Vail to the Pacific Northwest and Back

Alan and Silvia Danson

At 8:45AM on April 21, 2001, Silvia and I headed west from Vail to tour the Pacific Northwest and points in between. Twenty-four days and 4,550 miles later, we rolled back into Vail with a host of wonderful memories that we would like to share with you.

We had a plan, but only a very general one. We made no reservations -- which was very adventuresome for a couple that usually plans each vacation in minute detail -- but the fact that we were traveling in the off-season convinced us that reservations were unnecessary. Going without reservations meant that we could travel as much as our spirit (and back-pain) moved us on a given day, and that we could spend extra time in a location that we found particularly beautiful or interesting.

We took along a cooler for snacks, our Italian language tapes (to get ready for our fall trip), other CDs and tapes and a flask of tequila (for medicinal purposes, of course). We had lots of maps. I found that the National Geographic 2001 Deluxe Edition Road Atlas to be very helpful. We had an excellent guidebook -- Best Places Pacific Northwest. We had great advice from friends who have lived and/or traveled extensively in the area. Finally, we picked up every brochure that the local travel offices along the way had to offer. Anyone of you planning to cover some or all of this tour is welcome to use our maps, guidebooks and brochures – just ask.

We were a bit concerned about leaving so early in the spring. If we had it to do over again, we might have left a week or two later, but commitments in mid-May made the early departure necessary. As it turned out, the early departure date did not impact us very much. The road into Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California was closed due to snow (we failed to call ahead), but would not have opened for several more weeks anyway. It was rainy on the Oregon and Washington coasts, but we expected that. We could not go to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park (outside of Port Angeles on the northernmost tip of the Olympic Peninsula) because the road was closed due to snow, but that was not a great loss. The joy of having the highway, parks, trails, restaurants and hotels to our selves more than made up for any weather related inconveniences.

Our trip took us from Vail due west through Colorado, Utah and Nevada to Reno. From Reno we cut northwest across the corner of California to the Pacific coast at Eureka. Then we went up the coast to Crescent City, CA before heading northeast to Ashland, OR. From Ashland we reversed field and went back northwest to the Oregon coast at Reedsport and continued north along the Oregon and then the Washington coast to Port Angeles. There we took a ferry north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, BC. We then started back east by ferry from Sidney, BC to the San Juan Islands, then to Anacortes, WA, then south to Seattle. From Seattle we went southeast to Mt Rainier, then east across Washington, Idaho and to Livingston, MT, where we turned south to Yellowstone, Jackson and Vernal UT. From Vernal we headed east and then south across Colorado to Vail and home.

Rather than bore you with a mile-by-mile description, we thought we would describe what we felt were the highlights of the trip, in the order that we encountered them.

1. The drive west on US40, from Vernal, Utah over the Uinta Mountains to Park City and Salt Lake is very scenic.
2. The drive northwest from Reno, NV to Susanville, CA on US 395 is also very scenic, passing attractive ranchlands with the foothills of the Sierras to the west.
3. H 36 from Susanville, past Lassen Volcanic National Park, through Redding to Red Bluff is full of curves (following the Trinity River) and hills and very scenic – a sports car driver’s dream. We recommend a stop at Shasta Dam north of Redding, CA on I-5, as well as in picturesque town of Weaverville in the Trinity Alps area.
4. Trinidad on the California coast north of Eureka, has an interesting marine lab that is worth visiting.
5. The Redwoods National Park is wonderful, especially Lady Bird Johnson Grove near the south end of the park, Hidden Beach around the center and Stout Grove, just outside Crescent City, at the north end. A walk through one of the groves of big trees is a religious experience.
6. The drive along US 199, from Crescent City, CA to Ashland, OR, is very scenic. Ashland has great Shakespeare and other repertory theater and should not be missed. Frederick Law Olmstead designed Lithia Park, in Ashland (he of Central Park fame). The park is full of specimen plants and trees, all well identified. Eat at Chateaulin Restaurant.
7. H 38, from Drain to Reedsport, OR, along the Umpqua River is a very scenic stretch of road. In Reedsport, the Umpqua Discovery Center is an excellent historical museum. Tahkinitch Beach Trail through the Oregon dunes north of Reedsport is an interesting two-hour hike, and we recommend a short detour off US 101 on South Jetty Road to climb the dunes south of Florence, OR.
8. The Sea Lion Caves off US 101 north of Florence may look like a tourist trap but is well worth a stop – even in cold, blowing rain. Cape Perpetua is also a worthwhile stop along that stretch of the Oregon Coast.
9. The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, OR is a five star attraction. They have a spectacular exhibit called Passages of the Deep, where you feel as if you’re walking under the ocean with fish of all sizes swimming around you.
10. Three Capes Scenic Drive is a detour off US 101 that follows the coast from Pacific City to Tillamook, OR and is well worth the extra time it takes.
11. Munson Creek Falls, south of Tillamook, is 319 feet high and less than a mile walk through old growth forest. This is a "must see".
12. For you Lewis and Clark buffs, Fort Clatsop National Memorial near Astoria, OR (on the Oregon - Washington border) has a very informative visitors visitor center with excellent films recreating the expedition. This was where the expedition spent the winter of 1805-6. We also enjoyed seeing the restored Flavel mansion in Astoria.
13. Klaloch Lodge in Olympic National Park is an interesting place to stay, with rooms right on the ocean. Lake Quinault Lodge, also in the park, is a fancier alternative.
14. The Hoh Rain Forest, on the west side of Olympic National Park, has to be one of the most interesting and beautiful places in the US. The area gets between 12 and 14 feet of rain every year, and the moss draped forest trails are enchanting. We also recommend the hike from Crescent Lake to Marymere Falls, just off US 101 before getting to Port Angeles, WA.
15. Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Stay at the Empress Hotel and see Butchart Gardens -- there is no way anyone can describe how beautiful the gardens really are -- they have to be seen to be believed. We also enjoyed the beautifully restored Craigdarroch Castle.
16. Orcas Island. This looks like a Vermont landscape transported to an island. Be sure to take a short walk out to Madrona Point in East Sound. Eat at Christinas in East Sound, and the Ship Bay Oyster House, where the Mud Pie is to die for. Go to Moran State Park and climb Mt Constitution.
17. In Seattle, don’t miss Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project. The interactive features of this very modern Rock and Roll museum are wonderful. Eat at Fandango.
18. Mt Rainier has to be one of the most beautiful spots on earth. In addition to a trip up to Enchantment Lodge and a hike or snowshoe to Panorama Point, do not miss the fabulous trails in the Longmire area near National Park Inn, especially the Trail of Shadows and Rampart Ridge Trail.
19. From Pasco, WA, the drive east on H 124 and then US 12 is very beautiful, taking you past vineyards, tree farms and wheat fields as you make your way across Washington to the Idaho border on the Snake River.
20. The so-called Northwest Passage through Idaho on US 12 following the Clearwater and Lochsa Rivers up to Lolo Pass at the Montana border gets our vote for one of the top ten most beautiful highways in the world.
21. Yellowstone National Park. Go in through the north entrance at Mammoth Hot Springs and get up early to see the wolves below Druid Peak in the Lamar Valley.
22. Grand Teton National Park. Hike from String Lake to Leigh Lake. Stay and eat at Signal Mountain Lodge. Get up early to see the moose at Willow Flats Overlook and Oxbow Bend Turnout.
23. The drive from Green River, WY south on the west side of Flaming Gorge to Vernal, UT via H 530, H 44 and US 191 is a spectacular drive passing through a variety of mountain terrain.
24. The dinosaur quarry in Dinosaur National Monument is a fascinating spot and should not be missed.
25. The road from Hayden to Oak Creek, CO on H 27 is quite scenic and passes several coalmines on the way.

We have lots of information on each of the above attractions and the trip in general that we’d be happy to share with you. Just give us a call.