My husband and I are driving from San Deigo to Port Orchard, WA (an hour from Seattle) in Sepetmber. After spending a 2-3 days at Disney and Universal we will have about two weeks to drive up Hywy 101 along the west coast.
What are some not to miss places in California and Oregon?
How much does a night at a camp ground cost and is there a discount if you have a disabled permit?
What are some good, inexpensive places to eat or stay?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

ttt

LadyJess - With that much time, my advice would be to bypass Hwy-101 once you get past San Luis Obispo and take Cal Hwy 1 (the Coast Route) at least as far as Santa Cruz. It is a spectacular drive.

At Santa Cruz, you could either continue on Hwy 1 or go inland on Cal-17 and pick up Hwy 101 again through the Bay area.

Once across the Golden Gate, I'd move back to Hwy 1 and go all the way up the coast to Legget, where it merges with Hwy-101 again for the rest of the trip up the Oregon and Washington coast.

This routing will be somewhat slower but breathtakingly more scenic. South of the Bay area, some of my favorite spots are Big Sur, Carmel, and Santa Cruz. North of SFO, I enjoy the Mendocino Coast and Redwood National Park near the Oregon border.

The Oregon coast is rocky, rugged and beautiful. Unforunately, I have never had the opportunity to drive the Washington coast below Olympia. Maybe someone else can advise you on that.

In Washington, a drive along the Pacific side of the Olympic Pensinsula and then south along the Hood Canal is an adventure to be savored.

Have a wonderful trip. I envy you.

I would recommend dwooddon's route as well.

Great suggestions! Let me add Santa Barbara to the mix--it's worth a day or two....

Thanks for the info, but when you suggest a place is worth a day or two, please tell me why.

I'd rather spend the time in Oregon and California, as we are native Washingtonians and can do our coast another time.

If we have the time then we plan to drive up the Washington coast around the Olypmic Pensinusla and down the Kitsap Pensinula where we live. If we don't have the time, then we plan on driving up the Oregon coast to Astoria and then heading over to I-5.

We don't care if it's a long car ride, as we want to go the senic route. That's the whole reason why we have two weeks to travel.

I love to visit historic old Spanish missions in Southern California. Santa Barbara and San Juan Capistrano have them. Check out this site: http://www.caohwy.com/m/missions.htm

I would recommend a day on the Cape Arago Hwy Between Coos Bay and Bandon. This can be done as a day trip or overnight in Bandon (recommended over Coos Bay unless you like gambling at the Mill Casino)You could also camp at Bastendorf Park outside of Charleston. A favorite of mine is Shore Acres State Park with world class gardens and great cliff walks...ask someone to point out the cliff walks because chances are you will have it to yourself as they are hard to find. At the end of Cape Arago Hwy is the cleverly named...Cape Arago...usually lots of sea lions. When you see a pullover on the side of the road dont hesitate to pull over and follow the path that takes off towards the beach you will usually be rewarded with fantastic views. There arent any signs pointing out these walks but as a local I can tell you they are all public land. Have fun!