Maiden Voyage from TX to OR in March - Help!

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Jukkay

Jukkay

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2012
Posts
18
Location
Austin, TX
I plan to travel from Texas to Portland, OR around the middle of March.  This will be my first long trip and I want to avoid as much of the mountains as possible and find the easiest possible route.  I know at some point I can't get around them but I know that March can have some bad weather too.  Has anyone made this trip that time of year?  I need encouragement especially since I am new to RVing and this will be my first long trip.  I will be driving a 31' Class C gas engine.  Any advice will be appreciated.  I'm starting to get a little nervous.

Thank you,
Judy 
 
Judy,

Welcome to the Forum!

Having just made that exact trip last year, but probably not using the route you want, I have to tell you that March is going to have some iffy weather for parts of your trip and somehow you have to get west of the Rockies.

Many people use I-10 out to California, then I-5 up to Oregon, but I still think you will have to watch your weather for the spring storms. As long as you are not in a big hurry, planning around that should not be an issue.

There will be some hills to pull, but nothing epic if you take your time and watch your weather. I feel sure several others who regularly travel that area will give you some additional pointers. Getting plenty of background and advice from others will make your trip less stressful.

There are numerous posts here about driving in the mountains and on that route, so using the Search feature will also deliver some good tips.

I hope you find the RV Forum a great source of information and encouragement from some really knowledgeable people. We were all rookies once!
 
I-10 to I-5 and then straigiht into Portland.  No mountain roads other than on interstate highways.    The only weather issues you might encounter would be on i-5 at Siskiyou Summit at the Oregon border and the Grapevine just north of LA; however, both of those are only at 4000 feet in altitude.  Piece of cake. ;D
 
Hi Judy

You did not mention exactly where you are starting from in Texas so I assumed Dallas. From Dallas to Portland it is about 2150 miles according to Google maps. You pass through 4 mountain ranges. To go the I-10/I-5 route would add about 250 miles to the trip and you go through two very minor mountain ranges. At 8 miles per gallon that would cost about $100 more in gas. If you travel 300 miles a day that makes it an 8 day trip. You can't predict the weather 8 days in advance out west so once you have committed to one route you can't change your mind in the middle of the trip. If it were me I would spend the extra $100 for the peace of mind. Or you could take the shorter route and if the weather turns bad you could park in an RV park till the bad weather passed, but that could easily eat up the $100 you are saving by taking the shorter route.

One other thing to consider, the I-10/I-5 route has a lot more boring scenery than the shorter route.
 
Thank you everyone for the responses.  I really appreciate the input.  I think I will go the longer route just for piece of mind.  I will have another driver so hopefully it will take no more than 4 days at the most.  We have already decided that not knowing what lies ahead of us, mainly weather conditions, we will definitely find a camp if need be and bunker down until we feel comfortable going on.  This newbie is taking no chances.  Hopefully, the mountains will not be as scary as they sound. I like the "piece of cake" comment by Carl.  That makes me feel a lot better.  And what's another $100.00 more in gas when it looks like I'll be spending a whole lot on gas anyway!!!  I'm traveling from Houston to Forest Grove. OR. 

Judy

 
Jukkay said:
Hopefully, the mountains will not be as scary as they sound.
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Have you never been out west? If not I can assure you that the mountains can even be a lot scarier than they sound.

Good choice taking the longer route. Since you are in Houston you are on I-10 already. Just remember to hang a big right in downtown LA. Make absolutely sure you plan on driving through LA during the middle of the day and not near drive time. You will probably not have any problems with the LA traffic if you go middle of the day.

And I would also suggest that if you don't own a GPS and a laptop you should get both before traveling. Both can be very valuable for finding campgrounds, checking weather, and making sure the route is clear.

Since you are starting from Houston there is only a 150 mile difference in the two routes. Only $60 in gas.
 
On the I-10/5 run you will see mountains but you will not get involved with them.  The biggest are the 11,503 foot Mt. San Gorgonio and the 10,834 foot San Jacinto Peak at the entrance to the Los Angeles area.  You will drive between them on I-10 in Banning Pass at just above sea level.  At I-5's Siskiyou Summit on the Oregon/CA border you will have a fine view of the southern most Cascade volcano, Mt. Shasta (14,179 feet.) but you will be at only 4000 feet and on an interstate highway.  Do take your camera.  :)

As a resident of the Los Angeles area let me expand at bit on Seilerbird's directions.  To bypass central LA -- and you really do want to bypass central LA -- take the I-210 (aka The Foothill Freeway, at San Bernardino.  It will take along the front of the San Gabriel Mts. to an intersection with the I-5 at the northern LA city limits.  Then north on I-5 to Oregon.    Do take Seilerbird's advice about rush hours -- make your Los Angeles transit on a Saturday a or Sunday or on weekdays between 9 am and 3 pm.

Enjoy your trip.  Actually, you will have plenty of scenery to impress you -- but only after you get west of El Paso.  ;D
 
For many years, I drove from Austin to the Portland area in my SUV 2-4 times per year.  (I like to drive.)  I could give you a dozen different routes for the trip.  Things that affected my choice on a given trip were: 1) possible weather, 2) which routes I had last taken, and 3) who or what I might like to see on the way.  Weather is number 1.  In March, I would go I-10 to California and work my way around the LA traffic.  It depends on what time you would be approaching I-5.  LA traffic is something to avoid.  Going north on I-5, you can opt for US 99 or I-5.  There are advantages and disadvantages for each.  With a motor home, I would probably take I-5 because there would be less on/off traffic.  Having said all of that, there is one other issue.  Your suggestion of a four day trip seems problematical.  I normally estimated three days (remember that was in my SUV).  That meant driving fairly long days at posted speed limits (or a little higher based on traffic).  Given what I consider reasonable motor home speeds, gas engine, and slowdowns due to possible weather conditions,  I think 5 days (if not longer) would be a better estimate.
 
Judy,

Possibly one of the things you will come to know during this trip is that long days really take the starch out of you, even when you have two drivers. I feel sure you have your reasons for taking just four days, but I think you might find that a bit aggressive.

Many of us have come to appreciate the value of limiting our travel in a day so we have some recovery time, don't have to make camp in the dark, and just generally have time to stop and smell the roses along the way.

We try to limit our repositioning to something lest than 350 miles a day or less than six hours. And being full timers, although I still work full time in the coach, that does make a difference in how you view your trips.

If you are on a deadline that obviously changes the trip planning.

Enjoy the planning and the journey! There is not just one way to enjoy your trip!
 
If the mountain passes scare you, drive them at night. What you can't see, can't hurt you. To make the trip in 4 days you'll have some night driving so take advantage of it.

Ken
 
Yes...we have decided to allow at least 5 days.  I'm not on a schedule but my daughter and granddaughter will be with me one way to OR and then they will fly back to TX.  Granddaughter will need to be back for school as this wil be her spring break.  We think it's OK for them to be in OR for just a couple of days.  We are thinking half the fun will be getting there or at least we hope so.  I did tell my daughter today she doesn't have to go...I can do it alone but they want to go otherwise I would wait until I was assured there was no snow to worry about. 

I am printing out all the info I have received here.  I so appreciate it.  And yes...I have a GPS and we all have our computers and smart phones so we will be tuned in to weather conditions at all times and like I said before, we will stop somewhere if we are uneasy about the snow and mountains.  I have a feeling that once we have been on the road that long driving this monster...it won't be as bad as anticipated...going through the mountains.

Thanks again!   

Judy
 
Jukkay said:
Yes...we have decided to allow at least 5 days.  I'm not on a schedule but my daughter and granddaughter will be with me one way to OR and then they will fly back to TX.  Granddaughter will need to be back for school as this wil be her spring break.  We think it's OK for them to be in OR for just a couple of days.  We are thinking half the fun will be getting there or at least we hope so.  I did tell my daughter today she doesn't have to go...I can do it alone but they want to go otherwise I would wait until I was assured there was no snow to worry about. 

I am printing out all the info I have received here.  I so appreciate it.  And yes...I have a GPS and we all have our computers and smart phones so we will be tuned in to weather conditions at all times and like I said before, we will stop somewhere if we are uneasy about the snow and mountains.  I have a feeling that once we have been on the road that long driving this monster...it won't be as bad as anticipated...going through the mountains.

Thanks again!   

Judy
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I think it will be a wonderful trip you all should really enjoy. If you have the freedom to stop when you're tired, and drive only during daylight, I think you'll enjoy it more.  You should have plenty of picture opportunities. 
 
Please don't over-worry our western mountains.  They're not as scary as some might have you think, given a few precautions.  It seems your route will be all on interstate highways.  If you stick to interstates you won't encounter grades any more severe than 6%.  Stay tuned to weather conditions, stop for a while if you have to, relax and enjoy the scenery.  As some have previously stated, the Grapevine and the Siskiyou Summit on I-5 are the most likely to cause you a delay.  But then again, that time of year, they could be clear and not cause a delay at all. 

Margi
 
I really hope you won't be to nervous! Your first long trip? What an adventure!! I would do as others have suggested and try to stop with plenty of daylight left to enjoy each and every day.
Take pictures, videos, keep a journal. Your daughter and granddaughter will cherish the memories as they happen and again, later via pictures etc. Let us know how it turns out!!
 
Here's another little trick from two and half years of fulltiming....every time you see a rest area, roll into it, scope it out, and if it looks good, stop for a minute! Get out, walk around and see if all the tires are still there and just stop the blur of the road! Texas actually has some very interesting little pullouts, and some even have wifi!

There's an app for your smartphones that lists all the rest stops on the Interstates, too!

The point is that breaking the motonony of driving every couple of hours really changes how you feel and how alert you are.

But a caution for ladies traveling, which is valid for all travelers - if the rest stop is not to your liking, just roll on through. Most are quite remote and you should always be aware of your surroundings. Sorry, but that's the ex-cop's version of being aware in public places.  8)

We actually make a habit of posting a picture of the rest stop on Facebook with an identifying sign so family at home can track our progress. You get a lot of "yeah, I know where that is!" That might come in handy, never know! Just have a big time and make an adventure out of it. We are all looking forward to your trip report!
 
As an ex 20 year resident of the San Joaquin Valley, which I-5 & hwy 99 run through, you need to be aware of Tule fog.  I found that if I needed to travel during Tule fog season I would plan travel for after 9 or 10 AM and would try not to travel at night if foggy.  Below is some info from Wikipedia on it.

Tule fog From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tule fog (pron.: /ˈtuːliː/) is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of California's Great Central Valley. Tule fog forms during the winter and early spring (California's rainy season) after the first significant rainfall. The official time frame for tule fog to form is from November 1 to March 31. This phenomenon is named after the tule grass wetlands of the Central Valley. Motor vehicle accidents caused by the tule fog are the leading cause of weather-related casualties in California.
Regards, Dick
 
I have my rig now and find it is not hard to drive at all.  I parked it in a local park so I can experiment a little with it before I take off on a long trip.  I am still learning about all the technicalities of running it.....mainly by watching Youtube.com videos....very educational.  I appreciate all of the advice here on this blog and feel fairly confident that the drive to Oregon is not going to be too bad.  I think the anticipation is always worse than the actual event or at least I hope that to be true.  I'm excited to be entering this new phase of my life!  Yeh!!!! 
 
Jukkay said:
I have my rig now and find it is not hard to drive at all.  I parked it in a local park so I can experiment a little with it before I take off on a long trip.
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Everyone is nervous before driving a big rig, but as you have found out it is a lot easier to drive than you would have anticipated. Good move to take a shakedown trip or two first. I know you will have a great time on your trip.
 
Developing a check list for preparing the rig for the road and then operating something that complex is an important part of the learning process. Practicing good habits keeps a lot of things from going wrong, and there are more than a few that can when your house goes down the road at 60mph.

There are several suggestions in the library and you can adapt them to your specific situation. Having properly completed a checklist will help with any travel anxiety you have because you know you dotted your i's and crossed your t's before you started. The problems that might arise afterwards are a little easier to solve then.

Getting as much experience as you can locally before your trip will pay huge dividends. Best of luck!
 
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