Hello,

A friend of mine have about 12 days to make the trip from Portland to San Francisco. We're both in good shape and have toured several thousand miles each. I would expect to be about to go at least 70-80 miles a day if we want to.

One question: Which route to take from Portland to the coast?

The recommended route for ample time seems to be the 30 through Astoria, but I feel we will be pressed for time and this might be going to far out of the way.

So for a more direct route, either

1) Route 6 to Tillamook
2) Nestucca Access Rd to the 101 at Beaver

Thoughts?

We are flying in and will likely by biking from the Airport, unless anyone can recommend against this idea. Maybe public transportation to get us out of the city?



SO......my second question.

Rain.....We are leaving on May 13. I expect there to be somewhere between a decent amount and an ungodly amount of rain. I have a decent gore-tex shell,but no real 'rain pants'. I'm figuring whatever I wear will get soaked through anyway, so maybe rain pants aren't a big deal. Maybe some sort of lightweight synthetic would be fine.

(We don't wear spandex )

Suggestions clothing wise for making this trip as pleasant as possible given the likely climate? I have never been to this part of the country before and don't know exactly what to expect, although I have read a number of trip reports and have a book. Seems like the weather is likely to be highly variable.

Thanks so much for your time!

Michael