Touring - Portland to Ventura/LA

water filter?
is there any need for a water filter along this route?

thanks ....d

No. There's very little 'free range' water and plenty of taps. You might encounter one or two campgrounds where the water tap has a note on it saying boil it -- I bring iodine tabs for that, but actually have never had to use them.

Nope. This is one of the most "civilized" bike touring routes in the country. There are numerous campgrounds, usually with hiker/biker sites and showers and good water. There are towns all along the way. There are picnic areas all along the way, usually with bathrooms and running water.

wow!
I've never done any touring without a filter.
amazing!
I'm blown away!

well... i guess thats 1 pound less to carry.

Water filter not necessary. But bring two or three water bottles!

looks like I'll be in Portland for about a week before my touring buddy arrives.

Asana:

Get a cyclist specific map for Oregon and one for Cali if you can. they list the ($4 a night) hiker/biker sites available at state run campgrounds which generally have showers and always have water. Worst case scenario you might have to buy a bottle if you drink lots or don't want to carry a full day's supply.

I'm in Eugene right now but headed down the Coast from BC and have never had to boil water or anything like that. 'Cept for the obligatory hot chocolate at night that is :)

PDX airport to Astoria?

my buddy arrives at PDX in the morning of 8/11
at the moment, we are thinking of a shuttle to Astoria
then camp at Ft. Stevens

any reference/service, bus? other than Amtrak.. being the Amtrak schedule is after 6pm.

to accommodate a recumbent and BOB trailer?

thanks...d

PDX airport to Astoria?

my buddy arrives at PDX in the morning of 8/11
at the moment, we are thinking of a shuttle to Astoria
then camp at Ft. Stevens

any reference/service, bus? other than Amtrak.. being the Amtrak schedule is after 6pm.

to accommodate a recumbent and BOB trailer?

thanks...d

Cheapest way I found for 2 people + gear was to rent a u-haul one way to Astoria. There's a uhaul location about 2 miles from PDX, I put my bike together, rode over there, picked up the uhaul, went back to the airport & picked up my companion who arrived on a later flight.

or just ride, 2 days.

the days are counting down
tuesday i should be en route via amtrak

so far I've reduced my stuff...
here it sits
shelter
sleeping accommodations
stove
cook ware, kettle, cup, fry pan, bowl, pot
clothing
hygiene kit
and sandals
plus some electronics, solio charger for iPod, cell phone, digi cam, and charger for batteries.
and a book

bike should look very similar to this old pic.
the bags are exactly what i have packed at the moment.

reduced yet yet
ditched the keens, and have opted for a set of crocs
i hoped on the scale, weighed myself, then myself and the bike, while i held it
the bike with 3 full water bottles, all my gear + some food, digi cam, etc...
45lbs

I agree with the other comments that there's no need for a water filter on this route. But just thought I'd mention that earlier this summer I stayed at the H&B site at Kirk Creek (south of Big Sur) and there were prominent signs there saying the water was not potable. I had just filled my bottles in Lucia and the campground host also volunteered that he could spare some water so it wasn't a problem. Carrying a few iodine tablets might be a good idea even though it's unlikely you'll use them.

Looks like you've managed to get your loaded weight down more than I have - 50 lbs was the total on my last trip.

I live here in Monterey, I'm very familiar with Kirk Creek.

I'm so accustomed to using a water filter, it blows my mind that all of Oregon has so much facility.

around these parts, i end up filtering a lot of my water
when I'm on tour that is. that is... a spigot is usually not so reality available, and I end up drawing out of something.

when i get to Portland, I'll grab some iodine tabs for insurance.

thanks for the input!

this was a good question, I'm going a similar route and I didn't even think of a filter.

I just drove up the coast last week and stopped at both Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek, which is a few miles south. I wish I'd known about the possibility of no potable water at Kirk Creek; I'd have checked it out. All I can report is that the campground was full and there were people in the hiker/biker. I didn't notice any signs about water.

I wanted to check to see if Plaskett Creek had a hiker/biker site. It does. It's not as nice as the ones at Kirk Creek, which are some of the most picturesque around. The ones at Plaskett are in the middle of the campground, out in the open. There's a bike rack and two tables. I don't think there are showers, although I didn't check.

I hope this information is of interest to someone. :)

well the trip went well
6 days in Portland
then Astoria to Ventura
in Arcata, the 12hrs of Humboldt MTB race was on a saturday
i arrived in town Friday
so i raced the next morning
placing 3rd, solo

the ride down the coast was nice
easy miles
lots of resources along the way

i used a set of Schwalbe Marathon Cross in 38c
when i got to Arcata, all i did was remove my bags, and raced the bike.

this is the shelter i used
and the bike, a custom Hunter 29er in the old school cruiser style with custom bags from Carousel Design works.

a lot of the days i rolled out +80 miles.
one day Humbug Mountain campgrounds to Elk Prairie Campgrounds in just over 7hrs, at 113 miles.

a few more pics

minimal shelter
and a minimal stove
which was awesome!
i think i used 4 bottles of HEET from Astoria to Ventura

Condors in Big Sur
and Roosevelt Elk, at Elk Prairie Campgrounds

somewhere in Ft. Bragg, Ca
and of course, Bixby Bridge

Thanks for the update! It's great that the trip went well.

Congrats on the race, too!

back in Monterey
changed tyres over to a set of creme fat franks
I'm still rolling out the miles... I've been back for about 4 days, each day still riding about 80 miles
my buddies, our local club, VCM (velo club Monterey), the last two days, they've been bent on "ripping my legs off"... I'm comfy with the milage, but the hard efforts, they seem to be extra hard.
or maybe its really the big heavy soft tyres...

some shots from Portland

one friday night, i think it was...
there was a Twilight Crit... got some cool shots...

and of course some work from Sacha White

back in Monterey
changed tyres over to a set of creme fat franks
I'm still rolling out the miles... I've been back for about 4 days, each day still riding about 80 miles
my buddies, our local club, VCM (velo club Monterey), the last two days, they've been bent on "ripping my legs off"... I'm comfy with the milage, but the hard efforts, they seem to be extra hard.
or maybe its really the big heavy soft tyres...


I appreciate your sense of style. What's the frame again? In '78 I rode up from the S.F.
Bay area to participate in a century ride around Petrolia/Ferndale in a similar minimalist fashion.

Regarding the difference between cranking out sustained aerobic efforts in touring and high aerobic efforts with random anaerobic efforts in training rides with clubs is as different as night and day. If you want those hard efforts in club rides to be less hard you have to increase the frequency of anaerobic efforts with attention to technique in the anerobic efforts and recovery off the bike. Basically sprint practice. It hurts.

its a custom Hunter 29er

petrolia/ferndale? Tour of the unknown coast?

yeah, that was it. I took Bart to S.F. ferry to CorteMadera then on up paralleling 101 to 128 to 1. It was a hell of a ride. Drizzly weather from Legget north. By the time I got to Ferndale the day before the ride I had a mild fever and was feeling sick. Had a dinner of pita bread, V8,sprouts, can of chilis,Coors and cheeze. Slept in a cemetary and felt good the next day.
The funny part is that I had some new wool leggings for cold weather but they weren't made with color fast dye. Somewhere near the end of the day I look down at my socks and they're turning green/purple/blue. I peel the leggings down and my legs are the same color, like a chromatography test with the black dye seperating into it's various hues of blue/black/purple/green.
One of the best rides ever. Are those bags custom ?

yes, those are custom bags too.
from Jeff at Carousel Design Works
www.CarouselDesignWorks.com

last year, I toured around Humboldt for at least a month, using my Big Dummy and various equipment, including a 4 man tipi and wood burning stove. I love Humboldt.

I'd like to tour The Kings Range into Shelter Cove.
along with try the Great Divide Race

have you done the Ukiah-Comptche road from Ukiah to Mendocino or vice versa? This is a good time of year to ride it.

well the trip went well
6 days in Portland
then Astoria to Ventura
in Arcata, the 12hrs of Humboldt MTB race was on a saturday
i arrived in town Friday
so i raced the next morning
placing 3rd, solo

the ride down the coast was nice
easy miles
lots of resources along the way

i used a set of Schwalbe Marathon Cross in 38c
when i got to Arcata, all i did was remove my bags, and raced the bike.

this is the shelter i used
and the bike, a custom Hunter 29er in the old school cruiser style with custom bags from Carousel Design works.

a lot of the days i rolled out +80 miles.
one day Humbug Mountain campgrounds to Elk Prairie Campgrounds in just over 7hrs, at 113 miles.

Killer looking bike! What kind of shelter is that?

Killer looking bike! What kind of shelter is that?
that is a solo shelter by Kifaru
a Para Tarp
it has all sorts of variations to pitch
including wood burning stove

i just did a quick trip, Monterey to Morro Bay
127 miles in 9hrs
with 1 stop at Plaskett Creek for water and to mix a new bottle of Perpetuem

this trip I didn't take any poles, and no stakes
simply i just used sticks.

attached pics are from a different trip i took
the shelter also has some thin Kelty cord attached, so it can also pitch by stringing it to an over head branch or something.

here's a pic of the shelter with pegs and poles
vs
scale for packing

just the tarp itself compresses pretty small, 1/2 the size of a small water bottle

the beauty of it, is that you don't have to necessarily use all of the parts.
a simple lean-to is pretty good.

well here I go
I've reserved an airline ticket
I'm heading to Banff in June
for the 2010 Tour Divide. www.tourdivide.org

www.AsanaCycles.com

last weekend, we rolled out 127 miles in 9hrs
my first break came at 7hrs & 110 miles
while I sat at Pezzini Farms waiting for the group to bridge a gap of 1:10hrs.

I'm feeling decent on The Hunter
I think I have the nutrition dialed

a buddy gave me ACA maps of the divide route, and some pics of their ride 5 years ago...
i need to get the newest set of maps

and plan logistics....