Portland to Seattle: The Slog

I live on the outskirts of Portland Oregon and fortunately don't have to travel to Seattle very often.  It isn't that I don't love Seattle.  I do.  It's a marvelous city, sort of like a big sister to Portland:  more mature, lovelier, greener, and captivating in a way that Portland will never be because Seattle has a fresh, sparkling, ocean-y feel to it.

The trick is in getting there.  You'll do fine if you drive up in the middle of the night.  Most other times of day can be a traveler's nightmare, in spots.  There is an eternal traffic jam up near Olympia, road construction that never finishes, speed traps, and just about every other type of obstacle you could meet on a road trip.

Some years ago Horizon Airlines put out this brilliant advertisement encouraging folks to take a Horizon flight to Seattle, thus skipping what they call, The Slog: The Longest 3-Hour Drive in American History.  I love that they tell the story in "Oregon Trail fashion," with pioneer-era music, letters home, detailed descriptions of unforgettable landmarks along the way, and tall tales that have entrenched themselves in the history of Western Washington.

Here is The Slog.  It's about 10 minutes long and so droll, it's worth the time to watch.

NOTE: As of 12 / 2017 The Slog no longer shows up online. If I can find it, will repost 😢