Drive West and Seattle

With a very touching and heartfelt last day of work on a Friday, my focus turned to our next big item: moving my partner to Seattle. We didn’t want to waste any time and planned to pack that same weekend so that we could leave shortly after. This allowed us to pack over the weekend, load the truck on Monday, and be ready to leave early on Tuesday. The weekend went pretty well; we were able to pack at a good pace and even enjoyed a couple last visits from a friend and my sister to wish us a safe trip.

On Monday night, we checked Google Maps on our phones to ensure our planned route was still valid. Our plan was to take I-80 from Boulder to Salt Lake. To our surprise, a winter weather alert popped up about a big storm that was to hit the area around Salt Lake City. The alert for 12 inches of snow made us question that idea. We searched for other weather warnings around our secondary option through Colorado on I-70. This was a longer route that went through very mountainous areas prone to snow and bad weather. After looking at various weather sites, the path on I-70 seemed to be less of a risk, and thus, we decided to take that route.

We loaded the last of our belongings into the truck and our cat, who was quite reluctant about the situation, into his cage in the car. We checked one last time for any new weather warnings that could affect our trip, but there hadn't been much change from the night before. After stopping by our favorite coffee shop for some delicious drinks, we were on our way. Things were looking great until we started getting near the Eisenhower Tunnel. Small bits of snow were gently drifting down, and the skies were looking quite gray and ominous. Once through the tunnel, the snow got heavier. Trucks were pulling over to chain up, and visibility continued to dwindle. Traffic crept slower and slower. On the opposite lane, coming up the mountains, I could see cars with their tires spinning unable to move forward. A handful of tow trucks were taking on some of the cars that were unable to go any further, helping with what they could. Throughout most of this, my partner and I had an open phone line so that we could check-in with each other. We figured at this point our best option was to keep moving forward.

That all changed after about thirty minutes of driving in a continuously worse environment. We came upon a portion of the road that I believe was less protected by trees and mountains, and the wind was able to blast a wall of heavy snow to the point where we were not able to see farther than a few feet in front of our vehicles. She was driving in front of me with her lights on and her brake lights would disappear if even fell slightly behind. It was tough to see the road, but we were able to see that the two-lane highway had merged into one where everyone had been following each other closely. Although it felt much longer, the good news was that after about 10 minutes we were over this open area. But it was also a realization that we could not keep going; the risk was too big. We decided to try to find a hotel and call it a day.

The closest one shown on maps was a couple of exits ahead. We arrived and managed to do a decent job of parking our vehicles in the slanted parking lot. Although we felt safer, one worry remained; we weren’t sure if this hotel would accept our cat. I went in to check for availability and find out about their pets policy – they allowed cats. We were ecstatic to have made it safely without any incidents and took it upon ourselves to enjoy our stay. After a hearty meal and nap, we got to enjoy the heaviest snowfall while in a hot tub I had ever experienced. Colorado’s idea of a send-off, it seems, is not without a sense of adventure.

The next couple of days, the driving was pretty smooth comparatively. We saw some beautiful scenery and encountered a couple unexpected bumps that were easily taken care of as well. The best of the scenery was seen towards the end of our second day as we drove through Idaho. We were essentially chasing the sunset as we drove west, thus making it one of the longest and prettiest sunsets I have seen. Perhaps the biggest bump was finding a hotel for our third night. After so easily encountering hotels that allow cats, it turns out it was not commonplace around Yakima, Washington. We went to the same brand hotel as our previous one thinking that it would have the same policy. They were quick to inform us that they did not accept cats. From there we proceeded to call about 10 other hotels, none of which accepted cats. My partner finally found one that allowed cats, although it was at best a 2-star hotel. We had some concerns, but the staff were friendly and got us checked in. The next day we were up bright and early and ready to take on the last few hours of our road trip.

The next few hours went by quickly, and we arrived at our destination. We began unloading and completed it much faster than we had imagined. Everything was out of the truck and into the apartment in about an hour. Then came the task of unboxing all our things into a much smaller space. That became our biggest challenge, and my partner had to make some tough decisions about what to keep and what to donate. It’s been a tough process, but little by little we’ve been setting up her apartment. Since arriving, we’ve gotten to enjoy a few things as well; we’ve gone to our favorite boba shop downtown, found a new delicious coffee shop nearby that I’m sure we’ll be visiting often, and enjoyed picturesque sunsets at a park by the beach where we’ve seen sea lions and beavers. Seattle is a beautiful place.