huntypoo

I know, everyone says go north to south. But I have a few logistic reasons to want to go south-to-north (LA to....Portland? Seattle?)

Has anyone here done it that way? there are two things that seem to matter:

1.) Wind.

2.) Shoulder side, i.e., being near the coast instead of inland.

Any advice? I like the freedom of riding out my door and going as far as I want. But should I just bite the bullet and take a train up north and ride home?

fietsbob

Winter storms come from the south, summer High sits off the north Pacific and so Headwinds all the way unless you travel to the north end.

+ wrong side of the road to just pull over at Ocean Vista Points...(as you Knew) Consider Ireland .. You are on the left side of the road, there ..

.. I have 5 tourist's bikes shipped ahead requesting assembly, to do this week, get it to a Bike shop With over a week lead time After it arrives ,

ship 2 weeks ahead minimum, to get that.


Or just plan on riding the whole way ... big Loop, Inland Route North, Coast Route, South. no packing and shipping involved ..

Tourist in MSN

I am not going to try to answer your questions, but here are my comments on my ride from Astoria to San Fransisco two years ago in case they may be of any help.

https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/95...l#post16933424

spinnaker

1. Ride in the winter but expect it to rain like crazy.

2. Ride inland route in summer but expect it to be hot.

I think it is an enormous mistake to ride south to north on the coast in the summer unless you are an extremely strong rider. On my tour, there was a point where I was doing 25MPH on a flat with not a lot of effort on my part. We came across a couple of tourers going north and they looked beaten.

Jseis 

After riding my fatbike on the ocean beaches for the last two years I'd say its possible if:

1) Ride in summer/early fall. Spring weather is fickle and winter downright nasty.
2) Leave very early in the morning and ride to noon. Morning winds are low, say ~5 mph and very tolerable. But they really pick up after 10:00-11:00 and anywhere near coastal headlands they can be stronger.
3) Be satisified with dropping gears and pedaling easy
4) Be satisfied with easy 50-60 mile days instead of grueling 80-100 mile days.
5) Cross the Astoria-Megler bridge and I'll meet you at the North Head Lighthouse. Spectacular views north and south and the most accessible westward point in NW Ore and SW Wa.
6) I'll buy you dinner if you really do ride south to north. I rode that with my buddies on a Honda SL 350 and we cruised south, then had the crapped kicked out of use coming north in May, a few weeks before HS graduation.
7) Aero helps into wind so no flapping crap and get as low as reasonable

Biketouringhobo

Facebook Pacific Coast Route Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Bicy...ficCoastUS101/

raybo

I am assuming that enjoyment isn't one of the "logistic" reasons.

huntypoo

Thanks for this! I think I'm going to end up taking the train first and riding Portland to LA, because, well, it just sounds so much nicer to have the wind at my back. I will miss crossing the Astoria bridge, but such is life :-(

BigAura

It's an adventure don't worry about doing it the right way because in the end it's an adventure

Roughstuff

A bad day cycling beats a good day working! Enjoy your trip and keep in mind by the time you are done with all the hills you probably will have climbed 100,000 feet! Also keep in mind that many midsummer coastal days are foggy because the intense heat in the Central Valley pulls the fog in for several miles.

spinnaker

IMHO you can end at Santa Barbara if you want or even SLO. Spend the extra time in Monterrey, Big Sur, Redwoods etc etc.

FYI The back road through the Redwoods Park just south of Klamath no longer exists. So don't make that steep climb for nothing. Don't ask me how I know.

Jseis 

I've a photo collection of cyclists on the Astoria-Megler bridge. Here's the most recent, southbound & grinding up that ~200' grade. Have fun! All tours are epics.

staehpj1

A few comments...

I always found that riding toward home worked out better for me when one end or the other was near home. I found it easier to take care of air or ground travel up front. I find that I usually know what day you will start, but never what day I will finish. So, it is much easier to buy tickets to the start. So if I lived where you do, going N-S would be a slam dunk for me.

When I started in Seattle, I found Washington state to be my least favorite part of the trip, so I'd start in Astoria if I were to do it again.

I didn't find the wind to be too bad when I started at the crack of dawn and stopped mid day. I was going N-S, but with those hours I don't think S-N would be as bad as it is often said to be.

Kent MacWilliam

You're making a good choice going north to south! Hope the weather works out for you!

you can check out all the places we stayed here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aQ...fo&usp=sharing

I was pretty detailed and it includes wild camping. Good luck!

10speedBill

Let me know when you're arriving in Portland. If you need ant logistics help, I might be able to assist. Have you considered riding out to the coast on the Washington side so you can ride over the Astoria bridge?

McBTC

South on the Washington coast (you see more tree stumps than coast) doesn't come close to comparing with the Oregon/Cali coast.

fietsbob

Washington route 4 is on the north side of the Columbia river, you can cross over the river too at Vancouver at Portland,
or even take the Westport to Puget Island & Cathlamet,
and avoid the S curves and Wood Chip trucks on Hwy 30 between the paper mill and the coast.

then come back across using the Megler-Astoria Bridge.

Or leave the bike in the Amtrak box take the POINT Bus at the train station in Portland, and get off at the coast, it takes US 26, Astoria the end of the line .

getting off in Warrenton puts you closer to the Ft. Stevens State park and camping. [ its all motels & hotels in Astoria. ]

The POINT - Intercity Transit

spinnaker

From Portland. I took 18 through Mcminnville to Lincoln City. I thought this route ranked right up there with the rest of the ride. Lots of pretty views along this route.

Jseis 

Good route though I'd take the L & C road past Fort Clatsop. Fort Stevens ok but Cape Dissapointment State Park/North Head really give that end of continent feel (to start an epic).

fietsbob

Early start across the bridge .. NB: a lot of people do commute over It.

Wheel wetting at Sunset Beach is done by transcontinental riders.. Oregon Beaches are Public Spaces .

McBTC

Hit the coast from Kelso and you can still cross over the Astoria bridge to Oregon. The train used to stop there.

jamestress

When are you leaving?? I'll be riding through Portland on Aug 27th and heading toward LA after. Maybe we could ride together!

Doug64

Jseis 

Forgot to mention, bridge is being painted so stops like this happen.

LeeG

My first big tour was from LA to Seattle in '74 about half hitch hiked. Wear a bright vest, be aware of car/truck sounds from behind, ride an absolutely straight line with an eye to bail out options so you can pull over and let trucks /rvs pass safely. Consider a mirror. Hydrate well, it's surprising how much water you can lose even in cool foggy conditions if you're breathing hard. I had to rest an extra day at Russian Gulch State Park after a long day of headwinds. I had a shop on the north coast in the 80's and was used to reading about cyclists being injured or killed regularly. I was bothered by the number of cyclists who couldn't ride a straight line.