Sac to Spokane? Thoughts?

[Pickles1208]

I will be (hopefully) driving from Sacramento to Spokane on Wed. Nov 21. My plan is to take I5 to US route 97 to 395 to Spokane. I will be in a Kia sedan.

Now, I'm really worried about the weather and though I know Mother Nature is unpredictable, I was wondering if anyone has any experience driving this route in the winter. Can you tell me what to expect or whether or not this trip is advisable. I have chains, but I will be by myself in a small car so...you get the picture.

Any comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[glc]

Welcome!

Even though it's 100 miles longer, I'd recommend you take I-5 to Portland, then I-84 to I-82 to US-395 to I-90. It's going to take about the same amount of time because Oregon has a strict 55 mph speed limit on non-Interstate highways. You are looking at a 2 day trip with an overnight in Salem. In case of bad weather, the Interstates will be taken care of a lot better than US-97. US-395 is near-Interstate quality multi-lane highway.

The only real trouble area on I-5 may be over the Siskiyous in southern Oregon, check the weather and road conditions before you leave.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The weather will be whatever it will be. Your ability to handle inclement weather and less-than-ideal road conditions is whatever it is at this point in your driving career. Your car and its abilities are whatever they are. Chains, even though they may give you a warm fuzzy and even though the state may require having them to drive certain roads under certain conditions, are not a panacea. If you aren't proficient in putting them on, driving with them, and then taking them off they are going to be more of a nuisance than a help.

The only variable that you have any control over is how much time you can devote to the trip, specifically how much time you can budget to 'contingency planning'. In the event that you run into weather that you are not completely comfortable driving in, do you have enough time to spare to simply hole up in a nice warm motel room and allow the road crews to clear the road and to let the sun come back out? Are you prepared for the eventuality that road conditions may exceed your capabilities and are you ready to just turn and head for home, canceling your trip? If not, then the trip will be fraught with dangers as you try to press on in the face of conditions you're not ready for. This isn't meant to be a flip answer, but there really is no way that anyone can answer a question about either the conditions you'll meet on a given road at some point in the future, and only you know what you are capable of under such conditions. So the only meaningful advice anyone can give you is to be prepared to handle the unexpected, and make sure you have all the time necessary to do so.

AZBuck