely enough room to move, plus they had to watch their backs as many were stabbed to death. Not a nice place!

We even got to walk through the Death Row area and stand near the old trapdoor where inmates were hung to death. It was very eerie.

After that we set the GPS to the campground and we had the tent and mattress setup in record time for what would be the last time on this trip. We had a little rest, as we usually do and then had some chips & dip for tea, before heading into town.

In the end we decided on catching a movie, this time Ant Man. There was not a lot to do in town as it is not the biggest city, plus it was a Sunday night so was pretty quiet. So movies was a great idea!

We had a little walk around after the movie before heading back to the tent and playing around on the iPad before heading to sleep. Tomorrow is a loooong 7 hour drive to Portland, so with an early start and not much to do, we thought an early night was a good idea.

A look inside the Death Row cells

Pumping the mattress up for the very last time

Farmers and Cowboys in Utah

Privacy please sign on the door, dead lock and and the chain fastened, the maid wasn't getting in today! We didn't sleep in for too long though as there was a farmers market that we wanted to go check out.

We walked down the street to the city bike hire station and check out some bikes for a quick ride up town to the park where the farmers market was being held. It was huge! There were stalls set up along the entire perimeter of the park and then all through the middle, we were in farmer market heaven.

We find our favourite berries, 3 whole punnets of raspberries and blueberries for just $10, a very tasty breakfast while we roam the market.

A coffee, cookie and a lay down on the grass and then it was time to head back, the poolside lounges were calling to us.

Being the lazy sods that we are, we order lunch whilst laying on a lounger and wait for it to be served, a gourmet hot dog with mustard and ketchup with a side of fries, we can't get more American than that!

We have a swim, a nap, a swim, a lounge and then waddle back to the room to shower, it was rodeo time... Yeeeeeee ha!

After putting on our most hick western attire we could muster from our tired suitcases we head back on the bikes to the arena to our very first ever rodeo.

The vibe here was pretty cool, horses tied to floats in the middle of the road, yards with huge draft horses waiting for their time to shine and oodles and oodles of cowboys with a live band playing in the background, Linnie was in heaven.

We take our seats and get stuck right into the action, there were lights, fireworks and belting action pumping music blaring form the speakers, we couldn't make out a single thing the commentator was saying but we got the idea, stay on the horse for more than 8 seconds and do it in style.

The cowboys on these horses were insane, getting thrown around like rag dolls, some not even staying on for a few seconds, it was madness.

First was the bareback bucking horse comp, then the cow roping, the saddled horse comp, the barrel racing and lastly, the main attraction, bull riding.

The Bulls were huge and fierce, the way they twisted and turned while they bucked around the ring was exciting to watch, while we felt sorry for the animals getting made to jump around like they had been set on fire, it was an amazing night out.

Riding home we nearly make it back before Adam goes over a bump in the road sending his wallet flying from the basket, luckily he can scrape up all the money that flew out of it without getting run over and we make it back to the hotel unscathed.

Heading straight to bed we will be sad to leave this amazing hotel and lovely city, a 5 hour drive tomorrow to Boise will be one of our last big drives for our trip, it had certainly gone way to fast.

Some dude about to get thrown off a bull

Another glorious day pool side

Chilling out in Salt Lake City

We’d planned a sleep in for this morning, but some absolute cretin of a maid woke us up at 8:30am to clean our room. Why the heck are cleaners opening doors at 8:30am?!?

So we decided to get up and go grab some breakfast. Today we planned to take it easy by the pool and just relax, before heading to the soccer match at 9pm.

However after breakfast we decided to go for a walk to the Energy Solution Arena where the Utah Jazz plays, but turns out it was shut as there was a Rodeo on Saturday night. This was great timing, so we decided to grab some tickets. At $14 each, they were a bargain!

We continued our walk to the big shopping mall behind the stadium and checked out a few sports shops, while Linnie also looked for some new earrings at some of the jeweler shops. There was also a movie cinema that we checked out, but decided the swimming pool was calling us instead.

Before leaving we grabbed some fried rice and then started our walk back to the hotel. However we stumbled upon those city bikes so decided to go for a little ride.

On our travels we come across Temple Square which is a massive temple where the Mormon religion started. This religion was basically started by some dude named Joseph Smith who ran into a holy ghost on a fishing trip and was passed messages from God so he could go spread the word.

Why God decides to find random prophets behind closed doors rather than coming down and holding a press conference and telling the world himself escapes us, but it was still interesting to tour the temple and read about the madness that these grown adults actually believe as truth.

After having a bit of a chuckle at the temple, we decide to ride back to the hotel where we spend the next 4 hours or so by the pool swimming and reading in the sun. It was a perfect day.

For tea we had an epic club sandwich and turkey sandwich along with icecream, then headed to Rio Tinto Stadium for the Real Salt Lake vs Sporting Kansas soccer match.

We wack a few bets on (Salt Lake h2h and the over 2.5) so we’d have a vested interest, then take our seats. They were amazing seats on the fence, right between the goals and the corner flag.

Linnie was squashed next to a big fella which made her viewing pleasure not as ideal as it could have been, but the game itself was good fun. A penalty midway in the second half right in front of us saw the home side win 2-1 and both our bets getting up. Another nice day at the office.

On the way out we hit up the merchandise shop to buy a new singlet and before heading out, we notice all the spectactors on the field waiting for something, so we decide to hang around.

Good idea, as they put on a brilliant fireworks display which smashed the July 4th fireworks out of the ballpark. We left the stadium pretty happy and then headed back to the hotel, arriving back around midnight. Bed time!

Linnie meeting some new friends ahead of tomorrow's Rodeo

Enjoying a swim

What utter horseshit...

Completing the 2-1 and getting our bets up

Decent seats for Real Salt Lake vs Sporting Kansas

The amazing fireworks display after the match