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Old 07-15-2014, 11:49 AM
 
10 posts, read 14,253 times
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Just wondering if anyone has made the long haul from Chicago, or near there out to Portland? I was wondering how long the drive took? Google maps says it is 31 hours, which is usually accurate on very short trips. I do not know how accurate it may be on a trip of this length. Also, if you have made the trip, what route did you take?

My wife and I will be hitting the road on August 1st, after work, and if maps is correct, hopefully arriving late Sunday. We will have cats with us, so unfortunately we will not be able to stop at any places along the way.

Thank you
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Old 07-15-2014, 12:02 PM
 
Location: Baker City, Oregon
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With bathroom and meal breaks you should be able to average 60mph, so about 35 hours of driving time. I would take the lower route, although the upper is ok too.
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Old 07-15-2014, 12:51 PM
 
Location: Dallas, Oregon & Sunsites Arizona
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The times are right. Easy drive. I have driven it straight through, but I was a lot younger.
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Old 07-15-2014, 02:31 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
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Plan stops so that you are only driving for a period of time each day if you can, and stop at Mt Rushmore if you haven't done that yet. We made the reverse trip a couple years ago and you don't want to overdo it with the driving.
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Old 07-17-2014, 09:05 PM
 
Location: TUS/PDX
7,812 posts, read 4,523,083 times
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I've done this trip a bunch of times, although starting in Grand Rapids (so add 3+ hrs in the calculation).
I usually break it up over three days:
Day 1 ends in Des Moins/Omaha/Lincoln. YMMV
Day 2 ends in Cheyenne/Laramie
Day 3 ends in Twin Falls, ID
then on into Portland.

Obviously there's a lot of leeway, but for me the waypoints offer the best compromise of not being wiped out on any given leg and towns that offer some choice of food and lodging rather than getting stuck in a one house town.

I drive solo. If you have a copilot you could probably shave off a day and overnight in Kearny/North Platte, then SLC/Ogden.

Travel safe.
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Old 07-17-2014, 09:27 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
111 posts, read 170,991 times
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I'm doing this drive with my wife and dog in late August, but we'll be starting in NJ. My planned stops after Chicago are: Sioux Falls, Mt. Rushmore, Bozeman, Coeur d'Alene and then Portland. We're obviously making several stops, but this route looks reasonable to me on the map.
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Old 07-18-2014, 12:17 AM
 
Location: The greatest state of them all, Oregon.
780 posts, read 1,570,014 times
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I did the trip from Cleveland to Portland a few years back, solo, driving a large U-Haul truck and pulling a trailer. Left at 8am on a Tuesday morning and arrived about 8pm on Friday evening. Spent the nights in Portage (WI), Bismarck (ND), and Missoula (MT). Did the far north route, as I've been to all 50 states, but somehow missed the stretch from Fargo to Glacier NP area - probably added another 3-5 hours to my drive time. They were long days, all by myself, but not too bad, especially once I hit Roosevelt NP in ND and the scenery started to improve.

My son & mother just did the same drive last week, but left on a Monday and didn't get in until Sunday. They stopped in Portage (same exact hotel...lol), Luverne (MN), Rapid City (SD), Cody (WY), West Yellowstone (MT), and Boise (ID). Took them longer, but they also hit the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone (full day), and Craters of the Moon on the way out. Plus they both drove and did much shorter drives between stops.

You could easily do it in three full days.
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Old 07-18-2014, 01:00 AM
 
168 posts, read 197,918 times
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I like I90 more than I80/84
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Old 07-18-2014, 01:33 AM
 
Location: Dallas, Oregon & Sunsites Arizona
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chubsworth View Post
I like I90 more than I80/84
It is the better summer route.
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