Compared with other places you can drive elsewhere in the country...I-5 between Portland and Seattle is a much better drive in terms of scenery.


If you do fly into PDX and fly out in seattle you will get hammered on rental car charges...ask yourself---is the 3 hr drive in the car worth around an extra $400+ in car rental costs?

I though I said this in my post above...if you arejust doing sister stuff and dont need a car...then return it in Portland and just take a short flight or amtrak train or bus, or some other shuttle service to seattle.

As I already said...if you drive down to crater you should do something else down there like drive up the coast for a return. For a trip by itself in october the weather can be dcey...you could have snow at that elevation or its fog/clouded over.