mjkre

Hi. We have plotted a route (with the help of many here) that will take us on the following roads, on the following days and was wondering if there were any special days/ times to avoid driving because of traffic or other concerns that I may be unaware of:

July 1-5: Portland, Mt. Hood, Columbia Gorge
July 6: Mt. St. Helens to Seaside or Cannon Beach (via 503 to I-5N to 30 to 101)
July 7-9: Yachats/Florence area (101)
July 9-11: Grants Pass/Ashland area (having left coast on 38 to I-5)
July 12: Redwoods in California (probably stopping somewhere around Eureka) (via 199 to 101S)
July 13-15 San Francisco (via 101S)

I ask becuase I am from a summer resort area and I avoid travelling altogether in certain areas during the summer months becuase of traffic. Additionally, we face additional major rush hour traffic problems related to being very close to a major city. For us, the time of day you travel or route you take could easily add hours to the trip. Since we are already driving a lot, I would prefer not to spend any uneccessary time sitting in traffic etc.

As always, thanks for any advice!

tomfuller

Flying into PDX and renting a car on July 1? I have seen traffic tie ups near the airport on I-205-usually due to a traffic accident. After 3 PM the traffic will be heavy with people headed out for the July 4 weekend. Are you headed to Mt. St Helens on the 5th? You could cross the River at The Dalles and come down the Columbia on the north side on Washington 14.
July 6 I'm guessing crossing the river at Kelso/Longview to get to US 30. That should work well to avoid the Portland traffic.
You should not have any traffic problems anywhere on 101.
Make a stop at the Tillamook cheese factory. They have great ice cream too. About 5 miles east of Reedsport on 38, there are 2 viewing areas where you may see Roosevelt Elk.
Be careful on US 199 especially if it is raining. If you have the time, the Oregon Caves National Monument is worth a detour. Make your stop for Redwood NP at Crescent City or the little town of Klamath. The Trees of Mystery is an interesting tourist attraction with a gondola ride to the top of the mountain. The harbor of Eureka had some serious damage from the recent tsunami.
I hope that you know the drop off fee if you rent at PDX and turn the car in at SFO.

sf7307

July 13-15 heading to San Francisco is nothing special. I would just avoid typical morning rush hours.

kleroux

I saw your posting on your trip. Since there are so many responses, I decided to write to you on this question instead. You might want to check out VRBO.com Vacation rentals by owner. Its a nice change from a hotel/motel. Often you'll find a washer/dryer, and kitchen in which to cook. Prices are usually about the same as a nice hotel. Each town would be different. We have one in Healdsburg, and if you want to get an idea of what they are about, check out www.vrbo.com listing #228670. We've used them for travel in Europe as well. I can't remember the ages of your children, but in Ashland there are lots of different plays, not just Shakespere. We have seen lots of school children there, and its good for kids to experience live theatre. But probably not if they are younger. You might also want to look up Armstrong Woods State park. Its in Guerneville, near Healdsburg. Wonderful Redwood trees and not as crowded as Muir Woods near San Francisco. Driving on the west coast is easy. People are polite and don't honk their horns. Forget the train, they often don't run on time because priority is for freight not passengers.

spirobulldog

We didn't have any problem in July 2009 during our trip, which is similar to yours.

mjkre

I have to admit everyone keeps recommending we stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and I cannot figure out what the big attraction is to that place...it looks like a factory that makes cheese with a store that sells cheese. Am I missing something? Perhaps everyone is just a lot more into the making of cheese than I am?

Thanks for all of your imput on both sets of posts. I know our trip will be more enjoyable because of the information provided on these pages.

Fodorite018

No, you are not missing anything. I think Tillamook is way overrated.

tomfuller

I stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory for 15 minutes for some curds or some great ice cream if I am not in a hurry to get to some other place on the coast. I did learn a little the first time I went in.
If you have lots of time to spend in the area, stop to see the "Spruce Goose" in McMinnville.

spirobulldog

We stopped at Tillamook and enjoyed it. I don't know that I would drive out of my way to do it again, but if I were within 30 minutes of it, I think it is worthy of a stop.

bbqboy

Your kids will love the cheese factory. Wonderful ice Cream too.
Worth an hour of your vacation.

mjkre

Even if I have a child who absolutely cannot have any dairy?