Trip dates
Aug 16 – Aug 21, 2026
Fly into Fresno (FAT) Sunday, drive the CRIHB route, fly home from Medford (MFR) Friday.
Master summary
At a glance
Outbound flights
AA 2006 + AA 2396
DCA → PHX → FAT, Business, Seat 4E both legs. PHX connection is roughly 74 minutes — tight but standard for a same-terminal American connection.
The route
Fresno → Porterville → Santa Rosa → Manchester → Crescent City → Medford
Seven driving legs, ~866 miles total. Longest single leg: Manchester to Crescent City, 267 miles.
Four CRIHB sites
Site assessment + AST hands-on training
One morning each at Porterville (2 classrooms), Santa Rosa (1), Manchester (1), and Crescent City (3) — 7 classrooms total. All four visits run 8:00 AM–12:00 PM.
Return flights
AA 6401 + AA 3191
MFR → PHX → DCA, Business, Seats 3A / 4B. Departs Medford 5:20 AM, lands Washington Reagan 4:15 PM. PHX connection is roughly 49 minutes — tighter than the outbound; carry-on only.
Highest-risk day
Wednesday, Aug 19
Manchester → Crescent City, 267 miles / ~6:00 via Highway 1 and the redwood corridor on US 101. See Road Safety.
August 16–21, 2026
Day by day
Site visit hours are fixed by the signed schedule. Drive times are point-to-point between town centers and assume clear conditions. Every linked site address and hotel name below opens Google Maps directions from your current location — tap it, plug into CarPlay, and go.
16Aug
Day 0 — Sunday, August 16
- 7:15 AMDepart Washington Reagan (DCA) — American Airlines 2006, Business, Seat 4E. Nonstop to Phoenix.
- 9:08 AMArrive Phoenix (PHX).
- 10:22 AMDepart PHX — American Airlines 2396, Business, Seat 4E, to Fresno.
- 12:02 PMArrive Fresno (FAT).
- 1:00 PMRental car pickup at FAT (booked, National Executive Selection), then drive to Visalia — roughly 45 miles / ~0:50 down CA-99.
- EveningHotel check-in — Visalia Marriott at the Convention Center (booked). The Tule River site is a ~1:10 drive Monday morning — early night.
Watch
The PHX connection is roughly 74 minutes gate-to-gate. Tight, but standard for a same-terminal AA connection — manageable without checked bags.
17Aug
Day 1 — Monday, August 17
- ~6:40 AMDepart the Visalia Marriott — 46 miles / ~1:10 door-to-door. The site sits on the Tule River Reservation east of Porterville, up Reservation Road — meaningfully farther than Porterville town. Leaving by 6:40 keeps a ~10-minute buffer to be on site by 8:00.
- 8:00–12:00Tule River Tribal Child Development Center — 186 N. Reservation Rd., Porterville, CA 93257 . Site assessment + AST hands-on training. School site, 2 classrooms. Site phone (559) 853-6168 · Supervisor: Stacey Baxter (email).
- 12:15 PMDepart the Tule River site, drive to Manteca — 200 miles / ~4:05 door-to-door (Reservation Rd down to Porterville, then CA-99 north the whole way). No-stop arrival is ~4:20 PM; a fuel or food stop pushes it later. To be there at 4:00 sharp, leave by ~11:50.
- 4:00 PMDinner with Naved at 2134 Willa Grace Ave, Manteca, CA 95337 . Realistic arrival on a 12:15 departure is ~4:20 — text ahead if the drive runs long.
- ~6:30–7:00 PMDepart Naved's house, drive to Santa Rosa — 121 miles / ~2:25 door-to-door, arriving around 9:00–9:30 PM.
- Late eveningHotel check-in — AC Hotel Santa Rosa Sonoma Wine Country (booked).
18Aug
Day 2 — Tuesday, August 18
- ~7:40 AMDepart the AC Hotel — 5.4 miles / ~10 min door-to-door across town to the Fulton Rd site. Easy morning.
- 8:00–12:00Tribal Head Start — 1592 Fulton Rd, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 . Site assessment + AST hands-on training. School site, 1 classroom. Site phone (707) 544-8430 · Supervisor: Maria Banuelos (email).
- ~12:15–12:30 PMDepart Tribal Head Start, drive to Martinelli Winery — ~15 min / 10–12 miles north to Windsor.
- ~12:30–4:00 PMPlaceholder — Martinelli Winery tasting, 3360 River Road, Windsor. Tasting room open daily 10 AM–5 PM; this gives a 3–4 hour window.
- AfternoonDepart Windsor, drive to Manchester — 86 miles / ~1:56 from Santa Rosa (Windsor adds only a few minutes to this).
- EveningHotel check-in — Wharf Master's Inn, Point Arena (booked), 785 Port Rd — Spectacular Lookout King, top floor. Check-in from 3:00 PM; office hours 8 AM–8 PM, so call ahead (707-882-3171) if Highway 1 pushes arrival late.
Drive note
Short mileage, longer clock — Highway 1 north of the Russian River slows to coastal two-lane speeds.
19Aug
Day 3 — Wednesday, August 19
- ~7:40 AMCheck out of the Wharf Master's and load the car before the site visit — checkout is 11 AM (mid-session), the hotel is 10 min south of the site, and the day's drive heads north. The site is 3.9 miles / ~10 minutes up Highway 1 door-to-door.
- 8:00–12:00Manchester Point Arena — 10 Mamie Laiwa Rd., Manchester, CA 95459 . Site assessment + AST hands-on training. School site, 1 classroom. Site phone (707) 376-4493 x 405 · Supervisor: Adriana Santana (email). (Nav link is pinned to the road's exact coordinates — the address itself doesn't always resolve in map apps. Keep it coordinate-pinned.)
- By 1:00–1:30 PMTarget departure from Manchester — leave promptly after the morning site to keep daylight for the redwood corridor.
- AfternoonDrive to Crescent City — 267 miles / ~6:00 via Highway 1 and US 101 through the redwood corridor.
- ~6:00–6:30 PMArrive Crescent City. Dinner at SeaQuake Brewing, 400 Front Street — kitchen open until 9:00 PM.
- EveningHotel check-in — Best Western Plus Northwoods Inn (booked), 655 US Highway 101 S, Crescent City. Check-in 4:00 PM.
This is the risk day
267 miles, ~6 hours, the longest cell-dead stretch of the trip, and the highest wildlife and fog exposure. Full plan under Road Safety below — read it before you leave Manchester.
Dinner sorted
SeaQuake Brewing, 400 Front Street. A 6:00–6:30 PM arrival leaves comfortable margin before the 9:00 PM close, even if the drive runs long.
20Aug
Day 4 — Thursday, August 20
- ~7:45 AMDepart the Best Western — 1.9 miles / ~5 min door-to-door to Elk Valley Head Start. The shortest morning drive of the trip.
- 8:00–12:00Elk Valley Head Start — 2298 Norris Ave, Crescent City, CA 95531 . Site assessment + AST hands-on training. School site, 3 classrooms — the largest site of the four. Site phone (707) 464-4499 · Supervisor: email.
- AfternoonOptional: Battery Point Lighthouse, walkable only at low tide — check the tide window before heading out.
- EveningDepart Crescent City, drive to Medford, OR — 115 miles / ~2:15 via US 101 to I-5, staging for tomorrow's 5:20 AM flight.
- NightHotel check-in — Courtyard by Marriott Medford Airport (booked). Tomorrow's flight departs 5:20 AM — early bedtime.
Tide note
Battery Point Lighthouse is reachable on foot only during the low-tide window. Check NOAA's Crescent City tide predictions for the Aug 20 low-tide time before walking out — don't get stranded on the tidal path.
21Aug
Day 5 — Friday, August 21
- ~3:50 AMLeave the Courtyard — it sits 0.2 miles / ~2 min from the terminal, essentially on airport grounds.
- 4:00 AMRental car drop-off at MFR (booked, after-hours return) — small airport, but budget time for an unstaffed early-morning key drop.
- 5:20 AMDepart Medford (MFR) — American Eagle 6401 (operated by SkyWest), Business, Seat 3A. Nonstop to Phoenix.
- 7:49 AMArrive Phoenix (PHX).
- 8:38 AMDepart PHX — American Airlines 3191, Business, Seat 4B, breakfast served. Nonstop to Washington Reagan.
- 4:15 PMArrive Washington Reagan (DCA). Home.
Connection note
The PHX connection is roughly 49 minutes — tighter than the outbound's 74. Same-terminal American connection, but this is a no-checked-bags flight. If AA 6401 runs late, later PHX → DCA departures exist same-day.
Verified July 24, 2026
The route, leg by leg
Point to point between town centers, not exact site addresses. Assumes clear conditions. Re-verify any leg you change rather than estimating.
| Leg | Miles | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fresno (FAT) → Visalia † | ~45 | ~0:50 |
| Visalia → Porterville (Mon AM) † | ~32 | ~0:45 |
| Tule River site → Naved's, Manteca * | 200 | ~4:05 |
| Naved's, Manteca → Santa Rosa hotel * | 121 | ~2:25 |
| Santa Rosa → Manchester | 86 | 1:56 |
| Manchester → Crescent City | 267 | ~6:00 |
| Crescent City → Medford (MFR) | 115 | 2:15 |
* Manteca legs re-routed August 15, 2026 between exact doors — the Tule River site (not Porterville town center) to 2134 Willa Grace Ave, and from there to the AC Hotel Santa Rosa. Both are ~1 hour and ~20 miles longer than the old town-to-town figures, because the site sits well east of Porterville up Reservation Rd. Free-flow estimates: add time for CA-99 traffic and any stop.
† Split from the original direct Fresno → Porterville leg (71 mi / 1:20) for the booked Visalia overnight — estimated, re-verify before the trip. Note the Monday-morning drive to the actual site door is longer than the town-center figure — see the morning table below.
Verified August 12, 2026 — hotel door to site door
Each morning, from the booked hotel
Now that all five hotels are booked, these are routed between the exact hotel and site addresses (OpenStreetMap routing). "Leave by" targets being on site at 8:00 AM with a ~10-minute buffer. Tap any destination to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps from wherever you are — same for every linked address and hotel name on this page.
| Morning | Hotel → destination | Miles | Time | Leave by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Aug 17 | Visalia Marriott → Tule River Tribal CDC (on the reservation, east of Porterville) | 46 | ~1:10 | 6:40 AM |
| Tue Aug 18 | AC Hotel Santa Rosa → Tribal Head Start, Fulton Rd | 5.4 | ~10 min | 7:40 AM |
| Wed Aug 19 | Wharf Master's Inn → Manchester Point Arena site | 3.9 | ~10 min | 7:40 AM (car loaded — checkout is mid-session) |
| Thu Aug 20 | Best Western Northwoods → Elk Valley Head Start | 1.9 | ~5 min | 7:45 AM |
| Fri Aug 21 | Courtyard Medford Airport → MFR rental return | 0.2 | ~2 min | 3:50 AM (4:00 AM key drop, 5:20 AM flight) |
Times assume clear conditions. Monday is the only real morning drive — the last stretch up Reservation Road is a winding foothill climb, so don't try to make up time there. Every other morning is 10 minutes or less.
~866 miles total. Airport service also verified: FAT (Fresno) — 8 airlines, 15 nonstops, no DC nonstop. MFR (Medford) — 5 airlines, 10 nonstops, American Eagle to Phoenix 5:06 AM–6:00 PM. ACV (Arcata) rejected — no American Airlines. CEC (Crescent City) rejected — single daily 30-seat Essential Air Service flight.
Wednesday, Aug 19 is the day this matters most
Road Safety
The Manchester → Crescent City leg is 267 miles, ~6 hours, and the longest stretch without cell service on the trip. Read this before leaving Manchester on Wednesday.
267miles
~6:00drive time
1:30 PMlatest departure
Before leaving Manchester
Opens Messages with the ETA pre-filled — pick your wife as the recipient (no phone numbers live on this public page).
Bail-out plan
If departure from Manchester slips past 1:30 PM, or weather/fire closes 101, stop overnight in Garberville or Eureka rather than finishing the redwood corridor after dark.
Departure window
Leave Manchester by 1:00–1:30 PM after the morning site visit — this keeps the full 267-mile leg in daylight.
Cell dead zones
The longest no-signal stretches of the whole trip are on this leg — Highway 1 north of Manchester and the US 101 redwood corridor roughly from Leggett to Eureka. Download offline maps and text an ETA before losing signal.
Fuel stops
Fill up in Ukiah or Willits before the coastal/redwood run. Garberville and Eureka are the two reliable fuel anchors on this leg — don't count on anything in between.
Wildlife
Deer and Roosevelt elk cross US 101 at dawn and dusk, especially near Orick and Elk Meadow. Risk is highest in the morning hours on this leg — slow down in low light.
Fog
Coastal Highway 1 fog is common even in August and is heaviest in the morning. Use low beams, not high beams, and add time.
Wildfire season
August is peak wildfire season in Northern California. Check the CAL FIRE incident map before departure and have a fallback route in mind — don't drive into active smoke.
Fatigue protocol
No driving on a sleep deficit after a training day. Stop every two hours; if drowsy, pull off rather than push through.
Check-in protocol
Text home at the end of each driving leg with your ETA to the next stop, especially Wednesday. If your wife doesn't hear from you within a reasonable window of the expected arrival, that's the trigger to start checking.
Live from Caltrans District 1 (Mendocino / Humboldt / Del Norte — covers SR-1 and US-101 on the Wed leg)
Checking current closures…
Trip Weather Forecast
Each card shows today's actual live conditions at that location right now. The day-specific hi/lo, rain chance, and sunrise/sunset for the site-visit date appear below it once that date falls inside Open-Meteo's ~16-day forecast window — until then you'll see a caveat instead.
Porterville, CA
Aug 17 — Site 1
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Santa Rosa, CA
Aug 18 — Site 2
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Manchester, CA
Aug 19 — Site 3, risk day
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Crescent City, CA
Aug 20 — Site 4
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Medford, OR
Aug 21 — 5:20 AM return flight
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Thursday, Aug 20 — live from NOAA
Battery Point Lighthouse tide
Battery Point is only reachable on foot at low tide. Live predictions below, pulled from NOAA station 9419750 (Crescent City) every time you load this page.
Loading tide predictions…
All five nights booked
Hotel options
Built around two rules: do the long/windy drives in the afternoon after training ends, and keep the next morning's drive to the site short. Marriott-preferred, with non-Marriott noted where there's no good Marriott option.
| Night | Goal | Candidate hotels | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Aug 16 | Wake up close to Porterville site | 46 mi / ~1:10 Monday-morning drive to the Tule River site — leave by 6:40 AM. | |
| Mon Aug 17 | Wake up close to Santa Rosa site | Do the long Porterville → Manteca → Santa Rosa drive Monday afternoon/evening, after training and the Manteca stop. | |
| Tue Aug 18 | Wake up close to Manchester site | Spectacular Lookout King, top floor — note: no elevator, stairs to the room. ~10 min from the Manchester site. No Marriott property exists on this stretch of coast. | |
| Wed Aug 19 | Wake up in Crescent City | 655 US Highway 101 S, Crescent City — (707) 464-9771. Check-in 4:00 PM, check-out 11:00 AM. One night only — Thursday evening's drive continues on to Medford. | |
| Thu Aug 20 | Required — flight departs 5:20 AM Friday | At the airport — right where it needs to be for the pre-dawn start. |
Wharf Master's Inn — check-in policy & directions
Check-in 3–8 PM (office closes at 8 PM); call ahead (707-882-3171) if arriving after 8 PM — a $25 late check-in fee applies, and same-day reservations after 8 PM are not honored. Checkout 11 AM. Payment is charged at check-in — cardholder and ID must be present in person; no phone payment. One parking spot per room — a second vehicle may need to park off-property on a busy night; trucks/large SUVs use the lower lot (top lot fits standard-size vehicles only).
Directions: In Point Arena, turn onto Port Road to reach Arena Cove. About 1 mile in, look up-right to see the hotel on the bluffs. The driveway is around the back of the large brown building, marked with a Wharf Master's Inn sign — not the Coast Guard House next door. If you reach a gate, that's the wrong property.
Directions: In Point Arena, turn onto Port Road to reach Arena Cove. About 1 mile in, look up-right to see the hotel on the bluffs. The driveway is around the back of the large brown building, marked with a Wharf Master's Inn sign — not the Coast Guard House next door. If you reach a gate, that's the wrong property.
What's booked
Booking status
9 / 9 confirmed ✓
Show all 9 items
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Outbound flights — AA 2006 + AA 2396 (DCA → PHX → FAT) | Confirmed |
| CRIHB site visit agreement — all four sites | Confirmed |
| Return flights — AA 6401 + AA 3191 (MFR → PHX → DCA) | Confirmed |
| Rental car — National, FAT → MFR one-way (Aug 16–21) | Confirmed |
| Hotel — Visalia Marriott at the Convention Center (Aug 16–17) | Confirmed |
| Hotel — AC Hotel Santa Rosa Sonoma Wine Country (Aug 17–18) | Confirmed |
| Hotel — Wharf Master's Inn, Point Arena (Aug 18–19) | Confirmed |
| Hotel — Best Western Plus Northwoods Inn, Crescent City (Aug 19–20) | Confirmed |
| Hotel — Courtyard by Marriott Medford Airport (Aug 20–21) | Confirmed |
Who to call
Key contacts
American Airlines
+1 800 433 7300
Out: AA 2006 / AA 2396 · Back: AA 6401 / AA 3191
Out: AA 2006 / AA 2396 · Back: AA 6401 / AA 3191
Wharf Master's Inn (Tue night)
+1 707 882 3171
Office 8 AM–8 PM — call ahead if arriving late Tuesday ($25 fee after 8 PM; no same-day arrivals after 8 PM)
Office 8 AM–8 PM — call ahead if arriving late Tuesday ($25 fee after 8 PM; no same-day arrivals after 8 PM)
Caltrans road conditions
ODOT TripCheck
Oregon road conditions
tripcheck.com
tripcheck.com
CAL FIRE incident map
Wildfire status, Aug 19 route
fire.ca.gov/incidents
fire.ca.gov/incidents
Offline copy
Save the latest weather, tide, and road status to this device before a dead zone.
Site 1 · Tule River Tribal CDC (Mon)
Site 2 · Tribal Head Start, Santa Rosa (Tue)
Site 3 · Manchester Point Arena (Wed)
Site 4 · Elk Valley Head Start (Thu)