Texas to Oregon and back

[solojoe]

San Antonio, TX --> Pendleton, OR and back.

I'm looking for suggestions on where to stop along the way. I only have to make it to oregon to pick up some personal belongings from family and then head back.

I was thinking of making a loop. Start heading west to California and then head north to Oregon... on the way back I could head East from Oregon and check out Yellowstone and then head down through Denver before making my way back to San Antonio.

I already have the date set, I'll be leaving on April 15th and have to be back by April 26th. This gives me 11 days and a total of 3 days actual drive time.

Here are some of the places I'm thinking about visiting (listed in order but nothing set in stone)
San Antonio, TX - Starting here
Carlsbad Caverns, NM - I love caves
Grand Canyon, AZ - seen once, would love to see again
Hoover Damn, NV - regretted not seeing last time I went to grand canyon
Yosemite, CA - wanted to see giant redwoods and maybe camp overnight
Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA - still snowy here, not many roads open in April may have to skip
Crater Lake, OR - wanted to camp but maybe too cold
Pendleton, OR - reason for the whole trip, can't change
Yellowstone, WY - wanted to see Old Faithful, west entrance should be open by the time I get there
Denver, CO - Family here, should really stop by if I get the chance
San Antonio, TX - finally back home

Being early spring some of these areas won't be fully utilized and many national parks still have winter road closures.
I will be driving by myself but would love the opportunity to check out some national parks and camp overnight weather permitting.

Aside from national parks I wouldn't mind stopping by some of the more oddball never see anywhere else type of stops. I'm going to be taking a lot of photo's and sharing my trip with family and friends as I hit wifi areas.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance for taking the time out to read this wall of text ;)

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I'm not sure where you got your 'estimate' of three days worth of driving for this trip, but with all your side trips, I make your total minimum driving distance out to be over 5,000 miles, much of it on two lane roads. often (as in National Parks) with speed limits on the order of 35 mph. That is going to take 10 hours or so of on-the-road time each and every one of your 11 days leaving practically no time to actually enjoy all the places you're driving to or spend time with friends and family, or pack your belongings in Pendleton, or much else. The first thing you'll need to do is seriously cut back on your plans, and stick a bit more to the main roads.

AZBuck

[solojoe]

Thanks for the reply AZBuck.

I know I'm not leaving myself much time to enjoy any of the stops, but that's ok with me. I know I might not get to them all either. I have to make this trip in the time allotted and if I can see something like Old Faithful or a giant redwood and grab a quick picture and be on my way that would be great. If it works out that I can camp overnight and be on my way in the morning than that's even better.

The longest I have planned to stop is at most one day and be on my way the next morning. This trip really isn't a vacation but I don't want to miss the chance to at least glimpse things like hoover damn since I'm driving so close to so many great sights. Sure I won't be able to take the tour and explore the area but what if I never get the chance to see it again?

None of these stops are set in stone, I want to make a kind of loop for the route instead of using the same roads to get back so that if nothing else I get to see a little bit more of our country. I'm hoping someone can share any unique or interesting landmarks that aren't too far out of the way.

Thanks again for any suggestions.