San Franciso to Seattle in January

My boyfriend and I are planning on driving up to Seattle to visit a friend and back in 7 days. We're planning on stopping in Portland on the way up but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for other stop on the way (preferrably between SF and Portland. The main issues are that
1) we're on a tight budget
2) we're under 21 so we can't go the wine tasting route
3)we spent the summer working in Yosemite so long drives through forests for the sake of scenery don't interest us.


The good news is that we love to eat and try new restaurants and we aren't picky about the cuisine. We'd also be down to plan rest stops at quirky cafes on the way up and down and maybe see some wild life.

If anyone has any suggestions for towns we should stop in, good places to eat things we normally wouldn't find I'd love to hear them. Also are then any youth hostel recommendations? We're staying at our friends house in Seattle and planning on booking a night or two at the Portland Hawthorne Hostel but we're open to other places as well.

Thanks so much!

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

You won't have a lot of time on your drives up to and back from Seattle, but my wife and I visited the northern Oregon coast this summer and were thoroughly charmed. In particular Ecola State Park just north of Cannon Beach and the Pacific Way Bakery in Gearhart were spots that we particularly enjoyed.

AZBuck