The Craziest Thing I’ve Done

So in December of 2020, I decided to buy a one-way plane ticket from LA to Seattle to purchase a car and road trip all the way back down the west coast - solo.

I had been saving up for the last couple of years and was looking into getting a new car… one that would be more spacious and more adventure friendly than my Toyota Corolla (which I had a very strong emotional attachment to) and I had my eyes set on this RAV. I was initially getting pretty discouraged after reaching out and talking with different local dealerships because the prices were much higher than what I was willing to spend. I was at the point where I no longer wanted to keep looking and I actually stopped for a bit.

I somehow got this idea to start looking again but for deals out of state. The more I looked, the more I was pleasantly surprised by how much cheaper cars were outside of CA. If I had found a good deal, I was more than willing to make it into a road trip. My mind started racing. Is this going to actually happen??

After multiple phone calls and messaging back and forth with a number of dealerships all over the United States over the course of several weeks, I did find the perfect deal. My RAV was waiting for me in Tacoma, Washington.

I booked a flight for the next morning and packed a bag.

In the 4 days I had off from work, I flew to Seattle, purchased my RAV, and made an adventure out of roadtripping all the way home. Here’s a brief summary of how that went:

Day 1

Flew to Seattle in the morning.

Had a good heart to heart with my Uber driver on the way to the dealership.

Picked up my RAV at the dealership.

Spent the rest of the day driving around and exploring Seattle.

Day 2

I had looked up the Cascade Loop Scenic Byway which was a gorgeous 440 mile drive through the absolutely beautiful views of Washington and was determined to drive it all in one day.

Little did I know that part of it was closed off due to the weather and I ended up needing to turn around after driving 300 some miles.

Drove some more to arrive at my Air Bnb in Portland around 10PM.

Spent a total of about 15 hours on the road!

Day 3

Explored Portland a bit.

Pine State Biscuits is a MUST TRY!

Drove to my Air Bnb in SF.

Spent a total of about 13 hours on the road.

Day 4

Realized a rock had caused a huge crack on my windshield that was actually spreading pretty quickly… (which I needed to get replaced a couple days after I got back from my trip… yes. I had to replace my windshield the first week I got my new car… hence the name “Rocky”).

Visited my friend in Sunnyvale briefly before she had to go to work!

Got back home in about 7 hours.

Overall, this trip was exhausting. Being on the road for such long hours is not what I was used to. But there’s just something about road trips that puts me at ease. And being able to see some amazing Pacific Northwest sights made up for all the tiredness I felt.

This adventure was probably one of the craziest things I’ve ever done, but I am forever thankful I got the opportunity to do it.

Here are some photos from the road trip!