Exotisch

Hello,

I am planning to ship my car to LA (hopefully PEC - checking to see if they will receive it) and then going on a 10 day drive.... thinking all the way to Portland which would be 1250 miles so approx 125/day on avg or a couple hours per day on the road. I like photography, food and interesting less touristy stops incl. perhaps some Porsche/Car related visits etc. My wife would like a couple spa stops etc. My initial inclination was to hug the coast all the way up but perhaps you folks in California Oregon have some good suggestions? When we get to our destination I'll have the car shipped back to Texas. I could do the trip the other way as well and start in Portland. This trip will be in July when my daughter leaves for camp. Thank you in advance for any good ideas.

Miamirice

TexasPorschelover

Great tips. Would you perhaps do San Fran to Vancouver and spend more time along the way?

Exotisch

I have heard that and that its fairly desolate. Did you have any issues finding fuel etc?

Randy M

Years ago I picked up a sport touring bike in Simi Valley and rode it back to Portland. It only took me two days and stayed with a friend in Santa Rosa. If I were you I'd stay in Ojai overnight after picking up your car. I'm sure there's some spa places/wellness/theraputic etc where they'll charge you 500 bucks to put rocks on your wife's back. The next morning take Hwy 33 through the Los Padres Nat'l Forest. Great road with zero traffic when I was on it. Then maybe make your way to San Luis Obispo or Avala Beach for your second night. Have fun, I love road trips

waiting for PDK

I was lucky enough to do a very similar trip a few years back. Paso Robles is a fun alternative to the Napa/Sonoma wineries and not far from Hearst Castle. Ferndale is a good base for visiting the Redwoods. Northern California can be pretty quiet, though you're nowhere near having to worry about running out of gas. Since it will be July, don't even try Canon Beach or other coastal places without a reservation. The Big Sur coast is beautiful, though you'll spend as much time looking at the back of a Winnebago as admiring the scenery. (It's not a 991 in the photo, but this isn't really a 911 question and the 928 was a fantastic road tripper.)

Jim137a

Hula

Be sure to take your obligatory driving through a tree pic in Leggit, CA.

kellen

Did the trip from Seattle to San Diego roundtrip, hugging the 1/101 as much as I could. Just packed a bag, no reservations. Used the hotel tonight app for a room every night.

I wouldn't worry about gas, there are abundant places to fill up. My problem was I didn't want to drive at night, but wanted to explore the places during the day. I think your plan of doing 2 hours per day with time to explore is perfect.

Make sure the 1 is open the whole way, Big Sur was closed when I did it.

My recommendations would be when driving north in order would be:
LA: Peterson museum has The Porsche Effect. Get the extra Vault tour.
Porsche Experience Center. Can rent 911's to take on the track.
Malibu: Malibu kitchen, great sandwiches.
Santa Barbara
Hearst Castle. Make reservations for the tour. You can go to the visitors center but not the house, gardens or pool without paying for the guided tour.
Monterey
Half Moon Bay: Ritz Carlton. Even if you don't stay there they have an outside bar with a fire pit. Its gorgeous, right on the ocean.
San Francisco

North of San Francisco I took the one, was a beautiful drive but nothing worthy of stopping by. Stayed at a random hotel.

Newport Beach
Lincoln City: Has a casino (cheap to stay and entertainment)
Glass blowing center
Tillamook: Home of the cheese factory. They give tours. Try the curd!
Cannon Beach: Haystack rock is fun to look at.
Astoria: Small town to stay in a B/B, walk around.
Portland: I like the Kimpton hotels. Good place to walk around.
If whiskey fan try Multnomah Whiskey Library. Amazing selection. Make reservations.

Have fun!

Miamirice

2010panny4S

I drove from SF to Portland Oregon, Camas Washington a couple years ago, went 10 hours or so straight without issues when I had my Panamera 4S. Was a comfortable ride. Funny to see when in California everything is pretty much dry or brown, as you literally hit the state line to Oregon, everything turns nice lush green. Oh yeah and big thing, roads are nice and NO freaking potholes or garbage within Oregon or Washington. Love driving there.

Just be careful on the state line, I can't remember whether it was from Oregon back to Cali state line few miles before it, crap load of Highway patrol lurking.

jungkim1234

I did the same drive last December. Lots of great tips above. Definitely do the Peterson, especially since they have the P car exhibit and do the vault tour. I'd recommend buying in advanced. The restaurant there was surprisingly good for lunch, I was expecting overpriced hot dogs.

The PEC is a must do (was unfortunately closed the one time if year right when I was there). BMW has one too near Palm Springs as well.

Since you're into photography I would definitely recommend Monterrey, and the 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach. The whole coast is very scenic, but there are lots of things nearby and great spots for pics of your new baby. Tons of other places along the coast for photo ops.

Napa is an obvious wine destination, but the Willamette Valley up in Oregon is as well if that's your thing. A few nice spas up here as well.

Have fun!

P991GTS

These are the spots I highly recommend. Google maps picks the fastest routes so adjust as preferred. It also limits the number of destinations, so I grouped them in two separate trips.
First (Link)
Second (Link)

Here are some pictures from when we went to the following:
Redwoods (Link)
Point Reyes (Link)
Tomales Bay (Link)

Although not on the maps, if you want to go through Los Olivos & Solvang, there are wineries and a motorcycle museum (Link) (appointment needed)
The Ojai Valley Inn has a great Spa (Link)​​​​​​​

You are going to have a memorable trip on your Porsche!

MCM

I agree and second the suggestions above. I'll add, 1) Instead of immediately heading north from LA, drive south, 50 miles to Orange County Beach area, catch PCH (1) in Huntington Beach and drive from there to Newport Beach. Stay at a hotel near Fasion Island in Newport (shopping and dinning) your wife will love this. From here you can drive to Balboa Island, Corona Del Mar, Laguna beach and San Juan Capistrano. All within 20 mikes. Beautiful walk and picture opportunity along the cliffs at Laguna Beach and Balboa Island. Newport Beach has lots of eye candy too, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Shelby, McLaren dealers all within a couple miles on PCH.
2) Second day, proceed north from Newport Beach, hook back with PCH near Malibu beach. follow that to Pismo Beach, Stay at Kon Tiki Inn on the beach in Pismo. From Pismo you can drive the short 12 miles to San Luis Obispo. If your in SLO on Thursday, they have the best Farmers market in Southern California, starting around 5:00PM. Lots of great food and entertainment.
3) Sonoma and Napa wineries are beautiful. I would spend a day there and tour a couple including some wine caves.

raidersfan

It depends! Do you want to travel the coast (beautiful if nice this time of year, otherwise dreary) or drive through the inland mountain ranges and high desert? Oregon has some amazing back roads in both places. You won't see a soul out in Eastern Oregon, but wow, the terrain and roads are superb. This time of year, snow can be an issue. HWY 101 in Oregon can be packed with traffic in the summer.

Edit; I see you are here in July.

I would recommend seeing part of the Oregon Coast, and then heading over the mountains and seeing what North Central Oregon and Eastern Oregon have to offer. Even take a trip out to Walla Walla wine country. The loop up to Blue Mountain and back down on the forest service road is a fun technical route. The Columbia Gorge historic highway 30 route is incredible. There are a ton of fun driving roads on the Columbia Plateau wheatlands up through Heppner, and down into the Fossil-Antelope-Mitchell area (which some of you may know from the documentary Wild Wild Country). South Central Oregon and Southeastern Oregon are fairly boring (it is one big flat plain; the area filled in with ash due to Mt. Mazama and other volcanic activity), and I wouldn't recommend spending much driving time down there, outside of Steens Mtn, which isn't a sportscar friendly road. Ashland has great driving roads, as does Roseburg, and both are in wine country (hot areas for Oregon, more of a hot summer Mediterranean climate). I would skip the tourist-trap Napa-Sonoma wineries and spend time in SLO-Paso Robles in CA, and up here, in Ashland, Roseburg, and even Elkton (River's Edge is incredible).