fietsbob

amtrak coast starlight stops in SLO.. https://amtrakguide.com/routes/coast-starlight/

I brought my bike in a box they require and sell . my trips were between Emeryville and Eugene,







....

spinnaker

Best option. A lot less hassle.

panchothepug

Skidder, I had not thought of that. I could also ship the bike to a bike shop and not have to worry about it at all. Let me inquire about the plane size. Thanks for that tip.

Cyclist0108

If it were me, I would fly in and out of Oakland, and take the train (Amcrash) back to Oakland from wherever I terminated the trip.

panchothepug

I've decided to skip that 17 mile drive and instead do the aquarium, suggested here. Thanks for the tip.

notenoughdaylig 

skidder

And where are you planning to fly into when coming here from NYC? If its Monterey's regional airport, that's not much bigger than SLO's airport.

FWIW: It doesn't seem like you did much (if any) research on the logistics of your trip before starting this thread.

spinnaker

Good move. You have plenty of hills to conquer.

There are some nice views along the shore as I recall so don't avoid the area entirely. There is a hostel in Monterey and it is an HI hostel. I tend to avoid non HI hostels.

panchothepug

panchothepug

Amtrak from SLO to Oakland is 5.5 hours. Why would I do that and then fly to NY, when I could fly directly out of SLO with only one stop for $200 bucks.

I'm shipping the bike both ways.

spinnaker

Make sure you check out bikeflights. You will save an enormous amount of money. It once was that there was not that much of a difference to worry about it but FeEx must have done something to their prices because it is now near double for the ordinary putz like me.

Another option to consider (if you have time and have not made your air reservations yet) is to take the train to California or from. The California Zephyr is AWESOME. I have yet to ride the Southwest Cief but I hear it is fantastic too. You can take your bike on board for $20 a leg. I would assume there is a train from Chicago to NYC.

I took the train home last year from Sacramento. I had a nice bike ride back home on my bike from the train station.

Another thing you should know the train ain't cheap. Maybe double if you get a sleeper and I highly recommend a sleeper. I will be taking the Empire Builder back home this year from Seattle. Looking forward to a nice relaxing end to my tour.

panchothepug

skidder

You must have gotten an insanely good deal on flights going into/out of Monterey and SLO. Most of the time the airlines (and their feeder 'associate' carriers) totally screw you with insane pricing when you want to use a smaller regional airport. Considering the size of planes flying at those airports its amazing they will take a bicycle as checked luggage. Personally I'd fly into SFO or Oakland and spend a day riding through san Francisco (including across the Golden Gate bridge), then another day riding down the coast from San Francisco to the Monterey Bay area.

spinnaker

OP is shipping bike in and out via bike shop.

panchothepug

Skidder, I have done other vacation trips to San Francisco in the recent years. The truth is that with all the traffic and the crowding of the Bay Area, biking freely and openly is almost impossible there. All my research pointed to the stretch from Monterey to SLO as the best in terms of natural beauty and endurance. As such, I'll get the exercise plus the leisure of the Pacific Ocean breeze. .....My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Bikesplendor

Point Lobos is worth a little side trip, at least on a non-crowded day. Nepenthe is worth a stop. Morro Bay and Morro Rock are pretty nice. You can watch peregrines from the base of the rock, if that is something you might enjoy.

The nature museum outside Morro Bay if that's your cup of tea. The ride out to Montana de Oro and back is cool. Not much traffic. Good tide pools and trails along the ocean out past the end of the road.

Some people skimp on clothing, or go with the marginal or merely/barely adequate. You can stay warm, cozy and dry with the right choices, including gloves. It makes things so much more enjoyable. (I've put in my dues shivering plenty on minimalist bike tours.Finally learned the value of beyond-merely-adequate.)

'Be ready for anything and enjoy it all.'

Have a good trip. If you are so inclined, please post a review and some highlights of your experiences.

panchothepug

BikeSplendor, thanks for your note about those side trips. Regarding clothing, on Saturday, I went to the REI store in SOHO and bought a pair of full finger spring gloves. I'm debating what is the right amount of clothing for a 6-days vacation with 4 days of riding. I'm bringing two sets of bicycle clothing so I could wash on my overnights. One base layer, one 60 degrees bicycle jacket, one fleece vest and one long pant tights. Off the Bike Clothing: One corduroy jeans, one pair of shorts. 1 long sleeve shirt, one long sleeve tshirt and one short sleve shirt or a polo.

spinnaker

LOL. You won't need the shorts Get a pair of those zip off pants. That way they double as shorts. Ccorduroy jeans are heavy. When you wash (or they happen to get wet) they will take forver to dry.

Above all make sure you have good rain gear. You are likely going to get wet that time of year. You might even consider rain pants and show covers. Being cold is OK. Being wet is OK. But being cold and wet sucks big time and can actually be dangerous.