[Mgs] West coast road trip time and places to stay

[Aaron Whiteman]

This summer, I'm going to head to Petaluma, CA (From Pullman, WA) to  
visit my roommate in the dorms.  I've visited a few times in the  
past, but have always flown.

This time, I have the time to drive, so I'm seriously considering it,  
even though it would be cheaper to fly.

My plan would be to take Washington Hwy 24 along the Columbia to  
Vancouver and then cross into Oregon to stay the night at a friends  
place.  I can then head west to US-101 and turn south.   I would  
follow the coast all the way to Bodega Bay before heading inland.

For the return, I'd head north on I-5 to Weed, then turn northeast on  
US-97 to Bend, Oregon.  From there, I'll northeast to La Grande,  
eventually getting to Enterprise where I can head north for home.

Google map route plans linked at:
http://www.panix.com/~awhitema/tmp/petaluma.html

So, the questions:

First, is two days reasonable to get from Portland to the Bay area  
along the Coast Highway?

Second, with that route, are there conveniently placed listers that  
know of places where I can stay along the way (I'm thinking tent, not  
motel).

Third, is $4/gallon a reasonable overestimate of fuel cost for  
Northern California and Oregon?

-- 
Aaron Whiteman -- http://www.panix.com/~awhitema/
  '75 MGB (red for now), HIF4 carbs
  '06 Subaru Impreza Outback