Newby in Washington State

[Jansprout]

Hello, Jan here,
I live in the rainy state of Washington, am going to be 61 next month and plan to escape work and darkness to come on down for my first RTR!!  I am a lover of camping and have done so my whole life.  Have to start taking breaks from the darkness each winter and see some blue sky, and also plan to investigate how I would like to live my "traveling" years on a limited income.
  Any and all suggestions for first timers invited!  I will either be arriving with just my little diesel Liberty, or possibly towing and old 71 Shasta Compact, please feel free to offer opinion on which might be the best for my first trip.  Also, anyone with experience coming down from Oregon or Washington in the winter might offer valued information on which route would be best.  Hope to not have to take I-5 all the way to LA
Thanks in advance!
           Jan

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard Jan!
Happy Trails

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Jan to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. for sure come to RTR lots of good info to be had. highdesertranger

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum    

I'm sure you'll enjoy the nomadic way of life with the others here.

 

[Suanne]

Hi Jan,

Welcome to the forums.  I'm also in Washington.  I've been heading south for the winter for the past 6 years.  Although I prefer the slower, less traveled routes, I stick to I-5 in the winter.  Being an interstate it's typically better maintained during inclimate winter conditions than the secondary roads.  Plus, the temperatures are usually warmer than the highways further inland.  

US Hwy 101 could be another option, but not with snow, ice or stormy weather IMO. 

I typically go all of the way down to the LA/OC area to visit with family and friends before going east to AZ.  If I didn't have those folks, I'd probably head east at Bakersfield over [font=Roboto-Regular, HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif]Tehachapi Pass (Hwy 58).[/font]

[font=Roboto-Regular, HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif]BTW I'm just a year older than you, turning 62 next month ... Social Security here I come![/font]

[font=Roboto-Regular, HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif]Hope to meet you at the RTR.[/font]

[font=Roboto-Regular, HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif]Suanne[/font]

 

[sephson]

Welcome aboard Jansprout!

I've got some family up the Puyallup area. I try to get up there periodically for a visit, but I don't get up there anywhere near as often as I'd like.

I'm sure you'll find CRVL a welcoming and helpful place. Enjoy your time on the forums.

 

[Jansprout]

Hi Jan,

Welcome to the forums.  I'm also in Washington.  I've been heading south for the winter for the past 6 years.  Although I prefer the slower, less traveled routes, I stick to I-5 in the winter.  Being an interstate it's typically better maintained during inclimate winter conditions than the secondary roads.  Plus, the temperatures are usually warmer than the highways further inland.  

US Hwy 101 could be another option, but not with snow, ice or stormy weather IMO. 

I typically go all of the way down to the LA/OC area to visit with family and friends before going east to AZ.  If I didn't have those folks, I'd probably head east at Bakersfield over [font=Roboto-Regular, HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif]Tehachapi Pass (Hwy 58).[/font]

[font=Roboto-Regular, HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif]BTW I'm just a year older than you, turning 62 next month ... Social Security here I come![/font]

[font=Roboto-Regular, HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif]Hope to meet you at the RTR.[/font]

[font=Roboto-Regular, HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif]Suanne[/font]

 

[ArtW]

Is the tow rating of the Liberty significantly higher than the trailer's weight? In that case I'd bring the trailer, but still do a setup in the liberty, and try spending a week in both, while there, that'd give you an idea whether the on or the other would be preferable
I'm seriously considering renting a van once I'm there, so i can try my truck with shell vs a van

 

[towhee]

I've done the "bomb down I-5 to get to RTR" twice now. Always late and in a hurry.

From Corvallis, Oregon I can pretty easily get to around Corning, CA in the first day. It's worth going all the way as Temperatures climb 10 degrees once you hit the Central Valley. I've stayed at the Petro truck stop in Corning. Also at the casino just north of Williams. Next night at a Flying J in Bakersfield. Or at the Harris ranch near Coalinga. Then it's a longish day to Ehrenberg or Quartzsite. I've done 58 through Bakersfield and Barstow and also 210 through the LA area. I prefer 58. Colder temperatures but less traffic.

 

[Nelda]

Jan,
Where in Washington state are you?
When we head south, we use I-5, 101 and 99 depending on weather.  There are so many places one can spend the night so I won't list them.  Send me a private message and I would love to help you.

Nelda

 

[Suanne]

When I'm on my way to someplace, I'll use rest areas and Walmart parking lots as a place to overnight and sleep. My first night of travel south from the Seattle area is typically spent at a southern Oregon rest area. My second night has been less consistent, but the further south you go, the less likely the Walmarts allow overnight parking. As towhee mentioned, I've also stayed in the Harris Ranch parking lot. By the 3rd night I've reached the home of a friend or family member.

I would definitely take Nelda up on her offer of help. She is the queen of finding good places to camp!

 

[Nelda]

Jan, you seem to have your private messages disabled.  I wrote you a long note but it won't go through until  you change your setting.  Hope to talk to you soon.

 

[TrainChaser]

Weather permitting and adding about 250 extra miles, you could bypass CA almost completely by going through Utah on I-84 and I-15 (basically).  I like to see new country, myself, and dealing with SoCal (where I grew up) is not appealing.

Head south on I-5 to Portland, then go east on I-84 through the Gorge, and stay on it through Boise, ID, past Twin Falls, and then veer south (staying on I-84) into Utah;  I-84 eventually changes it's name to I-15 near Tremonton, UT (same pavement,  no turns), and follow that south to Las Vegas.

In Las Vegas, turn off I-15 south onto I-515 and go about 22 miles to where it becomes State Route 93, then turn south onto State Route 95 about 2 miles further.  Follow SR 95 south through the desert for about 185 miles until you hit Interstate 10, get on I-10 and head east. You cross into AZ after 2 miles, and there's Ehrenburg (just a truckstop, not a real town) right across the border/river.  18 miles further, you're in Quartzite, get off at Exit 19 for the RTR.

If you want to go in this direction, I would strongly urge you to stick to the major Interstate freeways for safety and facilities in winter.  This does not apply so much when you get to southern NV and AZ.

Some people will look at this route on a map, and say, "Why not take SR 95 south from the OR/ID border, or SR 93 south from Twin Falls, ID?  The answer:  Winter facilities are few and far between.  Some of those 'towns' on those roads are virtual or actual ghost towns.  If you break down, you will need a cell tower within reach, need to know your exact GPS location, and you're gonna have a heck of a tow bill.

In the 750 miles or so between Ontario, OR and Las Vegas, there is Fallon, NV (pop. 8,600 if you include the Naval Air Station) or Tonopah, NV (pop. 2,500 if the mine is operating in winter). In the 500 miles between Twin Falls, ID and Las Vegas, the largest town is Ely  (pop. 4,000).