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Old 06-18-2008, 04:14 PM   #1
Stu
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Default Coast Hwy 101

I am planning to travel Hwy 101 from Washington State to San Francisco in late October or early November of this year. Any advice on this route would a big help with regards to weather, road conditions, areas to avoid, areas not to miss. I will be leaving from my home in Northern Ontario near the end of August traveling to British Columbia for Sept. & Oct. Then on to Arizona, Texas, Florida and home in the spring.

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Stu
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Old 06-18-2008, 09:29 PM   #2
sueandjerry
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The highway is stunningly beautiful. However, that time of year you are likely to have alot of rain and perhaps heavy wind. Just be prepared to sit in one place if the weather is not good for driving. Portions of 101 up along the northern third of Oregon seem to wash out almost every year during the late fall/winter. If you can make the trip a bit earlier it might be more enjoyable for you.

The road winds and curves from northern Oregon all the way to Ukiah in Northern California. Be prepared to not make it as far as you think you can every day! Oregon has done a great job of following the shoreline with many pull outs and day use parks along the road that are easy in and out for RV's. The road through the Redwoods is spectacular and do not miss it, but it is quite narrow and can be a bit un-nerving! You will see a lot of RV's in October as it is much more beautiful than driving I-5. We have done it on many occasions from Seattle and keep going back! Just don't try to push too far each day and enjoy the scenery! There are many lovely places to camp, both in State Parks and private.

One tip--the Washington portion of 101 does not follow much of the coast...you could skip it for the sake of time and cut over on Hwy 4 or 30 to the Oregon coast off of I-5. Sounds like you have a terrific vacation in front of you. Drive safely and have a great time.
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Old 08-02-2008, 11:14 PM   #3
Snowbird 2
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Default Coast hgwy 101

Yes this is a beautiful trip. Some of the road between San Fran and LA is not suggested for RV travel but you may just want to go anyway; my wife wouldn't let me keep driving when she saw the sign saying the road was not recommended for RV travel so took a long detour inland. Don't forget to stop at most of the viewpoints and watch the seals and other wildlife like wales, etc.

Maybe we will meet you unknowingly in CA or AZ Jan-Apr of 2009 where we will be wintering from Manitoba again.

Safe travels and enjoy the good life,

Wayne M/ Snowbird 2
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Old 08-03-2008, 09:00 PM   #4
lsweim
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Next spring we are planning this trip also, but in reverse. We will be coming from the Midwest, stopping at Napa or Sonoma Valley, then traveling north thru the Redwoods. Our destination is Olympia, so at some point would like to take one of the hwys East to catch hwy 5. Any recommendations for a RV friendly road?
TIA,

Linda
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Old 08-03-2008, 09:12 PM   #5
sueandjerry
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If you are interested in following the coast up through Oregon, you can cut over at Astoria, Oregon onto Highway 30. It is very RV friendly with little traffic most of the time. It cuts over the Columbia River by Longview and you end up on I-5. The nice part is you miss driving through downtown Portland this way, which is often very crowded and slow. There are several other good RV friendly roads to cut from the Oregon Coast but once on I-5 you are stuck with I-5 or I-205 through Portland and neither are very "friendly!" Just keep in mind the Oregon coast is pretty curvy so plan on taking your time.
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Old 08-04-2008, 07:47 AM   #6
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Thanks for the info! I was planning to cut over about mid way, but hadn't taken heavy traffic in Portland into consideration. Perhaps driving thru during the night?

Linda
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Old 08-04-2008, 12:44 PM   #7
sueandjerry
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Hwy 38 at Reedsport is a good cross road to get to I-5, or also Hwy 18 at Neskowin, then Hwy22 to Salem is also RV friendly (but the Salem part is a bit confusing). You may just be sick of driving 2-lane ocean roads by Reedsport and will be ready to cut over. Portland is no worse than any other city, but it has grown very fast with not much freeway expansion. I-205 was built as a bypass, but it tends to be just as crowded as I-5 and is several extra miles. Neither is too bad off-peak, but if there is a problem, there is just no way to get around it. Our choice is just to avoid it when possible, but we certainly drive it when necessary.
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Old 08-06-2008, 10:13 PM   #8
lsweim
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I'm pretty savvy with driving Chicago traffic (although not in an RV), but will have to brave it some day as it's a necessary evil from NW IN to the Northern suburbs.
I was really worried about the East/West highways being to small to cut over... good to know they're not. This will probably be a once in a lifetime trip to drive out west and am very excited about it.
Thanks for the info!
Linda
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Old 08-10-2008, 01:23 PM   #9
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The Oregon Coast in October/November is a wonderful time to visit. Like posted before, the rain season starts in Sept and ends in late April/early May.

Highway 101 along the Oregon Coast is slow, as it winds along, but we have taken our 42' Class A along its entire length.

If you can, drive the entire length, from Calif to Wash. Each mile has something different to see, or experience. If you must leave the coast and get to highway 5, then beware that there are some obstacles.

There are tunnels along the side roads, and low bridges.

http://www.traveloregon.com/Explore%20O ... Coast.aspx

http://visittheoregoncoast.com/

Also, there are a lot of great places to eat, and visit. It would take me pages to list them all. From Calif border going North, and I apologize for missing a lot of great cities and stops;

First, stop at the view points, state parks with ocean walks, and historical sites along the way.

Bandon: visit old town and the wharf.
Stay off the sand dunes unless you are careful. There are places that rent 4-wheelers to travel the dunes.
Get off the main road in each of the little cities you pass,
Florence has a great older, downtown section and wharf.
Newport, visit the docks and great areas therein, eat at Sharks.
visit the Oregon Aquarium and Marine center
the Rogue brewery is fantastic for food, if you do not partake of
beer.
Lincoln City, Depot Bay, these are great stops as well.
Going North, just before Neskowin, is Neskowin Creek Resort. Stay there. Walk on the trail down to the beach. Great resort, and great beach.
Swing off hwy 101 to take in Pacific City. Great beach, excellent food at the Pelican Brew Pub, several places to stay in your RV.
Tillamook has a world famous cheese factory, the Blue Heron is a great stop. Excellent Air Museum in an old dirigible (Blimp) hanger. Did you know that the only American casualties on the lower 48 states, from WWII, inflicted by the Japanese, occurred in Oregon? You'll find out here.
Just North is a long wharf, Bay City, where you can see oysters being freshly shucked. Lunch there if you can.
Going North, Girabaldi has a great wharf, Rockaway Beach is a nice town to stroll through.
Cannon Beach is very commercialized with lots of tourist shops, I usually skip this part but you may find something of interest here.
Seaside, a must see, a board walk to walk.
Astoria, again a must see, Maritime Museum, downtown wharfs, big bridge.
Sorry about the long winded response.



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Old 08-11-2008, 06:30 AM   #10
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Thanks for being "long winded"! After reading your post and looking through the links you sent, I think taking our time and enjoying the coast will be the option we choose.

Linda
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