Stuck on the Oregon coast

LTD2017 · May 23, 2019

Recently retired and travelling solo with 28' RV and tow and still a nervous driver. I'm looking for the easiest route from Crescent City CA to the I5 north into Oregon. All the roads from the 101 to the I5 look difficult. Not sure how difficult the 101 north is either. I came in from Grants Pass then on the 199 which was so winding I was a nervous wreck. Anyone have advice? Hwy 42, 126, 20?

Art Redmond · May 24, 2019

Been to the West coast a few times, the 101 is one of the most scenic routes I have ever seen. Take your time and enjoy the drive. It`s not as windy as the Pass, believe me the 101 along the Oregon is one you should not miss. Enjoy today who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Art

Barbaraok · May 24, 2019

First, we were all nervous the first few times we went on different types of roads. If you were able to do Highway 199 from Grants Pass, then the 101 up Oregon will be easy for you. Just take your time. There will be some curves, some climbs and descents, but none are horrific and if you travel at all in the west, that is just part of all of the different types of geography we have for one to enjoy. NO to Highways 42, 126 or 20, which are as hard, or harder than the 199 and will get you on the I-5 with the Siskyouses in front of you - - now THAT is a climb/decent that you might not enjoy!

Go north on the 101, then depending upon where you want to go, take either Oregon 38 from Reedsport over to I-5 or north of Lincoln, Oregon 18 which runs into Portland. There is US 20 from Newport over to Corvallis - not one of my favorites, but not bad.

theeyres · May 24, 2019

1 hour ago, Barbaraok said:

First, we were all nervous the first few times we went on different types of roads. If you were able to do Highway 199 from Grants Pass, then the 101 up Oregon will be easy for you. Just take your time. There will be some curves, some climbs and descents, but none are horrific and if you travel at all in the west, that is just part of all of the different types of geography we have for one to enjoy. NO to Highways 42, 126 or 20, which are as hard, or harder than the 199 and will get you on the I-5 with the Siskyouses in front of you - - now THAT is a climb/decent that you might not enjoy!

Go north on the 101, then depending upon where you want to go, take either Oregon 38 from Reedsport over to I-5 or north of Lincoln, Oregon 18 which runs into Portland. There is US 20 from Newport over to Corvallis - not one of my favorites, but not bad.

X2. Just take your time and you will be fine.

hdrider · May 24, 2019

9 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

First, we were all nervous the first few times we went on different types of roads. If you were able to do Highway 199 from Grants Pass, then the 101 up Oregon will be easy for you. Just take your time. There will be some curves, some climbs and descents, but none are horrific and if you travel at all in the west, that is just part of all of the different types of geography we have for one to enjoy. NO to Highways 42, 126 or 20, which are as hard, or harder than the 199 and will get you on the I-5 with the Siskyouses in front of you - - now THAT is a climb/decent that you might not enjoy!

Go north on the 101, then depending upon where you want to go, take either Oregon 38 from Reedsport over to I-5 or north of Lincoln, Oregon 18 which runs into Portland. There is US 20 from Newport over to Corvallis - not one of my favorites, but not bad.

Yup, those are al good roads. And as mentioned, if you made it on 199 all of the routes mentioned will be a breeze and 101 won't bother you much. Enjoy the Oregon Coast.

Kirk W · May 24, 2019

12 hours ago, LTD2017 said:

I'm looking for the easiest route from Crescent City CA to the I5 north into Oregon.

Welcome to the Escapee forums!

To go north from where you are and not return over US199, the only alternative is to travel at least some distance on US101. In order to reach 42 you will have to travel about 110 miles on US101, OR126 is 185 miles to the north and US20 is 235 miles. You have not said where it is that you wish to go so we can only guess. US101 is probably less challenging than what you just traveled over but there will be times that the visual effect may make it feel so as there are many places that you see the ocean far below you on your left side as you go north. As BarbOK has said, you already came over a road that is as difficult as any part of US101, so just relax, take your time, and enjoy the scenery.

colddog15 · May 25, 2019

If I may add .... remember you are the one driving your RV. It truly makes no difference what other drivers think or say in their vehicles. NEVER never never let anyone else push you to do something outside your comfort zone. I've lived in the PNW for over 40 years. Been on almost all roads in Oregon. 101 is a easy drive. The problem IMHO is keeping your eyes on the road because the views can be spectacular.

2gypsies · May 25, 2019

I agree that you have now driven one of the highways that we dislike.... not because of steepness but because of the constant turns. That's not fun.

101 is a very good drive. Perhaps you've been hearing or reading of Hwy 1 along the coast. 101 is not at all like that. It's a nice wide highway and not constant turns. There are many, many services - food, fuel and camp spots that are easy to get into. The state parks are awesome. Don't hesitate taking 101 north to wherever you're going. It's even a lot more pleasant than I-5!!

Depending where you're going, I'd suggest 101 north to Winchester Bay/Reedsport and taking 38 to I-5 north or if you want to take I-5 south take 38 and 138 to I-5.

If you want to do more of Oregon take 101 all the way you would even continue on 101 into Washington and take it all around the Olympic Peninsula - a beautiful easy drive.

Have fun on your adventure and remember that everyone probably starts off apprehensive about different roads and driving. Just don't stay on interstates all the time because you won't see this beautiful country.

How are you doing your navigation? By GPS? By maps? When you want to move on the next day, plan out your route by doing some research on the roads or what to see. You can Google a road number in a state and sometimes that helps. Also, try youtube.com and type in your road and state. Especially for the scenic drives there are now a lot of those roads with videos so you can do your drive beforehand. However, keep in mind that they speed up those videos so it's looks more scary than it really is. Also, a lot of them are done by motorcyclists who take those curves differently than you would. After you have your route you might want to write it out in big lettering, especially the tricky exits, etc. Then you can always pull over to regroup your plan.

If you have a lot of time and not on a fixed schedule then it can be a lot nervewracking, also. Plan for shorter driving days. Start around 8-9am and end your day around 2-3pm - even earlier if you get tired. Try not to make umpteen reservations which also puts pressure on you to get there. There are plenty of campgrounds along the way. If you end your day early it's a lot easier to get a non-reserved site. Try not to move on a weekend. Secure your weekend spot on Wed or Thurs.

It'll get easier for you. Enjoy your travels!

Solo18 · May 28, 2019

One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me when I first started out was the following: Drive at whatever speed you feel comfortable driving. Do NOT let cars behind you who are anxious to go faster push you into driving faster than you want to drive!

That advice came in handy when I encountered a long stretch of construction on I-80 west of the Nevada border in California. It was two lanes wide, but a very, very narrow two lanes wide. On one side of the road was a brand-new concrete lane that was raised at least a foot high. On the other side were those cement things they put alongside construction sites. I was terrified that my big vehicle would hit one or the other, so remembering this advice, I drove straight down the middle of the two lanes!! I blocked traffic for at least 5 miles, but I did not hit anything or blow out a tire. No one honked at me because I think they realized the difficulty I was in.

After I survived the construction area, I was able to pull off into a parking lot to catch my breath and grab something to eat and drink from the refrigerator and relax for a while.

And ditto on not driving too many miles on one day--100 is plenty at first. But it will get easier and you will feel much more comfortable as times goes on. 101 can be curvy, but it is still a lot better than those other routes you mentioned, especially 20.

JimK · May 29, 2019

You bought the RV and it is not going to get any smaller or lighter with time. You might as well just plan on getting used to 2 lane roads or start planning your trips to avoid any rural areas. Route 101 is a major well traveled route without any major issues.

Lou Schneider · May 29, 2019

This won't help your present situation, but you should consider taking some drivers training to improve your confidence in handling your RV. Otherwise you'll have to take a pass on enjoying much of what America has to offer.

Many of the roads you're concerned about driving on are routinely traveled by commercial trucks and buses larger than your motorhome without any issues. The difference is the drivers of these rigs have more experience in operating a large vehicle. For anyone who has started their driving career within the last 20 years, the first step was formal training and practice driving a large vehicle. They didn't just pick up the keys to a big rig and hit the road after a smiling salesman told them "don't worry, you'll get used to driving this baby in no time".

RV Driving School offers individual instruction at locations around the country. Their instructors are retired bus and big rig trainers, people with experience teaching men and women how to safely drive large vehicles.

Confidence while driving an RV isn't magic, or something many people can pick up by osmosis. It takes starting off with a good foundation and putting those basics into practice.

JimK · May 29, 2019

Lou has a good recommendation. Right now those 2 lane roads appear challenging and the open highway sounds better. You may change your opinion if you attempt driving through Portland on I5. Either way drive at your own comfort level and don't try to keep up with those lumber trucks on the coast or city commuter traffic.