PNW to Chicago road trip recommendations

Glenfield · 04-19-2021, 08:51 AM

Pelicans,

I drove my 80SC out to Los Angeles in the fall through Colorado, Utah and Palm Springs.
Highway 12 through Utah was incredible. It's now time to go fetch it and bring it home. I'd love some tips and recommendations on routes from the brains trust. Of course, if anyone wants to form up a peloton for stretches of road, the more the merrier. Cue Grand visions of Forest Gump or, even better, the 1996 film that put Jeff Daniels on the map: Fly Away Home (albeit, heading East) ...

I don't want to retrace old steps and would be better off avoiding the desert in the late spring / early summer months. I plan to head north up the lost high way to Portland (or even Seattle), work remotely (remotely), and then break east and meet my wife somewhere in the mountain west for vacation.

If there are any rallies going in late May / Early June, or people have some favorite stretches of road between Oregon and MO / WY, I'd love to hear it.

Cheers,
Tom

kent olsen · kent olsen's Garage

If you go all the way up to Seattle, go a little farther up near the Canadian border and cross over on the North Cascades Highway. It's only open during the summer and is an awesome drive crossing over the mountains.

175K911 · 04-20-2021, 11:28 AM

Good time to escape Chicago, with the Gov threatening to go back to tier 1 restrictions with restaurants back to just 25% capacity for Cook Cty and our collar counties. I'm escaping east to southern MD in a couple weeks, it was 65 there this morning while it was snowing out here in DuPage county. Hopefully others are able to help you with recommendations heading west, sounds like a fun drive.

stephen1070 · stephen1070's Garage

Ed, the tri cities (Geneva, St Charles) - just west of you never re-shut down in the fall. Come out and we will buy you dinner if DuPage county can’t think independently.

gtc · gtc's Garage

How much time do you want to take?
Anything between the coast and I-5 in southern OR / northern CA will be a fun drive. Be advised that the smaller roads in the Siskiyous may still have snow through May. (Bear Camp Rd, for instance)

I would avoid the Oregon coast, where possible. It is generally slower and less scenic than the CA coast (just my opinion).

Crater Lake, Mt St Helens, and Mt Rainier are some nice detours.

NE OR (near The Dalles) and NE WA have some fun roads, if you pass through either of those areas.

There is a group of NW Pelicans (US and Canadian) that usually does a spring drive the first week of June, but with the border closed the tour is probably off this year.

Glenfield · 04-20-2021, 12:57 PM

Great feedback guys. It's much appreciated. Perfect world, I give myself 3 / 4 days to drive LA to PNW and then post up for a week working and peel off a couple of local drives. Then take 3 / 4 days driving PNW to Glacier NP or Jackson Hole.

The North Cascade Highway looks great, Kent. Thanks for the tip. Spent a bunch of time in and around the area skiing Mt Baker. Would happily go back in the spring.

GTC, if that US / Canadian roadie happens in a modified form in June, please let me know. Give me something to shoot for and a bit of encouragement to go the big lift and drive LA to WA.

MichaelSJackson · 04-22-2021, 08:10 AM

Once your in PNW you'll notice there are only two choices for crossing Idaho. If you take the northern route you can drop into Yellowstone at the top and drive down into the Tetons. Turn east on 287 and climb along some beautiful peaks to Lander WY. That's about the same latitude as Chicago. Continue east.

If Canada was open, I'd take Highway 1 to Lake Louise and then down thru the Canadian Rockies. (One of the most breathtaking drives I've ever done.) Continue through Glacier Nat. Park and then on to Yellowstone.

Before you start out, try to collect the name and number of the head of each PCA region along your path. Can be an invaluable resource, particularly if you have Porsche problems. They know all the best people.

Glenfield · 04-22-2021, 12:25 PM

Good shout on the local PCA members. I will do that.

Highway 1, A.K.A. the "Powder Highway"! That's a great corner of the world for skiing and have spent a lot of time during the winter on crappy rental car tires in those parts. One time I was coming through Kamloops in a fog that was as thick as butter and totally missed a dogleg left. Perhaps folks here know the one. Horribly signposted and very dangerous. Nevertheless, not proud of that and hope to do much better on this road trip ...

Thanks all for the recommendations. Bit daunted by the 17hrs from LAX - SEA before heading 30hrs east but it's the journey and not the destination that I'm pining for.

Otter74 · 04-23-2021, 09:04 AM

Why not break up LAX-SEA into two days, then? That would make it a lot more enjoyable for being less rushed.

Glenfield · 05-27-2021, 02:57 PM

Thanks for all the recommendations fellas. Convinced a mate to meet me in Portland and we’re going to go the big lift home together. Looking fwd to it.
- Leg 1: Los Angeles to Monterey then on up to Portland (but probably inland via Crater Lake). Aim to do that in 3 days
- Leg 2: Portland to Coer D’Alene then a bit of Highway 2 action into Glacier National Park. Will then head South to Devils Tower, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore before cruising to Chicago.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a place to store the car for a week in Portland? Need to break up the trip and return to Chicago in between.

QueWhy · 05-27-2021, 05:58 PM

I bought my 911 in Denver and drove it back to central OR. Plenty of awesome roads and scenery between those two places.

QueWhy · 05-27-2021, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Thanks for all the recommendations fellas. Convinced a mate to meet me in Portland and we’re going to go the big lift home together. Looking fwd to it.
- Leg 1: Los Angeles to Monterey then on up to Portland (but probably inland via Crater Lake). Aim to do that in 3 days
- Leg 2: Portland to Coer D’Alene then a bit of Highway 2 action into Glacier National Park. Will then head South to Devils Tower, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore before cruising to Chicago.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a place to store the car for a week in Portland? Need to break up the trip and return to Chicago in between.

If you are going LA to Portland avoid I-5 at all costs. Either go up the coast or go inland.

Otter74 · 05-28-2021, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Thanks for all the recommendations fellas. Convinced a mate to meet me in Portland and we’re going to go the big lift home together. Looking fwd to it.
- Leg 1: Los Angeles to Monterey then on up to Portland (but probably inland via Crater Lake). Aim to do that in 3 days
- Leg 2: Portland to Coer D’Alene then a bit of Highway 2 action into Glacier National Park. Will then head South to Devils Tower, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore before cruising to Chicago.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a place to store the car for a week in Portland? Need to break up the trip and return to Chicago in between.

What kind of place do you want to keep it in? Garage? Carport?

Glenfield · 05-28-2021, 10:59 AM

Curious about I-5. Is that from San Francisco to Portland also or just LA-SF? I’ll for sure take the coastal route to SF and if I have the legs, continue up to Cannon Beach.

Otter74, I’d prefer garage / ST storage. I was taking some liberties with the Q as I could certainly google my way to a storage spot for a week. Never know though, maybe there are some good and not so good spots.

Otter74 · 05-28-2021, 01:32 PM

I was curious because I thought I could ping a couple of friends but garages are hard to come by with houses in Portland.

gtc · gtc's Garage

What i would do:
Take 1 North out of SF.
Stop in Fort Bragg at North Coast Brewing for a barrel aged Old Rasputin.
Continue North to Leggett and take 101 up to Crescent City, then cut east on 199 to Grant's pass and Crater Lake.
From there, it's your choice to take I-5 up to Portland or the coast. Maybe some Oregonians can suggest some fun roads in between.

al lkosmal · 05-29-2021, 08:45 AM

Graham is making a very good suggestion....HWY 1 from the coast to Legget is one of the best stretches of road you can drive......one of my all time faves....

Glenfield · 05-29-2021, 08:57 AM

This is like the worlds best buffet. I’m sitting at the table salivating and wondering whether I can go back for thirds or fourths. I reckon I’ll soon have my fill. Thanks for all the suggestions. If I can put in a big lift on Thursday and get north of San Francisco, it’s game on!

QueWhy · 05-29-2021, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Curious about I-5. Is that from San Francisco to Portland also or just LA-SF? I’ll for sure take the coastal route to SF and if I have the legs, continue up to Cannon Beach.

Otter74, I’d prefer garage / ST storage. I was taking some liberties with the Q as I could certainly google my way to a storage spot for a week. Never know though, maybe there are some good and not so good spots.

I’ve driven every mile of I-5 from Blaine to San Diego, none of it is going to provide any driving enjoyment in the 911. It’s going to be the fastest way to transit North/South but if you have a the ability, find alternate routes wherever possible.

From a macro perspective you are going to find the best roads in Oregon going East/West across the costal mountains or the Cascades more inland. I would stick to the coast and cut over and back a couple times to see places and drive good roads. Crater lake was already suggested. You could go north east from there through the “Oregon outback” (very low population density and few cars) to central Oregon and from Bend you can pick one of 3 major routs back over the mountains to Eugene, Salem or Portland. Another alternative is to go straight north from central Oregon and then along the Columbia river west to Portland.

Glenfield · 06-05-2021, 12:20 PM

Thanks all for all the advice and encouragement. Started in LA on Wednesday and just pulled into Newport, OR for some fish and chips. Been glued to the coast the whole way and really without exception, have had roads to myself. Al, you get the chocolates mate. That stretch of road to Legget is incredible! It’s been all good though …

It’s been an incredibly memorable and at times, visceral experience. The coast is littered with right-left 3rd gear corners heading down to a hairpin then it’s pulling hard into 3 to 4 gear sweepers coming back up. Being able to give it full noise and hold it for an eternity is the magic of these cars. Too much engine and you lose that.

Anyone with corners, pay heed to those who tell you to add lightness and dial in brakes and suspension. I reckon I was only at 70/80% max and would need to be exceptional to extract 10/10ths from a stock 3.0L. It helps that Tyson Schmidt dialed in suspension before I set off so no question the bar got higher.

After 1000 miles I’m still buggering up double de-clutching and h/t, but also getting it right from time to time. I also stare at water pooling in the corner of my windshield wondering if I’ll see it’s remnants in a few years ….

Next leg is Oregon to Chicago but life’s trying to intervene.