SEATTLE - OREGON - SACRAMENTO

[seatrout]

So, we are thinking of doing this trip. Flying into Seattle and then driving down to Sacramento, taking 10 days to give us loads of time to see stuff.

2 questions :

1. Which would be best - beginning of May or beginning of November

2. Any suggestions for stuff to visit on the way. Detours are fine cos we'll have plenty of time

Thanks for any help you can give me

[Traci Reed]

Well, in Sacramento, beginning of May would be when it starts getting hot. It can still be nice but it tends to be upper 80s.

Driving down through California, I'd stop to see the redwoods and maybe drive along the coast.

[abm234]

Wish I had advice Rachel! Never been there! Enjoy your trip!

[nesser1981]

Be sure you take you go to San Fran, take a motorized cable car tour of the city. And old Sacramento is really neat to walk around, check out the shops.

[anneofalamo]

I love this idea! I like both ideas, but November can be riskier for rain, rain and then more rain. I would so walk the Golden Gate(my most favorite place), the exploratorium in San Fran is beyond all! See about getting tickets to the baseball game! Season opens in May, and that stadium is the bomb! Beautiful and so fun! Alcatraz is pricey, but something you would never see again, and all the fun on Pier 39!! There are the wildest sites, the people alone in San Fran make me smile!
Yes, yes to the redwoods!!
The History in Old Sacramento is a fun one too! If you are into trains, they have the coolest train museum there!
In San Jose (the bay area) the Winchester House is a trip!
and you can go to Santa Cruz the beach boardwalk! Oh it is like going back in time, beach on one part, and carnival on the other!
I grew up in Napa, California, and we went everywhere all the time. I was living in Yuba City (above Sac) for the last few years, and just moved back here to New Mexico, but I love California and all you can see and do! Have fun! what an adventure!

[color of my heart]

pike place market in seattle. you have to go see it (: my vote would be november, even if it's super rainy in washington (cause it's just as rainy in may). as for things to see on the way to sacramento? no idea. i've only ever been to washington.

sounds like an amazing trip though!

[MandaT]

I live almost on the CA/OR border, sometimes there's snow at the beginning of November, sometimes there's snow in May. We get lots of crazy weather thanks to our dear Mt Shasta.

There's a lot of gorgeous to see between Seattle and Sac though.

[nun69]

In Seattle definetely go to the Space Needle and PIke's Place I would say May is better because usually our weather in Northern WA is really really crappy starting around Oct. ...

[xboxmom]

Rach do not try to drive through Oregon up to Seattle in Nov. The Passes are horrible and you would have to have chains on your wheels most likely. I purchased some for Thanksgiving for my drive to SLC and luckily I bypassed all the snow but it can get pretty scary! May for sure even though we do have a lot of rain here then, its better than having it be rainy and cold. Also I would be thrilled to take you guys around and show you the town! Let me know what you decide and I can give you a list of all the awesomeness to see and do!

[SeattleSheri]

Definitely May over November!

[dgreenshield]

I would say May to avoid the gloomy, rainy Seattle wet that comes in November!

Places to see in Seattle:
Pike Place Market
Japanese gardens
Ballard Locks
Catch a baseball or MLS game in SODO
Take a ferry ride or a tour of the sound
Snoqualmie Falls, they should be raging around that time with the snow melt.
Mt St Helen's in May the passes should be open.
Cascade loop is also beautiful that time of year if the passes are open (north of Seattle)
Downtown Seattle Ghost tour or underground tour
Gas Works park
Woodland Park Zoo
Monorail to Seattle Center- Pacific Science Center, Music Experience, SCI FI museum
Deception Pass-Whidbey Island



There is so much more I am missing!

I would also check to see if the blooms are late for the tulips in Skagit Valley.

In Oregon, the coast is beautiful! Seaside, Astoria, Cannon beach...
Crater Lake...

[LJSDesigns]

Rach, no fair! You just got back from vacation! I am so jealous!!!!

[kristijoy]

I would agree with May. I've done that drive ALOT, but never in November or the height of winter.

Portland is wonderful!!! So many fun things to do and a TON easier to get around in compared to Seattle: OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) http://www.omsi.edu/, Oregon Zoo http://www.oregonzoo.org/, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden (this is the best one I've seen on the west coast-it's huge!) http://japanesegarden.com/, Childrens Musuem, lots of great restaurants, rent bikes and bike along the Willamette and across on of the bridges, ride the sky tram that links a parking lot and the big Health Sciences University, hike in Forest Park, visit the PIttock Mansion....

The Oregon coast is a wonderful drive, but the weather can be dicey anytime of year. I've done parts of that trip when all we saw was fog and got poured on in the Redwoods in May (I mean drenched). With either May or November I would definately make sure you have a flexible itinerary in case the weather doesn't coorperate.

Another trip through Oregon would be: from I-5 out to the Columbia Gorge (beautiful!) and then south down through Bend Oregon. Outside of Bend is the High Desert Museum (a gem) and the Newberry Volcanic Monument. LOTS of fantastic things about volcanoes, geology, rocks. You can drive up to the top of a cinder cone, walk on an obsidian flow, hike a milke long lava tube. Sun River has wonderful biking trails along the river. This part of Oregon is on the Eastern Side of the state (on the East side of the cascade mountains - so the weather tends to be drier).

From there we then went down to Crater Lake (we went in Summer though, Crater Lake may not be accessible in either May or Oct due to snow at that elevation)

Sacramento has the California State Railway Museum (seriously one of the best museums I've been too. One end of the transcontinental railroad was here ) http://www.csrmf.org/ . Olde Town, an Art Musuem http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/, the State Capitol.

[seatrout]

Thanks for all your suggestions. Look like May then !!!