dp1206

My wife and I have a business trip to San Diego in Oct. After it is over we were thinking of going up the coast to Seattle. We have absolutely no interest in LA but would like to spend some time in San Francisco/Napa Valley. Once we leave there, we would enjoy the drive up the coast and hope you could tell us where would you suggest we stop along the way? DP1206

happytrailstoyou

You don't say how much time you have.

However, we like to drive Highway 1 from LA to San Francisco, spending one night in Cambria (Hearst Castle is nearby). We sometimes also stop in Big Sur, Carmel or Monterey for a night.

When we drive the coast from San Francisco we take four or five nights stopping in Mendocino, Brookings, Yachats or Newport, Cannon Beach, and Portland.

suze

How long have you got? You can drive California on that boring highway up thru the middle, or along the scenic but oh so much slower coast highway. Missing LA is no biggie as it's only about 2 hours north on San Diego, just time your take-off to avoid rush hour traffic.

happytrailstoyou

I forgot to say that LA is a wonderful place to visit. We used to stay in Santa Monica, but we now prefer Beverly Hills. The trick to enjoying this very cosmopolitan city is to stay off the expressways. Get a good map.

dp1206

Thank you all, we have about two weeks give or take as we can stay awhile with friend on Bainbridge Island. Are 5 days enough with stops for the drive from San Fran to Oregon? And would you push for time in Vancouver?

happytrailstoyou

The drive from San Francisco to Mendocino on Highway 1 and the drive from Eureka to Crescent City are beautiful no matter what (don't forget the red woods).

However, IMHO, the drive up the Oregon Coast is only enjoyable if you have time to get off the highway a few times to enjoy the ocean. There is a lot to see and do between Brookings and Astoria.

You might want to be flexible. If the weather is perfect, you might want to be on the coast; if the weather is foul, you may want to cut things short for a couple days in Vancouver and/or Victoria.

dp1206

What can you tell me about the Point Arena Lighthouse about 3 1/2 hours north of San Fran ? My wife loves lighthouses and we enjoy staying in them. Any others you know of would be appreciated. Dennis Parsons [email protected] for anyone who wishes to write off the site.

sunbum1944

You can stat at Heceta Head in the InnKeepers House - short walk up the hill to the lighthouse - I think its the
most photographed in the US

http://www.hecetalighthouse.com/

sunbum1944

Opps- forgot to mention that Heceta Head is in Oregon - just north of Florence

NorthwestMale

Hi, I live in Seattle and have covered much of the territory you're contemplating.

If intent upon missing most of L.A. I'd take the fairly dull and boring I-15 toward Ontario/Pasadena before meeting up with I-5 to a point near to Bakersfield.

I WOULD then drive toward the coast making sure to arrive south of Cambria (coastal town) in time to take one of the tours at Hearst Castle.

From there, up the coast all the way to San Jose/San Fran. I'd stay at least two nights there, given your interest.

Depart over the Golden Gate bridge and off to Napa/Sonoma.

Once done there, the #101 Highway is relatively speedy but if wanting more coastal experiences and views then opt for Hwy #1.

Probably a good idea to work your way inland to visit "Crater Lake, Oregon" before driving on to the north. The northern Oregon coast is enjoyable (albeit more chilly in October than the San Diego beaches you left behind) and Portland is worth a night if it fits your schedule.

Other options, perhaps depending on weather, are 1980-erupted Mount St. Helens, WA and Mt. Rainier, WA

Definitely make room to visit Vancouver, especially if you've not routinely visited Canada in the past. Seattle is nice but Vancouver is gorgeous in more ways (immediate mountains and a whole lot of nature in every direction, surrounding a city that is more cosmopolitan than Seattle).

Hope this at least gets you thinking...

dp1206

Thank you, A year to go and Im already making reservations. We may just stay an extra week and go up to Vancouver. Im sure I'll have more questions for you in the coming months and by the way if any one needs some advice about New Zealand or Australia I may be able to help

dp1206

Northwestmale et al. Wow happy new year already Hopefully I can get back in touch with you as we Have been out of touch with the world since Oct. Am still interested in info about our up coming trip to the west coast and you seem to have the right ideas for our itinerary. you can reach me direct at [email protected] Thanks Dennis

NorthwestMale

Hi, I am very much still here in attendance.

Feel free to jot something down on one of these posts.

(hint: best to do so on a post which already HAS another posting from me, then it comes up in the list when (anyone) clicks on my screen name)

In due time I would happily begin to correspond with you directly via e-mail but it seems a bit too early for many specifics.

I would do whatever you can to afford yourself the time to visit Vancouver, Canada as long as you're up this way. For right now I guess you need only consider the parameters like "arrival in" and "departure from" North America while resting assured that you can fill-up whatever time you could afford.

I'll be around...

1JAR

dp1206

I added some light house info on your other post "West Coast Tour"..
go to a website for a magazine called "coatal living" and clinck on "travel" . you will find all kinds of really great suggestions

10 best pocket beaches, 10 best seafood places, 10 most romantic inns etc

dp1206

Thankx everyone. I just had another Brain f--t and need to know if any car rental companies will let you rent a car in the states and cross into Canada and leave it there so we can see Vancouver and fly home from there.?

dp1206

Well we have our flights booked so now I can fill in the spaces between. We leave SanDiego on the 27th of Oct. and drive to Cambria. Overnight there and next morning drive up and take tour of Hearst Castle. That evening we stay in Montery,sightsee on our way to SanFran. I have planned three nights there. On Nov. 1st we are going to stay with friends in Sonoma Valley who own a small vineyard and have been asked by them if we would like a hands on grape picking tour. We will stay two days then move on to Eureka and a tour of the Redwood forests. I have a tentative stay at Heceta Head Lighthouse on the 4th and then on to Astoria. While there we will tour the Columbia Lightship. On the 6th we will meet friends in Tacoma and ride the Golden Pacific Railroad dinner train, spend some time on Bainbridge Island and visit Seattle. From there its on to Vancouver for three days and fly home from there. I realize we are putting 10 lbs of potatos in a 5 lb bag, but we actually enjoy all the driving and are not sure when we would be back West again. My question now, is can you dot the i's and cross the t's for us. What are the "must do's" in the cities we are staying and are there tourist traps to avoid. We don't like planned excursions and prefer staying in Local B&Bs. Appreciate the help in advance. Dennis

happytrailstoyou

It sounds more like trying to cram 25 pounds of potatoes into a 10-pound bag. It would help to know exactlly how many nights you have and where you intend to each of them.

NorthwestMale

(steps in, baffled somewhat by the only-slight difference between 10 lbs. of potatoes in a 5 lb. bag vs. 25 lbs. of potatoes in a 10 lb. bag)

{dusts self off}

I'm glad that you have your dates set, as it is fun to spend all this time studying the maps and knowing that you're set...

In my humble opinion, you have yourself scheduled so comfortably-yet-steadily that there aren't toooooo many areas for incorporating too many extras in.

I could probably do best if paying attention mostly to the Vancouver, Canada portion, where you seem to have some time and no firm plans or demands on said time.

I'd like a gen-er-al sense of roughly what time of day on which day of the week you'll leave Seattle for Vancouver, Canada, and then what time of day you'll fly out of Vancouver (3 days later).

In fact, you know what might help everyone chime in better, would be a tentative layout of your nights as follows:

Night OF: (stay at)

Oct. 27 (Cambria/Hearst Castle)

Oct. 28

Oct. 29

Oct. 30 ... etc...


Then we can more easily understand when you'll have to drive fast on some days, and have time to stop somewhere on others.

I'll stay tuned...

suz12

Crater Lake gets a lot of snow in the winter so October travel may not be the best time to go up that mountain. Again, like others said, keep a sharp eye on the weather reports on your trip and be flexible if the weather turns bad. Going over the coast range (between the coast adn Interstate 5 in CA and OR)or into the Cascades (where Crater Lake is) can run you into some bad roads. If you do plan to go into the mountains in October and there is any sign of weather coming in off the Pacific, please stick to the main roads. Also, in bad weather, even the main I-5 can be tricky coming over the Siskyous and Grants Pass in southern Oregon.

Regarding where to hit the coast, you may want to focus on parts of the coast and drive the rest on the faster inalnd roads I-5). If you think you may see Central and So Cal another time, then take I-5 8 hours up from San Diego to Monterey Bay or SF. There are a couple of light houses between Santa Cruz and San Francisco that are now youth hostels (Pigeon Point and Montara(?)). You could hit the coast in Marin County north of the Golden Gate and drive out to Point Bobita at Marin Headlands (part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area) and 2 hours or so north to Point Reyes light house (on Point Reyes National Seashore). There are B&Bs and small inns to be found near the towns of Inverness or Point Reyes Station. Lovely rolling landscape with redwood tree enclaves here and there. If you drive up the coast through Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, there are places to stay, but reservations are probably needed, especially on weekends....Then again..you could just high tail it north to Bainbridge Island and have a blast up there for a week. FYI - Just in case you decide to jam north, it is about a 15 hour drive straight through from SF to Seattle if weather is good and you go not too much over speed limit. Medford or Eugene are good one night stopovers if you decide to do that.

suz12

Ooh and I concur that Mt St Helens is a great place to stop off if you are at all interested in Geology. Check out their web cam, as that has the view you can see from one of the visitor centers. The Park Service has done a nice job with the interpretive centers there.

If you need a place to have a great lunch on your way north form Monterey, stop at Phil's out in Moss Landing (take a left at the power plant stacks). Phil's has great seafood and artichokes (locally grown). In Monterey, the aquarium is fabulous...one of the best. Check out their website.

With any luck you'll hit Sonoma Valley at crush (harvest time). What a great opportunity to stay with a friend with a vinyard! On the Sonoma town square there is a small museum focusing on California history before it was part of the US.

Eureka/Arcata is about 6 hours north of the Bay Area, and some of the driving north of Eureka/Arcata on the coast can take longer than one would expect. A nice small park good for a walk on the coast near Eureka/Arcata is Patrick's Point (don't know if there is a lighthouse or not). Arcata is a college town and is a little funkier than Eureka. Both are great small north coast towns with a lot of timber industry history.