Hi, I am the guy who started this thread a month ago.
Well, I rented a Budget truck with a car carrier and made it to
Seattle before Christmas. The trip took me 2.5 days (I stayed
overnight in Williams, CA and Salem, OR). There were couple of
close moments, but nothing I'd say was dangerous. Here I just
want to make a few comments from a first timer point of view.

1. Drive during the day if you can. I usually go to bed around
2-3am and it's hard for me to change my clock just because
I was moving. So I ended up driving half-day and half-night.
Driving during the day felt a lot easy.

2. When you need to stop for food, gas, etc, choose small towns
if you can. They tend to have larger parking lots and less
crowded roads. How can you tell? If you see 5-6 signs of
fast food restaurants or gas stations, that's probably a
small town. On the other hand, if you see "Springfield,
Next 3 Exits", avoid. This is particularly important if you
are also towing a car like I was.

3. Don't be too cheap on lodging. A good overnight sleep is
critical for your next day's driving. If you don't smoke,
be sure to avoid cheap motels. They always ask you smoking
or non-smoking. But in some places, there is little
difference. I had to change motels at midnight (in Salem)
and in retrospect, that was one of the best decisions I made
during the trip. The Motel 6 in Williams, however, was fine.
But it's got its own problem. There is a big parking lot
right next to it. During the night I was staying, there was
this big truck running its engine all night long and the
whole motel was shaking!

Overall, I enjoyed the trip (took more pictures of myself than
I did in the last 6 years in LA). I think this experience has
also made me a more careful driver.

Once again, thank you folks very much for all your kind helps.

P.S. I bought the ratchet straps from Kragen. Budget rental
doesn't carry them. They only carry 3 items: rope, box, ...
I can't remember the 3rd item. I bought a rope there but ended
up not using it. Overall, my experience with Budget was pretty
good. I'd choose them again.

P.P.S. One of the concerns I had before the trip didn't happen:
lower back pain. With my car, after 2 hours of non-stop
driving (like from LA to San Diego), I'd get this pain on my
lower back and thighs. But with that Ford truck, I felt
absolutely nothing! Now I know my car seat is the problem.

P.P.P.S. There is a fish & chip restaurant in Williams, CA
(on the east side of I-5) run by a Korean couple. Had my best
meal in the entire trip there.