pdxsforider

I am riding PDX to SFO starting on Sept 3. The only thing I have not sorted out yet is whether to ride to the coast or get a ride. I live in Tigard, OR and will start the coast portion in Tillamook. I have two issues with riding from Tigard to Tillamook:
1) Traffic on hwy 6 is busy and does not have a good shoulder- any route you would suggest?
2) Distance- my intention is to ride ~ 60 miles a day, so a 90-100 miles ride on day 1- is a bit of a jump.


A ride to the coast avoids any issues but it just strikes me as odd to drive to ride a 700 miles,. anyway would appreciate hearing what others have done and would recommend.

Thanks

djb

had to look up what pdx is, see that its Portland. (not familiar with airport code letters)
years ago, I took a bus from the airport to the coast, with my bike still in the cardboard box from my flight.
In my situation, while I dont recall the exact details of distance and whatnot, it made sense to make life easier to just get to the coast and to a hotel and start the trip to past San Fransisco after getting to a hotel after the cross continent flight. I seem to recall appreciating gaining the days for the actual coast trip.
You'll have to look into what services are around now bus wise or whatever, and make your decision depending on what is important to you and your schedule.

fietsbob

There are bus connections from Portland to Tillamook , and the towns on the coast of Clatsop county.

you can go on 26 and turn off onto 53.. Or, stay in the valley, even to Eugene, then go to the coast..
when I lived there we used a secondary road over the coast range, to Reedsport thru tree farm lands..

You know? ODOT has bike maps .. free..

raybo

Tourist in MSN

In 2014 I rode a bus from Amtrak station in Portland to Astoria, that bus stopped at other coastal communities before it got to Astoria. In Astoria there was not bus staion, just a stop. We found a cardboard recycle bin behind a nearby pizza place where we discarded our bike boxes. It was late evening when we got there, we had made reservations for a motel there. I know that is not the specific community you want to go to, just describing another option. There was a hostel in Seaside if you are looking for a low budget place to stay if you get there late on your first day.

In San Fransisco we stayed at the Fishermans Wharf hostel. Great price, but they do fill up so if you want to stay indoors on your last night, it would be best to make a reservation first.

A few comments on my trip that may help you in your planning are at this link:
Southt to North Pacific Coast Highway Concerns

CliffordK

Find the American Lung Association Reach the Beach route. I think it wanders to Amity and Lincoln City.

spinnaker

Any reason to start in Tillamook? Route 22 to Lincoln City is very pleasant IMHO, If you are concerned about traffic on 6, wait till you get to the coast. Some decent should but much not so good.


I will double the recommendation for the hostel at Fisherman's Wharf. Excellent hostel.

pdxsforider

Thanks all very helpful. Not sure why Portlander's refer to Portland as PDX but yeah we do :-) I had been told HWY 6 had no shoulder, but clearly that is wrong. I can deal with traffic, but traffic and no shoulder on an uphill, well that is a different story. Tillamook or Lincoln City are both good spots to start. I have not ridden the Oregon Coast before so Tillamook seemed like the natural place to start as it is roughly in line from Tigard. I am planning on camping along the way, maybe a hotel or two to clean up. I have a friend in Danville that I will be staying with, my plan once I cross the Golden Gate is to grab BART from Embarcadero Station to Pleasanton then ride to Danville from there. Can't wait to get started. I have been training! This is my 1st big tour, I did a smaller one last year SFO-> Monterrey and back, which was a blast,.

Doug64

It is the 3-digit code for Portland's airport. All airports have one.

Good luck on your ride.

spinnaker

But as I recall, people from San Francisco get upset when you refer to the city as SFO.

And Portland is the only city that I know that uses its airport code. We certainly don't call Pittsburgh PIT. SEA for Seattle? I don't think so.

LAX or Los Angles??? Maybe???

biggus duckus

What kind of bike do you have? If you have 40mm tires or larger, you can do the North Trask route. Even smaller tires would be fine for 95% of it, but there is a long uphill deep gravel section.

It is a great route, and hardly anyone will be on it, especially if you go on a weekend and miss the logging trucks.

Google the route and you'll quickly find info. Basically you can take the light rail to Hillsboro and bike all the way to Tillamook.