Sunday at the seashore?

My husband and I are planning a long weekend in Portland (November 8th - 13th) and we were thinking about renting a car early Sunday morning and driving to the coast. We were hoping to spend the day exploring and then spend the night in some motel or B%26amp;B before returning to PDX the following day to catch our flight home at 2:11 pm.

I realize that actual driving times can be deceiving when you%26#39;re just looking at the road atlas, so I%26#39;d appreciate some practical advice.

If we pick up our car in downtown Portland by 9 am and immediately head out of town, how far south on 101 do you think we should go to get a nice taste of the scenery before stopping for the day? We%26#39;d like the chance to do a little beachcombing for a few hours and to have a nice dinner before crashing for the night. And we%26#39;re really not the ';tourist trap'; sort of travelers, so the quieter our final destination, the better. Also, is it safe to assume that we could make it back to the airport in Portland by, say, noon on Monday? What route would you recommend we take for the speediest trip back to the city?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sunday at the seashore?

Found a great rate at the Surfrider in Depoe Bay for Sunday night, so here%26#39;s what I was thinking:

We leave Portland in the morning and drive to Florence via the I-5, arriving in time for lunch and a quick look around. We then take a leisurely cruise up the 101 to Depoe Bay, stopping to ';ooooh'; and ';aaaaah'; whenever appropriate. After a night at the Surfrider, we%26#39;re up early the next morning and headed back to PDX by the quickest route available....whatever that might be.

Is this a sound plan? What time would we need to leave Depoe Bay to make it to the airport by noon? And what return route would be best?

Naturally, if you have a totally different itinerary to suggest, I%26#39;d be interested to hear from you!

Sunday at the seashore?

You did well without our suggestions; hwy 101 between Florence and Depot Bay offers lot of ';ooohing and aaaahing'; opportunities.

But you might want to pick up the car on Sat. so you can get an early start on Sun. The drive to Florence is close to four hours. Depot Bay back to Portland is probably somewhere around three.

From downtown Portland to Eugene will take 2-2.5 hrs depending on traffic in the Portland area. From I-5 in Eugene to Florence via Hwy 126 is about 1.5 hrs, maybe a little longer due to construction at the I-5/ Beltline interchange. This is w/o any stops. On a good day I can make it from here to PDX in just over 3 hrs w/o breaking too many laws!!

Florence to Depoe Bay is 1.5 hrs w/o any stops. Trust me, you%26#39;ll be stopping plenty!! The only problem I have with your plan is driving north on Hwy 101 puts you at a bit of a disadvantage as far as having to cross the highway, at sometimes dangerous spots, to get to the better views and attractions. BE CAREFUL!!

Den

where are you staying in PDX. or better where will you rent and return car?

Agree with opther poster get car day before. so you are in charge of when you leave. not rental place.

I make Depoe Bay to Tigard trip regularly takes two hour most times 30 mins from our house to airport on a good day. I would plan on 3 hours to airport maybe a little less

You may be better to take OR-22 into Salem and catch I-5 north to I-205, a bit longer but you miss Dundee Newberg, Sherwood and Tigard which can take a while on some days

We%26#39;re staying at the International Hostel downtown and planned on renting a car at the Hertz place at 330 SW Pine. Mainly, we were hoping to avoid a parking nightmare on Saturday night by grabbing the car on Sunday morning. Any idea what the on-street parking situation is like around 18th and Glisan? We really don%26#39;t want to spend $20 to stash the car in a ramp overnight.

On Monday, we were going to return the car at the airport, rather that dropping it back downtown and having to take the train to PDX. Our flight back home departs at 2:11pm, as I mentioned in my previous post.

We%26#39;re totally flexible on all of these plans, however, which is why I%26#39;m asking about the best way to go. I haven%26#39;t made any reservations yet but I%26#39;d like to take care of that before we leave home on Wednesday.

Oh, and we don%26#39;t necessarily have to do the Florence - Depoe Bay thing either. We could just as easily head to Cannon Beach and just hang out there for the day. My only concern about that plan was that it would be overly pricey and a bit more touristy that we like. But what the heck do I know? You folks are the experts. And I await your pearls of wisdom....

There is no place on the coast more ';touristy'; than Depoe Bay. It is much smaller than Cannon Beach and Seaside, but just as touristy, mainly due to the HUGE timeshares on the north edge of town.

IMHO, the coast from Newport to Florence has some of the best scenery. This is not to say it%26#39;s not beautiful on the north or south coast. I might suggest you reverse your proposed itinerary and take either hwy 26 to hwy 6 into Tillamook and head south, or probably a better bet, drive I-5 south to Salem, then take hwy 22 to hwy 18 and on to Lincoln City. From there you can toodle south on hwy 101 to Yachats and spend the night at the Adobe, Fireside or Overleaf (all nice but the Overleaf is the nicest). From Yachats it%26#39;s about 40 minutes to Florence, This will put you on the west side of hwy 101 and you won%26#39;t miss as much, plus it%26#39;s TONS safer.

Den

Thanks for the help, Den. I%26#39;ve booked a room at the Overleaf (with a fireplace, to dry our soggy heineys!) and we%26#39;ll be picking up our car on Saturday (the guy at the hostel assured me that we%26#39;d have no trouble finding a place to park overnight).

Anyone have advice on our return trip to the airport. If we%26#39;re cruising into Portland on the I-5 at around noon on Monday, are we going to be stuck in a traffic jam? How much time should we budget to get from Salem to the airport? And snarly spots in particular that we should watch out for?

Noonish is a great time as far as traffic. Unless there is an accident, it should move pretty well. Coming from Salem to the airport is an easy, straight shot. Just go up I-5 and get off at I-205, and it will take you right to the airport. If it is raining, allow a bit more time since traffic tends to slow a bit with that, but otherwise I would allow about 1 hr 15 minutes from Salem to the airport.

Monzie,

I think you%26#39;re gonna LOVE the Overleaf. Make sure and walk the Historic 804 Trail right out in front. Look forward to a trip report after you return home.

Den

Heavy rains, river floods, high tides... better check back here, Monzie, to find out latest conditions. Also, Dept. of Highways.