My friend and I are interested in taking a road trip next summer to San Francisco from Tacoma, Washington (where we live). We know this is a long drive and she will be 17 and I will be 16 at the time. It's possible our last summer together as she will be a senior the following year and will be preoccupied with college the following summer. Do you think this is safe? We would stay on I-5 the whole way and I have a friend who manages a hotel near SF so that would be our ultimate destination. Also, how long would it take to drive to San Fran from Tacoma? Since its about 8 to Ashland, Oregon, I was thinking 16 hours?
2006-08-12 16:27:16 · 8 answers · asked by spuget 2 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ San Francisco
We'd call every hour, never pick up hitchhikers and the only place we'd pull over at is a restaurant. We'd probably go leave early in the morning, go to breakfast in Portland, lunch in a norcal city, etc.
2006-08-12 17:14:17 · update #1
784 miles: 11 hours, 8 minutes http://maps.yahoo.com/dd_result?newaddr=&taddr=&csz=Tacoma%2C+WA&country=us&tcsz=San+Francisco&tcountry=us
I wouldn't let my 16 year old go without an adult. But if you do go, keep the cell phones charged and call home often and on a schedule (like every 2 hours), letting them know where you are.. That way, if anything does happen to you and you can't call for help, at least someone at home will know you're in trouble when they don't hear from you, and they'll know about where to start looking for you based on what they know from your last call. Don't do any "good samaritan" deeds by picking up hitchhikers or helping someone whose car broke down. And when you have to pull over, do it where there are lots of people and don't give any details to anyone on what you're doing - i.e., where you came from, where you're going, and that the two of you are travelling alone.
2006-08-12 17:05:21 · answer #1 · answered by TrippingJudy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's feasible. I-5 is a straightforward and mostly very safe drive. There's a short mountainous section along the Oregon-California border (Mt. Ashland and Mt. Shasta), but it shouldn't pose much of a challenge if you give the big rigs enough room to operate.
I did Seattle to San Francisco in 13 hours. I'm sure it can be done a bit faster from Tacoma. Though if you intend to spend a couple of hours in Portland, I imagine it could easily be 16+ hours total. Do keep in mind also that freeway speed limits in Oregon (55-65) are considerably lower than either Washington or California (65-75).
California law stipulates that a person 18 years or older must co-sign for you when checking into a hotel. In this case, that person would be your manager friend, so that's apparently not an issue.
Take the same safety precautions in Portland and especially in the San Francisco Bay Area as you would in Seattle (standard big city "street smarts"), and it should be fine.
2006-08-13 01:35:18 · answer #2 · answered by SFdude 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a 22 year old woman now I can tell you that what you are planning is a horrible idea. I know that it seems like it will be fun and you are only "young once" but sweetie i've been there and too many things can and will go wrong. It's never safe for 2 girls to travel anywhere long distance alone. If you were to break down on the side of the road do you have any idea what could happen to you. Or even just stopping for gas..b/c u will have to do that a couple of times. Please just for your own safety and the safety of your friend re-think the whole situation. And by the way what do your parents have to say about this??
2006-08-12 23:36:10 · answer #3 · answered by 1cutecowgirl17_84 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you sound like you know how to be safe. The usual applies - don't stop to help people on the road. Don't hang out with strangers etc. Get an AAA card that is "plus" so you can be towed 100 miles if need be.
My mom let me and my sister travel to NY and stay near Times Square alone when I was 17 and she was 16 which was a big adventure. We knew it was scary so we were extra safe and it was great. So just keep your smarts about you.
2006-08-13 01:25:41 · answer #4 · answered by roadtrippergirl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Start address:Tacoma, WA
End address:San Francisco, CA
Distance:784 mi (about 13 hours 56 mins)
It should be a very safe drive on I-5
2006-08-12 23:35:00 · answer #5 · answered by jit 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you could so do the drive in a day start out early in the morning so you wont have to drive when it is dark. I hope you guys have a blast. Make sure to take lots of pictures and buy stupid souvenirs for everyone at home. you guys should take more people with you. it would be more fun.
Dont listen to the person above me. If you break down just call triple A. You guys have cell phones. everything should be fine.
2006-08-12 23:38:38 · answer #6 · answered by princess sparkel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I measured it to be 783 miles on google Earth only on I-5 and at an average speed of 65 miles per hour it would be 12 hours, at 75 miles per hour it would be about 10 and a half hours. You should be safe as long as you don't crash.
2006-08-12 23:41:44 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure it's safe as long as you guys are smart (no talking to creepy strangers, no picking up hitchhickers, etc)
Have fun!
2006-08-12 23:32:42 · answer #8 · answered by Cyn90 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋