Pacific Coast Route - how long did it take you?
12-07-17, 05:34 PM
#26
Banned
12-07-17, 05:49 PM
#27
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,885
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 610 Post(s)
Liked 290 Times
in
200 Posts
Probably best cured by repeating your PCH tour.
12-07-17, 05:56 PM
#28
Newbie
You guys are way off topic. How about getting back to the original thread theme . . . thanks
12-07-17, 09:06 PM
#29
Senior Member
^ Right! Pacific Coast in July 2012. I'll start looking up old weather reports so we know when was best to take the trip! This will be the first tour where you can accurately plan around bad weather! 
12-07-17, 11:12 PM
#30
Senior Member
12-08-17, 01:09 AM
#31
Senior Member
For future reference to throw my 2c in, while I've never done the whole thing, I have done Astoria to San Fran 2-3 times. Oregon is a solid 7 days to the border, figure another 7 days to San Fran....but I've always done the lost coast route which adds another 6-7k feet of climbing, I think.
July to September, always been foggy in the morning, burns off around 11-12. Typically 65-75 during the day on coast, California inland can get up to 85-100 quite easily.
July to September, always been foggy in the morning, burns off around 11-12. Typically 65-75 during the day on coast, California inland can get up to 85-100 quite easily.
12-08-17, 01:37 PM
#32
Newbie
Thanks Nick. Were you carrying a lot of gear, or was it a credit card/motel trip?
12-08-17, 05:13 PM
#33
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Left Coast, Canada
Posts: 5,126
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2236 Post(s)
Liked 1,314 Times
in
707 Posts
I am planning to do Vancouver BC to Vancouver WA through the Olympic peninsula in Jul 2018. Really to Portland but van to van sounds catchy. I have 9 days for that. I want to go to SF but don't think I'll have enough time. Planning to take Amtrak back.
12-08-17, 09:30 PM
#34
Senior Member
12-09-17, 12:21 AM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,495
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1185 Post(s)
Liked 842 Times
in
438 Posts
My wife and I rode from Vancouver, BC to Powell River, BC; then across to Vancouver Island before heading south to the Mexican Border. We had to do it in segments due to a family emergency and limited vacation time. We rode a total of 1800 miles (2850km) in 35 days, averaging about 50 miles a day.
Loaded bike—Taking time out for a little people watching.
We finished the ride by dropping off our gear at a motel in San Diego and riding bare bike down to the border.
Loaded bike—Taking time out for a little people watching.
We finished the ride by dropping off our gear at a motel in San Diego and riding bare bike down to the border.
Last edited by Doug64; 12-09-17 at 12:45 AM.
03-15-19, 01:08 AM
#36
Junior Member
44 days including rest days
I did the ride from Vancouver BC to the Mexican border in the fall of 2014, leaving Vancouver on Sep 16 and arriving at the border in San Ysidro on Oct 29 - so 44 days total, including 3 rest days on the road, 3 days off in San Francisco, and about 4 other half days spread throughout the trip. Total distance cycled was just under 3000 km. To be honest, the WA & OR parts of the ride were not the best, with a fair amount of traffic in places, a good deal of fog, and headwinds on many days. The best part of the ride by far was south of San Francisco - less traffic, better weather, and great scenery. Even LA was OK to cycle through, with the northern half of it (Malibu to Torrance) either on or just off the beach, and the southern half (Torrance to Dana Point) on urban arterials leaving LA, but with surprisingly little traffic (I was maybe fortunate to do that section on a Sunday). The ride from Malibu to Torrance was actually one of the highlights of the trip for me - a great view of LA beach culture, and multiple opportunities to eat, drink, and people watch.
I'd done a number of 3 week trips before, so this trip was by far the longest. It didn't feel that strenuous overall though - just one day after another, even for someone celebrating their 65th birthday on the road :-). By & large the topography isn't super challenging, although climbing in and out of the multiple steep creeks along the CA coast can get wearisome. But even the fabled climb from Leggett over to the coast on Highway 1 in northern CA was less difficult than expected.
Recommended if you have the time. The cheap camping available at hiker/biker state campgrounds makes it easy to economize if you want, and the campgrounds are also quite social - a good opportunity to meet, or even cycle for a few days with, other cyclists from all over doing the same route.
I'd done a number of 3 week trips before, so this trip was by far the longest. It didn't feel that strenuous overall though - just one day after another, even for someone celebrating their 65th birthday on the road :-). By & large the topography isn't super challenging, although climbing in and out of the multiple steep creeks along the CA coast can get wearisome. But even the fabled climb from Leggett over to the coast on Highway 1 in northern CA was less difficult than expected.
Recommended if you have the time. The cheap camping available at hiker/biker state campgrounds makes it easy to economize if you want, and the campgrounds are also quite social - a good opportunity to meet, or even cycle for a few days with, other cyclists from all over doing the same route.
