The Internet Lies - The Sequel

Eugene is shady.

That’s #1.

Yes, the entire town. Let me explain.

As I was attempting to plan my odyssey to the South, I looked at staying at a couple hostels along the way as they are much cheaper than hotels. The first one was in Eugene, Oregon. The website makes it look kind of like a small bed and breakfast. Just in someone’s house, but light and cheery.

What a crock.

I drove from Bellingham, Washington, to Eugene, Oregon after getting off a 3 day ferry in Alaska. I was tired, alone, and still had another 2 days of driving alone, and another 6 days of driving after that. I just wanted a bed and peace.

I head straight down I-5 until Eugene, then I take the 105 exit to get to the hostel. First of all, the freeway ends at a one way street downtown. So I (obviously) take the one way street the opposite direction I need to go. I loop several times (all of the streets are one way, and they all loop) before I find the road I need and take the turn. I start to check off the street signs, 1st, 2nd, 4th.

Wait.

What happened to 3rd?

Well, obviously it must be the street before 4th. So I loop. Again. As I come back to the street, I realize why I missed it.

Someone has stolen the street signs on the completely unlit post. Well, no wonder I missed it. I take the turn down the road, and notice how incredibly dark and car-lined it is. I’m wondering where the actual street number is when I pass an abandoned house covered in graffiti. And I’m thinking to myself, “Um, no.” As I pass what I believe is the actual hostel (again, no streetlights, and no street numbers) I call for help. Daddy! Bless my Father, he spends the next hour trying to get me out of downtown Eugene via cell phone and Google Maps. Finally, we find a way out of downtown and back onto the freeway, where he directs me to a Motel 6 back on I-5. Thank God for internet and reception. So he reserves the room on his credit card, and I’m going to pay cash for it when I get there.

So I get there, only they need the cash up front, so I need an ATM. Right next to the hotel is Denny’s, and right next to that is a Shell station with an ATM. So I go over there, and their ATM is busted. It processes, but never actually goes through. So the sympathetic attendant behind the counter says that he can do cash back up to $10 per transaction. So I bought a bag of popcorn, a candy bar, a bag of Reeses, windshield washer fluid, and a water. Money in hand, I go back to the hotel, get the room, go to Denny’s, get to go dinner, and go back to my room for a much needed rest.

Now I’m slightly worried about the next hostel. The website makes it seem like such a beautiful, enchanting place, but, as we all know now, the internet lies.

It turned out fine in the end, but boy was I worried the whole drive down to Sacramento.