Portland to LA late October

I'm in the process of planning a one way road trip from portland to LA from the evening of oct 23rd to the evening of nov 3rd. I know I want to spend time in both Oregon and CA wine countries and drive scenic routes stopping along the way to see the major sites. I don't want to plan every day out but would like suggestions on things/routes not to miss. And does it make sense to use Portland as a base for exploring a bit in OR wine country or are there better suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any info as I want to make sure my husband & I have a great time!

Melissa

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

There are over a dozen wine areas in Oregon, but quite a number of the are along I-5 all the way from Portland to Ashland, so there's no reason to limit yourself to just those around Portland. That said, you should still plan on spending a day or to in the Portland area to enjoy either or both of the many formal gardens in the city or the Columbia River Gorge. And if I-5 is not your cup of tea, you can use OR-99 which runs parallel to the Interstate. There is also, of course, the coast road US-101, but it might serve you better to wait until you get to California to head over to that, and use it to visit the many Redwood Parks around Orick and then use CA-1 along the largely pristine northern California coast.

AZBuck

I think we were planning to do 101 through Oregon, to see Coos Bay.

It is true that parts of the Oregon coast are worth visiting. It is also true that parts of the Willamette Valley are stunning as well as home to some great wineries, hikes, and access to places like Crater Lake National Park. Even with as much time as you have for this trip, you don't have time to see everything. Having visited both the northern California coast and the central and northern Oregon coasts, I made the suggestions I did. I found the Oregon coast more crowded than California's and actually enjoyed the times I spent inland in both the Coastal Ranges and the Willamette Valley. But in the end your tastes will differ from mine, and so the choice is yours.

AZBuck

Thanks for the reply AZBuck! I appreciate the feedback given the fact that I've never been to the Oregon coast.