cferrb

We are driving our son from LA to Pullman, WA to go to college. We have three days for the drive, and we have to stop close to Lodi, CA the first night to visit family. Are there any recommendations for the best route to take from there. Going through Winemucca, NV seems to be the shortest route, but borrring. Any other suggestions?

pisceantraveler

For a comparable period of time, but a more interesting route...

You could drive up I-5 through Oregon, and take a small detour to see memorable Crater Lake or to stop at Bend and see the rock formations at at Smith Rock and enjoy a good meal at one of the microbreweries in town. Then continue north to drive along 84, which skims the Columbia Gorge, pick up in the tri-cities area of Washington 395 up to Pullman. In the tri-cities area, there are some wineries as well...

We've driven this route, having lived in both CA and WA. BTW, an interesting bit of trivia -- did you know Pullman, in the heart of the Palouse area, is known for being a lentil capital? I didn't know that until we lived in the area!! There is a lentil festival every August in Pullman.

Orcas

The Palouse is amazing. You'll go gaga over it. In Pullman, the hotels book up quickly. In 2005, when we went, we stayed a couple of times at a B&B called the Union Creek Ranch. It is on a wheat farm in the middle of the Palouse. The owners are wonderful. We felt like we got to be a part of a different slice of America. Here is the url.

http://unioncreekranch.com/index.htm

It is hard to find, so take good maps if you stay there.

Our son, who was then 15, accompanied us and the B&B owners Grandson was visiting. The two of them got to ride ATVs into the fields. Our son actually came back excited about the view, and believe me, he normally doesn't even look. They had crested a hill and gone into a bowl filled with golden wheat. He said all you could see was wheat all around and the blue blue sky above.

The Palouse is really something.

Good luck to your son at WSU!

Supercilious

There are three routes that make sense if you want to drive there directly. There's US 97 up to the Columbia and then east on a variety of roads through Walla Walla and US 12. This is a fairly scenic drive through Oregon and there are a lot of places to stop along the way (including Crater Lake).

Then there is US 395. You would pick this up in Reno. It's a desert route but fairly interesting again while in Oregon. A good place to stop on this route is Pendleton. While there take the famous underground tour.

Finally, you could beeline it to Winnemucca and then take US 95 north. This is the route I normally take when going to Idaho. From Reno to Boise, it's a 7 hour drive. Not terribly interesting but there are some special places you could detour to if you like the desert and have the proper vehicle. From the Snake River up to Pullman though, it's a very pretty drive - probably nicer than the other two routes. Take a day off and do a whitewater trip out of Riggins.

Of course, if you are driving round-trip, you can always take one route there and another back and then report back to us on your experiences.

directions

Hi, the way we go is 5 to Weed then 97 to the Columbia then follow it until you work your way up to the Tri-Cities at Pasco head out on 395 and you will find your way to Pullman. If it's to confusing take I90 to Spokane then drop down to Pullman. It's an interesting drive through different terrain and quite beautiful.
Enjoy.

cferrb

Microbreweries in Bend sound good. I'm not sure how my son will feel about the lentil capital. Orcas, thanks for the reminder to reserve our room. We've done everything except that. We're prepared to stay in Moscow if necessary. Supercilious and directions, I would love to do the Columbia route some time in the future. You've given me inspiration. Thanks to all of you.

MomDDTravel

Just wanted to say that one of my dearest friends' dd is going into her second year there and LOVES the school! She is also from Southern California. Enjoy!

Fodorite018

cferrb--A good hotel in Pullman is the Holiday Inn Express. We stayed there last fall. Choices there are really limited, so I would book something asap! Even Moscow will be just as busy since U of I is right there.

Dawn--Both of those Universities are becoming more popular due to the WUE. UofI has more students from OR than from ID even. It is interesting to see their demographics change.

MomDDTravel

I do know mms is VERY correct on the choices being limited. My friend always has a hard time!

cferrb

MMS: What's the WUE?

Fodorite018

cferrb--It is the Western Undergraduate Exchange, which is regarding tuition. Schools set their own parameters for it, but if a student is awarded the WUE they get tuition at only 1.5 times the instate rate instead of the usual 3x rate. So it is a lure for out of state students.

cferrb

Hmmm. No-one told us about this. It would be a nice thing for us if we could get it.

Fodorite018

cferrb--WSU tells the student if they get it or not when they apply. My DD applied online and it told her immediately that she got it, then received a followup letter. You don't need to do anything else for it, the schools factor that in on the application and it is dealt with then. Each school sets their own parameters for it, like UofI gives it to every out of state student, but WSU is based on grades. I don't know their cutoff.

MomDDTravel

mms that is what my dear friend used as well.

cferrb

Guess my son's grades weren't good enough. Bummer.

Orcas

cferrb, It's not that simple. In many universities, eligibility for the WUE is based on the popularity of the actual major. If lots of in-state students want to be in a major, tuition reductions may not be available. The same university might grant tuition reductions for other, less popular majors that they are promoting.

It's pronounced "Wooo eee." Here is more info on it:

http://wue.wiche.edu/

Fodorite018

Orcas is right. That is why I mentioned earlier that each school sets its own parameters. Like WWU it is by scholarship. And some schools offer it to Latin majors,etc. WSU is grades only though, at least that is what we were told when we visited.

cferrb

Thanks Orcas and mms. I guess I won't fuss at my son!

kureiff

It's a beautiful area. I went to U of I for a year, but missed the WUE because of my major. My little brother starts this year (with the WUE) at U of I. I loved living in Moscow. Moscow and Pullman are such fun college towns. Good luck to your son, and have a safe trip.

NorthwestMale

It doesn't sound like you have much leisure time with only two days from Lodi. (and no, don't get stuck there again)

Given your parameters, I'm quite sure that I would go I-5 to Weed, CA, and then Hwy #97 toward Klamath Falls, and a detour to Crater Lake via Hwy #62 and back on Hwy #138.

Continue on #97 northward through Bend.

If you have TIME, then perhaps a detour toward Mt. Hood on Hwy #26, and then Hwy #35 to Hood River, Interstate-84 to Pendleton, OR... and up on Hwy #11 toward Walla Walla, WA and beyond.

I sense that you won't have oodles of time, and will have to go at a fairly quick pace.