Hi Everyone!! We are driving down to Vegas for a tradeshow

[Rivodaddy]

Hello, I am a long time lurker 1st time poster...
My wife and I have been dreaming to take this trip for over 5 years now hehe

Planning to make a few stops along the way.. we have 2 kids under 5 and 2 grandparents along for the trip

I have read in here that the LA traffic is a time drainer, is it similar in SF?

We are departing Van, bc July 27 9am and plan to stop in Seattle for lunch and to buy a 1 month t-mobile data/cellular plan....cant live without my iphone apps :P
Vancouver to 7 Feathers 500 milles
Hoping to make it to Seven feathers hotel/casino by 8-9pm

July 28 leave 7 feathers and head for SF (455 miles)
Stay in SF for 2 days/3 nights
planning to visit the zoo and the science center.

Depart SF July 31 and head to LV (567 miles)
Stay until Aug 5 and then head back home.

Leave LV and head back to SF for one night

We would really like to take the opportunity to drive the 101 but don't know where it would be feasible to hop on. Would SF to Crescent city to 7 feathers hotel be an impossible 1 day drive. If it is too long to undertake we are considering going from SF to 7 feathers and then the next morning driving up to Albany and visiting Newport then either go north from there and them get back onto I5 via Cannon beach to Portland and continue all the way back to Vancouver and arrive home late at night.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope it made sense.

[Lifemagician]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum.

It is hard to comment on the early part of your trip, as I am not familiar with 7 feathers. Nor will google find it for me. That said, 500 miles on interstates will get you to your destination well before 8pm, unless you spend a lot of time sightseeing along the way. It would be about nine hours driving. The day from SF to LV is going to be a long one, and it may pay you to get away early, if you can. Not easy with your party. And as you will be aware, with little ones, and grandparents, every stops takes just that little bit longer.

If you are considering driving 101 on the way home, and I would not discourage you, it is a very worthwhile route, you will need to add a couple of extra days. It is much slower going, especially the Oregon coast. And you will want to stop in the Redwoods, at the Avenue of Giants. If you have not been there, you won't want to miss that.

Lifey

[Rivodaddy]

Hi Lifey,

Thanks for the welcome!!

We plan to drive as hard as possible, we have the suv loaded with dvds, angry birds and my 4 year old is just learning simon says.

Thanks for the 101 suggestions, not sure if I can come up with the time to see a fair amount of its beauty.

Gonna get back to pounding the maps.

Thanks again!!

[AZBuck]

Your best bet for seeing some great coastal scenery while still maintaining a good driving pace is to take the Golden Gate Bridge out of San Francisco and follow CA-1 up past Point Reyes National Seashore and through Point Arena and Fort Bragg before joining US-101 at Leggett. Continuing north on that road will take you to several state and national redwood parks around Crescent City. US-199 will then take you back to I-5 for the rest of the drive home. But I would leave three days for this, as you will want to stop for some sight seeing and short hikes en route.

AZBuck