West Coast Summer Road Trip

We're going on a road trip this summer. Two kids, two parents, and a car full of shtuff. We're driving from Marin County, California to Pt. Townsend, Washington. It'll be great. It'll be fun. I'm sure I'll lose my mind by the time we hit the Oregon border.

A house full of family and friends awaits us in Pt. Townsend. We'll have a family reunion as well as visit the free-flowing Elwha River to celebrate my late Uncle Russ and the work he did to get the two dams on the Elwha River removed. I wish he could join us. We'll drink good wine, eat fresh salmon, and laugh in his honor.

I've already made one sanity-saving decision: The dog will NOT be going with us. He's going to Grandma's house here in California. More fun for him, less dog hair and panting for me.

We're still ironing out a few details about route, stops, and number of days to drive the 830 miles. Listed below are some of the things we know we must do on our trip north.

Must Do List:
*  Visit Voodoo Donuts in Portland, OR
*  Find a good wine store before arriving in Pt. Townsend, WA (must come prepared)
*  Fish, fish, fish (the activity of fishing and the consumption of fish)
*  Explore every nook and cranny of Fort Worden State Park in Pt. Townsend
*  Remain in good spirits as much as possible

Hmmm. It appears that I need to start planning in earnest.

Please help! Here is our route map; what are some other Must Dos for us? 

Relevant Info: Our kids are 14 and 10 years old and are accustomed to staying in the car for 3-6 hours at a time. We all like good food (no Happy Meals here) and comfy beds. We can take two or three days to drive from here to there.

Our trip home will take a detour to Lake Almanor in California, and we'd like to mix up the drive a bit through Oregon. Here is the return route map that I like today. What do you think?

Our time at Lake Almanor will involve fishing, swimming, reading, eating, and drinking. I doubt I'll have any desire to get in the car and explore after so many hours of driving, but if my family does, where should they explore in Northeastern California?

Thank you, friends. I'm so overwhelmed by packing for this road trip. I think I'll grab a pint of ice cream, a good book, and go hide in my closet until we leave. (But I'll read all comments and suggestions via my phone in the dark.)

(c) Copyright 2010-2016. Erika JN Fish. Car Mama. All Rights Reserved.