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Hello I will be traveling soon from Seattle to Fort Worth with my sister. She would like to go through the west (Oregon, Napa) instead of center as it shows on most maps. We would like to make it in about 7 days or less and drive about 8hrs a day (early morning to have the afternoon free. Not sure if its even possible. I would like suggestions on the must see places, must eat and a route that is not deserted (safe). Thanks
Hi, and Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum.
You're looking at roughly 2500 miles, or five full days on the road... four and a half if you were really pushing it. To meet your requirements of going through west OR and NAPA, you may not be able to meet your goal of six hour every day. (If you got the times from an online mapping program be sure to add at least 20%. Remember they never see congestion or construction, do not need to stop for a red light and travel at or above the speed limit all the time. Neither do they need to fuel up, eat or go to the bathroom.)
We don't actually do 'musts' on this forum. That all depends on you and your sister's interests and tastes. One person's must see is another's must pass by. If you'd like to share a little more of your interests and the goal of the trip, I am sure someone will come up with some suggestions to suit your individual needs.
Lifey
To do 2500 miles and drive only 8 hours a day, it will take you that 6 - 7 days, easily. As Lifey pointed out, computer programs don't need to stop for the necessities of life. You could drive 375 miles per day and you would be on the road 7 days, but would still be able to see a few things.
We don't know much about you so will just suggest a few things along a route that would take you down I-5 to Ca-58 to I-40 to US-287: Crater Lake NP, Rogue River, Mt Shasta, Napa and Sonoma Valley, Tehachapi Loop (trains), Grand Canyon NP, Petrified Forest NP, Petroglyphs NM, and some of the places from old US 66. You do not have time for all of these but you can pick and choose.
Once you get an idea about your routing and what you would like to see, we can help you fine tune.
As far as great places to eat, my husband and I use a couple of strategies. If we pull into a motel before dinner, we ask the clerk. Best to ask where they personally like to eat or you will get the stock answer of the closest, often chains. If the clerk is busy, we use Urbanspoon or TripAdvisor. This worked great when wanting a great breakfast or lunch place while we were on the road. I have also struck up conversations with the grocery store or gas station clerks. Very helpful, there! We learned not to rely too much on TV shows because the places featured on the shows we're not always on our route, and we aren't too interested in restaurants taking us too far off our path if we have a long driving day.
Donna