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Road trip to Vancouver questions

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jimmer
Posts: 3586 - Karma: 80
Howdy there,

So after I graduate next week, 3 of my friends and I are taking a road trip from here in California to the Vancouver BC area and back. Most of the trip will be on I-5. We're basically going to be camping in random spots along the way. Nothing is concrete, so we'll have lots of freedom to change things along the way if we want to go somewhere else.

Anyhow, I'm asking for any suggestions for places to see/things to do along the way. We know we're gonna spend some time in Portland, Seattle, Ashland, maybe Eugene and come home after get hanging out in the Vancouver area.

So NS, anyone got any ideas for places to hit up that are relatively near interstate 5? Thanks guys.

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May 21 2010 8:41PM
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Goosefiends
Posts: 1095 - Karma: 2,715

-SCIENCE WORLD IN VANCOUVER!

-sea lion caves (oregon coast), sooo amazing and creepy at the same time,

-sand dunes (oregon)

hope that helps

May 21 2010 8:50PM
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Jwalk
Posts: 4647 - Karma: 134
go to science world in van and across the street is this huge ice cream shop, such good ice cream and 120 flavours.
May 21 2010 9:03PM
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killa_cam
Posts: 13143 - Karma: 15
smoke weed
May 21 2010 9:04PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,143
Dude use the regionals to get suggestions about particular areas.
May 21 2010 9:54PM
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Rachy
Posts: 4355 - Karma: 2,761
well, first off, you shouldn't take the 5 to to Sacramento.... The drive is sooooooooooooooo boring. And if you need gas, its like $4 a gallon.

Take the 5 to the 101, take the 101 to the PCH N. take the PCH to San Francisco and then head east to Sacramento. WAY better drive.
May 21 2010 10:00PM
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Abc567def
Posts: 8756 - Karma: 801
you should take the extra hour and a half and drive up to whistler too, even if you don't ski its super fun to party up there
May 21 2010 10:30PM
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jimmer
Posts: 3586 - Karma: 80
awesome, thanks for the advice everyone!
May 22 2010 1:30PM
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*rkp*
Posts: 8198 - Karma: 258
THIS.
May 22 2010 3:05PM
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NaturalRotater
Posts: 433 - Karma: 36
anyone else notice in the picture seattle is above vancouver?.....
May 22 2010 3:22PM
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kstanz
Posts: 3058 - Karma: 477
thats the other vancouver in the states haha
May 22 2010 3:25PM
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joly.sp
Posts: 2305 - Karma: 585
lots of cool stuff in vancouver, sci world, planetarium, gastown, kitts beach, i also think the museum of anthropology at UBC is neat but you might not be into that.
May 22 2010 3:43PM
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jimmer
Posts: 3586 - Karma: 80
thanks! and that museum actually sounds kinda sweet
May 22 2010 3:46PM
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skier_boy26
Posts: 11295 - Karma: 502
Get off I5 - you could probably do that whole drive in a looong day on I5, which is BORING. I would probably smash along hwy 101 for a while, be it through only California or also along the Oregon coast (both of which can be sick, plenty of camping, etc). Then... you could go east and up through the Cacades (the Cascades in Washington=1000x better than Oregon). via Columbia River. Drive up past st helens, up through Mt Rainier (plenty of camping options through this part of the state), then in to Seattle and shit, up to Vancouver, and Whistler (as mentioned). Grab an Rand McNally road atlas and just go places, fuck I5.
May 22 2010 3:47PM
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jimmer
Posts: 3586 - Karma: 80
hm. i've got to think about that now. i imagined there were some cool places along I5. we're already starting near sacramento, so the shit drive through california will be about halfway done haha. and i kinda wanted to see crater lake in oregon, but i've also heard the oregon coast is sweet. so i'll consider it. thanks for the advice though!
May 22 2010 3:51PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,011
fuck highway 5. go up the coast! if you're not pressed for time, which it sounds like you're not, you'd be an idiot to just drive up the central valley of cali' and along 5 through oregon.

where in cali' you leaving from? I did a sweet route in the fall from Vegas to Vancouver, wrapped around the south end of the Sierra Nevada's (Barstow, Bakersfield, up 99) and into Sequoia National Park, from there up to Yosemite and across the pass to Mammoth area, north to Tahoe, across the state to Humbolt County and up the coast from there all the way to Washington. If you're leaving from L.A. or anywhere south it'd be easy to do the same trip, or a variation of said trip... but the Giant Sequoia's/Sierra Nevada's are really awesome, and the Redwoods on the north coast are awe inspiring. You can still hit up San Fran (if you skip Yosemite/Tahoe), Portland, and Seattle while still being able to check out Sequoia and Redwood Parks with keeping a relatively constant northerly direction going...

As I said, if you've got time to spend and want to see cool stuff along the way, why would you drive up the interstate when there's so much amazing terrain in the Sierra Nevada's and along the Coast?
May 22 2010 4:25PM
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jimmer
Posts: 3586 - Karma: 80
i'm starting in the modesto area. so i get the feeling the coastal route is good?
May 22 2010 4:35PM
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charmander
Posts: 10636 - Karma: 373
vancouver,WA
May 22 2010 4:39PM
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squibble
Posts: 4569 - Karma: 104
get some weed and go to the vaporizer lounge in vancouver, it cost 5$ to get in and use the super expensive vaporizers that get you soo high, (300 W. Hastings Street) then wander around downtown
May 22 2010 4:40PM
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jimmer
Posts: 3586 - Karma: 80
modesto being just south of stockton, about an hour south of sacramento
May 22 2010 4:40PM
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popNfresh44
Posts: 3757 - Karma: 44
yeah do this. also go ride the bike park in whistler if you ride.
May 22 2010 10:45PM
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squibble
Posts: 4569 - Karma: 104
nice icon
May 22 2010 10:49PM
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sack
Posts: 4881 - Karma: 147
coastal oregon is amazing, so definitely go that way if you have the time
I have heard good things about the redwoods in north california...not sure where those are
definitely check out science world in vancouver. sooooo much fun
i suggest 4th avenue (ski/board shops) granville st. and robson street, and main st. (hipster alert) in vancouver if you wanna go shopping
if you're into photography and hiking try stanley park, ubc, grouse mountain/the grouse grind, mount seymour, cypress mountain, lynn valley/capilano suspension bridge
if you're into skimboarding try wreck beach and spanish banks
if you're into skateboarding try the seylynn hall bowl (legendary) near phibbs exch. in north van, the metrotown park in burnaby, hastings skatepark in east van (at the PNE - hastings st. and renfrew), and check out PD's hot shop on 4th avenue near macdonald st.
pot block is around hastings and cambie.
May 22 2010 11:03PM
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jason...
Posts: 9006 - Karma: 780
If you're looking for something to do in Van like cliff jumping or something I live here and could show you a few spots. I could also hook up digits for some of that infamous BC bud yaa dig? Yeah hit me up with a PM when you're here.
May 22 2010 11:26PM
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skier_boy26
Posts: 11295 - Karma: 502
Reading this again (and actually thinking) you would be driving both ways (like you said), so get best of both worlds. One way could be mountain route through California, and up through the eastern cascades in oregon (crater lake, bend, mt hood, etc) up through cascades in wa (perhaps like i said before, through st helens, mt rainier, but you could go to the east side of the cascades after and up and over through the north cascades highway) and up to vancouver and whistler. Then head back down part of i5 till olympia or someshit, then 101 alllllll the way back down. Or add just zig zag and see and do whatever sounds cool.
May 23 2010 1:41AM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,011
I agree... if you're doing a round trip, head up on one side (the coast maybe?) and down the other side (highway 97, i think is the the highway number which goes past crater lake/bend/hood river?)
May 23 2010 3:34AM
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