Although the timing is not ideal I will be driving (relocation) from Washington DC to Portland Oregon in mid January through early February. I?ve been wanting to make a cross-country journey for a long time and look forward to the experience. I do not have major any time constraints, but will be traveling with my dog. I will be doing a week lay over to visit with friends outside of Denver.

My first stop will be in Louisville, KY, Churchill Downs, drive through the farm areas, etc. Then onto Memphis to visit Graceland, not a big fan but I think it?s a must do.

After Graceland is where I get stuck on deciding the route to Denver as I am not sure what would be worth visiting, seeing, doing, etc. I?m looking for some feedback and suggestions.

Since I will have the dog, who loves to walk and swim I would not mind a few park areas that she would enjoy. I?ve emailed a few of the National Parks to get the specifics on the Pet Policy and today picked up the AAA books which lists pet friendly state parks, any personal recommendations would be appreciated. I can?t stop for a lot of museums, shops, attractions, etc, with the dog so if there are great driving routes that would be fantastic, and I love to drive! However if there are a few attractions worth seeing then I could work that in. I could go through AK to OK and over, or MO to KS and over.

After Denver I would like to go to Mt Rushmore, Devil?s Tower, Little Big Horn Battlefield and Yellowstone. I?ve been to Yellowstone before but thought it would be nice to see a bit of the area in winter. The pet access is limited but at least we can do a drive and I have a list of near by kennel names. This is will be my first time in Montana, I would like to drive west then drop down to Yellowstone. But now I am wondering if there will be winter access issues, will need to keep an eye on that.

After Wyoming, I am not sure if I should drop down through Nevada over to San Francisco and take the coastal route to Portland. Or drive through Idaho to Portland. I?ve heard the coastal route can be very foggy in winter; it would be my preferred choice but is it worth it in winter? I?d like to stop by Redwood NP and continue up. I will be living in Portland for a while and may have other opportunities to make this trip so would it be worth skipping and exploring a bit more of Idaho and western Oregon? I?ve only been to the Boise area, looking at the map, there is the Bitterfoot Mountain Range, anything of special interest?

Recommendations on local restaurants, coffee shops, dinners, etc would be great, casual, cheap, etc.

I feel a bit pressured with a short planning period, packing and the upcoming holidays, thanks for your advice and suggestions.

Alicia

What an adventure! I suggest you look to see if Hot Springs, Arkansas is on your route. We went there a few years ago and it is very pampering and educational. The National Park Service has the hot water springs you can stick your foot in (if you dare) The old hotels have their hot water straight from the springs. The same old hotels still have their spa treatments available. I think I paid $35 for a 3 hour treatment included bath/ loofah / shower/ wrap/ massage. It is a throw-back to the days when people would 'take the cure' in Hot Springs.

The downtown also has free public hot springs where everyone could fill up their own bottles to go.

For your KY stop:

Consider going to the Derby (Horse) Museum in Louisville

The horse track in Lexington Ky (Keeneland) is even prettier than Louisville's Churchill Downs. Lexington is known for its horse farms and Louisville is known for the Derby.

Mammoth Cave is fairly near this area and is fascinating. There are several different NPS tours and all are great.

If you take a toddy now and then, any of the bourbon distilleries (like Makers Mark) give free tours which might interest you.

If you take the route through Hot Spring, Arkansas (there should be lots of beautiful scenery and parks for your dog) your route west would take you though Oklahoma City. (most likely via I-40) If you take I-240 north from I-40 in Oklahoma City, exit Northwest Expressway (highway 3), go about 1 block west, turn right on Portland (heading north again) and take Portland about 1 mile north, you will dead end at Stars and Stripes Park/ Lake Hefner Park. Lake Hefner Park has many walking trails that would be a perfect break for you and your furry friend. When we go home to Okla City and have our dog with us, we always make it a point to take him for a walk to Lake Hefner. From that point, you could take I-40 on west through the Texas Panhandle to Denver, or go North I-35 to I-70, Denver. The only problem you might run into is this part of the country is prone to ice storms the time you're going. However, could be smooth sailing all the way!

I don't know about the other areas, but in Yellowstone most of the access at this time of the year is by snow coaches, skies and snow mobiles!

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planvisit/to...interguide.pdf

Utahtea

Whichever route you choose, be sure to stay aware of the weather conditions as you get closer to Oklahoma. Very often in Jan/Feb, the weather gets ugly and there are ice storms. You DON'T want to be on the highway in one of these! If there happens to be a "Winter Weather Advisory" along the way, change your route to avoid it! Even if you think you can drive in it, most of the other people on the road CAN'T drive in it, especially the semi trucks, and you don't want to get in a wreck!

Most of the big horse farms are around Lexington, not Louisville. GO to www.visitlex.com and get a map of the area horse farms in advance. I know there is a bluegrass driving tour that will take you by some of the big ones. I agree with wsoxrebel that Keeneland is prettier than Churchill Downs!

Alicia, there is also a LaQuinta on Northwest Expressway (Oklahoma City) just a mile or so west of the Hefner Trails Park I mentioned. Almost all LaQunita's will accept pets (depending on size)-- Pooch and hubby and I have stayed there (Pooch likes to jump on the beds) There is also a good veterinarian in this same area should you need one. If you stay on I-40 after Memphis, you'll go through Little Rock, Ft. Smith, and VanBuren Ark, all nice places for you and Dog to stretch your legs. OKC is about 6-8 hours west of Little Rock and 12-14 hours east of Denver. Hope this helps.

Welcome to Oregon!!

I don't feel comfortable recommending one way over the other but here are some thoughts. There are a few ways to get from Idaho (Wyoming) to Portland. The most obvious being Hwy 84. It is not terribly scenic until you get nearly to Portland. The weather can be pretty snowy, icy and windy too. They just closed part of it a week or so ago for a while. This would probably be the most direct time and distance-wise. Another way is to come Hwy 26 through Oregon. Definately more scenic but curvy and in snow and icy conditions that may not be what you want to do. The road is also less traveled and may get less care, though it is my favorite route to Eastern Oregon.

Or as you suggested the coastal route is an option. It seems way out of the way to me and having driven from Florida once after Denver I was eager to get home. It could be very foggy or wet. You probably won't run into snow (among the first places on your trip it sounds like) but it is likely to be very wet. Or not. We were on the Oregon coast over Thanksgiving and had wonderfully dry and relatively warm weather for 3 days and a day of pouring! rain. The pouring rain can be hard to drive in but if worse comes to worse you could always cross over to I5 and take the straight route.

If I were doing this trip I would evaluate the weather and how you feel about more time in the car and decide at Yellowstone what you want to do.

I think most National Parks don't allow dogs except in campgrounds, you would probably be better off in State Parks.

Drive very carefully and best wishes in Oregon.

Sara

Alicia, you should be fine in OKC during your trip. Lake Hefner is fantastic idea. Another interesting option would be the Myriad Botanical Gardens downtown. You can scale the rolling hills or take refuge inside this I.M. Pei-designed greenhouse. Affordable business district eateries are in the surrounding blocks (check out The Buzz, a cozy coffeeshop on the corner of Robinson and Sheridan). Next to that is Bricktown, Oklahoma City's warehouse entertainment district.