Hey frens, my parents are from CO and are road tripping through WA and OR (ugh) and are currently in Newport OR. I'm keeping in touch with them and they planned to stay until Monday. Their trip is obviously pretty much ruined. They are considering leaving early and I am trying to see what would be their best way home or if they should just wait until Monday.
I thought that going up the coast and before Astoria taking 26 into north portland to make it to i-84.
Really don't want them to go anywhere near Salem or Eugene and even Portland is pushing it. Guys help do you have any good ideas?
God Speed 🙏🐸
Thanks lad 👌
Stay away from Lincoln city. I think I-5 up to I-84 would work. Altho' that takes you thru the edge of Portland to get on 84.
Yes, I did leave that part out. It's hard to say what will work, if anything, without being there on the scene.
exactly. my aunt was just there, and it took days to get out. you just dont know what roads are going to be closed.
I know that 22 East was closed yesterday at Stayton, so no going to Bend that way. It's best to just get online and look-up the traffic websites, Oregon DOT etc, for more info about what's open. Some will have cameras.
On tripcheck.com as of today shows highway 20 is clear from Newport to Bend so im hoping it stays that way.
Lincoln city is full of people being evacuated from nearby towns, most heavily from the town of Otis which just burned completely. no vacancies anywhere. walmart parking lots are opening up to people who need to camp.
but my aunt, who was just there, they did make it out it was just extrememly slow and stressful.
If it were me, I would ask a lot of locals if it would be better to try to cut across on the 18 or the 20. ESP ask local LEO's and firefighters which is a better option, they have up to the minute info.
Turn East and head to Yellowstone.
I’m in Eugene and the air is terrible here. Hazardous really. But no matter where they go East they will have to pass through some bad air. There’s no way around it.
Although the quickest route would just be head East to Bend then further East to Ontario, because they can cut through the closures. But They have to go through both Albany and Bend, which have near and above 500 AQI.
However if they go south on the coast, which still has bad air quality, it’s not anywhere nearly as bad. Then they can either head East from Florence and then go to Eugene (this route also near 500 AQI but dissipates quicker further SE you get), then go SE to Winnemucca (which has had excellent air quality the past few days!)
Or they could go all the way down to Coos Bay then East to Roseburg, then SE. but I think this would increase driving time significantly.
As well as I can tell on this device, the biggest fires are east of the coadtal range, and much less all along the coast, even to Yreka. At this time I wouldn't want to be going east over any of the routes, they all have long stretches through forests along rivers where there is no way to get off. I would go on the Coast highway as far south as possible.