FLgal81

Thanks again for all the great advice! You have no idea how excited I am for this trip! Actually, Show, the reason I am moving to OR is I took a short 2 day trip by myself to Portland in July in between jobs, just to get away. I rented a car at the airport and drove down the Columbia river scenic road and saw/hiked the waterfalls along the way. After that, I drove to Astoria and drove halfway down the coast to Yachats and came into Eugene and back up to Portland. All in 2 days. I didn’t want to leave, so when I got back to FL, I decided to uproot my life and start a new one on the west coast…I got accepted to PSU’s MBA program and start in a few weeks. Its crazy and will miss Florida and my family so much, but the advice given here has only reinforced the idea that there is so much adventure to be had out here. Growing up in Florida, I’ve missed out on so much hiking, camping, rock climbing and the change of seasons. So, I really appreciate all the advice and I believe that I will become a fixture on this website as I plan to road trip as much as possible. BTW, the pics of Mt. Rainer are so beautiful…that’s actually one place very high on my to-do list…what month were those pics taken? Betsy, I looked around and it seems tornado season is March through June, so I should be good there. I’ll probably take the low road suggested through Texas and NM as driving through the heart of Tornado Alley at ANY time scares the dickens out of me! I guess I’ve seen the movie Twister too many times Question…should I keep a reserve of gas on hand just in case I find myself on one of those long stretches without services? Not sure if this is safe and/or common practice…just an idea. I did buy a recent Michelin map of the states and will look into exits frequency especially through Utah and OR. Thanks again! Jess

Thanks again for the info! I'm thinking once I commit to a route, I will pick some major towns and find a hotel chain. I was planning on getting AAA before I left just in case I break down and need the addtl. discount at hotels. Yeah, I need to be there by the 13th, so I was planning on leaving the 7th...but I'm thinking I may need to leave the 5th or the 6th. What is this spectacular scenery west of CO you speak of? I picked CO mainly because I've never really seen the Rockies. I've been to S. Utah, NM and Arizona, so I'm not sure if thats what you are talking about. Any good advice on the trek through Idaho into Portland? Part of the reason I am moving to Portland is to have a new "starting point" for adventure so I don't have to hit everything on the way. The thing with the Rockies is that they are quite a ways away from Oregon...I plan on spending weekend after weekend touring N. CA, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, etc...

Hey Show, Thanks again! You are pretty awesome for getting me all this info Its not that I DON’T want to explore backcountry roads…I actually LOVE exploring backcountry roads. My issue is that I HAVE to be in Portland by COB on 9/13. So, I don’t want to get lost on some hairpin mountain pass, you know? I have absolutely no idea how the roads are out there, so I maybe completely off base thinking backcountry roads=scary hairpin mountain passes. I guess the thing is that I would prefer mountainous scenery and overlooks as opposed to small mountain towns…I’m more into the natural scenery than quaint towns (which are still very cool, but so not on the priority list). Oh, BTW, I typically drive 5-10 mph over the speed limit and shouldn’t have a problem driving all day long…as long as I can get out and stretch my legs a few times (i.e. hiking in Arches). Why do you say it will be busy? Weekend after labor day? Let me know if you have any more advice. Again, thank you SO much. You have been a great help. Jessica

Thanks so much for the responses…sorry it has taken me so long to reply! I thought I would get an email saying I had responses, but I didn’t, so I finally checked back and there they were! Thank you for the advice Becky…I’ll certainly check out construction before I head out. My concern with I-40 through the Southern states into New Mexico is all this flooding from storms…I’ll have to do a little more research but with all these hurricanes picking up (and believe me, I know a thing or two about hurricanes living on the coast for 25 years), I don’t want to get into a situation where roads are flooded. What part of I-84 lacked services? Through Utah? Thanks so much for the map, Show on the Road…you are right, I want to see mountains tall, canyons deep, trees green, ranches rolling, and rocks red I-80 is certainly out based on your description. I guess I was thinking I’d really like to go to Rocky Mountain National Park for some reason…Someone (fellow Floridian) told me it was really beautiful and a must-see. I was thinking I could take 34 through the park and then head back down to I-70 You say 34 and 40 lacks hang time…do you mean there aren’t many places to stop? I’m not needing a lot of places to stop so much as some beautiful driving scenery, maybe some overlooks to take pics and a really great park or two (such as Rocky Mountain or even Arches or Canyonlands)…can’t do too much in these as I’m comfortable going on long hikes by myself. I’m thinking I could driving into Denver, take a short bypass on 34 through Rocky Mountain National Park, make my way back to I-70, stop at Arches/Canyonlands, and then head north to Salt Lake City. But would you say your route through Aspen or Leadville would be more scenic than 34 through the park? I definitely think the lower road your offered would be great but probably would not fit into my time frame. Also, has anyone ever traveled I-70 into CO through Kansas? I’ve heard it can be a lot of flat driving through Kansas, but that may be the same going through OK and TX. Any thoughts? Thanks again for all the advice! Keep it coming!! Jess

Hi there… I will be driving from Jacksonville, FL to Portland, OR at the beginning of Sept. I am going to give myself 7 days to get out there and have figured that traveling about 600-650 miles a day would get me there in 5 (about 3000 miles). Here’s the deal: I need to be out there within a week (this trip is the way for me to get my car to Portland along with myself), but I want to sightsee the Rockies and westward (FL to CO is all bizness!). I am a 25 yr old female who will be all by her lonesome. I am thinking about several routes: North to Memphis, TN. West on I-40 to Las Vegas, NM. North on I-25 to Denver. OR North to St. Louis through TN and KY and West on 70 into Denver. OR I could bypass Denver all together and take I-80 West. This is the point where I really want to soak it in and take my time. I’m a FL girl and have traveled both coasts and Southern Utah, NM and AZ, but I still have never crossed the Rockies. Where is the best place to do this scenery-wise? I was thinking highway 34 from Denver through Rocky Mountain National Park to Salt Lake City to I-84 would be cool. How scenic is this? Is 34 a rough road? Are there better routes that may be more scenic through the Rockies (i.e. Wyoming, I-70 in Utah)? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!!