Woman Thrilled to Spend Two Hours on Perfectly Straight I-5 Staring at Grass

SALEM, Ore. – For many drivers, the two-hour, ruler-straight stretch of Interstate 5 between Eugene and Portland is a tedious test of patience. But for Laura Jenkins, a 34-year-old from Springfield, it’s nothing short of a weekly pilgrimage.

“This is my me time,” Jenkins said, leaning against her Subaru Outback at a Salem rest stop. “Just me, the open road, and endless fields of grass. Honestly, they could be the same field repeated forever, and I wouldn’t care. It’s pure bliss.”

A Thrill-Seeker of Grass

Friends describe Jenkins as an unlikely adrenaline junkie, someone who finds excitement not in skydiving or white-water rafting, but in spotting subtle differences in roadside vegetation.

“Last trip she called me screaming because she saw a slightly taller patch of grass near Albany,” said co-worker Denise Morgan. “I thought she’d hit the jackpot. Nope—just ryegrass.”

According to Jenkins, the drive offers more variety than skeptics realize.
“Sometimes you get green grass, sometimes brown grass, and every once in a while, a patch that makes you wonder, ‘Is that alfalfa?’” she said, eyes lighting up at the memory.

A Perfectly Structured Journey

Jenkins follows a ritual each time she makes the trip:

Starbucks stop in Eugene for caffeine.
Podcast in Salem to set the mood.
Minor existential breakdown somewhere between Woodburn and Wilsonville.
Triumphant arrival in Portland, where grass gives way to bumper-to-bumper traffic and the creeping realization that she’ll do it all again next week.

The Meditative Rhythm of Monotony

To many, the drive is monotonous. To Jenkins, it’s therapy.

“I know some people find it boring,” she admitted. “But I find a meditative rhythm in it. The rumble of the tires, the hum of the engine, the gentle realization that I’m paying $4.89 a gallon to stare at plants I could see for free in the park—it’s beautiful.”

Grass Tourism: An Untapped Market?

Even the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has taken notice. A spokesperson joked that “grass-viewing tourism” could be the state’s next big draw, suggesting new scenic turnout signs reading simply: Look, More Grass.

While the comment was tongue-in-cheek, Jenkins insists she would happily stop at every single one.

Oregon Pride

Asked if she ever tires of the endless greenery, Jenkins shook her head firmly.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “This is Oregon. We grow grass better than anyone else.”

For Jenkins, the long, flat stretch of I-5 isn’t just a commute—it’s a love letter to the state’s most overlooked crop.