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10-16-08, 01:14 AM
Hello again,
Many thanks to all that helped out with previous posts here in the NorCal forum.
I'll be posting this question also in the Pacific Northwest forum concerning Oregon specifically - although if you are already posting here and have pertinent information regarding OR, feel free to post it.
My questions fall into a few categories:
- Route planning
- Terrain
- Climate
Concerning route planning, I was assuming I would take the coastal route and follow Highway 1 as much as possible. This is supposedly very beautiful, and would take me through the redwoods, etc. It seems, however, in looking at the maps, that north of Leggett, CA, the highway turns into a freeway for some time. This happened on my way to Santa Cruz, and it was a complete pain in the butt to find alternate routes. What is the story for that section, and any other similar ones? That section starting in Leggett is also where the redwoods should begin, and it would be sad to miss out on them...
As far as terrain goes, Highway 1 in central California, especially between, San Luis Obispo and Monterey was very hilly and many areas had little to no shoulder. How is the rest of this ride going to be, going north of the Bay Area? Are the hills going to be insane? What kind of climbing should I expect?
Lastly, going north this time of year on the coast, it seems the wind will be unavoidable. As we approach late October and get into November, how will the weather be in Northern California on the coast? Will the wind pick up even more? I'm guessing there will be precipitation, for sure. Is cycling this route a bad idea?
Many thanks in advance, again.
_S
Many thanks to all that helped out with previous posts here in the NorCal forum.
I'll be posting this question also in the Pacific Northwest forum concerning Oregon specifically - although if you are already posting here and have pertinent information regarding OR, feel free to post it.
My questions fall into a few categories:
- Route planning
- Terrain
- Climate
Concerning route planning, I was assuming I would take the coastal route and follow Highway 1 as much as possible. This is supposedly very beautiful, and would take me through the redwoods, etc. It seems, however, in looking at the maps, that north of Leggett, CA, the highway turns into a freeway for some time. This happened on my way to Santa Cruz, and it was a complete pain in the butt to find alternate routes. What is the story for that section, and any other similar ones? That section starting in Leggett is also where the redwoods should begin, and it would be sad to miss out on them...
As far as terrain goes, Highway 1 in central California, especially between, San Luis Obispo and Monterey was very hilly and many areas had little to no shoulder. How is the rest of this ride going to be, going north of the Bay Area? Are the hills going to be insane? What kind of climbing should I expect?
Lastly, going north this time of year on the coast, it seems the wind will be unavoidable. As we approach late October and get into November, how will the weather be in Northern California on the coast? Will the wind pick up even more? I'm guessing there will be precipitation, for sure. Is cycling this route a bad idea?
Many thanks in advance, again.
_S