Recommendation - 2 wk drive from Vancouver to San Fran 06/05

I will have a chance to drive from Vancouver Cananda to San

Francisco over two weeks in late June.

 

Could any veterans of this drive or locals recommend interesting

photo locations, reasonally price accomodations, and must try

culinary adventures.

 

Many thanks in advance.

I will be shooting 120 and 120 on 4x5. Recommendation of equipment would be appreciated.

 

I have lens from 35mm to 200mm in 645 fromat and 47 to 240 for 4X5 but would likely be shooitn 6X9 or 6X12

Stick with the coastline & you'll have plenty to see & do.

 

99 south out of Vancouver. Becomes IH-5 in Washington state. In Burlington (still N of Seattle) head W on Hwy-20. Take Keystone-PortTownsend ferry onto Olympic Penninsula, continue on Hwy-20 until you hit Hwy-101. Take 101 around Olympic Nat'l Park with stops for hiking & sightseeing.

 

Continue on the coastal road Hwy 101 thru Oregon & into California. In the town of Legget, CA (Mendocino county) head off to the southwest on Hwy-1 if you're not already sick of coastline driving, and take that to the Golden Gate Bridge. Stop in Muir woods before you get to the Golden Gate if you haven't already seen enough redwoods for one lifetime.

I totally agree with the above suggestion. I will travel on highway 101 up to Olympic National Park as well. Last year I traveled north to south across Oregon on Highway 101. I think it is one of the best stretch of magnificent ocean view.

Have fun

Don't bother with driving unless you stop at 3 of the following:

 

1) Victoria (Vancouver Island).

2) Olympia.

3) Crater Lake.

4) Lassen Volcanic NP.

 

Cheers,

Yaron

Hope for clear skies, prepare for some rain.

 

 

 

The California coast portion of your trip may also include shoot weather until 1 or 2 p.m., when the Pacific coast fog rolls in. The "stuff" can get tough for shooting and/or driving in along the coast highway.

Ruby Beach in Olympic Natl. Park is a must in my book. Mt. Ranier is not too far off the path there either. Make sure you go all the way up to Paradise (highest point on the ntl park road I believe).

Samoa Cookhouse - if still there, also Lazio's (used to be a stunning value but haven't been there in years) in the Eureka/Humboldt Bay area. Expect driving Highway 1 south, on the ocean side, to be slow at times. It's not a high speed highway. Lassen isn't real close to the coast but maybe worth the effort, catch Redding, shasta Dam and the Sundial Bridge. It's not that inconvenient if you come south on I-5 from Crater lake and then catch these places and then back to the coast via Weaverville? Check road/snow conditions at Lassen, it may still have a lot of snow and limited access to some of the features (and that may be worthwhile at Crater Lake as well). Coming into northern California via I-5 versus the coast will offer views of mount Shasta, Castle Crags and Shasta Lake as well.

I think this is one of the great photographic journeys -I did nearly all of it last September; all of it in 2001; and some of it in 1998. To avoid a really long post I'm going to give ten or a dozen "must see/must photograph" locations, and a few tips on food. My suggestion is to stick as close to the coast as you can. I should also indicate that whilst my taste runs to landscape/coastal photography it also includes kind of gritty port/industrial environments.

 

San Francisco. Acatraz, and the view of the Bay Bridge from Pier 7 at dawn-which to mymind is nicer than anything I've seen of the Golden Gate. Eat Boulevard( good, expensive) Grand Cafe (good, expensive)or Mels Drive In for a diner experience.

 

Mendocino Headlands. Great seascpes and a good high vantage point for sunsets and jagged rocks. Eat -Mendocino Hotel

 

Eureka. Great harbour, gritty town with great Victorians and the odd derelict train around the place. For me, Eureka is a highlight, but it won't be for everyone.

 

Jedediah Smith Redwoods, a few miles inland from Crescent City. The best/most atmospheric of the Redwood areas

 

Samuel H Boardman State Scenic Corridor. One of the best coastal areas anywhere- my own favourites being Pistol River area early in the day and for walks on the beach, and Harris Beach at the end of the day. The Best Western at Brookings has rooms looking right onto the beach

 

Bandon is a great place for photographing sea stacks and it has a photogenic harbour and a little old Lighthouse too. A couple of days walking the beaches here is a wate of nobody's time.Stay Sunset motel in the Vern Brown addition for great views.

 

Yachats is just about my favourite little place on this coast, and the area between there and Heceta Head has a huge opportunity. Stay if you can at the Overleaf and just walk to "town" along the lowcliff-top. Good for sunsets.

 

Newport- I like on the same basis as Eureka. A gritty old fishing port with some signs of decay still around, but surprisingly good food and some photogenic beaches at Lost creek/Seal Rock.

 

Pacific Beach/Cape Kiwanda. Great Beach walks, easy climb for good photography from the Cape.

 

Cannon Beach. There's less to the town than meets the eye and to be frank I don't like the town of Cannon Beach much. I do like photographing round Haystack rock and Ecola SP though, and I like staying and eating at the Stephanie Inn though its not cheap. There are aspects of seaside- a decidedly dated odl beach town- that I prefer such as the indoor carousel and a couple of classic diners.

 

Mount Rainier. You've got to drive up there and see it- go for a walk from Paradise and hope for some early wildflowers. The Lakes are good photographically early in the day and the late sun on the Mountain and the Tatoosh (sp?) to the south can be magnificent. The downside is that the lodge at Paradise is pretty awful for rooms and food. Expensive and poor.

 

In general terms Washington impresses me less than Oregon. I prefer both Vancouver and Portland to Seattle, and I'm not a big fan of the Olympic NP, and in particular the rainforest. For me I'd not stick to the coast in this area but leave the main roads near Anacortes, take a look at La Conner, and stay on Whidbey Island to photograph around Coupeville and stay at the Captain Whidbey Inn- or just eat there. Then take a ferry to Port Townsend , a call at Port Gamble , another at Gig Harbour and the roa to tacoma and on to Mount Rainier.

 

Have a great trip.

I definitely recommend the Heceta Head lighthouse (I think that's the name of it). There's a narrow little trail behind the lighthouse that gets you to just above the top of the lighthouse. This provides a great shot of the lighthouse against the ocean. The trail isn't obvious but it's there.

 

Stop in at Tillamook to sample the wares at the cheese factory.

 

If you like architecture, consider shooting some of the bridges along 101. They were all designed by the same guy and bear a very striking style (think Gotham City).

 

Dune landscapes are possibilities as well, although I can't think of any locations in particular.

 

 

Larry

Tillamook also has a great Air Museum. Vintage military aircrafts of all kind sorts. Well kept and great photo ops. The whole OR coast is nothing but great vistas and seascapes. Otter Cove on the OR coast is also is a must. Make sure your drive down to the beach on the south of town (public parking) and take a stroll on the beach. Close to SF you will come to Tomales and Bodega Bay that worth to visit,an intresting town with good photo ops. The road from Stetson Beach to the Golden Gate provide great vistas as rises out from ocean level through Muir Woods. Take plenty of film or digital cards with you.

There are some wonderful suggestions above. So choose wisely and you're going to have a great trip. Here are my suggestions:

<p><ul>

- Victoria: harbor area, 1st nations people museum, Totem Pole park, the gardens north of the city, Salt Spring Island (for the spa)

<p>- Olympic NP: rain forest, Kalaloch, and Lake Quinault are all magical

<p>- Washington: Mt.St.Helens, drive around the mountain, it'll take a day or more

<p>- Oregon: Columbia Gorge hwy, Bandon (great off-shore rocks), lighthouses, Mt.Hood, Rogue River, any old growth forest (there's only 1% left of the original, but well worth seeking out)

<p>- California: Redwoods, Mt.Shasta, Sequoia NP, Yosemite NP

Eureka definitely has some classic Victorians, near the harbor IIRC, also the town of Ferndale is also heavily Victorian.

Lots of great state parks in No. Cal., might need to make reservations that time of year, I liked Patrick's Point a lot, and there's a restaurant (or was) called the (something I forget) Lapin that was terrific

 

Arcata is a neat little college town, between the old VWs, the clothes on the kids, and that particular "scent" in the air, I felt rather young again

Thank you all for your recommendations. This shold be a delightful getaway for us.