Driving home: A 3,500-mile road trip from Minnesota to Washington offers surprises – and similarities

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I had an epiphany at the end of a trip to the West Coast earlier this year: Seattle is a lot like the Twin Cities, and Bellingham, Washington, is Duluth’s equivalent. Granted, there are major differences but hear me out: The population of Seattle and the Twin Cities metros are roughly the same (3. 5 million to 3. 7 million), both reside on important bodies of water, both have world-famous industries, attractions, sports teams and musicians and both have Democratic mayors (all three actually). As for Bellingham vis-a-vis Duluth, drive two hours north from the larger cities close to the Canadian border and you’ll find two spots again with roughly the same population, also on waterfronts, with a vibrant university population and an outdoorsy, progressive ethos. I came up with the comparison after an epic 3, 500-mile road trip pulling our teardrop camper and our car filled with clothes, furniture and various sporting goods to help move our son from South St. Paul to his new home in Bellingham. We made the trip over 10 days, camping most nights but spending a few days doing touristy things in Seattle, checking out Bellingham and taking a few detours into Wyoming to see some sights we’ve always wanted to visit. It was a lot of long days on the road and hours spent listening to podcasts, but the driving was part of the adventure and the freedom to pull over to a roadside attraction when we wanted also was an appeal. We likely won’t make the drive again anytime soon direct flights into Seattle are fairly affordable but for anyone planning a similar trip, here are some recommendations and observations. A slow start We got on the road later than we had hoped that first Saturday of our trip in late August after some last-minute packing and a lunch that ran late. Traffic out of the Twin Cities was heavy, too, but we made it to New Salem, North Dakota, in seven hours and had a reservation at a barebones campground that had electrical and water hookups but strangely no bathrooms or showers (only a biffy). No matter, because by the time we arrived, we went straight to sleep under the town’s oversized Salem Sue fiberglass cow statue on the top of the hill. The next day, we knew that we would gain an hour as we drove west, so agreed to check out the Enchanted Highway sculptures along the route. These seven quirky, gigantic metal pieces of art are the work of local artist Gary Greff, scattered along a 32-mile route originally intended to draw visitors south from the interstate to his hometown of Regent. The first piece we discovered is titled “Geese in Flight,” near Gladstone, North Dakota. This sculpture holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture and was dazzling as the sun reflected off it and birds flew between the connecting rays. We also visited the “Deer Crossing” sculpture before turning back to the interstate for an hour-long drive to our next stop at the south entrance to Teddy Roosevelt National Park, where we marveled at the gorgeous stripes and striking topography of the Badlands from a scenic overlook. The immense change from the prairie to the Badlands is like discovering a whole new world. We ventured into charming Medora for some coffee and discovered a storefront/office space dedicated to the upcoming Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, opening nearby on July 4, 2026, to coincide with America’s 250th birthday. A scale model display of the museum and event center shows how the design honors Roosevelt’s deep love for the land and his environmental interests. We may consider attending the grand opening event because it’s sure to be impressive. Crossing the Continental Divide Our day ended after a six-hour drive from Medora to Bozeman, Montana, where we met up with our son. We have been to Bozeman multiple times because he attended college at Montana State University, so we knew we wanted some cocktails at our favorite speakeasy, Devil’s Toboggan, and a late dinner inside the charming Field & Stream Lodge, which is themed around the popular outdoor magazine. I learned the magazine title was bought last year by musicians Morgan Wallen and Eric Church, who have added a music festival and the hotel to the brand. If we weren’t already camping, I would have lobbied for a stay at the new lodge. Over the years of visiting our son in Bozeman, we knew short-term rentals are difficult to find and hotel stays are incredibly expensive, especially for popular dates like graduation. Even the campgrounds were $50 or more a night at the end of summer. The next day, we headed out for Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, planning to sleep there for the night on a friend’s recommendation. Seattle is a doable 10-hour drive from Bozeman, but we wanted to see more sights. It was a hot day with some challenging driving through Glacier National Park and past the Continental Divide marker, especially with our camper in tow, so I was grateful to pull into Wallace, Idaho, for a stop. What first looked like a typical dusty small town off the highway’s overpass turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. The town of approximately 1, 000 people is rich with museums and quirky attractions. First, we made new friends at Wallace Brewing and heard about the area from the bartender. Then, we had to go find the “Center of the Universe” manhole cover in the middle of the town’s main intersection. The marker came about in 2004 when the mayor announced the town was the universe’s center based on the philosophical concept of probabilism, which states that if something can’t be disproven, it must be true. I intend to use probabilism for future ideas. The town celebrates the designation every year and for its 21st birthday this year, had an extra special festival planned because now “the town can legally drink.” We also explored the very detailed mining museum dedicated to the area’s rich history of silver, lead and zinc mining but were disappointed to discover the Oasis Bordello Museum was closed for the day. That’s right, along with the center of the universe, Wallace also celebrates its history of legalized brothels that allowed prostitution until 1991. We needed to get back on the road but wanted to see more of the area, which we did on our return trip, camping at the Wallace RV Park that has an attached restaurant and brewery. Just an hour away was Coeur D’Alene and its breathtaking, scenic drive of the lake. We captured a beautiful sunset at our campground and settled in for the night. Seeing Seattle The beauty of Coeur D’Alene quickly disappears on the nearly 5-hour drive across eastern Washington to Seattle. At least it was flat. Past Spokane, it started to lightly rain, and I realized we had nearly perfect weather up to that point. After dropping our camper at a generous friend’s house just outside Seattle, we drove into the heart of downtown for a two-night hosted stay at The Maxwell Hotel. The funky boutique hotel is pet-friendly and part of the StayPineapple chain, so there are pineapple-themed details throughout. It’s also a great location to take in many of Seattle’s main sites, and we had a looming view of the Space Needle from our room. The day ended with a magnificent hosted dinner at Raccolto in West Seattle. Raccolto is the latest restaurant by chef Brian Clevenger, who is also behind popular restaurants Vendemmia and East Anchor Seafood. The amazing breads, pastas and inventive desserts reminded me of some of the best meals I’ve had back home at Dario in Minneapolis and Mucci’s Italian in St. Paul. We ended the night completely satisfied without even enough room for a nightcap at one of the many taverns and dive bars near our hotel. The fifth day of our trip was dedicated to seeing Seattle’s top tourist sights, and it was a full 14-hour extravaganza. We had two CityPass vouchers to use, and could choose five of seven attractions. First up was the most popular and iconic: the Space Needle. From our hotel, we walked about 15 minutes to the landmark in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood for our morning timed entrance. Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, the observation tower feels both retro and futuristic at the same time. The historic photos detailing the construction and engineering of the observation tower offer a sense of how remarkable it is, and the panoramic views of the city and its waterfronts showcase the area’s beauty on all sides. Speaking of beauty, our second pick was the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit, which is steps from the Space Needle. It features the colorful, immense and intricate glass works of artist Dale Chihuly. I’d say Chihuly’s worldwide works are almost as instantly recognizable as the Space Needle, and pairing the two next to each other is brilliant. Another nearby CityPass choice was designed by another instantly recognizable creator, architect Frank Gehry. Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture’s distinctive, stainless steel facade resembles the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis because Gehry designed both. Our next CityPass attraction was Seattle’s famous three-building aquarium on the central waterfront, which we explored after an impeccable steak lunch at The Butcher’s Table. Owner Kurt Beecher Dammier told us his Sugar Mountain restaurant group also runs Beecher’s Cheese and is looking to add a location in the Twin Cities area or River Falls, Wis. We also stopped by the Beecher’s Cheese store in Pike Place Market for some samples. Pike Place was hopping, and those famous fish tossers were putting on a show for the many tourists as we roamed the stalls and stopped in for a drink at the enormous Pike Pub. For our final CityPass attraction, we had scheduled a sunset cruise with Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour and joined a friend’s family who now lives in Seattle for the launch out of Pier 55. As a first-time visitor to Seattle, I learned some interesting history and highlights on the cruise, but it was our friend who said she probably gained the most from the tidbits about her new home. After my Fitbit showed I had walked 18, 000 steps for the day, I called rideshare to return to the hotel, but my husband and son chose to walk the 2. 5 miles back, stopping at a few more of those famous Seattle breweries along the way. Bellingham’s best After a long day as Seattle’s No. 1 tourists, we slept late the next day but knew we only had a 90-mile drive to get to Bellingham. We picked up our camper and were off, driving north out of Seattle but into some heavy sprawl and snarled traffic so it took almost two hours before we arrived at Hotel Leo in downtown Bellingham for a hosted stay. Our son’s new rental didn’t start its lease for a few more days but we were able to move the clothes, furniture and other items packed into our car and his into the garage and walk through the house. That meant that we got to explore Bellingham with him that evening while he stayed at the hotel with us. We found the area as endearing as we had hoped. Our first stop was Ritual Records, an immense warehouse dedicated to vinyl. I judge cities based on their music scene which is why I love the Twin Cities so much and Bellingham delivers. After that, I spent an hour at the NEKO Cat Cafe before dinner at the Penny Farthing restaurant. We had noticed a penny farthing theme along our drive, mainly in Idaho and then again in Seattle. The quirky bikes with their oversized front wheels look impossible to ride but seem to be a popular design element possibly tapping into the steampunk vibe. From the restaurant, we walked along the waterfront to The Portal, where families and friends were enjoying drinks and dinner from the food trucks, craft beer kiosks and coffee stands all housed in shipping containers. We continued exploring by walking back toward the downtown area to find a surprising number of breweries for a town its size. College-aged kids and their parents roamed the side streets and filled the eateries and patios several blocks. It felt like a welcoming, buzzy place to be. And while I hadn’t quite made the connection between Washington and Minnesota yet, when we left a few days later to return home, we were confident in our son’s new but somehow familiar next home.
https://www.twincities.com/2025/11/23/driving-home-a-3500-mile-road-trip-from-minnesota-to-washington-offers-surprises-and-similarities/