Moving To Anacortes, WA

Definitely no harm in waiting it out. The Weed cutoff is a very popular trucking route if the I-5 Shasta to Ashland is messed up and for traffic headed north to the eastern parts of Washington or Oregon it is a common and busy route. Both routes are pretty well taken care of as far as sanding and plowing goes. But there are folks who only like to drive freeways so you get to pick you own route. The 101 Coast route does eliminate the altitude, but is more curvy and generally slower traffic.

As to having to carry tire chains in your car, I have not heard that, but then I have always carried them in the winter and drove 4WD vehicles, no matter where. We had big snow in the PNW last night and today so it can happen. Good thing is it won't last long.

Check the weather, as stated, and enjoy the trip.

Harvey
SleepyC
 
Hi Larry, Thanks for the link. Here is the "beef"

"You must have chains or traction tires in or on your vehicle and they must be the right size for your vehicle and of sufficient number to comply with the chain laws.

You must use chains if your vehicle is rated 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW) or less and is towing. You must use chains on any single drive axle vehicle rated over 10,000 pounds GVW. Chains must also be used on the trailer or vehicle being towed as described under Minimum Chain Requirements.

You must use chains if your vehicle is towing or rated more than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW). Chains must also be used on a trailer or vehicle being towed if it has a brake that operates while in tow.

You must use chains if your vehicle is towing or is rated over 10,000 pounds GVW. Chains must also be used on a trailer or vehicle being towed if it has a brake that operates while in tow. If your vehicle is rated 10,000 pounds GVW or less and is not towing you must use chains or traction tires."
Click to expand...

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
We're sitting in Woodland, CA tonight, waiting to check the weather and push N. for Sequim at 0600. We check the web cams and reports from CalTrans, ODOT (Oregon) and WA DOT (WA) for snow and precip reports. Lots of info available and the road crews do a great job with I-5.

Drive safe and welcome to the PNW. See you at the Friday Harbor CBGT.
 
Paul.

Even though my wife and I live on the East Coast, the hard working people and town of Anacortes are truly extraordinary. While walking in the city, we moved over for a kid in a bicycle -- he smiled and said, "thank you!" They don't do that on the East Coast. And get this: after walking in the city for weeks, we found that just about everyone stops to allow us to cross city streets before we even reach the crosswalk! Are you kidding me? -- on the East Coast, everyone speeds up. People are so friendly in Anacortes, that it's like living in Wally and Beaver's town in the 1950's. Spending three weeks in Anacortes reminded us what we have lost on the East Coast: civility, courtesy, friendliness and regard for others. Congratulations on a wonderful choice for retirement.

Rich
 
Congrats on your retirement and move north from Camarillo. My wife and I lived in Camarillo for 15 years before retiring from the U.S. Navy and moving back north. We have made the trip north many times at different times of the year. The sage advice from pretty much everyone who has responded so far has warned you of the pass through the Siskiyou Mountains in northern California and southern Oregon. On our last trip north during the winter season we were driving a 1992 24 foot motor home that belonged to my in-laws. Neither my wife nor I had any experience driving the vehicle. We dutifully checked the weather forecasts and road conditions ahead of time and ensured the old "Wilderness Hilton" was ready for the road mechanically. We even had chains at the ready for the inevitable run-in with snow in the pass. Well, we sailed right through the pass with no issues and our trip appeared to be going quite well until the weather changed dramatically south of Eugene, Oregon. The temperature dropped and I-5 turned into a sheet of ice. The icy conditions extended almost as far north as Portland. We plodded along as far as we could at about 25 miles per hour dodging vehicles that apparently didn't slow down for the conditions and were now spun out into the ditches along the interstate. For safety's sake we decided to spend the night in a rest area. The following morning the roads were not much better but we did finally make it home to southern Washington without incident. The moral of the story is - watch out for changing conditions all along the route. You're not in Camarillo anymore!

Best of luck and drive safe,

Allen
 
Hi All:
It's hard for me to express how appreciative I am for all of the extremely experienced & valuable help you have all provided. This is truly a very valuable web site. Weather permitting, I hope to begin my trip up to Anacortes on Sunday (18 March). If not, my window of opportunity closes if I'm not underway by Tuesday (20 March). At that point I'll have to come up with a plan "B". (Storing vehicle & leaving later in the year.) I'll be praying to the weather Gods for a break.
Rich, you are so right about the great people in the Anacortes area. We have made 4-5 trips up there in the last couple of years & are really impressed with how nice everybody has been. Believe me, I can tell you a few wonderful stories about their friendliness & warmth! Being a Brooklyn boy, It really means a lot to me.
Roger, good luck on your trip up to Washington. Be safe!
Paul K
(805)312-2667
 
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