California to Washington

Day five. The final push

Clearly I suck at posting timely entries on this blog. I'm into over a year and a half of travel nursing and here I am still on day five of my first trip across the country! I think after this entry I'll do a quick update on what I've been doing and then shoot off quick little updates once I get caught up. So finish this damn story already!

I was a little nervous about this last leg of my drive across the states. I kept an eye on the weather and traffic reports before I went to sleep for the night and there was plenty of talk about using chains and snow in the mountains ahead of me. I've never driven in snow, let alone driven with chains! I pictured my car sliding off the side of some windy mountain road.

Lucky for me, the snow had let up and the roads had been plowed all the way through the mountains. I did make a mistake of trying to pass a line of semi trucks, wondering why they were all only using one  of the two lanes available for travel in our direction. I found out quickly I hit ice and at 50 miles per hour. I was scared witless but was saved by the car's traction control and was able to wrestle it back to the lane with proper traction. WHEW! I think my life flashed before my eyes as I began to slide towards the rear wheels of the semi in front of me!

I emerged from the mountains covered with mud and road grime (my car) but relieved that I did so unscathed. The drive through Oregon and into Washington was scenic and relaxing. I was making good time! Or so I thought... Major traffic jam as I approached Olympia. I think it took a good 4 to 5 hours to drive from Olympia and finally into Seattle. It was cold and rainy, Seattle just like I remembered it. I was exhausted and glad that the drive was finally done. It felt great. I was looking forward to more adventures!