OT: RV in Washington state

[Admin Jaap]

We're looking for advice for our holiday in the North-West region of the US. We arrive in Seattle on July 18th. around 12.00 AM local time

 

Next day we pick up our RV in Everett and our first goal is the city of Spokane. We'd like some advice on scenic routes to Spokane. If there are "mustsees" we would like to know too!

 

TIA

Anja & Jaap

[Mike Stewart]

Jaap,

 

The Oregon State Rally is on July 23rd and 24th. I do not know what type of turnout they have but it might be worth while to check it out. It is at the Silver Falls State Park. There is one very small chance that I will be there, but I kind of doubt it since I will be on my way back from Iowa on JRT Jackal.

 

Good luck and maybe we could get together in the Bay Area for dinner or such.

 

Mike

[Guest dkgross]

you could certainly take the north route...the Cascades Hiway to Winthrop is stunning...then take the east side of the mountains down south to Spokane...

[callison]

What's your itinerary Jaap?

[Guest marcialc]

Spokane???? Not much there except @#$$#!'s Drive Inn

 

Why not go west instead and down Highway 1 along the Pacific. It's a stunningly beautiful drive. You can take the auto ferry west across the Sound and drive to the Olympic National Forest. There is a great lodge located on scenic Lake Quinault admist the majestic Rain Forest.

 

Lake Quinault Lodge

 

From there you can continue South along Highway 1 were you can find lots of Bed & Breakfast Inn's for accomodations. If you have the time and can make it south to Oregon, visit Portland, Bend (Mt. Bachelor), and Crater Lake.

 

Just north of Crate Lake is the Umpqua River, just ask Carl about Highway 138

 

Umpqua River Canyon

 

good luck and enjoy your trip Jaap. maybe a group of us from SF can ride up and meet up with you along the way

 

BTW, while you are in Seattle...try Manny's Pale Ale Georgetown Brewery

[robbiekb]

make sure you stop by to say "hi"

 

I live in Duvall, wa

[Admin Jaap]

Spokane???? Not much there except  @#$$#!'s Drive Inn

We're still figuring out where we want to go exactly. The big plan is Seattle - San Francisco and a lot of National Parks in between in 3,5 weeks.

[al_roethlisberger]

Heh, we'll be in Seattle in mid-July ourselves, house shopping and just looking around

 

 

You'll have to let us know your plans to see if we'll be where you are, or if you'll be in the SF Bay Area when we are back home.

 

If we can, we should definitely try to coordinate with Mike, Carl, myself, etc.... to get together for dinner when you are down here

 

al

[robbiekb]

places to try and squeeze in if you can

 

Ginko petrified forest - a quick stop off of I90, it's pretty darn cool

 

Roslyn, it's where they filmed the TV show "Northern Exposure" well at least the exterior town shots. also off of I90

 

Salish Lodge and the Falls. - these are the falls featured in "Twin Peaks" the hotel has a beautiful wine bar with a few tables that overlook the falls themselves

 

Leavenworth, wa - a bizarre bavarian Alpine town hidden up off of Hwy 2 , stunning mtn views:)

 

Hood River, OR Windsurfing capital of the world, pretty darn cool town with an aweseom MicroBewery (Full Sail)Nearby Timberline Lodge up on Mt Hood is where I snowboard all summer long and was the lodge that was featured in the exterior shots in the Jack Nicholson version of the "Shining"

[Admin Jaap]

Thanks so far, guys!

 

Here's the itinerary... well sort of.

 

Seattle (arrive US July 18 th.)

Everett (RV pick up next day)

direction Spokane

Glacier NP

Yellowstone NP

direction Salt Lake City

Arches NP/Glen Canyon NP/ Bryce Canyon/ Monument Valley

Grand Canyon

Las Vegas

Yosemite

San Francisco (leave US Aug 11th.)

 

A few questions/requests:

- Is this all doable in 3 1/2 weeks?

- We don't want to drive in the desert in midsummer. What roads can you advise from Vegas to Yosemite?

- If you use road numbers could you also mention cities and state?

- Are there any "mustsees" off this beaten track?

- Remember, we're not riding my Goose but driving a slow RV. So no twisty infested roads please.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[al_roethlisberger]

...certainly "doable" in 3-5 weeks, but you'll be busy if you really want to take in the sites and local flavor of all your destinations.

 

I did a big swath of central Europe by backpack/train in 1998, over 2 weeks. We started in Amsterdam, went to Berlin, Prague, Verona, up to Luxembourg, then back to Amsterdam(and took a weekend in Paris). Well, we saw it all alright... and had a great time. But we were always on "the move" it seemed, and was fun in it's own way. But I swore that the next time I would pick a city or two, three max, and use no less than 2 weeks just for that, so I could take in more of that locality.

 

I guess it all depends on one's goals. I'm still glad we did the "whirlwind tour" in 98, as it gave me a good foundation for future trips. But I won't do that again.

 

 

Regarding avoiding the desert in midsummer from Yosemite to Vegas... forget it I mean honestly. Not only is all of Nevada desolate(but beautiful!) desert, but so is much of Utah. So you'll have to spend a good amount of time in some hot weather.

 

But don't worry about it. The desert is gorgeous in its starkness, and especially as you traverse the high-desert, it's very interesting to note the vegetation, geography, etc... and it gets COLD at night. Neat.... Utah's dry lake-beds(Nevada too) will also be quite intriguing.

 

I rode my old FJ1200 back and forth through Nevada and Utah in July... about as hot as you can get, and it was fine. You'll be even better set in your air-conditioned RV

 

Don't avoid the desert, embrace it. After all, basically from South to North on the West of the Rocky Mountains, you are traversing dry ancient inland seas and lakebeds. Very neat

 

If you can work it into your plans, travel Hwy 50 in Nevada back to the SF Bay Area. It is known as the "Lonliest Highway in America" and it's one of my favorites

 

Check out this link:

 

http://www.pashnit.com/roads/Nevada/Hwy50.htm

 

http://www.pashnit.com/roads/Nevada/Hwy375.htm

 

...he's even riding an old FJ1200 like I had. I rode this same route, even down to visiting the Alien Cafe near Area 51

 

al

[GuzzTim]

Jaap..

 

Couple of other places to consider.. Mt. Shasta and the area around Bend, Oregon.

 

I'm up for a Bay area dinner.. and if you're suffering withdrawal symptoms from riding, you can sign up to take my mighty GS550 for a very noisy ride...

 

Cheers. Tim

[jrt]

Man, I say the heck with Vegas. Yecch. You won't miss anything.

Sorry to all the Vegan's out there.

Also, the Grand Canyon is pretty far south- if you have to trim time off, that's the place to do it. You'll be seeing Bryce and Arches and other canyons and they are just about as nice.

If you go to the Grand Canyon, you'll probably need to go to the South Rim- the north rim is not very accessible by RV (wasn't last time I went). It's a FULL day hike down to the bottom and back up and you'll be dead by the time you get back. Oh, wait...you're European. Last time I went, all the Europeans were like lungs on two legs. Right up the canyon.

I also recommend driving down the east side of the Sierra's. Very nice.

Regarding driving in the desert- it's fine, but keep a careful eye on the temp gauge, you may not be able to use the AC in mountainous terrain, and carry lots and lots of water. A gallon (4 L) a day per person at least. And cold beer. Don't forget the cold beer.

J

[Bbennett]

Back to your original question: since you are getting the RV in Everett, you are already north of Seattle. Thus, I echo DGross's suggestion that you definitely take the North Cascade Highway. Even in an RV this is a world class highway and is the definitive Pacific Northwest scenic route. There are well (much) quicker ways to Spokane but you can make it across the pass in a day and spend the night in Winthrop, then head onto Spokane.

 

If you want to meet some of the Guzzi people in the Northwest (I was going to say "Seattle"), pls start another thread on that topic and we can meet at the Georgetown Brewery or whatever and discuss,uh, bikes.

[Guest mcloutier]

If you need a place to stop on the way to Spokane I live in Moses Lake, almost dead center in the state. I can give you a place to park and have some BBQ ready. Definately agree on the North Cascades Highway. It's beautiful.