Touring - Oregon in march, north to south?

Oregon in march (late february), north to south... is not TOO wet, cold and headwindy is it??
I've checked out climate charts, crazyguy journals etc but can't quite figure it out if this would be ok (I'm escaping the swedish winter so if I wanted to freeze my ass off I could stay at home and commute some more, hihi ;)
It looks at the moment that my vacation dates are not flexible (26th feb - 9th apr) so I'm planning on continuing down to San Diego...
Anyone know about camping through the Baja? I really want to sleep outside (this is actually as important to me as the riding; motels and guesthouses are just not my thang, I prefer stars and dew :) and would be a deal breaker for Mexico.

Thanks for any advice

Oregon weather is not really predictable that time of year. You may have sun and 20C, or rain and 5C. The rain can last for weeks at a time. As you head south, you'll also encounter a mountain pass (Siskiyous) which often gets snow that time of year and/or may be snowbound. Crater Lake, a beautiful national park near Klamath will be closed too due to the snow. I would say later in the season would be better, but if your dates are fixed, they're fixed. Given that you're starting in late February and ending in April, have you considered going south to north?

This past March my girlfriend and I rode from Eugene, OR to Arcata, CA. About three hundred miles in six days. In those six days we experienced maybe a day and a half of some rain, but mostly just epic clouds mixed with sun. As far as temperature goes, it was only uncomfortable in the mornings... really only uncomfortable rolling up the wet tent... Hands got cold, but the rest was fine. We stuck to the coast so we didn't have to worry about snow. Oregon is a beautiful and diverse state as far as scenery goes. The coast is gorgeous, but so are other parts. There is a lot of camping available. I would recomend Humbug Mountain state park. It is on the southern coast and it is SO beautiful. Told the ranger there that it was my favorite state park and he agreed. We went north to south on the coast and the wind was never really a huge issue. There were days when it was in front and days when it was on our back. Direction seemed to vary from system to system.

I might have gotten off topic but I hope this helps.

...oh I should have said, I'd be sticking to the coast... I'd thought about south to north but that would be the "wrong" side of the road and from what I gather there would be more headwind (or is this just in the summer months?)
thanks for your replies :)

Yeah, it is hard to determine the weather from the end of winter to the beginning of spring. We recently had rain all last week here in Oregon (like hurricane rain), and it has been nothing but sun since Saturday.

It is all over the place.

Your best bet would be to prepare for the worst but expect the best.

Your best bet would be to prepare for the worst but expect the best.

This is probably the best advise of all... cheers :beer:

While the wind on the California Coast is toward the south in the Summer, it shifts toward the north when it is raining, which is certainly possible in March and April, though, less so as you get into April. That said, we just had 5 days of rain in early May in San Francisco.

Ray

thanks people... I'm beginning to rethink 'cos I don't want to freeze too much, so maybe just staying in California would be a bit warmer. Fly into LA (good cheap British Airways flights from London) ride north for a few weeks then turn around and go back down to San Diego, turn round again, up to LA and fly home :)
Give me a wave if you see me :D :D

p.s it's been 30 years since I was in the US and the west coast in my old hitch-hiking days... getting that tingling feeling!!!!

Another option to be aware of is to head to the drier areas in southern California like Joshua Tree, Anzo-Borrego, or Death Valley. While it will be getting hot by March, it will be dry.

You might have a couple of routes planned and then decide when you arrive in LA depending on the kind of weather is forecast.

Ray

I second going from south to north. I live in southern Oregon and Mt. ashland is still has snow, I don't even consider outdoor camping while it is like that. (not prepared, or even fun for me.)
Also this time of year there is alot of fog in the morning times in the valleys around here which would mean late starts or dangerous traveling.
Take note I have never toured really, just an outdoors man. Also ride alot, and have to consider those things on my ride.

Another option to be aware of is to head to the drier areas in southern California like Joshua Tree, Anzo-Borrego, or Death Valley. While it will be getting hot by March, it will be dry.

You might have a couple of routes planned and then decide when you arrive in LA depending on the kind of weather is forecast.

Ray

YES!!! THANK YOU RAY!!! :) I'll get a California map and start planning... but LA, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, then up to Sacramento, Redding... over to the coast and back down to LA would be a trip... wouldn't it? :)