Home› The Porch

Road Trip - Los Angeles to Seattle

FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
edited June 2008 in The Porch
I'm finally making the drive to Seattle in a couple weeks, and while I'm pretty familiar with everything between LA and San Francisco, I'm really eager to see everything NorCal, Oregon and Washington have to offer - so I'm wondering if anyone's familiar enough with the drive/area to make any sightseeing suggestions.

And naturally, I need to put a couple mixes together.

Any recommendations for a feel-good upbeat Pearl Jam mix? So far I've got the 'Roo version of WMA and Can't Keep, but my mind has seized up and shut down all of a sudden. Usually mixes are my favorite thing to make, but I need help this time around. Plus it might be cool to see what you guys would suggest.

Thanks!
Post edited by Unknown User on
«1

Comments

  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    if you haven't done it and have the time, go the coast route....:)
  • covered in blisscovered in bliss chi-caw-go Posts: 1,332
    Maybe check out Leadbetter Beach?

    http://travel.yahoo.com/trip-view-1186319-los_angeles_to_seattle
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    cutback wrote:
    if you haven't done it and have the time, go the coast route....:)

    Yeah def. planning to go the coast route after Sacramento or so. We're leaving Los Angeles Sat. night, having breakfast/lunch with my sister in San Fran and dinner/drinks in Sacramento with friends on Sunday, then setting out for the real trip early Monday morning. Can't wait to see the redwoods and the pine coasts in Oregon....
  • South of SeattleSouth of Seattle West Seattle Posts: 10,724
    Firecloud wrote:
    Yeah def. planning to go the coast route after Sacramento or so. We're leaving Los Angeles Sat. night, having breakfast/lunch with my sister in San Fran and dinner/drinks in Sacramento with friends on Sunday, then setting out for the real trip early Monday morning. Can't wait to see the redwoods and the pine coasts in Oregon....

    Stop at Oswald West state park south of Cannon Beach, and then hike down to the Cove. That's the local surf spot and a good place to relax.
    NERDS!
  • CorduroyboyCorduroyboy Posts: 1,256
    This is a trek I've made many times and it never gets old. My suggestions.

    1. Take 101 up the coast of Northern California from Ukiah through the Redwoods and visit the Smith River. Unreal part of the country. I spent 2 summers up there and never got sick of it. Just lots of weird hippies and tweekers all over the place looking to hitch hike back down to Eureka.

    2. Take the 101 all the way up the Oregon Coast. If you think the California coast is beautiful, you haven't seen anything until you've seen the Oregon coast. Go on the jet boat tour up the Rogue River. It's an all day ordeal, but worth the price and well worth the time. Great spots to camp out in Newport, OR. Rogue Brewery is there too. Some of the most amazing concrete arch bridges in the country dawn the 101 on the Oregon Coast. Watch out for all the log trucks.

    3. Visit Canon Beach and Astoria Oregon. You can see where the Goonies happened!

    4. Drive along the Columbia River over to I-5. Again, scenic beauty at it's best.

    5. Bomb up 5 to Seattle and when you are through with Seattle, take more time off and head up to British Columbia!!

    6. On the way home, bomb down 5. You will be sick of scenery by then and will just want to get the hell home! Have fun and take lots of pictures. Great mountains to see going down 5.
  • CorduroyboyCorduroyboy Posts: 1,256
    Oh yeah, whatever you do, do not take Route 299 from Redding to Eureka. You will hate life after about 2 minutes of being on this road. If the devil was a road builder, his finest is the 299. I've driven it 2 times and that's 2 times too many!
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    Corduroyboy wrote:
    This is a trek I've made many times and it never gets old. My suggestions.

    1. Take 101 up the coast of Northern California from Ukiah through the Redwoods and visit the Smith River. Unreal part of the country. I spent 2 summers up there and never got sick of it. Just lots of weird hippies and tweekers all over the place looking to hitch hike back down to Eureka.

    2. Take the 101 all the way up the Oregon Coast. If you think the California coast is beautiful, you haven't seen anything until you've seen the Oregon coast. Go on the jet boat tour up the Rogue River. It's an all day ordeal, but worth the price and well worth the time. Great spots to camp out in Newport, OR. Rogue Brewery is there too. Some of the most amazing concrete arch bridges in the country dawn the 101 on the Oregon Coast. Watch out for all the log trucks.

    3. Visit Canon Beach and Astoria Oregon. You can see where the Goonies happened!

    4. Drive along the Columbia River over to I-5. Again, scenic beauty at it's best.

    5. Bomb up 5 to Seattle and when you are through with Seattle, take more time off and head up to British Columbia!!

    6. On the way home, bomb down 5. You will be sick of scenery by then and will just want to get the hell home! Have fun and take lots of pictures. Great mountains to see going down 5.


    You're awesome. Than so much. As for the weird hippies around Smith River, what are the odds of stumbling across some norcal buds up there?
  • covered in blisscovered in bliss chi-caw-go Posts: 1,332
    Dude. The weird hippies can be your friend. Don't shut them out. Follow your gut... wish I was going with you! :)
  • CorduroyboyCorduroyboy Posts: 1,256
    Firecloud wrote:
    You're awesome. Than so much. As for the weird hippies around Smith River, what are the odds of stumbling across some norcal buds up there?

    If you mean the norcal "buds" it's really not hard to find. I think 4 out of 5 people have it up there. The small towns in between Ukiah and Garberville if I recall have tons of shops that sell those alternative "smoking" devices. Ask in one of those shops and I'm sure you will find what you need.
  • mensanemensane Posts: 912
    we drove from seattle to l.a. in 2006.....

    YOU MUST GO TO THIS PLACE...IT IS INSANE!!!!

    http://www.oregonvortex.com/
  • covered in blisscovered in bliss chi-caw-go Posts: 1,332
    mensane wrote:
    we drove from seattle to l.a. in 2006.....

    YOU MUST GO TO THIS PLACE...IT IS INSANE!!!!

    http://www.oregonvortex.com/


    sweet. Thanks for sharing!
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    mensane wrote:
    we drove from seattle to l.a. in 2006.....

    YOU MUST GO TO THIS PLACE...IT IS INSANE!!!!

    http://www.oregonvortex.com/


    What the hell? That looks awesome! Thanks!
  • Echo27Echo27 Posts: 57
    Corduroyboy wrote:
    Oh yeah, whatever you do, do not take Route 299 from Redding to Eureka. You will hate life after about 2 minutes of being on this road. If the devil was a road builder, his finest is the 299. I've driven it 2 times and that's 2 times too many!

    Oh, my God, this person speaks the truth! My husband and I took this bitch of a road two years ago. We still talk about it. I was soooo carsick, and he practically was, too, even though he was driving. When we looked at our atlas we had no idea what was in store for us. You may think I'm being dramatic, but you'd have to be on this road to believe it.

    On a side note, if you get a chance to take a day trip outside of the Seattle area, check out the Olympic Peninsula and the rain forest. We were married there. It is a magical place.
    "I am disrespectful to dirt! Can you see that I am serious?"
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    Echo27 wrote:
    Oh, my God, this person speaks the truth! My husband and I took this bitch of a road two years ago. We still talk about it. I was soooo carsick, and he practically was, too, even though he was driving. When we looked at our atlas we had no idea what was in store for us. You may think I'm being dramatic, but you'd have to be on this road to believe it.

    On a side note, if you get a chance to take a day trip outside of the Seattle area, check out the Olympic Peninsula and the rain forest. We were married there. It is a magical place.

    Thanks for the heads up... unfortunately we'll only be up there for two days. I've been there before so I know how to make short work of Pike Place Market and the Space Needle and such, but I want to make it back to Snoqualmie Falls as well if there's time.

    More specifically, we're looking for really cool views, unique places, etc. Hiking is out this time, since we've got our 2 year old daughter with us, but maybe a canoe rental thing could be cool...
  • CorduroyboyCorduroyboy Posts: 1,256
    Echo27 wrote:
    Oh, my God, this person speaks the truth! My husband and I took this bitch of a road two years ago. We still talk about it. I was soooo carsick, and he practically was, too, even though he was driving. When we looked at our atlas we had no idea what was in store for us. You may think I'm being dramatic, but you'd have to be on this road to believe it.

    Too funny!! It really is the road that leads to hell!!
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    I'll keep that in mind for sure. We plan to hit up Fort Bragg, south of which is Glass Beach. It used to be a glass bottle dump decades ago, but is now a beach full of multicolored little glass pebbles. So awesome. haven't been in a few years though.

    Any Seattle-specific recommendations for cool things to see/do?
  • wolfbearwolfbear Posts: 3,965
    Corduroyboy wrote:
    If you mean the norcal "buds" it's really not hard to find. I think 4 out of 5 people have it up there. The small towns in between Ukiah and Garberville if I recall have tons of shops that sell those alternative "smoking" devices. Ask in one of those shops and I'm sure you will find what you need.
    Also Arcata just north of Eureka where Humboldt University is. Patrick's Point just north of there is also a great stop. You can walk right down to where the waves are crashing on the haystacks and it's not a far walk. Agree with everyone else on the coastal route too. All of the coast up to Astoria is awesome. Have a fun trip! :)
    "I'd rather be with an animal." "Those that can be trusted can change their mind." "The in between is mine." "If I don't lose control, explore and not explode, a preternatural other plane with the power to maintain." "Yeh this is living." "Life is what you make it."
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    wolfbear wrote:
    Also Arcata just north of Eureka where Humboldt University is. Patrick's Point just north of there is also a great stop. You can walk right down to where the waves are crashing on the haystacks and it's not a far walk. Agree with everyone else on the coastal route too. All of the coast up to Astoria is awesome. Have a fun trip! :)

    Thanks! Is humboldt as worthwhile for the 420-friendly as it's rumored to be?
  • walkunafraidwalkunafraid Posts: 2,613
    mensane wrote:
    we drove from seattle to l.a. in 2006.....

    YOU MUST GO TO THIS PLACE...IT IS INSANE!!!!

    http://www.oregonvortex.com/

    That's one of the places we stopped at when my girlfriend and I made this trek two years ago.

    It was fairly interesting, but I'm wondering how fucking AWESOME it would be to see this place when you're stoned.

    Dude, I say try it and let us know how it goes!
    Everything has chains...Absolutely nothing's changed. - PJ

    “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    walkunafraid wrote:
    That's one of the places we stopped at when my girlfriend and I made this trek two years ago.

    It was fairly interesting, but I'm wondering how fucking AWESOME it would be to see this place when you're stoned.

    Dude, I say try it and let us know how it goes!

    Haha that's the goal! Just need some guidance on the local wares...
    Now as for Oregon, what's the better drive, the 5 through Portland or the 101 up the coast? I'd imagine the coast, but I've heard great things about Portland. Maybe that's a stop for the ride home...
  • walkunafraidwalkunafraid Posts: 2,613
    Firecloud wrote:
    Haha that's the goal! Just need some guidance on the local wares...
    Now as for Oregon, what's the better drive, the 5 through Portland or the 101 up the coast? I'd imagine the coast, but I've heard great things about Portland. Maybe that's a stop for the ride home...

    I actually did the reverse of what most people do -- the 5 on the way up, the coast on the way back. Not really sure why we chose that, but it worked out alright.

    Oregon rules. People are infinitely more friendly and laid back there than in California. The only time anyone I came across anybody who was even slightly rude was when I tried to pump my own gas and was informed that that's not allowed in Oregon!

    Anyhow, if you have time, I'd say that the 101 is definitely the way to go. It's a beautiful, scenic drive, as opposed to the 5, which will just get you a bunch of buildings and construction.

    As a city, Portland was okay, but nothing that I felt I couldn't have missed...
    Everything has chains...Absolutely nothing's changed. - PJ

    “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
  • CorduroyboyCorduroyboy Posts: 1,256
    walkunafraid wrote:

    Oregon rules. People are infinitely more friendly and laid back there than in California. The only time anyone I came across anybody who was even slightly rude was when I tried to pump my own gas and was informed that that's not allowed in Oregon!

    Agreed 100%!! Same thing happened to me to. I didn't realize the gas pumping laws in Oregon and got my ass chewed from the kid pumping gas that it was against the law for me to pump gas. Really great people in Oregon, I'd move there tomorrow if I could. My wife hates the rain, I think it builds character.
  • HorosHoros Posts: 4,518
    Go inland in Oregon east of the Cascades. Hook up with Highway 97. Short detour to Crater Lake a must see view. As you travel north you'll get awesome views of the Cascades(The Sisters, Mt Washington, Mt Jefferson, Mt Hood and many others). You drive within 6 miles of Smith Rock a rockclimbing mecca. You'll also cross the Crooked River Canyon(gorgeous). Eventually you'll hit Interstate 84 and can head back towwards I-5 passing Multnomah(?) Falls. Just my suggestion. You'll find views you won't anywhere else (esp. Crater Lake). The Oregon Coast is great too but I would choose the High Desert nearly every time. If you just cruise up the middle on I-5 drop me a PM I'm only a few miles from it and can probably hook you up with a little help.
    #FHP
  • mensanemensane Posts: 912
    walkunafraid wrote:
    That's one of the places we stopped at when my girlfriend and I made this trek two years ago.

    It was fairly interesting, but I'm wondering how fucking AWESOME it would be to see this place when you're stoned.

    Dude, I say try it and let us know how it goes!

    i think if you were stoned, you would think that you only saw the cool shit BECAUSE you were stoned. i say see it sober.....it will freak you out even more.
  • circles downcircles down Posts: 182
    North of Santa Barbara, south of Hearst Castle, be on the lookout for a very easy to miss turn off for the road that leads to Harmony. As soon as you turn off onto that little road you will see the scene from the 'harmony' photo in Yield. Take a second to get out, take in the nice view, snap a photo, pop in Yield and enjoy the next hour of your drive, it's great Cali scenery.

    Enjoy Oregon. I've been wanting to do exactly what you're doing for a long time.
  • Smellyman2Smellyman2 Posts: 689
    Horos wrote:
    Go inland in Oregon east of the Cascades. Hook up with Highway 97. Short detour to Crater Lake a must see view. As you travel north you'll get awesome views of the Cascades(The Sisters, Mt Washington, Mt Jefferson, Mt Hood and many others). You drive within 6 miles of Smith Rock a rockclimbing mecca. You'll also cross the Crooked River Canyon(gorgeous). Eventually you'll hit Interstate 84 and can head back towwards I-5 passing Multnomah(?) Falls. Just my suggestion. You'll find views you won't anywhere else (esp. Crater Lake). The Oregon Coast is great too but I would choose the High Desert nearly every time. If you just cruise up the middle on I-5 drop me a PM I'm only a few miles from it and can probably hook you up with a little help.

    I agree w/ this post. The coast is nice which you can see in Cali, but central Oregon is beautiful and quite unique, Crater Lake, Mt. Bachelor, Sun River, Bend, Sisters, Mt. Hood etc. That way you can stop in Portland too which is worth a visit. TONS of Breweries and if you're into it, TONS of strip clubs too. :)
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    circles down wrote:
    North of Santa Barbara, south of Hearst Castle, be on the lookout for a very easy to miss turn off for the road that leads to Harmony. As soon as you turn off onto that little road you will see the scene from the 'harmony' photo in Yield. Take a second to get out, take in the nice view, snap a photo, pop in Yield and enjoy the next hour of your drive, it's great Cali scenery.

    Enjoy Oregon. I've been wanting to do exactly what you're doing for a long time.


    Yeah I've been there a couple times and done exactly that - the Harmony sign is different now though. I've pretty much got PCH all along Big Cur, Santa Cruz, Monterey, etc locked from many trips between SD and SF over the past 6 years or so. That's why I can't wait to ride up the northern coast and see what Oregon's all about.

    We're most excited for the Seattle area, and if we did the straight shot up the 5 we'd save ourselves a full day, but what's the fun in that? The goal is to see as much cool stuff as we can.

    I've got to get started on some new mixes though, cause we leave on the 12th.
  • circles downcircles down Posts: 182
    Your mixes should include Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. Good regional music.
  • FirecloudFirecloud Posts: 516
    Smellyman wrote:
    I agree w/ this post. The coast is nice which you can see in Cali, but central Oregon is beautiful and quite unique, Crater Lake, Mt. Bachelor, Sun River, Bend, Sisters, Mt. Hood etc. That way you can stop in Portland too which is worth a visit. TONS of Breweries and if you're into it, TONS of strip clubs too. :)


    My girl just got another day off work for the trip, which means that instead of a light-speed bee-line from Seattle back to LA we'll be able to take our time and check out some of what Oregon's got to offer. My entire life, people have been telling me that Oregon is the perfect place for me, so this will be a chance to see what the hell they're talking about.

    So we're taking the coastal route from Fort Bragg up to Astoria (maybe even as far as Aberdeen, who knows) on the way up, but coming home we'll go another route and hit up as many of Oregon's hotspots as we can.

    Any further recommendations/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
  • Lukin66Lukin66 Posts: 3,063
    Corduroyboy wrote:
    This is a trek I've made many times and it never gets old. My suggestions.

    1. Take 101 up the coast of Northern California from Ukiah through the Redwoods and visit the Smith River. Unreal part of the country. I spent 2 summers up there and never got sick of it. Just lots of weird hippies and tweekers all over the place looking to hitch hike back down to Eureka.

    2. Take the 101 all the way up the Oregon Coast. If you think the California coast is beautiful, you haven't seen anything until you've seen the Oregon coast. Go on the jet boat tour up the Rogue River. It's an all day ordeal, but worth the price and well worth the time. Great spots to camp out in Newport, OR. Rogue Brewery is there too. Some of the most amazing concrete arch bridges in the country dawn the 101 on the Oregon Coast. Watch out for all the log trucks.

    3. Visit Canon Beach and Astoria Oregon. You can see where the Goonies happened!

    4. Drive along the Columbia River over to I-5. Again, scenic beauty at it's best.

    5. Bomb up 5 to Seattle and when you are through with Seattle, take more time off and head up to British Columbia!!

    6. On the way home, bomb down 5. You will be sick of scenery by then and will just want to get the hell home! Have fun and take lots of pictures. Great mountains to see going down 5.
    I can do this drive in my sleep, and you have awesome suggestions. Took the words right out of my mouth....
    deep, deep blue of the morning
    gets to me every time
Sign In or Register to comment.