Abneycat

Hello! I am going to be heading to Ashland, Oregon for some courses in frame building and professional repair at UBI, starting February the 28th. The plan is to perhaps leave a few days in advance and see one of a few cities in the United States that seem kind of interesting!

I'd like to check out Portland and San Francisco. Ideally, it would be nice to fly in and land at one of these cities, see it for a few days, head to Ashland for the courses and then see the other city on my way out.

Unfortunately, i've got no prior experience of the United States, let alone these places. Deciding where to land, what to see and do, and what route to take in order to get to Ashland is very overwhelming. There's a lot to see and do, and many ways in which to get there.

Do you have any advice on how to go about this? Which city would be best to see first (in February), and which one would be better afterwards? I had presumed I should start in San Francisco because it would be nicer weather in February, but I could be wrong. And what's a good way to get to Ashland after? Greyhound? Amtrak? Fly again?

Can anyone recommend any interesting festivals, things to see, any bike co-ops or good places to stay? I was going to bring my folding bicycle on the airplane, but may just buy a bike at a local co-op if one is cheap down there, and then just donate it to a co-op in the other city before leaving.

Really, i'm not asking for an all-out travel agent like experience. But i'm having a hard time coming up with much of anything at all on my own, and could use a little help.

Thanks!

- Abneycat

moleman76

The closest airport to Ashland is abut 15 miles away in Medford, and there is service from Medford to both Portland and San Francisco.

Greyhound, or a similar bus line, would get you service on I-5 between the two metropolises and might give you a closer view of what the scenery looks like on the ground. On the other hand, if the day you fly has clear weather (iffy in the winter anywhere along the coast), the view of the mountains is fantastic.

I'd suggest starting in SF and then going north. After you go through the frame building course, you *might* want to check out the handbuilt bike scene in Portland and pick up some ideas.

Check on the season for the Oregon Shakespearean Festival's plays in Ashland, and for the various bike shows / expos in Portland and Seattle; might work out for after your time in Ashland.

Be sure to sample the lithia water fountains on "the Square" in Ashland.

LesterOfPuppets

There's a UBI in Portland if you want to simplify things a bit.

TheHen

If you start in SF, you can take the Amtrak Coast Starlight train northbound out of Richmond (the Richmond BART station is right next to the Richmond Amtrak Station, just take the right stairs). An hour or two after the train arrives in Klamath Falls, OR, an Amtrak bus is scheduled to drive to Ashland. The train ride takes all night (I think it leaves Richmond around 10:00 P.M. and arrives in Klamath Falls around 7:00 A.M.), so you won't see much scenery. It wouldn't work too well to take the train from Portland to Ashland (via Klamath Falls) since the southbound train arrives in Klamath Falls around 10:00 P.M. and you would then have to wait overnight to catch the bus to Ashland. There's also crappy timing for trying to get from Ashland to Portland since the bus arrives at Klamath Falls from Ashland at 6:00 P.M. and the northbound Coast Starlight doesn't get there until the following morning.

Sorry our train system is so poor, but that is what we have. Bad as it is, I still prefer it to flying or driving, but it does require a lot of compromises, to say the least. On the bright side, they haven't started to grope train passengers (yet). Amtrak has a really odd ticket pricing scheme. It sets aside a certain number of cheap fare tickets and sells them first, so buying your ticket early is usually cheaper. I say usually because sometimes they add cars to the train later and open up a new set of cheap fares. I once purchased a ticket on Monday, canceled it on Tuesday and repurchased it on Thursday for 20% lower.

BengeBoy 

+1

Abneycat

Thanks for all the replies! Firstly, unfortunately, I can't attend the Portland campus as it isn't set up to accept international students yet. Otherwise, I would love to, because according to many people i've spoken to Portland is both a great city to be in, and a complete oasis for bicycling compared to places such as Alberta here.

After thinking about it, Greyhound here in Canada makes you ship your bike separately, in a box via freight. Is it like that down there? On Amtrak I would be able to keep the bike in one piece, right?

I wouldn't mind taking a train to Klamath Falls and then riding to Ashland straight out from there. That isn't a bad ride to do in a day, especially starting at 7:00 in the morning - plenty of time! I would presume that riding west down to the coast, it should be mostly downhill? Just a quick look at wikipedia shows around a 2,000 ft. descent down to Ashland, that ride should be a piece of cake as long as nothing else is horrible.

How is the weather there in March? The temperature averages look really delightful, but are the roads good? Do I need winter tires? Is it constantly wet and mucky?

If it isn't too bad, riding would definitely be on the schedule. I've heard that Oregon is gorgeous. Landing in San Francisco, taking the train up to Klamath Falls and then riding down the hill to Ashland sounds like it would be a dream introduction to the U.S. as long as it wasn't horribly soggy.

NVanHiker

"Unfortunately, i've got no prior experience of the United States, let alone these places".

Lol, you make it sound like you're from Kazakhistan instead of Canada where we all have USD bank accounts and routinely shop and vacation in the US.

" I can't attend the Portland campus as it isn't set up to accept international students yet".

Huh?

Abneycat

Uh.. Well, i'm happy you routinely shop and vacation there, I haven't done so yet which I think was made pretty obvious, so you don't need to bother making snide comments as such. Secondly, i'm not absolutely clueless about the U.S, just asking for advice on where to start and what to see. It's one thing to know something about a country, but something else entirely to know about specific geographic regions and their attractions if you haven't ever been.

That is clearly posted on both their registration page, and confirmed by the facility itself when I called to inquire. Apparently they can't accept international students at their Portland campus yet. It was a bit disappointing, i'd have preferred that one. Ashland is supposed to be pretty nice though.

BengeBoy 

Too bad you can't go to Portland to make your trip simpler, but -- Ashland is a very nice smaller town. I good place to hang out for a while.

I think the weather will be unpredictable -- cool and wet, off and on. Probably not torrential rains but be prepared for wet. I don't think you have to bring special tires, just whatever you usually use on a road bike.

LesterOfPuppets

Seems a shame to get so close to Crater Lake without seeing it. That would probably be kind of a brutal bike ride, though.

Maybe you could meet some SOU cuties and have 'em drive you up there.

PomPilot

I have attended university in Portland, live about 45 miles north of Ashland on Interstate Highway 5, and work in Medford (where the airport is). At the end of February, you can expect: freezing cold, snow, rain, fog and near shirt-sleeve weather. All on the same day. Seriously.

I would fly into either Portland or San Francisco, and motor the rest of the way. Portland is about 5 hours drive and San Francisco is closer to 6 hours, 20 minutes. Times depend on traffic and road conditions. And how many times the driver gets caught by the police for speeding. At that time of year, you may run into mountain passes closed by snow, north of Grants Pass, or south of Ashland.

Flying into Medford can do a number on your airfare, (and United is dropping its Medford to Portland flights). That would leave you with Horizon from Portland, or United & Horizon from San Francisco. The United & Horizon flights south run about $400.00US. The Horizon flights from Portland are almost half that.

B. Carfree

Amtrak will sell you a HUGE box for $10 or $15 and then charge you $5 to transport the bike. Even with my 64 cm touring bike I only need to remove the pedals and handlebars (I tape it to the top tube) to fit in the box. Smaller bikes, particularly if the stem is not outrageously long like mine, just turn the handlebars, remover the pedals and roll them into the box. There are often previously used boxes at the stations that can be had for free. Bring your own packaging tape. I don't know what Greyhound does since I haven't been on it for several decades.

Be sure to investigate your route between K. Falls and Ashland. I would suspect the direct route is not going to be the most bike-friendly way to go. There appears to be a parallel road to Hwy 68 early on (probably not paved), then you would have to decide between a northern route (Clover Creek Rd. to Dead Indian Rd.), Hwy 68 or some more off-the-beaten-tracks option (usually my favorite, but I bring off-road tires with me when I am in unknown territory). I don't ride down there, so my ignorance is overwhelming. Hopefully someone with some experience in southern OR will chime in and help.

Your trip sounds like fun. Let us know how it all works out.

moleman76

February / March weather in Ashland will be as described by PomPilot. The ride from KFalls to Ashland features a nice descent into Ashland, and a lot of pedalling through forests and other scenic settings. Once you get to Ashland, you won't need studded winter tires in town. Crater Lake? take a weekend jaunt up there with fellow students and cross-country skiis, there will be lots of snow.

The fly to SF, train to KFalls, then depending on the weather and how much gear you want to take on your bike with you, ride or bus to Ashland, would get you to Ashland. Once you're there, I'd bet someone from the group will be driving to Portland after the class is over ... or, get a ride from students at the university, to get you at least to Eugene, and then pedal up the Willamette Valley to Portland.