jennifer911

Alz, we are down in Southern California now (also on summer tires, the temp was in the 90s here in Palm Springs a few weeks ago). We will be heading north through Seattle and back to Vancouver at the beginning of January, so be sure to wave as we pass each other on the road.

Your trip heading south is pretty easy, just keep an eye on the advance weather forecast. As you know a cold front can blow into the normally temperate Pacific Northwest bringing low temps and a touch of snow. If you can delay your trip a bit any snow is washed away by the seasonal rains that bring higher temperatures to flush away any slushy conditions. If you take i5 south the only high spot is the Siskiyou pass at the Oregon California border, it's only 4300 feet but can have some nasty weather. Our usual plan is to pause at Grants Pass Oregon to check weather and decide on a alternate route. The best way to avoid the pass is to take highway 199 (the Redwood highway) southwest from Grants Pass to Crescent City on the ocean and the coastal route south. Highway 199 stays low in the river valleys avoiding the bad weather getting you safely to the warmer coast.

If you have the time take the coastal route (my favourite) all the way. Just head west once you're past Olympia Washington. Last year we ran the Siskiyou pass going north in December. The pass is always cold over night, but warms up at midday. Starting up the beginning up the climb I could see the snow on the high mountain peaks. As we got higher, the snow was in the forests above us. At the top of the pass the snow (from the previous week) was on the shoulder of the roadway, but the driving lane was bare and dry. The temp was in the mid/high 30s, but from watching the tire pressure gauge we could see that the tires still had some heat in them, so we sailed over with ease. We have an all wheel drive 911 so that gives us a tiny bit more latitude.

Noah Fect

I wouldn't blow off Chris C.'s advice (or jennifer911's for that matter) but I'd note that these cars were born to deal with much harsher winter climates than anything the continental US typically throws at them. Easing off on the loud pedal will get you far in life, or at least down the mountain.

The Fat Kid

Buy a winter setup from the RL classifieds. Enjoy the trip to LA. Sell winter setup for a little less than what you paid.

I just did a drive on PA4s with temps in the mid-40Fs and they handled dry roads pretty well, or at least better than how summer tires handle snow

cringely

Jennifer911's comments mirrored my own experience returning to San Diego from Portland a few years ago. Lovely drive until I hit the OR-CA border to find a mild snowstorm. Even though my 911SC Targa didn't have PSM or any other driving aids, judicious steering got me through the pass without any drama. A 991 should be much more comfortable.

BTW, the CHP in the Mt. Shasta area will assume that—just because you are driving a Porsche—you are exceeding the speed limit.

abrasive

The only other thing I'd add is that yes, Hwy 1 is the way to go, but plan on making fewer miles per day than you normally would. My first trip down 1, on a motorcycle, I was pretty optimistic with regard to daily miles. Those roads just aren't built for it - and that's what makes them fun.

Dave

NiteJav

If you know you can clear the weather issues in southern Washington state and Oregon, get south of San Fran, and cruise out past Laguna Seca and then hit the PCH all the way down to Santa Monica. I did that drive once in my A8 and it was amazing. Make sure you do not start the PCH any later then lunch time or else you might be doing some of it in the dark, which is the opposite of fun. Enjoy the scenery!

alz

Thanks for all the tips and comments. We're going to try and figure out an itinerary that works (Hwy 1 sounds like way to go); company has some guidelines about doing at least 350 miles a day, which shouldn't be too hard given the distance.

jennifer911: super helpful thanks, we'll be in a white 991 if we do the drive, targeting the weekend of 6-7 Jan

jennifer911

Hey Alz, we have to give up our rented house in Palm desert on Jan 1 so ideally that will be our start date. The Pacific Northwest is having an unseasonal arctic cold front right now, but it should be long gone by the time you are leaving. The long range weather forecast shows that Vancouver might still be iffy for the first few days of the new year, if so we may hold up in one of the seaside resorts for a day or two on our way up. I love Gig Harbour in your neck of the woods.

We are in a white 997, our snow tires, on their stupid centre-lock wheels are slumbering away at the Porsche specialist in Vancouver (homer Simpson DOH!). I'm going to phone from the road on our way to make an appointment to have them put on the minute we hit town.

As you can see from the photo above we like the path less traveled. Although, if you enlarge the picture you can see by my face I was less than pleased by being on this unknown dirt road, high up in a desert pass (with the low fuel light on) and no idea when we would see pavement again.

I'll pm you when we leave, so depending on the day we leave, maybe we can meet on the road.

fuddman

Don't sweat the weather. Here's what you need to do.
Take the coast route to Jenner then 116 to Sebastopol then 12 to Santa Rosa. Stay on 12 and hit the wine country, Kenwwod, Glen Ellen, Sonoma. Get to Napa. Stick with 12 to Faifield and Rio Vista and get to 5. Take 5 to by pass the SF bay Area which is nothing but a uniform traffic jam. Take 5 to Pacheco Pass, 152. Take 152 then switch to 156 and head for San Juan Bautista and 101. On 101 get to Salinas then find 68 to Monterey and 1. On 1 Head south to San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria. Before Santa Maria get on 166, head for Maricopa, Mettler and 5. Head south on 5 to destination.
Or you can do beautiful 101 south all the way from Santa Maria and the hell with the traffic in Santa Barbara and beyond.