Nice scenic routes

Just wondering, why are u considering otr?

 

Interstate 84 in Oregon along the Columbia River from Portland all the way east to where the river intersects Interstate 82. I frequent that highway at my current company and it's beautiful! You're going to have to check it out in person. It was especially beautiful last winter when there was heavy snowfall, even on a moonlit night. The mountains on both the Washington and Oregon sides were pure white and the view was prettier when there was a brightly lit moon (I'm a natural night driver; a night owl). There are a couple of huge dams along the Columbia as well.

Donner and Vail are pretty, but over rated in my opinion. Those passes get mentioned too many times. The same applies to Grapevine, CA.

Mt. Ashland in Oregon on Interstate 5 is pretty in the winter. It's worth chaining up at least once just to experience the drive (what can I say? I AM crazy after all).

The Mt. Shasta area in northern California is beautiful. Lake Shasta is spectacular all times of the year, and Mt. Shasta and Black Butte mountain are beautiful as well. There are many nice national volcanic monuments up and down Interstate 5: Mt. Ranier, Mt. Olympia, and Mt. St. Helen's in Washington; Mt. Hood, Mt. Ashland, and a handful of others in Oregon; and Mt. Shasta in California.

Coastal Oregon is nice along the 101. I was stuck in Toledo, OR for three days at my last otr company, and I had a blast!

Lewiston, ID down US 95 along the Salmon River was beautiful. I've never seen beaches on the river before.

Moab, UT is pretty. There's the Colorado river and plenty of beautiful canyons and mountains.

Hoover dam outside of Las Vegas, NV is nice. There's a new bypass bridge that recently opened. There's another river bridge dam in Arizona on US 89 coming from Utah, but I can't remember the name of the bridge or the town. Look it up!

Flagstaff, AZ is nice. You have that huge mountain (extinct volcano I think) situated at the Coconino Forest. That entire place is beautiful, especially in the winter.

The Fourth of July pass in Montana was something else. Beautiful views, and snow and ice galore (along interstate 90 from Idaho).

Southwestern Colorado is nice (Cortez and vacinity). I'm going off of my memory and can't remember too much about Colorado other than US 287 from Oklahoma and Texas, and the entire Interstate 70 from Denver heading west to Utah.

I've been all over, but the western states and the Rockies have a huge place in my memory and my heart.

I've been through Texas many times. I'm in Dallas now. The Galveston area sticks out in my memory the most from Texas.

I've driven through northern Ohio along state highway 2. Pretty views there. The east coast is the prettiest in autumn when the leaves change color.

Non truck related memories take me back to Portland, ME; northern Maine, and Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. That was back in 1993 when I was 10. I love that region.

All of the other eastern states that I remember were hot and humid. I love Florida, but I can't stand the humidity there.

I have more, but I've probably written enough. Don't wanna bore you all, haha!

 

I just remembered another one, so many thoughts flowing around rapidly upstairs: the Virgin River gorge on Interstate 15 between Utah and Nevada in Arizona. Very very beautiful!

 

That's one of my favorites Jim. UT and AZ on I-15

Hwy 78 across Lake Champlain from VT to NY and down I-87 is awesome

I can't remember the town, I think it's Brattleboro, VT. A Swiss/European little town with life size wax figurines all around town. You might see a man reading a newspaper, kids playing, woman talking, all randomly down the sidewalks. Pretty cool.

Going through the gorge on I-40 NC/TN is always neat.

US-160 through Fort Garland and Alamosa, CO is real scenic. I think the mountain there is Blanco Peak. It's massive. I use to go over Centre, CO to pick up onions.

Someone recall my memory, there's a highway you run down a long massive lake for miles and miles (N-S). It's a salt water lake with no fish. I can't remember where that is for the life of me. I drove by it a bunch. Seems like it was CO or CA off I-8 somewhere. That place is unique!

 

My top three scenic routes to date are as follows in no particular order:

1. Ontario, OR to Salem, OR. US20 to US22. Particularly the stretch from Bend, OR into Salem. The McKenzie river is gorgeous!

2. Ontario, OR to Eugene, OR. US20 to US126. Again particularly the stretch form Bend, OR into Eugene on US126. Can't remember the name of the volcano (Crater Lake maybe?) but it's absolutely gorgeous!

3. Mount Shasta, CA to Susanville, CA. US89 to US44 to US36. Volcanic rock, Enormous pines and great roads. Make the trip often and love it.

Pretty much any two lane in the PNW is bound to have some great sights.

 

THE SALTON SEA!!!! It's off of highway 86 in California south of Indio. How in the hell did I miss that gem? Thanks, Condo!

 

Couer D alene ID. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Runs right down I 90 Mile Marker 15 to 22 or something like that.

I-84 where you pick up the Columbia river into Portland is beautiful.

Maybe not the prettiest place, but one of my favorite places to see. Crossing the desert and then climbing the mountains into California. Then seeing how green the valleys below are just blows me away every time.

 

This is off topic, but if you have Google Earth, then try to zoom in on the base in Coronado, CA. You are looking for 3 barracks. The rooftops of two barracks are designed like airplanes, and the third rooftop is shaped like a swastica: two warplanes attacking whatever the swastica symbolized in the past. If you can't find it, then I will post a screen capture and post it here. I can't do that on this phone unfortunately.