thresholdliver

hey people, i plan to be heading up from los angeles at the beginning of july. i have never toured long distance before, so i am letting central ca be my guideline to continue all the way up to bc if its for me. the constant cycling not the camping is what i wonder if i will take to. but my question is about the coastal winds and the tourist prices right along the coast. if anyone has encountered either of these, and how extreme were they. right now i am thinking of going up route 5 that is parallel to route 1 but hoping that the winds diminish and food prices are more reasonable. how does this sound to one with experience? in advance thanx, and its great to read these threads, tim

Kodama

Hey there. I haven't done the tour you describe (yet) but I can tell you a couple of things. First off this book is the bible of the West Coast tour: Bicycling the Pacific Coast: A Complete Route Guide Canada to Mexico 2) Everyone recommends touring North to South as the prevailing winds run this way. The above mentioned book opens with a description of one of the authors having a miserable time doing the South to North. Additionally I was in Port Angeles just this week returning from my tour (journal in progress) and I ran into a couple of Canadians heading to Vancouver Island from their Tijuana to B.C. tour. They also complained of the prevailing winds, and recommended I do N to S when I said I wanted to do the W. Coast. 3) I have driven the I-5 that entire route and would rather drive it then bicycle it. Hwy 1 and 101 along the coast are the way to go. The camping in CA and OR is very cheap and there are sites so frequent you can decide to camp pretty much when you get tired.

Anyway that basically is the conventional wisdom, I'm sure more people here who have done the Pacific Coast will comment. Good luck on whatever you do, touring is the best way to see an area, and no matter what you do it will be an inspiring time.

thomson

Going north on I-5 in July is going to be quite hot.
As you have heard, touring south is the way to go on the coast. Not only because of the winds, but it is much more enjoyable being on the water side of the coast. If your motive for going north is that you can just turn around if touring isn't for you, may I suggest a trial trip on some weekend. Perhaps bike to Carpenteria, camp, and ride back the next day. If you can get a few weekdays free, try a little longer tour. This way you can gauge your touring abilities and interest.

pdxcyclist

We used the book mentioned when we rode N to S from Seattle to CA border. Camping and riding in WA and OR were fantastic, but I definately wouldn't want to do it S to N for two reasons:

1) In OR, the shoulder on the west side is purposefully wider for N to S cyclists. Also, that is the ocean view side with all the cut offs for waysides and parks. Traffic on the route can be significant, and I'd hate to have two lanes of traffic between me and the view.

2) The north winds were fierce, especially along the southern Oregon coast. For the first time ever, we almost felt we had "too much tailwind" as it seemed to hit and maintain 35-40 mph. I wouldn't want to go into it for too many days.

Is it at all feasible to fly, train or bus North before riding?

valygrl

I rode northbound from Santa Barbara to the SF bay area in April. The wind is definitely a factor, and becomes more pronounced later in the season. Southbounding is the way to go. I used the Cycling the Pacific COast book too, it is very useful. If you must ride northbound, try to get the miles in early in the day, the wind tends to pick up mid day and becomes very strong in the mid/late afternoon.

Please don't ride I5, you will just be riding in 90+ degree heat breathing the fumes from the thousands of cars driving 80-100 mph, with drivers falling asleep from boredom. Your food stops will be gas stations and there are few (no?) camping opportunities, you will likely need to use motels. Prices aren't good, as you are a captive audience - there aren't many real towns on I5, it's mostly just clusters of fast food and gas stations at crossing highways.

The coast is beatiful, offers plentiful cheap camping at state parks with hiker/biker sites, has gorgeous ocean views. Small markets and cute towns dot the route. There are hills but they aren't overly challenging.

Have a great trip!