How best to get safely from Olympia WA to SF Bay in 2 nights / 3 days
October 30, 2020 8:44 PM Subscribe
Looking for recommendations on Where To Stay (towns, hotels) — and where to avoid stopping — when driving myself, a tween girl, and a geriatric dog from Olympia WA down to the SF Bay.
Due to a family emergency, next week I am flying into SeaTac then after a night’s stay, will be driving a tween girl, a dog, and a car, home to the SF Bay. The last time I did this drive was many many years ago, when the world was different, and an explosive shitshow of a presidential election had not just happened. So I am looking for suggestions from two domains: a couple well-placed stops along the way ; and places/areas I may want to avoid, if at all. I suspect we'll be taking the 5 the whole way, unless someone recommends otherwise.
On Departure Day, we will likely leave Olympia after ~2pm. Ashland OR is likely the target destination for Night 1, though I may need an alternative place to stop earlier in order to slightly shorten the amount of sitting+driving time. I do already have a recommendation to stay at The Bard’s Inn in Ashland which apparently is dog friendly.
For Night 2, in northern Northern California, I am clueless as to where to stop and stay. Redding ? Williams ?
I’ll be driving car with CA license plates, FWIW.
Thank you AskMe.
Due to a family emergency, next week I am flying into SeaTac then after a night’s stay, will be driving a tween girl, a dog, and a car, home to the SF Bay. The last time I did this drive was many many years ago, when the world was different, and an explosive shitshow of a presidential election had not just happened. So I am looking for suggestions from two domains: a couple well-placed stops along the way ; and places/areas I may want to avoid, if at all. I suspect we'll be taking the 5 the whole way, unless someone recommends otherwise.
On Departure Day, we will likely leave Olympia after ~2pm. Ashland OR is likely the target destination for Night 1, though I may need an alternative place to stop earlier in order to slightly shorten the amount of sitting+driving time. I do already have a recommendation to stay at The Bard’s Inn in Ashland which apparently is dog friendly.
For Night 2, in northern Northern California, I am clueless as to where to stop and stay. Redding ? Williams ?
I’ll be driving car with CA license plates, FWIW.
Thank you AskMe.
Response by poster: Pinochiette, that’s a great idea, Eugene first night makes a bit more sense. I’m lumbar-spine limited to not spending so many hours sitting & driving in a single stretch. Thx.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 9:12 PM on October 30, 2020
posted by armoir from antproof case at 9:12 PM on October 30, 2020
Ashland Oregon is about halfway. Personally I have no issue with driving from their to the South Bay in a day, but it sounds like you might have issues. A friend found bringing a yoga mat and doing exercises at rest areas really helped.
It seems like you aren't familiar with how long the drive takes, you might check google maps to see the approximate time and if it will work for you. If one of your concerns about where to stop has to do with covid rates there is a layer for that on Google maps, if you zoom in it will show it by county.
Any towns along I-5 in Oregon your CA plates will not be any sort of issue whatsoever.
If there is any winter weather you will want to check https://tripcheck.com/ as there are quite a few mountain passes on the freeway in Oregon. Usually it's not a problem until later in November but it would not be unknown for there to be issues this early, and there's that global weather weirdening thing. Do not assume there is no winter weather simply because it appears to be warm and sunny where you are.
posted by yohko at 9:36 PM on October 30, 2020
It seems like you aren't familiar with how long the drive takes, you might check google maps to see the approximate time and if it will work for you. If one of your concerns about where to stop has to do with covid rates there is a layer for that on Google maps, if you zoom in it will show it by county.
Any towns along I-5 in Oregon your CA plates will not be any sort of issue whatsoever.
If there is any winter weather you will want to check https://tripcheck.com/ as there are quite a few mountain passes on the freeway in Oregon. Usually it's not a problem until later in November but it would not be unknown for there to be issues this early, and there's that global weather weirdening thing. Do not assume there is no winter weather simply because it appears to be warm and sunny where you are.
posted by yohko at 9:36 PM on October 30, 2020
I last drove that approximate route (Monterey to Olympia) in 2017 and in the opposite direction but FWIW, CA plates have never been an issue for me (white, middle aged, female, so YMMV), although staying in bigger town / cities and not being a speed demon reduces possible LEO interaction, if that's where your concern is.
Things to consider on your departure day - leaving Olympia at 2pm puts you to Portland around 4pm. If it's a weekday, traffic is likely to be an issue (although maybe some Oregonians can update if the pandemic has affected Portland traffic?) Getting through Portland can be a multi hour prospect if the traffic's bad so you might want to consider shifting your departure time if it's possible. Also, sunset will be like 5pm next week so factor in how comfortable you are driving at night. I5 is pretty trafficked but the middle of Oregon can get dark and isolated pretty fast.
My experience with I5 rest stops (for stretching / dog breaks) has been positive - pretty clean / easy on / off. Pandemic / fires may have affected this, of course. My strategy for long drives with back issues is usually to pull in to a rest stop or gas station every 2 hours and stretch and walk and generally take a break from driving. On a 7 hour driving day, it only adds an hour or so and makes a huge difference in how my back feels at the end of day. Your back issues may vary.
If I was doing this drive and the kid / dog / family emergency allowed, I would stay an extra night in Olympia, leave early and get through Portland in the late morning. Stop if needed / desired for a stretch before leaving Washington and then drive to Salem for a longer break / early lunch. There's a park just off the I-5 that claims to have an off leash dog park (Cascades Gateway City Park). Once you're reset, drive on to Medford for the night (another 4ish hours). Rest stop break along the way. Spend the night in Medford.
Day 2, again, leave as early as possible and drive to Redding, take a long break. Once reset, drive on - depending on what part of the SF bay you're going to, pick another spot for a break / meal or drive straight home as the back allows.
One other thing - Oregon is that weird state that doesn't let you pump your own gas. So be prepared for that if you need to fill up. You pull up to the pump and drop the window and turn the car off. The attendant will come over and ask what kind of gas and how you're paying. They will take your card and run it at the pump if your comfortable with that or you can pay cash. Tipping isn't typical according to my Oregon friends.
posted by macfly at 10:27 PM on October 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Things to consider on your departure day - leaving Olympia at 2pm puts you to Portland around 4pm. If it's a weekday, traffic is likely to be an issue (although maybe some Oregonians can update if the pandemic has affected Portland traffic?) Getting through Portland can be a multi hour prospect if the traffic's bad so you might want to consider shifting your departure time if it's possible. Also, sunset will be like 5pm next week so factor in how comfortable you are driving at night. I5 is pretty trafficked but the middle of Oregon can get dark and isolated pretty fast.
My experience with I5 rest stops (for stretching / dog breaks) has been positive - pretty clean / easy on / off. Pandemic / fires may have affected this, of course. My strategy for long drives with back issues is usually to pull in to a rest stop or gas station every 2 hours and stretch and walk and generally take a break from driving. On a 7 hour driving day, it only adds an hour or so and makes a huge difference in how my back feels at the end of day. Your back issues may vary.
If I was doing this drive and the kid / dog / family emergency allowed, I would stay an extra night in Olympia, leave early and get through Portland in the late morning. Stop if needed / desired for a stretch before leaving Washington and then drive to Salem for a longer break / early lunch. There's a park just off the I-5 that claims to have an off leash dog park (Cascades Gateway City Park). Once you're reset, drive on to Medford for the night (another 4ish hours). Rest stop break along the way. Spend the night in Medford.
Day 2, again, leave as early as possible and drive to Redding, take a long break. Once reset, drive on - depending on what part of the SF bay you're going to, pick another spot for a break / meal or drive straight home as the back allows.
One other thing - Oregon is that weird state that doesn't let you pump your own gas. So be prepared for that if you need to fill up. You pull up to the pump and drop the window and turn the car off. The attendant will come over and ask what kind of gas and how you're paying. They will take your card and run it at the pump if your comfortable with that or you can pay cash. Tipping isn't typical according to my Oregon friends.
posted by macfly at 10:27 PM on October 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Couple things related to stretching/letting the dog out. The Sundial Bridge in Redding is an excellent spot to walk around and stretch and let the dog do the same. Beautiful views, lots of other people doing the same. I probably wouldn't do it after dark.
Also, the rest stops in Northern California are all safe, clean, well lit, and have pet areas. One thing to remember, though, is to keep the dog leashed. At least once a year there are stories in the paper of someone looking for a dog who was passing through. They let the dog off the leash, it is gone, and the people need to keep moving to get to their destination and never find the dog.
posted by eleslie at 4:52 AM on October 31, 2020
Also, the rest stops in Northern California are all safe, clean, well lit, and have pet areas. One thing to remember, though, is to keep the dog leashed. At least once a year there are stories in the paper of someone looking for a dog who was passing through. They let the dog off the leash, it is gone, and the people need to keep moving to get to their destination and never find the dog.
posted by eleslie at 4:52 AM on October 31, 2020
For traveling with a pet I highly highly recommend the chain of hotels called La Quinta Inn. They are all pet friendly (except for like 4...), relatively inexpensive, and very clean. For trips where I have a plan but know I may need to stop early or push on late, it's nice to not have to research pet-friendly places and just look for the La Quinta in the next town.
If I were planning this trip over two days I'd probably stop at the La Quinta in Eugene and the La Quinta in Redding. If I wanted just one stop I'd stop in Medford.
posted by muddgirl at 8:33 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
If I were planning this trip over two days I'd probably stop at the La Quinta in Eugene and the La Quinta in Redding. If I wanted just one stop I'd stop in Medford.
posted by muddgirl at 8:33 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Echoing others; having CA plates isn't going to be a problem. Oregonians don't like California as a concept, but at its worst this gets to the level of 'vandalizing cars in specific neighborhoods of Portland,' it's not going to be a safety issue. I mean, Roseburg, Grants Pass and Medford aren't really awesome places to spend some time, but they're not dangerous unless you go looking for some trouble; just passing through and pausing at any of them to stay at a hotel isn't likely going to be sketchy.
Only thing I would check, other than weather in the Siskiyou Pass (which, really shouldn't be an issue yet at all this early in the year), is that sometimes every once in a great while, protests shut down I5 near the Portland city core; check a newsfeed before you hit 205 up in Washington. taking 205 will add a little time to the trip, but not much. I would say that this rarely happens, even during heavy protest times and it always happens at night...but if it happens, it's a city-center kind of thing and not something that happens further out; its easy to get around that if it happens. This is highly unlikely, but in the realm of possible.
Everyone else has some great suggestions; if you can do this drive in two days you really should try. I would just try and bomb down as far as you can the first day and then reassess.
posted by furnace.heart at 8:45 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Only thing I would check, other than weather in the Siskiyou Pass (which, really shouldn't be an issue yet at all this early in the year), is that sometimes every once in a great while, protests shut down I5 near the Portland city core; check a newsfeed before you hit 205 up in Washington. taking 205 will add a little time to the trip, but not much. I would say that this rarely happens, even during heavy protest times and it always happens at night...but if it happens, it's a city-center kind of thing and not something that happens further out; its easy to get around that if it happens. This is highly unlikely, but in the realm of possible.
Everyone else has some great suggestions; if you can do this drive in two days you really should try. I would just try and bomb down as far as you can the first day and then reassess.
posted by furnace.heart at 8:45 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
I second both the La Quinta recommendation and the warning about Portland rush hour traffic. Traffic has lightened a bit due to the pandemic, but I still wouldn't want to get there exactly at rush hour.
posted by yarntheory at 9:41 AM on October 31, 2020
posted by yarntheory at 9:41 AM on October 31, 2020
Best answer: I've done this drive multiple times in the past year. Do take I-5 all the way down as detours to other highways like US101 or US97 will add significant drive time. One minor exception: the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River at the WA/OR border can get pretty backed up (and was also under construction when I went through last month) so consider taking I-205 there instead and going around Portland rather than through.
I always split this trip into two days of driving. That's partly due to how much driving time I can tolerate per day and partly due to how that lines up with nice places to stop.
CA plates are no problem.
I never felt I (solo female) had to take additional personal safety precautions beyond road trip basics like making sure valuables weren't left visible in the car.
Motel 6 is a good backup pet friendly lodging option. I have always found them to be very basic but clean and safe for an overnight stay.
For WA -> CA I recommend:
Day 1: Olympia, WA to Eugene, OR area. This puts the shorter leg of the trip on day 1—since you're leaving WA in the afternoon, you won't be pushing your limits or hunting for lodging in a sparsely populated area if you get delayed for some reason. You'll find plenty of good mid-range hotel options for staying the night and it's a pleasant setting. Check out nearby Springfield, OR (home of the Simpsons!) which has a cute downtown.
Another option is to go a little further the first day and stop over in Roseburg, OR. Fewer food and lodging options than Eugene and not as nice of a setting IMO but fine for spending the night.
Day 2: Continue south into California and stop over in Redding, about 5 hours away from Eugene. I love this part of the drive, the views around the Mt. Shasta area are amazing. You can pause here for food and exercise and continue on for a total of ~8.5hrs of drive time, or spend the night. If you don't want to complete the trip on day 2 I do recommend staying the night in Redding as there is not much going on past there until you get much further south and arrive in either Sacramento or the Bay Area.
Day 2 part 2 or Day 3: Start in Redding and proceed directly to the Bay Area via the I-505 detour around Sacramento, or take I-5 all the way to Sacramento for lunch and a walk around the historic district and then I-80 west into the Bay Area.
posted by 4rtemis at 11:14 AM on October 31, 2020
I always split this trip into two days of driving. That's partly due to how much driving time I can tolerate per day and partly due to how that lines up with nice places to stop.
CA plates are no problem.
I never felt I (solo female) had to take additional personal safety precautions beyond road trip basics like making sure valuables weren't left visible in the car.
Motel 6 is a good backup pet friendly lodging option. I have always found them to be very basic but clean and safe for an overnight stay.
For WA -> CA I recommend:
Day 1: Olympia, WA to Eugene, OR area. This puts the shorter leg of the trip on day 1—since you're leaving WA in the afternoon, you won't be pushing your limits or hunting for lodging in a sparsely populated area if you get delayed for some reason. You'll find plenty of good mid-range hotel options for staying the night and it's a pleasant setting. Check out nearby Springfield, OR (home of the Simpsons!) which has a cute downtown.
Another option is to go a little further the first day and stop over in Roseburg, OR. Fewer food and lodging options than Eugene and not as nice of a setting IMO but fine for spending the night.
Day 2: Continue south into California and stop over in Redding, about 5 hours away from Eugene. I love this part of the drive, the views around the Mt. Shasta area are amazing. You can pause here for food and exercise and continue on for a total of ~8.5hrs of drive time, or spend the night. If you don't want to complete the trip on day 2 I do recommend staying the night in Redding as there is not much going on past there until you get much further south and arrive in either Sacramento or the Bay Area.
Day 2 part 2 or Day 3: Start in Redding and proceed directly to the Bay Area via the I-505 detour around Sacramento, or take I-5 all the way to Sacramento for lunch and a walk around the historic district and then I-80 west into the Bay Area.
posted by 4rtemis at 11:14 AM on October 31, 2020
Consider Granzellas in Williams. The store and restaurant are kind of fun. Reservations recommended.
Avoid the Ramada there. They are not Covid safe. I reported them to the county health department last week.
posted by SLC Mom at 1:12 PM on October 31, 2020
Avoid the Ramada there. They are not Covid safe. I reported them to the county health department last week.
posted by SLC Mom at 1:12 PM on October 31, 2020
Good tips about Oregon gas stations and checking for possible snow. I don't think fires will be an issue, but I'd check.
I was going to suggest that you consider making the drive in one day, and I read your update about the lumbar-spine limited, and I'll still suggest that. Seems like you could break the trip into 3 or 4 sections of 3 to 4hr drives each, with an hour or two between each. Here's how:
Google maps shows it to be a 11 to 14 hr drive. Arrive in Olympia and leave at 6am the next day, drive 3 hrs, take 1 hr break (nap, hike, whatever), drive 3 hrs, break 1 hr, drive 3 hrs, break 1hrs. It's now 6pm, and you have 2 to 5 hrs left, putting you in at 8pm to 11pm.
As for napping, are you renting or borrowing a car? If you don't have a vehicle you can get comfortable in, can you trust your 'tween to let you relax for an hr, maybe set up with a video game, movie, book, etc. If you're unable to nap, even zoning out at a mall foot court for an hr, or tossing stones into a river can refresh a driver. Maybe take the money for motel and spend it on renting a van you can lay out in.
And may I suggest some audio books for the tween and you, to make the drive fly by: "Hank, the Cow Dog". Hilarious. Lemony Snicket.
posted by at at 5:26 PM on October 31, 2020
I was going to suggest that you consider making the drive in one day, and I read your update about the lumbar-spine limited, and I'll still suggest that. Seems like you could break the trip into 3 or 4 sections of 3 to 4hr drives each, with an hour or two between each. Here's how:
Google maps shows it to be a 11 to 14 hr drive. Arrive in Olympia and leave at 6am the next day, drive 3 hrs, take 1 hr break (nap, hike, whatever), drive 3 hrs, break 1 hr, drive 3 hrs, break 1hrs. It's now 6pm, and you have 2 to 5 hrs left, putting you in at 8pm to 11pm.
As for napping, are you renting or borrowing a car? If you don't have a vehicle you can get comfortable in, can you trust your 'tween to let you relax for an hr, maybe set up with a video game, movie, book, etc. If you're unable to nap, even zoning out at a mall foot court for an hr, or tossing stones into a river can refresh a driver. Maybe take the money for motel and spend it on renting a van you can lay out in.
And may I suggest some audio books for the tween and you, to make the drive fly by: "Hank, the Cow Dog". Hilarious. Lemony Snicket.
posted by at at 5:26 PM on October 31, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks, all, for the excellent ideas and guidance. This has been enormously helpful. I really appreciate all those who took the time to share ideas and tips.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 7:49 PM on October 31, 2020
posted by armoir from antproof case at 7:49 PM on October 31, 2020
« Older This is going to get a bit raunchy... | IIS Linux possibilities for legacy application? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pinochiette at 9:02 PM on October 30, 2020