[Vision2020] Road trip

[Scott Dredge]

It's been about 15 years since I last made the drive between Spokane and San Francisco, but that particular route was to go mostly on the Interstate highways.  For some reason that I'm sure relates to statistics, the older I get, the more I would rather travel on divided highways.

So here was my route:
I-90 West
395 South
I-84 (this was I-80N when I was a kid) West all the way into Portland.
I-5 South
I-505 South
I-80 West into San Francisco

The rough halfway point on this route is Eugene Oregon.  If you're going to stop twice, you might want to pick somewhere near Portland  for your first stop and somewhere near Redding California for your second stop.  Be aware that the Redding and Red Bluff areas are beastly hot during the dog days of summer.  If you don't like the heat, maybe a better 2nd stop would be nearer the Oregon / California border or around the Mount Shasta area.

Prior to the speed increase on the Interstates, I would cut through through the middle of Oregon on highway 97.  If memory serves, Highway 97 branched off of I-84 at (or near) a small town called Rufus a few miles West of the John Day dam.  97 hits I-5 in California at small town called Weed.  I never much liked 97 back then because it was mainly a two-lane highway and I was often stuck for miles behind slow moving big rigs with not much opportunity to pass.  Also, during the summer, there was lots of road work ongoing that would stop traffic in one direction at a time for many minutes.  I haven't driven on I-97 since the mid-1980s, so maybe it's been widened and provides more passing lanes nowadays.

There isn't much to look at on I-5, so if you want a really scenic trip and you have extra travel time, take Highway 1 all the way down the coast.  I haven't been on that particular stretch of highway since I was a kid.  I did travel from San Simeon (where Hearst Castle is located about 3 hours South of SF) all the way up Highway 1 into Santa Cruz back in April and the ocean views are spectacular.

Hope this helps.  Write me offline if you want more info.  The Giants are playing poorly, but the great Barry Bonds always puts on a good show (at least on the nights when he's in the lineup).  There is a terrific musical about the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons that is playing at the Curran Theatre in downtown SF (extended through September) called "Jersey Boys".

Also...if you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear flowers in your hair.

Enjoy,

-Scott

----- Original Message ----
From: Sunil Ramalingam <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com>
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 10:14:46 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] Road trip

So what's the best route to drive from Spokane to San Francisco?  And let's 
say you plan to stop for the night twice along the way; which route, and 
where would one stop?

Sunil


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