Ridiculous Pacific Northwest Road Trip
 

I know this will seem ridiculous, but hubby and I are doing a super fast road trip from Seattle to San Diego...in 5 total days. I know, I know...but that's all the time we have.
Do you have words of wisdom for us on the MUST SEE/DO things on this epic drive. We are flying into SEA on Wed Nov 8 and flying out Sun Nov 12 from SAN.
I know Seattle is amazing...and we plan a cruise from there in the near future so we have more time for Seattle. But I would like to hit Pikes Marketplace, Space Needle and then drive to Mt Ranier..
From there I am unsure.... No time for backpacking and camping out. This is strictly drive and hit the highlights. Thank you in advance.

>>Do you have words of wisdom for us on the MUST SEE/DO things on this epic drive. <<

doesn't matter -- you won't have time to see them.

>>This is strictly drive and hit the highlights.<<

Nope -- it is strictly drive . . .

You are talking about 1500 miles from Seattle > Mt Rainier NP > SD and 25 hours butts in seats time. So say you spend one day in Seattle - and have to be in San Diego at least 5 hours before your flight to allow for traffic and turning in the rental car. That means you have 3.5 days - or 7+ hours in the car every day without a stop. Add in meals and rest breaks and you are talking 9+ hours a day.

insane.

As mentioned, you have nowhere near 5 days, 3 days and bits at each end. Spend 2 nights in Seattle (Wed, Thurs), fly to San Diego on Friday, spend 2 more nights (Fri, Sat). A full day to sightsee in each, Thursday & Saturday. I cannot imagine any other possibility unless it's simply an exercise in endurance. And why would you do that?

Have you google mapped it? Because either you're trolling or truly clueless.

Normally I think janisj is overly pessimistic, but I think this time her estimate is fairly generous. I do just Seattle to the Oregon/CA border fairly often in the winter and I can tell you, based on that, it's probably 9 hours per day BEFORE meals or short detours like Rainier. And it's an endless, ugly drive in November.

I'm inclined to say just head straight for Southern California. 4 nights isn't even enough for SD and LA but you'll see a lot more stuff that tourists actually want to see.

I don't enjoy long road trips, especially if you need to rely on highway driving, so I couldn't do this run. Traffic these days is awful and driving at night is dangerous. There are so many beautiful places to visit in the Pacific Northwest. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to fly into Seattle only to drive to San Diego. I think Southern California is a different trip entirely.

Take the train, at least most of the way.

https://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train

Unfortunately the others are right; while this is certainly doable, there's no way you're going to see much in the way of highlights.

Wednesday - Arrive Seattle, skip Space Needle, see view from Kerry Park instead. Overnight Seattle. (Where are you coming from and what time on Weds. do you arrive?)

Thursday - Breakfast at the Pike Place market, then hit the highway and travel as far south into Oregon as you can before dark (remember night comes early.) I would be shooting for Grants Pass or Medford.

Friday - Assuming Grants Pass, another early start and south toward the Bay Area. If possible, I'd shoot for the night in Monterey; however you might have to settle for San Francisco or San Jose.

Saturday - South on US 101 to Santa Barbara for the night. If time permits, detour to Carmel and Point Lobos State Park for a glimpse of the Big Sur coast, the Spanish mission in Carmel, and terrific coastal scenery at Point Lobos.

Sunday - Santa Barbara to San Diego.

This is a huge amount of driving and you'll absolutely be knackered. You're probably going to be in rain and gloom all the way from Seattle to California, so driving is going to be stressful and very tiring.

So I'll just throw out the idea that you spend a day in Seattle, then fly (about $100) one way to San Francisco and take a couple of days to drive from SF down to San Diego in warmer conditions. You'll save the cost of the flights in a lower price for the rental car given the massive one-way surcharge you'll get on the Seattle - San Diego option.

Meant to add, Mt. Rainier will be inaccessible due to snow on the ground and will be completely obscured by clouds and fog anyway.

Map - https://goo.gl/maps/9adrJBGxMS82

I would suggest you fly from Seattle to San Diego - or at least to San Francisco or LA if you insist on driving part of the way.

Is there any way you can add some time? I know you said 5 days is all you have, but if that's true, you won't have time to get off major highways hardly at all, to say nothing of stopping for a beer, or a meal outside the car! Traffic at commute times will worsen the whole situation, but you won't have time to stop and wait it out...

All that said, how about you take a stab at an itinerary on Google maps--stop and start points at minimum--and then come back with questions?

<i>Do you have words of wisdom for us on the MUST SEE/DO things on this epic drive.</i>

As much of the Oregon Coast as you can manage, the redwoods, and San Francisco.

I love Mt. Rainier, but it may not be a good option in November and it takes you off the path of San Diego.

HtTY

Unless they drive straight south out of SeaTac (w/o seeing even a corner of Seattle) and have an evening flight out of SAN, they do not have time to meander much of anywhere really except maybe a day/night in SF. And definitely don't have time to get to the OR coast or the redwoods.

If they want to see any of Seattle it would either have to be a route similar to Gardyloo's suggestion, or fly down to SF or the LA area.

I can't help buy wonder why people ask "too much?" or in this case, "ridiculous" when they know perfectly well it's the case. Maybe not the enormity of how much too much or how ridiculous, but they must already know. Does an opinion to the contrary, if there is one, confer more time? Or what exactly is the motivation. This one is an extreme example of the phenomenon so the possibility that our collective leg is being pulled may be the real answer.

That seems to be the latest fad around here: suggesting that people are joking when they ask a question or propose a plan you don't like.

Why on earth would anyone bother to troll this obscure board??

The OP knows the plan is shaky, but is asking how to make the best of it. There is no reason at all to be mean.

I am not addressing any one poster in particle, but am very fed up with the tone around here toward new posters.

I didn't see anyone being mean. I think we all gave our impression of the plan and how well it would work.

No one was mean and no one attacked anyone - just one hint that it <i>might</i> not be a serious question. But very good advice was given throughout.

Oh - before you jump on me and say I called the OP 'insane' - I didn't. Should have probably posted >>this is an insanely hectic itinerary<< - but using my phone I was lucky to post as many keystrokes as I did . . .

Deny all you want, folks, but the rudeness is there, and it is felt, and is driving people away from these boards.

It occurs to me that continuous accusations of rudeness, rather than actual rudeness, may be the cause of defections, from the sheer tedium of them.

If you find talk of rudeness tedious, stop being rude and you will marvel at the results.