sacramento to portland for a flatlander

Mu husband and I have always lived in St. Louis, MO. We fantasize about moving to northern California or Oregon or Washington. We are taking a nine day trip flying into Sacramento and flying out of Portland. We are very familiar with SF. Any suggestions for routes from Sacramento to Portland. I did a AAA Triptik. I tried to go onto RV.com....but it kept saying I am spelling one of the cities wrong???....I will have to try back later. We like nature and hiking and we love the water. We will be doing this trip leaving Oct 7th....any must-see's. We hope to stop and camp in the Redwood NP. I am sure I will find many other points along the way. Thanks for any input. Will it be too cold to kayak or anything like that? Thanks!! Niyati

That's a good question -- in general, October is a great month for roadtripping, but an early storm could complicate things for you almost anywhere in the area you want to visit. My guess is the odds are in your favor, but that's not a guarantee. I don't think October is too late to camp or kayak in many of the places you'll pass through -- although at the highest elevations it might be. I used to live on the Columbia River near Portland and I boated all year long on the Columbia, Willamette and Multanomah Channel. Take rain gear and cold weather gear both, just in case, because odds are good you'll need them.

I'd do a zig-zagging route -- start by heading over toward Lake Tahoe and Carson City, then go up through the gold rush country past Lassen Volcanic National Park, and over to the coast, seeing the Redwood Parks in that area. Then go up to Crater Lake, OR, and then make a wide turn counterclockwise around southern and central Oregon through Klamath Falls, Lakeview, Riley and Canyon City, before joining with I-84 and heading down the Columbia River Gorge to Portland. I'd also extend the trip past Portland to Astoria and see some of the coastal attractions in that area. An alternative would be to go straight up the coast from Crescent City CA with just a side trip to see Crater Lake. That's a great trip, but inland Oregon is a unique and massive place -- I consider it a don't miss.

With 9 days, you'd only have to cover about 170 miles a day if this is a one-way trip. Bob

your opinion is invaluable. an idea for a route was exactly what we needed for this one way trip. Thanks again! I appreciate it very much. I will let you know how it goes. Niyati

You're welcome, of course!