Vegan MoFo Post #8!
Similar to my time in and around Niagara Falls, this post is more about making it work when you’re booking long hours in the car.
After leaving Portland we made the 7 or so hour drive to Crescent City, CA where we ended up in a not fancy but did the trick Econolodge, which we booked through Priceline for about $60 total. I was tired of eating out so headed to the grocery store in search of food.
Let this be your number one travel tip: If you want to save money and eat healthier while traveling, eat from the grocery store! You’d be surprised that there are tons of things you can eat that don’t need an oven, stove, etc. and lots of hotel rooms have microwaves.
In this case I packed a tupperware with me which has been pretty useful. I spotted this Asian Chopped Salad in a bag in the produce section. I was thisclose to getting an Amy’s frozen dinner instead, but decided last minute I really needed more vegetables. I can’t say this was the perfect health food, but after tons of restaurant food it was nice real food that contained veggies and ended up being super delicious! It came with dressing and crispy wonton noodles and even had cilantro in it. Tossed it together in the tupperware and BAM….dinner.
Leaving Crescent City, CA we were suddenly right smack dab in the redwoods. We had driven up through some narrow windy roads the nights before, hitting some astonishingly huge trees with the brights of the car, but seeing them in daylight was a whole different experience all together. So huge!
If you don’t believe me, here is me in a redwood tree. This one was on the smaller end compared to others we saw while driving.
The road we were driving on, I believe it was still highway 101 at this point. Not bad, right?!
We made a lunch stop in Eureka, California and foursquare told me that Ritas Margaritas and Mexican Grill had labeled vegan options so we went for that. It’s a Eureka area chain and they did indeed have vegan items on the menu and even more not officially vegan items that could easily be veganized. My burrito was good, but not mind-blowing. The chips and fresh salsas on the table, however, were pretty great.
Equally as exciting, I saw the ocean for the FIRST time since I left New York, so I count that as successfully driving across the country! Somebody ring a bell! Only one more cross-country trip to go. Look at that view. Not gonna lie, the Pacific kinda wins for amazing scenery and cliffs.
After Crescent City, we headed to stay with a friend of mine in Los Gatos, just outside of San Francisco, but that’s all going into a San Francisco post later, so check back! We were heading quickly to Los Angeles, so we switched to the coastal route after San Fran, which was also gorgeous, and took a lunch stop in a little village called Cambria, which was absolutely adorable and right off the ocean. I also saw some of the most expensive gas there yet at $4.97 per gallon, though we later saw $4.99 in LA.
A little place called Sandy’s Deli in Cambria had an avocado sandwich on sourdough bread with soy meat, which turned out to be vegan bacon bits as you can see above. A bit weird, but you can’t go wrong with avocados in California. I got a huge expensive apple carrot juice I wasn’t a fan of there, I forgot I don’t like juices unless they have something bitter in them like lemon or orange. Whoops.
Three 8 hour driving days in a row and we were happy to make it to Los Angeles. Next post about that coming up!
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I went to the redwoods with family as a kid and we drove through a tree. Such a surreal experience! Love the tip on visiting grocery stores – so true, and it’s a great solution too if you’re in an area without many vegan-friendly restaurant options (it saved me when I was in a town of just a few thousand people on a small island off the coast of Scotland and all the restaurants were closed on a Sunday!).
I heard about that tree! Missed it myself, gotta go back to check off “driving through a tree” from my bucket list! Hah.
Wow those trees look incredible! Must make you feel TINY!
Totally agree on the grocery store eats and that you can’t go wrong with avocados in California!