Pacific North West Vacation ideas

I know that there are a bunch of members in the PNW and since I have never really traveled the area extensively I am asking for some input. My wife and I are thinking about a mid-May trip to check out the highlights and only have a basic and flexible itinerary at this point.

One point; we are renting a car for a week or so and driving the 1k or so miles between SF and Seattle. Sadly, because we plan to pick up at SFO and return at Seatac we cannot get anything exotic or fancy like I would prefer. With our discounts and connections it looks like our best bet would be something like a Chrysler 300... not bad but not great. Input or ideas?

We are mostly into sightseeing, all kinds of great food and arts / culture.

Our thoughts go something like this:

5/7 - Fly to SF to visit old friends and check out the town for a few days. We lived in the area years ago so know our way around but it has been a while so any ideas are welcome. Staying in Knob Hill area and renting a car but taking public trans around town. (Wharf, GG park, coit, etc.)

5/10 - Move over to Berkeley. Her undergrad Alma Mater and site of fond memories for us both. Staying near Campus on south side. Revisit campus and friends, head up into the hills, sproul plaza, etc.. Dinner at Chez Panisse.

5/11 - Drive up to Napa. We are not wine people but hear it is beautiful there. Probably check out a vineyard or two. Dinner are French Laundry.

5/12 - Head north to Eureka or there about? It looks like a nice town and has some old school charm. Not sure here but it looks like a logical stop in terms of distance and ability to enjoy sights while driving there and such...

5/13 - Ashland. Shakespeare festival and generally cool looking place. We enjoy The Bard; take in a play...Comedy of Errors, The Tempest, A Wrinkle in Time? Stay at the Peerless and dinner there too.

5/14 - Portlandia... We know it a little but would love to explore more.

Perhaps stop in Eugene first along the way for lunch and a stop in a nice park or shopping district? Any input... we have never been...

Stay at The Nines in Portland, at least one dinner at here favorite there, South Park. Need more ideas, it it a cool city but we could use some inside info.

5/16 - drive to Seattle, still taking in as much of a scenic route as possible. Staying downtown near Pike Place market area. We never got a good chance to check it out much before. Also looking for other stuff like the Needle to check out. Need ideas for best restaurants in town. Seafood? We love fresh Seafood!

5/19 - Fly back to wherever we need to be at the time. Philly or Chicago probably. Back to work for her, start finishing touches on challenge car for me.

Relevant info: My B-Day is 5/9, Her's is 5/10, 1st anniversary is 5/11. ( I cannot forget anything ever with this arraignment.) She has a very tight work schedule so we only get a week or so for our vacations and try to pack in a lot without rushing or getting worn out. We tend to travel light and enjoy the finer things in life so special events and must see / do is definitely a plus. Local food specialties and traditions are also fun for us. Not afraid to get dirty with the masses or pack a Tuxedo if required.

Thanks for reading and any help you can give! Of course, meeting with fellow gear heads for a beer or three is always welcome.

Sounds like a good plan so far! Unfortunately, there's not a "scenic" route from Portland to Seattle. You will have to drive by my house though

What kind of interests do you both have? Mt. St. Helens (East of I-5 in WA) is a great visit, as is the Evergreen Aviation Museum (Spruce Goose! McMinnville, OR), and the LeMay America's Car Museum (Tacoma, WA_, and the Boeing Museum (Seattle) is cool, too.

When you're at the Space Needle, check out the SciFi Museum at the base.

Javelin wrote: Sounds like a good plan so far! Unfortunately, there's not a "scenic" route from Portland to Seattle. You will have to drive by my house though

I was thinking of driving west on 26 and then up the coast on 101... does this make sense? If you are up for catching lunch or something along the way that can always fit into the schedule if you can suggest a route or something...

Javelin wrote: What kind of interests do you both have? Mt. St. Helens (East of I-5 in WA) is a great visit, as is the Evergreen Aviation Museum (Spruce Goose! McMinnville, OR), and the LeMay America's Car Museum (Tacoma, WA_, and the Boeing Museum (Seattle) is cool, too. When you're at the Space Needle, check out the SciFi Museum at the base.

I am not sure if I will be able to be too active on my feet since I will be having surgery to repair my spinal cord next month and will probably still be in "limited function" mode for a while...

The museum suggestions are great, we both enjoy them greatly! I will advocate for all of them with the wife; cars, planes and sci-fi are definitely in our wheelhouse!

May in Eugene. Make it a saturday. Go downtown and experience the saturday market. Either be repelled or interested. Then walk downtown to see the things happening there.

There are first friday art walks downtown and last Friday art walks in the whiteaker district. The former being galleries that showcase local artists with lots of food carts and live music. The latter being artists private studios in the more "bohemian" neighborhood opened up to anyone who feels like stopping in.

At no point will you be more than a few blocks from a local brewery so bring a thirst.

ditchdigger wrote: May in Eugene. Make it a saturday. Go downtown and experience the saturday market. Either be repelled or interested. Then walk downtown to see the things happening there. There are first friday art walks downtown and last Friday art walks in the whiteaker district. The former being galleries that showcase local artists with lots of food carts and live music. The latter being artists private studios in the more "bohemian" neighborhood opened up to anyone who feels like stopping in. At no point will you be more than a few blocks from a local brewery so bring a thirst.

Thank you for the insight!

We both love art and galleries so we can try to work that into the schedule. Live music and food carts are a big hit with SWMBO so I will look into it.

Also, we love beer! any specific recommendations are appreciated but we are also happy to wander around and see where it leads us.

You'd add a good 1-2 full days of driving to try and coast it to Seattle. Go check a map, it just doesn't jive well. The Oregon coast is great, but the WA coast is all industrial (Aberdeen) and forest. Then you have to turn east and go back south and either loop the peninsula (nice) or bypass it just to end up on 5 anyway.

I'll try to remember to check back on this thread later when I have more time...

Off the cuff, big +1 for the OSF in Ashland; I quite like having dinner and a pint at the Black Sheep, and also really like the new Caldera brew pub, even if it's not as conveniently located as the old tap room.

but if you do take the peninsula you can do Hurricane Ridge

tb wrote: Thank you for the insight! Also, we love beer! any specific recommendations are appreciated but we are also happy to wander around and see where it leads us.

There are at least 8 breweries in the downtown area (small area too) Plus a few dozen taphouses/bars/restaurants/tasting rooms.

Off the top of my head there is Oakshire (my fave), Ninkasi, Rogues "ECB", Hop Valley, Falling Sky, Steelhead and a few other breweries.

Quite a few wineries just out of town too. May would be nice to visit some of their tasting rooms.

Another vote for the LeMay museum - I went there last Friday when I was up in the PNW and it was well worth getting yelled at at checkin for cutting it a bit close .

As an aside, budget enough time returning the car at SeaTac, the rental car return is quite far away from the terminal.

Thank you all.

I appreciate all of the information and advice, feel free to keep it coming.

I am definitely adjusting my schedule to make more time for enjoying ourselves and less time driving.

Eugene on a weekend sounds like a place worth spending some time exploring the pubs and galleries.

The LeMay museum is also being worked into the plan; SWMBO actually likes such places!

I am sure that I will come up with more questions in the future so keep an eye out for them. Like what can I expect for weather in spring? Internet says most likely mid 50's for temp but do they sometimes swing dramatically? Is is constantly rainy that time of year?

Maybe try to see the Redwoods when passing through N. CA/S. OR. Lots of good little breweries up the coast, check out as many as you can. If you have time in Portland drive East on 84 a few miles and check out McMenamins Edgefield. It is a very cool hotel/spa/restaurants/brewery/distillery/golf course on the site of an old poor farm.

+1 On the Evergreen Air Museum (Spruce Goose) in McMinnville OR.

When going to LeMay, note that there are actually two different LeMay museums. One is the "America's Car Museum" and the other is the "Family Collection". If choosing one, you want for the former. However look closely at any discount offers you find (Groupon), as those often end up being for the latter.

On your list: driving from Napa to Ashland via Eureka, you'll drive straight through the Redwoods... gotta stop by the 'drive thru tree' for a pic. A tourist trap, yes, but it is required.

Ditchdigger's suggestions for Eugene are spot on. The foodcarts are better than our restaurants, and don't forget that there is no sales tax in Oregon, so save your big ticket purchases for our state.

Eugene to Portland, I-5 is dull.

Option 1:A state with mountains and coast, why drive straight up farmland? I'd suggest going west on 126 (past my place in Veneta) and taking 101 up to Lincoln City, with a lunch stop at Moe's or in Yachats... as long as you like really fresh seafood. Moe's clam chowder is a must. Then follow the signs from Lincoln City to Portland and enjoy the coast range.

Option 2: If mountains are more your thing, from Eugene head east on 126, through the upper Mackenzie Valley into the Cascades. A very scenic route along the river with a gradual incline, over a mountain pass, and into the historic 1890s town of Sisters (Shatner lives there, it would be cool to see him at Mickey D's) From there, head up to Bend, and up the 97 on the eastern slopes of the Cascade foothills and back over the mountains to Portland from Madras. If its rainy in the Willamette and on the Coast, you'll get to see what Oregon looks like in the dry, as its usually sunny up there.

I am very appreciative for all of the local knowledge being shared here. SWMBO is coming to understand that this forum is the definitive place to ask a reasonable question and get more info back than you can imagine.

I am definitely looking to see many redwoods and will surely pay for the experience to drive through one. I wish it would be in my own car but it should be fun anyway.

I will most like see some of the coast while in Oregon and try out the local seafood from the suggestions I get. Being a "Foodie" to me means enjoying everything from 5-star Micheline legends to sawdust on the floor, eat from a paper tray joints, rubbing elbows with locals.

I am slowly becoming familiar with the roads and options out there but am a long way off from a specific route so any other suggestions are welcome. We enjoy the adventure of not being locked in to an itinerary and just doing as we please in the moment.

Still looking for input on mid May weather? As an east coaster we all just assume it rains constantly but the only times I have been to the PNW it was sunny and pleasant!

I have heard that it is a great time of year for enjoying the wildflowers in the area. We are city folk that happen to be nature lovers too and would enjoy seeing a formal garden, arboretum, conservatory or botanical garden as we travel if anyone can think of a special place with a local flavor.

I am still adapting my schedule to meet with friends and family along the way, so anything is an option.

Thanks again.

I stumbled across this place when on sales call this past spring - not a reason to go out of your way but he did have some cool cars sitting in the parking lot. Kent, Washington

http://jerryslittlecarshop.com/

tb wrote: 5/11 - Drive up to Napa. We are not wine people but hear it is beautiful there. Probably check out a vineyard or two.

I am not a drinker but I found this to be a great place to visit - it gave me motivation to build a cool trellis and start growing grapes in the back yard.

Here is a little Datsun Napa Valley motivation!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5hBKDNvRqw

You will probably encounter some rain in May, but it should be nice for the most part.

Datsun310Guy wrote: I am not a drinker but I found this to be a great place to visit - it gave me motivation to build a cool trellis and start growing grapes in the back yard. Here is a little Datsun Napa Valley motivation! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5hBKDNvRqw

Oh man, I have a long term serious want for a Datsun roadster! That video was awesome and torture at the same time...

Sadly, I will probably be in a large comfy sedan, but the sights look fantastic!

bgkast wrote: You will probably encounter some rain in May, but it should be nice for the most part.

Sounds fine with me; I very much enjoy a little spring rain. May showers happen here in the Mid Atlantic area too so happily it should be of no major concern.

I am pretty convinced that it will not be convertible weather though... We could easily rent one but I pretty much hate them with the top up and at highway speeds...

I am bummed that a fancy exotic is not going to work out for this trip, but comfort is not always a bad thing.

I still kick myself for not staying in a treehouse hotel when we were there. Treehouse hotel

May weather in Oregon is a crapshoot. Being involved with the racers at the local ovals has taught me this fact, as some years we don't get much racing in before July due to rain, other years its been near 90 on the first week of May.

This is why I gave the "East of the Cascades" route, as the weather is usually much drier on that side of the mountains. Either way, spring bloom would be in full effect in the Willamette, on the coast or in the Cascades come May, and everything is green that time of year too.

I'd also add a trip from Ashland to Crater Lake, then follow the signs back to NB I-5 from there... as long as the roads have reopened from the winter snows. I've been there that time of year (Mother's Day) and all was melted and beautiful, but I have also been there mid-June and there was snow. Still beautiful, just couldn't drive the ring road around the lake.