There's waaaaay too much to see to fall asleep at the wheel! I've been looking forward to this since I moved to California (almost ten years ago).
Are there really as few cops in Oregon as they say? I've heard there's only like 15 state troopers in all of Oregon. Sounds like paradise already.
A few cops, all I see anywhere in Oregon are the State Troopers, and they hate California plates. Speed limits are lower in places in Oregon than they are in California. Just drive with caution. In my travels in Oregon, especially on I-5 was showing tons of cops.
A few cops, all I see anywhere in Oregon are the State Troopers, and they hate California plates. Speed limits are lower in places in Oregon than they are in California. Just drive with caution. In my travels in Oregon, especially on I-5 was showing tons of cops.
Thanks, that's exactly what I need to hear to keep me off the 5 - at least on the way up. Haven't had much luck with cops in the past year or two.
I've come to realize I'm about as excited about this trip you are going on as much as you probably are. It's just such a great part of the US and to take the time to drive it and see it in person is just awesome.
I've come to realize I'm about as excited about this trip you are going on as much as you probably are. It's just such a great part of the US and to take the time to drive it and see it in person is just awesome.
Thanks! We've revised the trip a little bit: We're now leaving Saturday the 19th and returning Saturday the 26th, which gives us a total of 7 days instead of the 5 we had planned. After blasting up from LA to San Francisco, we'll head over to the scenic 101 drive for the rest of the trip up. I'm not sure how the fires up there are going to effect the route, but hopefully they'll all be under control two weeks from now.
With the extra time we'll be able to check out a lot more of what the area between Northern California and Seattle has to offer, so any other recommendations are definitely welcome and appreciated, especially the following:
***Seattle attractions!*** Again, we plan on doing the Pike Place Market/Puget Sound trek (I've been there before, briefly), as well as a trip to Snoqualmie Falls. But with all the channels, islands, culture and nature around, there's got to be a lot more going on.
good... I-5 in N Cal is ass until you get to Oregon.....
Yep, 'cept Shasta. I thought the central Oregon coast, Yachats, Florence, Cape Perpetua and there abouts, were gorgeous, natural beauty rivalling Big Sur. I found the stretch north from Cannon Beach pretty touristy and congested with traffic...and that was in October. That's a great idea to check out the latest fire locations. It's crazy this year.
I second the recommendation of the Olympic Peninsula. I moved here two years ago and I'm still awe-struck regularly.
“Wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere...
Late at night I hear the trees, they're singing with the dead...overhead...”
From Redding to Shasta is pretty nice, but after Shasta until the border is pretty beat. The state of Jefferson up there!!
haha I just watched some Road Trip show last night about this - first I'd ever heard of the "state of Jefferson"! They take that shit seriously, too...
Be sure to check road conditions through Big Sur (if you are thinking of that route) because of the wild fire. U.S. 1 between Carmel and San Simeon is not the place you want to be in bad weather or road conditions.
Have a safe trip.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
Yep, 'cept Shasta. I thought the central Oregon coast, Yachats, Florence, Cape Perpetua and there abouts, were gorgeous, natural beauty rivalling Big Sur. I found the stretch north from Cannon Beach pretty touristy and congested with traffic...and that was in October. That's a great idea to check out the latest fire locations. It's crazy this year.
I second the recommendation of the Olympic Peninsula. I moved here two years ago and I'm still awe-struck regularly.
The 101 seems to loop the Olympic Peninsula pretty completely, but what are the best sights/parks on the peninsula? The east canals look like they'd be pretty cool, and I'd imagine there's a lot of waterfront stuff to get down with - but what about places like Crescent Lake or Erickson's Bay? It seems the farthest into the Olympic National Park you can get by car is from the west.
Thanks again for all your help, we really really appreciate it.
Alright, we're leaving tomorrow afternoon! Revised plan is as follows:
Saturday - Drive from LA to my sister's in Berkeley, eat, smoke, laugh, rock out, sleep.
Sunday - Wake up at dawn, cross the Golden Gate, and ride the 101 all the way up to Crescent City or Brookings, Oregon, which is pretty close to the border.
Monday - Drive up the Oregon coast, get to Seattle Monday night. Sleep our asses off.
Tuesday - See downtown Seattle, UDub, Snoqualmie falls, etc.
Wednesday - Take the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton, then swing over to the 101 and take that up the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula. Go up and around, stay on the west end of the peninsula overnight.
Thursday - Complete the Olympic circle, head east through Tacoma and into Mt. Rainier National Park - drive through, sleep, and head home Friday morning.
Thanks for everybody's input/suggestions! They've been really helpful, and we're looking forward to the trip so much more because of you guys.
If anyone has any information about the fires in NorCal and whether or not they'll threaten coastal driving, please let me know. Also, any suggestions about locales for buds are enthusiastically welcomed. We'll have our own but would like to try out the local wares.
Sunday - Wake up at dawn, cross the Golden Gate, and ride the 101 all the way up to Crescent City or Brookings, Oregon, which is pretty close to the border.
cha cha cha
Get ready for a long, long drive. Beautiful but long. Tons of hotels on the 101 soon as you get into Crescent City, but Brookings is a much nicer town. Don't forget to stop into Fred Meyers! Have a great trip, I'm envious right now!
Awesome! thanks! We're super amped right now... leaving in about 7 hours, once my gf gets out of work. What's Fred Meyers?
Fred Meyer is just a Washington/Alaska based department store similar to Target. I call it the Northwest's Target.
Have a good drive up. It's a long one but if you break it up like you are, it'll be a blast. I've made the Seattle-LA drive four times myself and can't wait to do it again.
SEA 9/20/92, SEA 12/7/93, SEA 12/31/94 (MS), SEA 11/5/00, SEA 11/6/00, SEA 12/8/02, SEA 12/9/02, BEN 10/22/03, GOR 9/1/05, SD 7/7/06, LA 7/10/06, LA 7/12/06, LA (EV) 4/12/08, LA (EV) 4/13/08, LA 7/12/08, LA 9/30/09, LA 10/7/09, SEA 12/6/13, SEA 8/8/18
The 101 seems to loop the Olympic Peninsula pretty completely, but what are the best sights/parks on the peninsula? The east canals look like they'd be pretty cool, and I'd imagine there's a lot of waterfront stuff to get down with - but what about places like Crescent Lake or Erickson's Bay? It seems the farthest into the Olympic National Park you can get by car is from the west.
Thanks again for all your help, we really really appreciate it.
The 101 Olympic Peninsula Loop has an incredible variety of awesome sceanery, but that will be two VERY long days. 101 is a highway in name only in these parts, more like Highway 1 in CA. Hoh rainforest, Lake Quinault, and Ruby Beach are highlights. I've not been to Crescent Lake or Erickson's Bay yet. They're on my list for this summer. And yes, best access to the park is from the west.
Hotel Recommendations: Port Townsend Inn or Harborside Inn in Port Townsend.
Have a great time, the weather is supposed to be really nice.
“Wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere...
Late at night I hear the trees, they're singing with the dead...overhead...”
Fred Meyer is just a Washington/Alaska based department store similar to Target. I call it the Northwest's Target.
Have a good drive up. It's a long one but if you break it up like you are, it'll be a blast. I've made the Seattle-LA drive four times myself and can't wait to do it again.
Thanks! Anything you can recommend or advise against based on your journeys? There's always something from my past trips that I wish I'd done a little differently.... just looking to cut down on that this time around.
Spent my honeymoon roadtripping from SF to Portland. Standouts were Bandon by the sea, Sausalito, and all the wonderful Oregon beaches we walked on. I don't think there is one dull spot on the whole drive, just stop whenever the whim comes. Have fun, I'm jealous
... and the will to show I will always be better than before.
Thanks! Anything you can recommend or advise against based on your journeys? There's always something from my past trips that I wish I'd done a little differently.... just looking to cut down on that this time around.
Well, Fred Meyer can probably be skipped. Like I said, it's just like Target so nothing too exciting (but I always used to go there was little daily necessities). Astoria, Oregon is a nice little stop...it's right on the coast between Washington and Oregon. I lived in Eureka, CA. in northern California (right on the 101) and that is a sleepy little coastal town with a bit of charm. Arcata just north of it is a cool college town (very small...Humboldt University).
Sometimes, I don't really like to plan trips to a tee...just drive with a loose plan and discover things along the way that you can probably recommend to others.
SEA 9/20/92, SEA 12/7/93, SEA 12/31/94 (MS), SEA 11/5/00, SEA 11/6/00, SEA 12/8/02, SEA 12/9/02, BEN 10/22/03, GOR 9/1/05, SD 7/7/06, LA 7/10/06, LA 7/12/06, LA (EV) 4/12/08, LA (EV) 4/13/08, LA 7/12/08, LA 9/30/09, LA 10/7/09, SEA 12/6/13, SEA 8/8/18
Fred Meyers is great and shouldn't be skipped! It's Walmart, Raley's, Best Buy, Home Depot, a low budget Macy's, and the Sports Chalet all wrapped into one. There's one right on the 101 in Brookings, you can't miss it. Stop in and buy some frozen New Castle mini burgers!!
Again, like others have said, plan, but don't over plan. It's a long drive and you wont get in as much driving as expected. You will want to stop 1,000 times along the coast for pictures. It eats up tons of time. Watch the wind, it can get crazy. And watch for great wind surfing at the mouth of the Pistol River just north of Brookings. Other than Hood River, the Pistol River area seems to be the mecca for wind surfers.
awesome, thanks so much guys. we're biting off big chunks each day in terms of ground we want to cover, but I think we can do it...
I'm not usually one for planning trips down to the detail, but this time I don't want to drive aimlessly. It's a perfect opportunity to hit a ton of spots we've never seen before.
And this Fred Meyers action seems too weird to pass up. If I see it, I'm stopping...
Comments
but you're not suggesting firecloud try this, are ya?
Are there really as few cops in Oregon as they say? I've heard there's only like 15 state troopers in all of Oregon. Sounds like paradise already.
Horos - Thanks for the offer - I might hit you up on our journey home, when we're going the country route rather than coastal.
A few cops, all I see anywhere in Oregon are the State Troopers, and they hate California plates. Speed limits are lower in places in Oregon than they are in California. Just drive with caution. In my travels in Oregon, especially on I-5 was showing tons of cops.
Thanks, that's exactly what I need to hear to keep me off the 5 - at least on the way up. Haven't had much luck with cops in the past year or two.
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I'm never as good as when you're there.........
Thanks! We've revised the trip a little bit: We're now leaving Saturday the 19th and returning Saturday the 26th, which gives us a total of 7 days instead of the 5 we had planned. After blasting up from LA to San Francisco, we'll head over to the scenic 101 drive for the rest of the trip up. I'm not sure how the fires up there are going to effect the route, but hopefully they'll all be under control two weeks from now.
With the extra time we'll be able to check out a lot more of what the area between Northern California and Seattle has to offer, so any other recommendations are definitely welcome and appreciated, especially the following:
secluded beaches/caves
scenic side-trips (off the coastal route)
unique architectural formations
interesting parks/nature preserves
particularly noteworthy viewing points
***Seattle attractions!*** Again, we plan on doing the Pike Place Market/Puget Sound trek (I've been there before, briefly), as well as a trip to Snoqualmie Falls. But with all the channels, islands, culture and nature around, there's got to be a lot more going on.
Thanks again!
Yep, 'cept Shasta. I thought the central Oregon coast, Yachats, Florence, Cape Perpetua and there abouts, were gorgeous, natural beauty rivalling Big Sur. I found the stretch north from Cannon Beach pretty touristy and congested with traffic...and that was in October. That's a great idea to check out the latest fire locations. It's crazy this year.
I second the recommendation of the Olympic Peninsula. I moved here two years ago and I'm still awe-struck regularly.
Late at night I hear the trees, they're singing with the dead...overhead...”
From Redding to Shasta is pretty nice, but after Shasta until the border is pretty beat. The state of Jefferson up there!!
haha I just watched some Road Trip show last night about this - first I'd ever heard of the "state of Jefferson"! They take that shit seriously, too...
Have a safe trip.
Hail, Hail!!!
The 101 seems to loop the Olympic Peninsula pretty completely, but what are the best sights/parks on the peninsula? The east canals look like they'd be pretty cool, and I'd imagine there's a lot of waterfront stuff to get down with - but what about places like Crescent Lake or Erickson's Bay? It seems the farthest into the Olympic National Park you can get by car is from the west.
Thanks again for all your help, we really really appreciate it.
Saturday - Drive from LA to my sister's in Berkeley, eat, smoke, laugh, rock out, sleep.
Sunday - Wake up at dawn, cross the Golden Gate, and ride the 101 all the way up to Crescent City or Brookings, Oregon, which is pretty close to the border.
Monday - Drive up the Oregon coast, get to Seattle Monday night. Sleep our asses off.
Tuesday - See downtown Seattle, UDub, Snoqualmie falls, etc.
Wednesday - Take the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton, then swing over to the 101 and take that up the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula. Go up and around, stay on the west end of the peninsula overnight.
Thursday - Complete the Olympic circle, head east through Tacoma and into Mt. Rainier National Park - drive through, sleep, and head home Friday morning.
Thanks for everybody's input/suggestions! They've been really helpful, and we're looking forward to the trip so much more because of you guys.
If anyone has any information about the fires in NorCal and whether or not they'll threaten coastal driving, please let me know. Also, any suggestions about locales for buds are enthusiastically welcomed. We'll have our own but would like to try out the local wares.
cha cha cha
Get ready for a long, long drive. Beautiful but long. Tons of hotels on the 101 soon as you get into Crescent City, but Brookings is a much nicer town. Don't forget to stop into Fred Meyers! Have a great trip, I'm envious right now!
Fred Meyer is just a Washington/Alaska based department store similar to Target. I call it the Northwest's Target.
Have a good drive up. It's a long one but if you break it up like you are, it'll be a blast. I've made the Seattle-LA drive four times myself and can't wait to do it again.
The 101 Olympic Peninsula Loop has an incredible variety of awesome sceanery, but that will be two VERY long days. 101 is a highway in name only in these parts, more like Highway 1 in CA. Hoh rainforest, Lake Quinault, and Ruby Beach are highlights. I've not been to Crescent Lake or Erickson's Bay yet. They're on my list for this summer. And yes, best access to the park is from the west.
Hotel Recommendations: Port Townsend Inn or Harborside Inn in Port Townsend.
Have a great time, the weather is supposed to be really nice.
Late at night I hear the trees, they're singing with the dead...overhead...”
Thanks! Anything you can recommend or advise against based on your journeys? There's always something from my past trips that I wish I'd done a little differently.... just looking to cut down on that this time around.
Well, Fred Meyer can probably be skipped. Like I said, it's just like Target so nothing too exciting (but I always used to go there was little daily necessities). Astoria, Oregon is a nice little stop...it's right on the coast between Washington and Oregon. I lived in Eureka, CA. in northern California (right on the 101) and that is a sleepy little coastal town with a bit of charm. Arcata just north of it is a cool college town (very small...Humboldt University).
Sometimes, I don't really like to plan trips to a tee...just drive with a loose plan and discover things along the way that you can probably recommend to others.
Fred Meyers is great and shouldn't be skipped! It's Walmart, Raley's, Best Buy, Home Depot, a low budget Macy's, and the Sports Chalet all wrapped into one. There's one right on the 101 in Brookings, you can't miss it. Stop in and buy some frozen New Castle mini burgers!!
Again, like others have said, plan, but don't over plan. It's a long drive and you wont get in as much driving as expected. You will want to stop 1,000 times along the coast for pictures. It eats up tons of time. Watch the wind, it can get crazy. And watch for great wind surfing at the mouth of the Pistol River just north of Brookings. Other than Hood River, the Pistol River area seems to be the mecca for wind surfers.
I'm not usually one for planning trips down to the detail, but this time I don't want to drive aimlessly. It's a perfect opportunity to hit a ton of spots we've never seen before.
And this Fred Meyers action seems too weird to pass up. If I see it, I'm stopping...