Interstate 5

[ashkir]

I'm not sure where to post, as there is nothing for general travel. We're planning on driving from Bakersfield, California to go up to Seattle, Washington to catch a cruise of Alaska there. We haven't been to Oregon or Washington before so this is an adventure for us.

 

I'm wondering, does anyone know of any places along the Interstate 5 we should stop and visit?

[agabbymama]

Plan lots of time. It's going to take you a couple of days. Why would you drive instead of fly? Especially up Interstate 5 (California is totally boring on that stretch of road). A little more scenic as you get into Oregon. I haven't been to Washington state, so can't comment on that.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

[Dan G]

I'm not sure where to post, as there is nothing for general travel. We're planning on driving from Bakersfield, California to go up to Seattle, Washington to catch a cruise of Alaska there. We haven't been to Oregon or Washington before so this is an adventure for us.

 

I'm wondering, does anyone know of any places along the Interstate 5 we should stop and visit?

 

you can post on tripadvisor.com on Washington state forum and or they have a road trip forum

[Sally Forth]

I'm not sure where to post, as there is nothing for general travel. We're planning on driving from Bakersfield, California to go up to Seattle, Washington to catch a cruise of Alaska there. We haven't been to Oregon or Washington before so this is an adventure for us.

 

I'm wondering, does anyone know of any places along the Interstate 5 we should stop and visit?

 

Pop over to the west and go up 101 if you can. I5 is pretty boring.

 

Viv

[Bruin Steve]

I'm not sure where to post, as there is nothing for general travel. We're planning on driving from Bakersfield, California to go up to Seattle, Washington to catch a cruise of Alaska there. We haven't been to Oregon or Washington before so this is an adventure for us.

 

I'm wondering, does anyone know of any places along the Interstate 5 we should stop and visit?

 

Agree with Eleanor here...This is really one long, boring trip...

You're talking about over 1,000 miles and about 18 hours of high speed freeway driving time...

 

Along the way, you have California's Capitol, Sacramento...Mt. Shasta...and some scenery in the Cascade ranges...But really not all that much worth stopping and seeing...unless you have lots of time and want to detour significantly off I-5...And I mean LOTS of time...

 

You've got to remember that detouring off I-5 and stopping to see things means a great deal of planning...and you've got to time your stops--no use stopping to visit Sacramento, for example, if you're getting there at 6 pm---so you have to plan on staying an additional day...

 

We considered doing this several years back and when we figured out what was involved, we opted to just fly into Seattle...Even if you have a few days, probably better to just fly to Seattle...or even Portland...and rent a car and explore from there...Sacramento you can visit anytime from Bakersfield...

 

If you do go up I-5 by car, figure, if you drive for six hours a day, it will take you three days in each direction...

 

If you go six hours from Bakersfield, figure you're spending the night in Willows, or thereabouts...which is the middle of nowhere...Maybe just figure you get to Sacramento instead...If you leave, say, by 9 or 10 am, you'll get to Sacto around 1 or 2...You can spend the rest of the afternoon seeing the Capitol, walk around Old Sacramento, grab some dinner and start early the next day...Or, if you leave Bakersfield on an early evening after work, you can pull into Sacramento late, spend the night and just continue on in the morning...

 

You're going to drive about four hours north from Sacramento to get to Mt Shasta...Pretty rural in between...but, it's a cool view as Shasta gets closer...So, best to be driving during daylight hours...The scenery gets better from here...and it's a couple more hours to Medford Oregon...I'd plan on spending the next night there...

 

When we were thinking of doing this, we were going to detour here off to Crater Lake...Of course, more scenic, but more time...

 

Medford to Seattle is another 450 miles/8 hours...and I would just drive that straight as a third full day...But there is some nice scenery along the way...and towns like Portland...So, it could always be split into a two day stretch with a night in Portland in between--making it a 4 day trip...You could also detour off to Mt. Rainier National Park or Olympic National Park...but, again, each is off I-5 and requires a bit of extra time...

 

Good luck...

[Putterdude]

We are frequent I-5 warriors and places that would likely warrant a stop would be:

Mount Shasta

Ashland,OR .. for their summer Shakespeare festival

The greater Portland area

A side trip out to Astoria, OR

Mt. St. Helen's

Olympia if you like capitals

The Military Museum at Fort Lewis, WA.

[SadieN]

A side trip out to Astoria, OR

 

 

Astoria's on the 101 and the Columbia River. Been there 2x.

 

Maritime Museum is top notch.

 

Good fish n chips on the boat in the vacant lot across the trolley tracks from the Maritime Museum and 2 good brew pubs in town.

 

Goonies was filmed here.

[ashkir]

There are six of us going on the cruise, it is far more cost effective taking a car instead of a plane. For all six of us to get on a plane, a round-trip ticket would be (just did a search on expedia) 2,688.00 we'd rather drive for that kind of money. That costs more then two people for the cruise.

 

We'll look at the 101 if its not too confusing. My father likes to drive off roads and explore for some odd reason.

 

We are planning to stop in Portland for sure.

 

Thanks for the Medford tips :). We'll look into staying a night there.

 

I took a look at Ashland's festival. It seems fun! :D I'll be sure to make a stop there!

[Bruin Steve]

There are six of us going on the cruise, it is far more cost effective taking a car instead of a plane. For all six of us to get on a plane, a round-trip ticket would be (just did a search on expedia) 2,688.00 we'd rather drive for that kind of money. That costs more then two people for the cruise.

We'll look at the 101 if its not too confusing. My father likes to drive off roads and explore for some odd reason.

 

I would still urge you to rethink this a bit...

 

Driving straight on I-5, you are going to put on a minimum of 2,100 miles round trip...going on 101 or any deviations and side trips, you are going to add mileage to that...so, with those "off roads", expect to add another 250-500 miles each way, depending on your route and deviations...so, figure 2,600 to 3,100 miles total...Assuming you have a vehicle that seats the six of you comfortably, you're probably not getting top gas mileage...Let's figure around 20 mpg...You're looking at burning around 130-155 gallons of gas... Price of gas here in the LA area right now is close to $4 and climbing every day...Whenever it is you're going...and having to fill up in posibly isolated areas, figure you are not going to get a break...

 

So, figure to budget at least around $600 for gas alone...There are also hidden costs in driving your car--advancing your maintenance schedule, wear on the tires and other parts...and, if it's a leased vehicle (I hope not) there are those excess mileage charges...plus, you're depreciating the value of your auto as well...It's hard to put a number on all of this...Those lease mileage rates are typically around 15 cents per mile...and, even if your car is owned, it's still a good estimate on depreciation--they charge that for a reason...So, for 3,000 miles, that's a hidden $450...add in wear and tear, oil changes, replacement of tires, etc., figure another $200 of hidden costs...Your car ride is costing you about $1,250 (and that's a conservative estimate)...

 

Now add in hotels...You are talking a bare minimum of three nights each way...but, with your deviating from the route or taking alternate routes, say 5 days there, five back...Six people? Say you take three rooms and stay CHEAP (and some places you're going, I wouldn't stay in a cheap hotel)...Say it's three rooms at an average of $100 per night per room for ten nights... That's THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS right there...I don't know what the six is comprised of...Maybe you can fit into TWO rooms...So, You can cut it down to $2,000...

 

Okay, we'll really get conservative here...Two rooms, 10 nights, Motel 6 or worse ($69.95 per room per night plus tax)...$1,500...We're assuming you're willing to deal with the worst here...

 

Okay, add car and hotels...and you're at $2,750...You've already exceeded the cost of the airfare...and you haven't eaten...or paid entrance fees for those national parks or other tourist attractions...breakfast, lunch and dinner on the road...

 

You are NOT saving money...

And you are risking traffic citations, accidents, surprise auto repairs...and all of the stress of all that driving...

 

And you are going to need a lot of vacation time...

And six people in a car for 3,000 miles and maybe 50 to 60 hours of driving time?

I wouldn't do it...

[PirateShark]

Couple more suggestions to muddy the waters:

 

Astoria: If you are a history buff, they have a ton of Lewis and Clark stops as the Columbia River was the terminous of their journey. If you stop for lunch, go to Rogue River Brewery for a fantastic Salmon "burger" and micro brew (or other tasty concoction- alcoholic or both). Then, take US 30 to the Longview WA (I think it's WA 433) which will dump you out at Kelso, WA and is the "short cut" back to I-5. That way you miss all the Portland/Vancouver WA congestion and traffic.

 

McMinnville area / Willamette Valley (Salem): Wine Country. Wine Tasting - yum! I would however, recommend a couple of days for this. Salem has some nice, mid priced motels which could be your base. Salem is also the capitol of Oregon so has a lot of cultural and historical stuff going on. They also have wine tasting closer to the freeway in the Umpqua Valley if you just want to "sample".

 

Oregon Coast: Cut over from I-5 at either Eugene or Grants Pass. GP will make your trip "stretch" by one more day than planned. Eugene, if you leave from there in the morning, you can do Astoria and back to I-5 in one day if you push it a little (note - I have made it from Seattle to Lincoln City OR, stopping along the way in about a 8 hour stretch).

 

FYI: from the OR/WA border to the US/CAN border is approximatey 6 hours give or take. Note that this does NOT include the time it takes to cross the border (anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours). Then approximately 1 hour to Canada Place/Downtown Vancouver give or take.

 

Have fun :)

[Rosefloater]

We are frequent I-5 warriors and places that would likely warrant a stop would be:

Mount Shasta

Ashland,OR .. for their summer Shakespeare festival

The greater Portland area

A side trip out to Astoria, OR

Mt. St. Helen's

Olympia if you like capitals

The Military Museum at Fort Lewis, WA.

 

Astoria's on the 101 and the Columbia River. Been there 2x.

 

Maritime Museum is top notch.

 

Good fish n chips on the boat in the vacant lot across the trolley tracks from the Maritime Museum and 2 good brew pubs in town.

 

Goonies was filmed here.

 

Couple more suggestions to muddy the waters:

 

Astoria: If you are a history buff, they have a ton of Lewis and Clark stops as the Columbia River was the terminous of their journey. If you stop for lunch, go to Rogue River Brewery for a fantastic Salmon "burger" and micro brew (or other tasty concoction- alcoholic or both). Then, take US 30 to the Longview WA (I think it's WA 433) which will dump you out at Kelso, WA and is the "short cut" back to I-5. That way you miss all the Portland/Vancouver WA congestion and traffic.

 

McMinnville area / Willamette Valley (Salem): Wine Country. Wine Tasting - yum! I would however, recommend a couple of days for this. Salem has some nice, mid priced motels which could be your base. Salem is also the capitol of Oregon so has a lot of cultural and historical stuff going on. They also have wine tasting closer to the freeway in the Umpqua Valley if you just want to "sample".

 

Oregon Coast: Cut over from I-5 at either Eugene or Grants Pass. GP will make your trip "stretch" by one more day than planned. Eugene, if you leave from there in the morning, you can do Astoria and back to I-5 in one day if you push it a little (note - I have made it from Seattle to Lincoln City OR, stopping along the way in about a 8 hour stretch).

 

FYI: from the OR/WA border to the US/CAN border is approximatey 6 hours give or take. Note that this does NOT include the time it takes to cross the border (anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours). Then approximately 1 hour to Canada Place/Downtown Vancouver give or take.

 

Have fun :)

 

These are all good suggestions. If you like Shakespeare plays, then definitely go to Ashland to see a play. You might have to get tickets in advance as they do sell out. If you have the time, go to Crater Lake. In Medford, the Harry and David factory is there.

 

If you belong, go to AAA and get the guidebooks and maps of the areas.

 

The 5 is much faster and there are still some nice places on the 5. Depending what you want to do, go to Sacramento for the day. The next day (about 7 hour drive) you can stay in Ashland. Then head up the coast and stay in Astoria. Then drive up to Seattle.

 

I wouldn't recommend taking the 101 until you are in Oregon. As stated above, you can go from the 5 to the 101 at Grants Pass. From there, there are many small cities on the Oregon coast, including Tillamook.

[zephyr17]

Everything worth seeing is past Redding. I-5 from the Grapevine to Redding is a monotanous bore. With lots of trucks.

 

Past there, just to name a few

Mt. Lassen NP

Crater Lake NP

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. Rainier NP

 

And the Oregon Mystery Spot between Medford and Grants Pass!

[holomuku]

In my opinion -- one particularly beautiful spot in Portland is The Grotto- and if you are of the Catholic faith you will find it very special. If you are not, it is still a beautiful place to visit. It is not off of I-5, but rather off of I-205 which is sort of a "leg off" of I-5 that leaves I-5 north of Salem, reconnects with I-5 in the north part of Vancouver, WA avoiding the downtown Portland congestion-- and usually has less traffic than I-5 particularly in commuter traffic times. The Grotto is a very peaceful place which after so many days of six people in one car- well, it for us it would be necessary! It is close to the Portland Airport and has many inexpensive hotels in the area (and some expensive ones of course).

 

Here's a link to their website-

 

http://www.thegrotto.org/

 

Everyone has different interests and Portland also has OMSI (Oregon Museum of Space and Industry) which might interst some. It is downtown Portland I personally find driving down there a bit of a challenge (lots of one way streets, etc).

 

Whatever you do, enjoy your cruise and your time together.

[Cruisin' Chick]

It's funny that I'm seeing this thread now. Last month my hubby came up with an idea of doing a road trip up from where we live to Seattle/Vancouver. Stopping in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle (as my daughter says she wants to see some big cities -- LA doesn't count) and letting her check out some colleges in person (like Berkeley, Stanford, U of Washington) on the way. Then doing BtoB Alaskan cruises (yes, same ports, but we could stay on the ship if we like).

 

This way, we can take lotsa stuff (hubby has been taking his guitar onboard our last two cruises -- but we drove to the port -- but he doesn't want to take his guitar on a plane).

 

I love the idea, but there's problems. First, we have small cars. So we would have to rent a larger car with lotsa storage space. So $ there.

 

Then, there's the problem of getting at least three weeks (maybe more) in the summer. Hubby doesn't have a problem getting that much time off in a row. The situation is with my daughter. At the time we were discussing this, the start date for next school year was to be mid-August. Since she would get out early June, we could perhaps do this trip next summer, depending on her summer school plans.

 

Then the LAUSD announced that the early start date plan will be postponed until at least the 2012-13 school year. So all they're saying is that school will start around Labor Day, but the revised calendar will be "announced soon." But things are even more complicated than that: if she doesn't get into her first two choices of high school, the school she's assigned to normally is a charter school, and they start mid-August.

 

So we don't know if this summer would be a possibility instead. Just in case the calendar switch is made next year (which means a shorter summer for her next summer).

 

So I started researching, just in case we decided to do this trip in August (she wants to do a summer academic program that runs through July, plus one of her teachers is planning to get married in late July, and supposedly we're invited).

 

Next complication, this whole meltdown in the middle East/Africa. Which threatens the oil supply. Which could mean sky high gas prices (even higher than now).

 

So now, it looks like an interesting trip may not happen.

 

(BTW, we took the Coast Starlight back in 2004, so we saw the scenery such as Crater Lake, Mt. Shasta, etc.)

[Deb in Cali]

I'm not sure where to post, as there is nothing for general travel. We're planning on driving from Bakersfield, California to go up to Seattle, Washington to catch a cruise of Alaska there. We haven't been to Oregon or Washington before so this is an adventure for us.

 

I'm wondering, does anyone know of any places along the Interstate 5 we should stop and visit?

 

 

Ashkir,

 

We are also doing the drive from the San Joaquin Valley to Seattle in August for our Alaska cruise. We are driving it with our friends that are going on the cruise with us. We are currently debating how long we should take to get to and from Seattle and how many adventures do we want to have along the way.

 

I have driven I-5 more than once. IMHO it has many points of interest along way. We are planning to have breakfast near Old Town Sacramento (which is only about 2 blocks from I-5). You can also take the time to tour our wonderful state capitol, which is worth the time.

 

North of Sacto you will see the rice fields of the Sacramento Valley. Then would start seeing Mt. Shasta in the distance. You can tour the dam and/or do a wonderful cave adventure. The cave adventure will take at least 2 hours, I have done it, and feel that it is worthy of the time. We did not do the Shasta Dam tour, so I cannot tell you how long it would take.

 

Right near there is Castle Crag. I have not been there, but I have friends that rave about it. They also rave about Silver Falls State Park in Oregon as well.

 

There is mountainous terrain just about the rest of the way to the Oregon border. Others on this thread have explained a few of the highlights of Oregon and Washington.

 

We have camped and driven the Columbia River Gorge. It is not that far from I-5 and is another location that is worth the time. You could do a windshield tour in 3 hours with a stop at Multnomah Falls. There is also a dam right there, but sorry, but I can't remember the name.

 

We have done Astoria as well that was fun. We spend 3 days at Mt. Saint Helens, and like that as well. There is a visitor center that is only about 1 mile from I-5 as well as one that is near where Spirit Lake used to be.

 

Have fun and don't let the nay sayers put a cloud of doom on your trip. Attitude is everything.

 

Deb

 

P.S. I managed to get back and forth over the Grapevine from LA in the past 24 hours with only a dap of snow. Don't know what it is doing tonight, but they had snow plows ready in several spots.

[Gardyloo]

I've driven between southern California and Seattle I don't know how many times - at least 30 round trips over the years, maybe closer to 50. (Old.)

 

The "it's cheaper to... (fly/drive/train)" argument is moot in my opinion. You will have to eat and sleep somewhere for those days and nights anyway. If you fly out on the same day you'd leave on the drive, you'd be spending hotel nights at the destination (Seattle) which would most likely be more expensive - considerably more - than hotel nights in someplace like Medford or Portland or Astoria. The OP's party plainly has a few extra days to spend exploring the landscape between Bakersfield and Seattle; more power to them.

 

The key, in my opinion, is to minimize the time actually spent on Interstate 5. Presumably the OP is familiar with I-5 in the southern half of the valley: it's a poorly disguised straight-line NASCAR track where truckers practice slip-streaming and where you try to time your pit stops during yellow-flag breaks. It sucks, but blessedly it's over fast - really fast.

 

If they're NOT familiar with the northern part of California, or especially the northwest corner of the state, then cutting over to US 101 is a really good idea. They could do so at the Bay area (I-580 all the way to San Quentin) or - less traffic, more scenic, not a lot slower, on Calif. SR 20 from Williams, past Clear Lake, to 101 around Willits. That gives them the Redwoods and the Oregon coast to play around with. It's hardly confusing - just keep the ocean on the left.

 

My favorite route is to follow 101 north as far as Reedsport, then take Oregon Hwy 38 back to I-5, following the Umpqua River through a lovely canyon, and probably seeing a bunch of elk roadside in the process. Since they're cruising out of Seattle, they'll probably see more land-based wildlife off to the side of SR 38 than they'll see in the parts of Alaska they'll be visiting.

 

Between San Francisco and Seattle, taking 101 instead of I-5 adds around 4 or 5 driving hours to the trip, or less, depending on how heavy your foot is. But because the drive is SO much more pleasant than I-5, it takes longer overall, since you're tempted to stop and look at the big trees or the gorgeous southern Oregon coast. But if the OP's party has the time, I'd say definitely go for it - it's like having a second vacation added on top of the cruise.

 

Save the I-5 trip for the return. Stop in Portland the first night after disembarking, then push the right pedal hard and shoot for Redding or Sacramento the next night, then home for lunch the third day.

[Jen1000]

If you want to do this for the adventure and the scenery and seeing the different states then go for it. It is very lovely between Redding and Grants Pass but this is a very long trip and past that I am not sure how the scenery is.

 

If you want to save money re think the plan. Do you live in Bakersfield? If so, look at driving the couple of hours to Burbank or LAX. We flew to Seattle last year for our cruise and we paid about $80 one way. My aunt flew from San Jose for about $70 each way. You need to watch for sales and be ready to buy.

 

My Mom did a similar trip a few years ago to attend a wedding north of Seattle. She said by the time they paid for hotels (and they stayed one night for free at my aunt's house in OR) and gas and time, she won't do it again. It is too cheap to fly to Seattle from the west coast.

 

If you fly, fly in the at least the day before the cruise, don't try to fly in day of. There are very cheap hotels by the airport if you are just flying in day before and want to save money, otherwise, there are reasonable places down town. We flew in 3 days early and had a really good time in Seattle.

 

You could also check out the train.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

 

I'm not sure where to post, as there is nothing for general travel. We're planning on driving from Bakersfield, California to go up to Seattle, Washington to catch a cruise of Alaska there. We haven't been to Oregon or Washington before so this is an adventure for us.

 

I'm wondering, does anyone know of any places along the Interstate 5 we should stop and visit?

[Bruin Steve]

If you want to save money re think the plan. Do you live in Bakersfield? If so, look at driving the couple of hours to Burbank or LAX. We flew to Seattle last year for our cruise and we paid about $80 one way. My aunt flew from San Jose for about $70 each way. You need to watch for sales and be ready to buy.

 

Jen,

You actually hit upon what we discovered and ended up doing on that trip many years ago...

We lived in Santa Barbara at that time and flights from LA to Seattle or LA to British Columbia were very expensive...

But, when I soured on all that planned driving, I started researching all sorts of airfare...and found a flight from SFO to Seattle for $49 per person each way! I jumped on it...

We drove to San Francisco and left our car at SFO...and saved all of those days going straight to Seattle...

We actually had several days to spend up that way...but, rather than spend them on the long drive up I-5, we rented a car in Seattle and did a loop to the Canadian Rockies instead...driving up to Banff and Jasper, then back down to Seattle...THAT was an incredible trip...The timing was about the same as the drive would have been...and, based on all of my budget estimates, we actually saved a bit of money...

 

If one gets a cheap enough flight into Seattle or Portland, for example, one can rent a car there and have more time to do a more interesting circle around that area...

Someone who lives in Bakersfield can go see Sacramento and Lassen and Shasta anytime...

 

Again, JMHO...

[Sally Forth]

There are six of us going on the cruise, it is far more cost effective taking a car instead of a plane. For all six of us to get on a plane, a round-trip ticket would be (just did a search on expedia) 2,688.00 we'd rather drive for that kind of money. That costs more then two people for the cruise.

 

We'll look at the 101 if its not too confusing. My father likes to drive off roads and explore for some odd reason.

 

We are planning to stop in Portland for sure.

 

Thanks for the Medford tips :). We'll look into staying a night there.

 

I took a look at Ashland's festival. It seems fun! :D I'll be sure to make a stop there!

 

If you have a couple of drivers, you could also do it by just blasting through. We did San Francisco to Longview WA in a day AND managed to do part of it on 101.

 

Granted, this is coming from the woman who has driven Toronto-Vancouver and Vancouver-Toronto three years in a row (different routes each time) and done it with just three overnights each time. I don't mind long driving days.

 

Viv

[Putterdude]

If you have a couple of drivers, you could also do it by just blasting through. We did San Francisco to Longview WA in a day AND managed to do part of it on 101.

 

 

About 25 years ago I drove from San Fransisco to North Vancouver...I-5 the whole way, kids sleeping in the back of the station wagon...about 18 hrs. I wanted to stop in Seattle but they wanted to go home. Never again. Now if we make Medford southbound the first day...that's enough...thanks.

[mtwingcpa]

I live in the greater Seattle area and travel to southern California once or twice per year. So I've wrestled with the "drive versus fly" decision many times. And in recent times I've always decided to fly.

 

My suggestion is this: If you want to go on a road trip, then go on a road trip. :-) But if you just need to get from one place to the other, flying (almost) always wins out in my opinion.

[Sandi3667]

We have camped and driven the Columbia River Gorge. It is not that far from I-5 and is another location that is worth the time. You could do a windshield tour in 3 hours with a stop at Multnomah Falls. There is also a dam right there, but sorry, but I can't remember the name.

 

The dam is Bonneville Dam, run by the Army Corps of Engineers. They have an interesting visitor center. It's not a bad drive east of Portland on I-84. We live in the Portland area, and it's a nice day trip to go see Bonneville Dam, Multnomah Falls, and the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway. Weather-permitting, the Vista House gives incredible views of the Gorge.

[Deb in Cali]

The dam is Bonneville Dam, run by the Army Corps of Engineers. They have an interesting visitor center. It's not a bad drive east of Portland on I-84. We live in the Portland area, and it's a nice day trip to go see Bonneville Dam, Multnomah Falls, and the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway. Weather-permitting, the Vista House gives incredible views of the Gorge.

 

We have been to the Bonneville when the salmon were coming up through the fish ladder. It was very interesting to watch from the view area. We have never been able to time it so that we could watch a ship come through one of the locks. Just missed it one time and have that on our to do list. Put perhaps that will have to wait for a Panama Canal cruise.

 

Thank you Sandi, I knew that someone on CC would be able to fill in the blank. Vista House does have incredible view, but it can be hard to find a parking spot at high use times, but I guess that Multnomah Falls can have the same issue.

 

We love the Columbia River and have camped there several times.

[Langley Cruisers]

My suggestion is this: If you want to go on a road trip, then go on a road trip. :-) But if you just need to get from one place to the other, flying (almost) always wins out in my opinion.

 

OP didn't ask our advice, but I certainly agree with you on this, and coupled with Steve's logic/projected budget, I wouldn't do it. Six in a car, I-5 and off I-5, no way. Hubby and I took one week to explore the Oregon coast (101) and it was absolutely glorious. I can't imagine having a time frame and knowing we had to be somewhere on time to pick up a cruise.

 

OP, have a good time, though. I understand what you all are trying to do, even though I don't agree with your decision (not that I have to, or that you need anyone to).

[kenish]

OP- If you have a lot of time and money (and don't need to be thrifty with either) then lucky you!! By all means turn it into a road trip...3 back-back vacations; the drive, the cruise, and the drive back via another route. It's a great adventure as you said.

 

Obviously, driving isn't good if time is at a premium for any of your travel party. I suppose they could fly in one direction or the other.

 

You also won't save money by driving...cost to operate a midsize car in California is 72c per mile on average. If the vehicle is leased, the cost goes way up if it results in excess mileage. Also add some cost if the vehicle gets less mileage than a midsize sedan. Last hidden cost (since it sounds like you're retired)...if it's a vehicle you plan to keep for a long time you should question putting a lot of miles on it.

 

I often rent a car with unlimited mileage for long road trips. The bottom line is often less than using my own car, especially on trips that cover a lot of miles per day. In your case the OW drop fee will have to be compared to parking the car at the port during your cruise...you might see if you can get a reduced drop fee since you can take the same car back to CA and the SEA location can rent it out during your cruise. Never had that situation so I don't know if that's possible.