Touring - Leaving to do the Pacific Coast tour tomorrow. Any words of advice?

Leaving tomorrow to fly to Seattle and strike down the coast to San Diego / Tiajuana. Any words of advice from people who have done it?

Great route from Astoria on. I wasn't crazy about the AC route from the Seattle area to Astoria. If I were doing it again I'd probably just start in Astoria and skip Washington altogether. If that wasn't an option I'd try a more coastal route in Washington.

Not sure what the weather is usually like that time of year, but I am guessing you better plan for wet weather.

Forecast for the Oregon coast next week is rain, rain, harder rain, hard rain, and rain. It doesn't sound so good for bike touring, still a bit early for Washington and Oregon.
http://weatherspark.com/#!dashboard;q=Astoria,+OR,+USA

Your going to get wet......Beats working.....Have fun!

I would cross over the inlet to Port Orchard just north of the airport and head down and over to the coast rather than ride through Seattle and south, especially if it is likely to be raining hard, to avoid the heavy vehicle traffic.

Wave as You Go By.. :thumb:

You know, if you want to see the best of washington you have to go INLAND, not towards the coast, at least in my opinion. That said, it is a little early in the season for this. Anyone that has time to do a little detour into inland washington should consider heading to Mount Rainier then to the eastside of Mount St. Helens, dropping down to the columbia before heading to the coast.

Something like this:
http://g.co/maps/unfae

Be aware though, that route has 15,000 ft of climbing :eek: Absolutely worth it though...

Washington rules, you just gotta know where to go :D

Then again, there are a couple of interesting things over on the peninsula

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uRhEWm27Zhc/TwH_1inWPBI/AAAAAAAAADY/hp14Li1QP_0/s640/IMG_6846.jpg

Advice? Yes, don't forget your rain gear, and don't expect day after day of tailwinds. :)

But have a great time anyway and enjoy the beauty. It's really stunning. One advantage of going now is you'll almost certainly have less traffic than summer/fall, a huge plus in my book.

I have done the coast from Astroia to San Diego twice, some parts three times. If you are using the Kirkendall Book and the Adventure Cycling Maps, I would always follow the AC maps, they tend to get you out of traffic. Most of the time,they follow the same route, though.

Also, there is a GREAT bicycle store in Newport, Oregon, about one block west of the highway. They actually have a place for cyclists to rest with a tv. They wanted to put in sleeping facilities for bike tourists, but, as of two years ago, they hadn't done that. Definitely worth the time to stop.

And one last thing, just past the Pfeiffer Camping ground in Big Sur, as you climb the hill going south, there is a little place with a great restaurant cafe overlooking the ocean. It is called Nepenthe. Great place for a meal or just a cup of java and pastry.

Have a great time. Are you on CGOAB?

Give yourself some extra time to savor Nepenthe, including the fires and the views.

I have done the coast from Astroia to San Diego twice, some parts three times. If you are using the Kirkendall Book and the Adventure Cycling Maps, I would always follow the AC maps, they tend to get you out of traffic. Most of the time,they follow the same route, though.

Also, there is a GREAT bicycle store in Newport, Oregon, about one block west of the highway. They actually have a place for cyclists to rest with a tv. They wanted to put in sleeping facilities for bike tourists, but, as of two years ago, they hadn't done that. Definitely worth the time to stop.

And one last thing, just past the Pfeiffer Camping ground in Big Sur, as you climb the hill going south, there is a little place with a great restaurant cafe overlooking the ocean. It is called Nepenthe. Great place for a meal or just a cup of java and pastry.

Have a great time. Are you on CGOAB?

and just down the road from that, on the left, is a tony B&B where i had the second best breakfast ever. very rustic. it had a fire too, and cat...

I'm leaving May 1st to do this exact trip. Flying out to Seattle and headed to the border of Mexico. Good luck! Are you going to be blogging about the trip at all? I would love to follow along if so.

I'm also debating on which route to take. Straight out to the coast from Seattle or south to Portland then out to the coast. HMMMMM!

-First time tourer here I should add...

Thanks for all the advice everybody. Here some answers to questions that got posted.

1) Yes we are prepared for rain. We have shower pass rain covers for shoes, gore text pans, and gore text jackets, helmet covers and pannier covers. I just re-waterproofed the floor of our tent and we just made a brand new Silnylon waterproof tarp to have a little extra dry space at our campsites. Also planning on buying a stack of trash compactor bags to line all my panniers and stuff sacks. We don't love rain more than sunshine, but hey, this is the time we have and it just seemed like the right time to do it. I hope my new touring bike is up for the challenge, it's a new one to me and hopefully it is ready to take on the wet roads of oregon.

2) From seattle we are taking the Ferry to bremerton and then out to Aberdeen before heading down the coast.

3) Guy from NW oregon (fietsbob), are you on warmshowers? want to host two wet and happy cyclotourists? I don't think we have anywhere lined up for the astoria area yet.

4) We are not yet on CGOAB, but probably will be soon. I would like to blog about it but I'm not sure how seeing as we won't have a computer / internet connection for much of the trip.

5) Pausethemoment, whats your general itinerary? We are spending a bit of time in seattle before striking out and if you are riding long distances you may overtake us since we are doing probably no more than 65 miles / day. Maybe we could share a yurt along the oregon coast or something.

6) We will be stopping at EVERY restaurant on highway 1 from seattle to SD. We bike so that we can eat. No really, we plan to stop at a lot of places. I haven't heard of Nepenthe yet, but I have a cookbook from a place called the "Big Sur Bakery" that I like very much, I'll have to check out Nepenthe.

7) No constant tailwind? I want my money back!

Be sure and say Hi when you come thru Sonoma County!

are you on warmshowers?
not on the list, just a small cluttered apartment..
recommendations:
Hostel in Seaside is good, Camp, Ft Stevens and a KOA. north of 101/Warrenton
Norblad is an in-town hostel but its a 2nd floor place ..
and the town in general .. its got abundant motel rooms..



7) No constant tailwind? I want my money back!
That weather system ..'stable' high,.. does not really sort itself out until July.

7) No constant tailwind? I want my money back!
Not only no tailwind, you'll likely have a fair amount of headwinds throughout at least the OR portion.

If you've had enough of the traffic on hwy101 by the time you get into NorCal and you don't mind a bit of chain-snapping climbing and a short stretch of dirt road, you might consider climbing on over to the Lost Coast. You can go over the wall at Ferndale (don't forget to check out the Kinetic Sculpture Museum), or wait until you have gone part-way down the Avenue of the Giants and climb over to Honeydew, or just do the flatter part by taking Briceland-Thorn Rd to Usal Rd. Usal Rd is 25 miles of dirt to hwy1. It ends 30 miles north of Ft. Bragg and there is a campground six miles from the south end of Usal Rd. (primitive). On Usal Rd. you have a wilderness area on your west side and a private hunting preserve on your east side. Other than the occasional motorcycle, there is no traffic at all on Usal. When you see it, you'll know why.

There is a great little bakery in Pt. Reyes Station, at the tip of the bay (Marin County, north of San Francisco).

Good food in Pescadero, just off Hwy 1, between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. And if you enjoy camping among the redwoods, Butano is a small gem of a campground nearby.

Have a great time, reading all the comments makes me want to do that trip again....

I was going to suggest the ferry to Bremerton, then follow Hood Canal. I did this same route in 1992. I stopped at Twanoh State Park the first night. It was an easy day - 26 miles? - but it was my first day and it seemed long. That was my first big tour. It turned out wonderfully!

I hope you have money for motels. If you get as much rain as everyone (including me) thinks you might, you may wish to hide out in a warm motel a few times, rather than camp in the rain.

Are you going across the long bridge into Astoria?

6) We will be stopping at EVERY restaurant on highway 1 from seattle to SD.
Don't miss the seafood place in Bandon. I think it was Tony's Crab Shack.

Pausethemoment, whats your general itinerary? We are spending a bit of time in seattle before striking out and if you are riding long distances you may overtake us since we are doing probably no more than 65 miles / day. Maybe we could share a yurt along the oregon coast or something.

Nothing set in stone as of yet but I think we'll take the ferry to Bremerton on 5/1, stay overnight with some friends and then take off on the morning of the 2nd. I think we'll head straight for the coast from Bremerton. Not in one shot obviously, but we're headed that way. Since it's our first tour we really don't know what to expect as far as mileage goes. Wish I could be more accurate! Let's keep in touch though. Msg me with your email.

I was going to suggest the ferry to Bremerton, then follow Hood Canal. I did this same route in 1992. I stopped at Twanoh State Park the first night. It was an easy day - 26 miles? - but it was my first day and it seemed long. That was my first big tour. It turned out wonderfully!

I hope you have money for motels. If you get as much rain as everyone (including me) thinks you might, you may wish to hide out in a warm motel a few times, rather than camp in the rain.

Are you going across the long bridge into Astoria?

I think out plan right now is to go to Potlatch SP on first night out of bremerton

No constant tailwind? I want my money back!

Sorry, no refunds. It's in the fine print. :)

Sounds like you're well equipped for wet weather. You should have a great time. Enjoy!

As for distance per day, I'd recommend what MrToe has brought up in the past- that if possible, plan for shorter days for a day or two, as riding with a fair weight is tough at first.
Even without knowing how much you ride and what shape you are in, the "shorter first few days" recommendation is a good one and nice if there are campgrounds within 30, 40, 50 miles at first. It's just nice for the legs to get used to being a mule train.

As for distance per day, I'd recommend what MrToe has brought up in the past- that if possible, plan for shorter days for a day or two, as riding with a fair weight is tough at first.
Even without knowing how much you ride and what shape you are in, the "shorter first few days" recommendation is a good one and nice if there are campgrounds within 30, 40, 50 miles at first. It's just nice for the legs to get used to being a mule train.

Sounds like some great advice. Thanks!

I am leaving May 14th for this trip too haha. First time tourer myself as well...

I am leaving May 14th for this trip too haha. First time tourer myself as well...

Awesome! Hope to run into you at some point along the way. Follow along with me over on FB fan page below. Never know if we'll end up meeting up somewhere...

Pause The Moment (http://www.facebook.com/pausethemoment)

Sounds like some great advice. Thanks!

Tks, but thank big blue toe for bringing it up in the past.

I think out plan right now is to go to Potlatch SP on first night out of bremerton

Google maps says it adds exactly one mile to that leg of your trip but I can recommend a slight variation you might find more pleasant. The Port Orchard (from Bremerton) ferry saves you from cycling around the bay, through the hilly city, gets you onto a more pleasant route and you have a 50/50 chance of taking a ferry boat that is nearly 100 years old. The ride across the bay is only 10 minutes. They have a more modern ferry boat as well, and that was the kind of vessel I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised when I rode my bike back from Olympia last summer to have this cute little wooden antique pull up to the dock. Not only is the ride across the bay pleasant but the ship is a veritable floating museum, filled with pictures and beautiful woodwork.

IIRC the ferry from Seattle comes in at the upper level of the ferry terminal and you take your bike on an elevator down to the Kitsap Ferry to Port Orchard at the lower dock.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/kitsapandbeyond/2007/09/14/celebrate-the-carlisle-ii-turns-90/

IIRC you'll have a climb up from the waterfront on the Port Orhard side that's probably a bit of a slog but after that it's pleasant for a while until you rejoin your likely route past the airport there. Should be a LOT more pleasant than going through hilly Bremerton and along Highway 3.

Unbelievable breakfasts at Otis Cafe...It's about a mile west of Hwy 1 on Hwy 18 in Oregon.

I'd head to the coast rather than going via Portland. You can either (1) Cross the Puget Sound at Kingston and head for Port Angeles (there is a good bike trail starting 7 miles East of Sequim that ends in Port Angeles; or (2) picking up the coast by going through either Bremerton or Olympia area, then West to Montesano where you turn off for Raymond.

I am leaving May 14th for this trip too haha. First time tourer myself as well...

I'm heading on the 10th but starting top of CA.