Mexico to Canada using most scenic route (thinking 101)

[twhill3]

Hello everybody, new to this forum and i was wondering if i could get some feed back. I recently returned from my second deployment to Iraq and planning a mexico to canada motorcycle trip with all my buddies. We all live just north of San Diego off the 101. We wanted to take the most scenic route, we were assuming the 101 would be our best bet. If anybody had any feedback about routes, places to see, etc. Also most of us only have 3 gallon tanks so we have to gas up every 100 to 125 miles. Thank a bunch.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

US-101, and I-5 for that matter, will basically take you up the Central Valley of California and the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Nice but not the most scenic route available. If you're really looking for scenery, and are willing to spend a bit longer in the saddle. then I'd highly recommend US-395 north up the east side of the Sierra Nevada, past Lake Tahoe, across the desert (Yes, desert!) of southwestern Oregon all the way up to Mesa, WA before using WA-17/I-90/WA-281/WA-28 through Quincy, WA to US-97 to Pateros, WA-153 to Twisp, and then WA-20 across the Cascades to Bellingham and I-5 to Vancouver. That route is a couple of hundred miles longer but should also be much more visually interesting than just following the 101 up the big valleys. You'll also have to manage your fuel a bit better, but nowhere will you have to go a hundred miles between pumps.

AZBuck

[glc]

If you go up via 395, you can return down the coast on 101 and CA-1, or vice versa.