TheSergeant

Hey Guys,

I was planning on doing the Pacific Coast Bicycle route this summer but my plans abruptly came to a halt when I was struck by a car making a u-turn and broke my hand. Anyway, I've decided to continue with that ride regardless of the weather, but have come to terms with the fact that I won't be able to cover the full ride given the approaching seasons and my own personal time constraints.

My plan is to take the AMtrack from Davis, CA to Portland, Or --ride across to the coast and following ACA's route down to Los Angeles, CA. I've been searching online for a few different route suggestions but haven't come up with any.

Do you guys have any suggestions? My general preference is to move in the south western directions but am open to any alternatives if the route is THAT good.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm heading out next week and this is the last piece I need ot have situated.

My Fargo, gear & bob are ready to roll!!

This was the route I was thinking. It's 100 miles so i'll be breaking it up into 2 days.
https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...&z=10&lci=bike

raybo

I can't tell if your route matches the southern one of the three recommended routes from Portland to the Ocean on this map.

If not, you might consider one of the ones on the map.

Doug64

You might think about taking the Amtrak bus from Portland to Astoria. It will give you 2 more days on the coast.

You can probably book the bus at the same time you get your regularticket. It leaves right from the train station. The bus drivers have been pretty good about bikes the few times we used it.

Enjoy your ride!

indyfabz

See this discussion and the internal links therein:

https://www.adventurecycling.org/foru...p?topic=9240.0

Shifty

There is also a bus from Portland Amtrak station to Tillamook. You can also get off the train in Eugene or Salem and ride over to the coast.

https://www.tillamookbus.com/route-sc...s.htm#portland

fietsbob

these folks operate the bus from Portland to Clatsop County, now.

https://www.oregon-point.com/nw_point.html

post season I don't think the BoB added box will be an issue.

Big cargo holds on these bigger busses.

TheSergeant

Thanks for all the info guys!! Seriously appreciate it! I was thinking about taking the bus from Portland to the coast but was concerned about transporting the bike AND the BOB trailer.

I hadn't really thought about it but do you think I'll have a problem brining the Bob trailer on the train with teh bike?

simplygib

Probably not. Pack it up and check it as luggage. Might want to remove the Bob's wheel first, and maybe put trailer and wheel in a box if you're worried about things getting scuffed up.

I made the same Amtrak trip in 2008, only from Sacramento. Put my bike in a box and checked a duffel bag containing panniers and all the rest of the gear, minus a small carry-on. It was painless. I rode up Hwy 30 to Astoria and then headed south. It was fine, but given your time constraints probably not the best option. Taking the bus to Astoria would probably work great for you though. If you could work it to where you'd start riding from Astoria on the same day you'd planned to start from Portland, you'd probably be riding very close to the same mileage, although all of it on the coast (fantastic scenery).

Just finished riding part of the coast again last weekend (Portland to Trinidad, CA). It's looking like an early winter, but maybe you'll get lucky. Too wet for me. I came home early.

Doug64

You will probably have to box your bike. This is not a problem, Just remove your pedals and loosen your stem and bars so they can be turned and rotated. The boxes are large, allowing you to roll the bike right in. The boxes cost $15. If this is the case you will need the tools to do the job and some packing tape.

If your BOB is the only luggage you have it may not be too much of a hassel. Hopefully, someone will be able to answer that question.

These are the boxes Amtrak uses. This was at the station in San Francisco at the end of a tour.


We use panniers , and have a good system for toting gear around the stations. This was in Seattle waiting for the Amtrak bus to Vancouver BC, the start of a tour.

fietsbob

summer weather pattern has broken up , now.. wetter and more SW onshore winds ,
so the tailwind down the coast is not to be counted on.

Big Lew

A good comment, quite likely will encounter stiff headwinds. The ride from Portland to Astoria is nothing special at all until you are within a few miles of the bridge. Crossing the bridge if it's raining with a high wind is scary and unpleasant, the wind normally blows from west to east,pushing you toward traffic and the sidewalk is quite high above the road surface.

kimronthomas

am i the only one to notice that OP's map lists a town called 'idiotville'?

as a native portlander, now new yorker, planning this same trip for july, this was a big help. wondering: what else there is to know about the wind patterns along the pct?

fietsbob

no I-ville placename on DeLorme printed Atlas,
a point near there on the paper-map,
on Wilson river shows a Campsite area in the State Forest [Or rte 6]

Check NOAA.gov on the weather..

TheSergeant

I actually ended up leaving from Eugene rather than Portland. Another forumite suggested an alternative route to the coast from Eugene and I am beyond glad I took his advice. The two days to the coast from Eugene were some of the best of the trip.

In terms of wind and weather I couldn't have asked for a more ideal situation. Tailwinds alll the way down. The tailwind was so strong at times that I could literally feel it propelling me forward. It was awesome. The weather coming down was perfect all the way down from Eugene to SF. Just a half day of rain coming into SF.

July should make for a great trip. I definitely had some coooold nights with my 35* bag.

I ended up shipping about 10lbs of gear back home that I wasn't using along the way. I learned alot from the tour and am looking forward to the next one. Such an awesome experience. Have a great trip!