Seattle to Sacramento March 24-31, 2019

[Astrodokk]

Going to California and am thinking about taking Hwy 1 all the way down. But someone told me the route is very curvy and she got sick in the rv she was in when she did it. I think as a driver, it would not affect me as much.
Option is I-5 all the way down, and take detours to recommended spots.
What have any of you all done?

[SMan]

Went to the Barrett Jackson Auction in Scottsdale in January and took I-5 from Marysville Wa most the way down past Sacramento and then east @ Bakersfield. Good road all the way especially being winter. When we returned we went through Yuma to San Diego and then up the coast most the way going inland and hit I-5 again at Portland. It got a bit curvy in Northern California but not bad in the Chinook.

Have a safe and fun trip!

[Manitou]

I get car sick (motion sick) all the fricken time as a passenger. Especially drivers that don't maintain a constant speed (have to be pushing some pedal hard at all times.. jerky). THat said, I'm always fine as a driver and PCH 1 was ok. Windy and I wanted to look around more then I safely could.. so pull over from time to time and take in the view.

[chin_k]

PCH is scenic, but I would not enjoy it as a driver, esp. if driving south. There are way too many curve right by the cliffs, and you will be on the outer edge, closer to the ocean. It is less unnerving going north on PCH, IMO. I would also check the road condition before going. There were major landslides that cut off one of the communities near Big Sur for many months, and it was just reopened recently. With past few months of wet weather, I would not be surprised if there are additional landslides that may affect your travel along the PCH.

I don't know about you, but I hate to have to keep my eyes on the road when there are scenic area to enjoy. On PCH, you also have to watch for bicyclists, motorcyclists, and RVs. I would go I-5 most of the way, and maybe just do the section around Santa Barbara and call it quit for PCH. I would go with your option of doing just the detours to the various worthwhile spots.

There are US-395 that you can use instead of I-5 or CA-99 that is less boring. There are various interesting spots along the US-395 such as Mono Lake if you are into it. If you go by CA-99, there are various national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings, and other national forests) that you can enjoy. It depends on how far south you are going to go in the state. You maybe able to go look at the wild flowers that are in bloom. Along your way, you maybe able to make some minor detours to see the golden poppy and/or the desert flowers.

[Blue~Go]

I really like taking 395, but the combination of late March and (the main factor) only going as far as Sacramento - it seems too far "over and back" to be a good route for this trip.

[chin_k]

I should have read the title since I did not realize he is going to Sacramento only. We consider Northern California a different state, so ignore what I said about 395 and the national parks. When I read that he is taking PCH "all the way down" meaning to San Diego.

[Astrodokk]

Since I was going to leave on Saturday, I had plenty of time to "detour", so those other potential routes were what I was curious about. But due to unforeseen circumstances, I'm not leaving until this afternoon.
I'll be going down mostly on I-5, and cut across to Santa Rosa on 505 to 80. I don't have to be in Sac until Friday.
I'll be coming back up the same way, as I have to be home by Tuesday. So this trip will be more of a direct round trip. Hopefully I'll be able to be more leisurely in my travels next time, and take those off the beaten path side trips.

[Blue~Go]

At least you still get to bring your living room

[Astrodokk]

So I decided to be adventuresome and veered east from I-5 around Portland to 205 east and stopped at Camping World for a quick look see. Portland airport is in that vicinity. Never been to that area and glad I detoured for awhile. Then I took 205 south to Salem where I merged to I-5 again.
The weather was beautiful.
I drove to 7 Feathers casino and had a buffet dinner. Free RV parking in lot, although they have an RV Park for longer stay as well. Enjoyed a free live show.
Drove a little while more and did an overnight at a no e rest stop. I really like rest stops and there usually are many people there, and it’s safe and quiet.

[Astrodokk]

The next day was a different story. Once I got close to Weed, it was raining, and as I went along, I noticed it was actually non sticking snow. Uh oh. Eventually it turned into a friggin blizzard!
Eventually turned into rain and grey clouds by the time I made it to Redding. I was almost run off the road by a big rig.
Stopped at Camping World in Vacaville just to check it out. Some stores have more then others.
Anyway, I’m thinking that unless I plan to go off the beaten path and have plenty of time, I will fly next time. I enjoy road trips but it feels better when it’s for an extended amount of time and for leisure rather than for something that requires a suit.