Messages

1

Routes / Re: seattle to portland

« on: March 30, 2011, 08:13:30 pm »

Does it have to be direct?  If not, from Olympia you can head west to Aberdeen/Gray's Harbor on low-traffic roads paralleling hwy. 8, then down the coast and over the bridge to Astoria.  From there, there's a really quiet & beautiful route (hwy 202) to Vernonia, and from there on the Bank-Vernonia trail, to the outskirts of Portland.

here's the Washington State bike map:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/bike/statemap.htm

for Astoria to Portland, and other NW Oregon routes:
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=34809

From Seattle to Olympia i know nothing. You might check the Seattle-to-Porltand website (an annual 2 day ride) to see if they post their route.

2

Routes / Re: Best Pacific Route

« on: March 22, 2011, 06:48:22 pm »

I'm biased as an Oregonian, but the coast here is fairly spectacular - though not without it's sprawl-damaged portions, as Johnsondaw points out. The main points to avoid IMO are the very north coast (Seaside-Astoria) and the Lincoln City area.  The mid/south coast has lighter traffic, at least to Brookings. And, as an earlier poster pointed out, most all the State campgrounds have hiker/biker campsites for $5, hot shower of unlimited length included.

Check out the Oregon coast bike map:
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/BIKEPED/maps.shtml

Northern California seems nice, too -- haven't ridden far south of Crescent City so can't really say much - the Washington Coast is sort of interesting, but it's not especially spectacular like the Oregon coast. 

3

Routes / Re: Safety on the Lewis and Clark Bridge at Longview Washington

« on: March 22, 2011, 06:34:11 pm »

It was pretty awful the last time i rode it (a decade ago or so) - but WAshDOT has since made some design changes that were supposed to improve conditions for bikes/peds.

It's on Google streetview so you can take a look at what current conditions are:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Longview,+WA&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.509065,54.580078&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Longview,+Cowlitz,+Washington&ll=46.108283,-122.958547&spn=0,0.002688&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=46.108202,-122.958626&panoid=xv1TRVbgWpUuK9kEtSjEKg&cbp=12,204.31,,0,8.23

Looks like there's a shoulder, delineated by profile striping. Hard to get a read on how wide it is  - You could also contact the WashDOT bike/ped person to see if they know anything about conditions:
       Ian Macek:  MacekI@wsdot.wa.gov / 360-705-7596

There's also a way down to Portland from Longview, paralleling I-5 - haven't ridden it but it sounds ok:
 http://escapevelocipede.blogspot.com/2006/08/792005-longview-loop-120-miles.html
there's a link to the detailed route at the bottom.

suerte!

 

4

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Portland, OR to Pacific Coast Trail

« on: February 16, 2011, 04:26:44 pm »

exactly what adventurepdx said.  This is the way to get to the north coast by bike.  If you're not bent on getting to Astoria in particular, than the Nestucca River route out of Carlton (reaches the coast north of Lincoln City) is also a scenic, splendid, low-traffic choice.

5

Routes / Re: which bridge?

« on: February 14, 2011, 12:47:15 pm »

KT, if you get yourself from the AMTRAK station to Waterfront Park (west side of the river) and head south, you can cross over on the Hawthorne Bridge.

have a great ride!

6

Routes / Re: pacific coast

« on: February 14, 2011, 12:42:23 pm »

Henk, check out the link to the Oregon Coast bike map that Steelhead offered - it's very useful!  As far as (non-camping) accommodations, check out the Travel Oregon website - http://www.traveloregon.com/ - they have a lot of good info & also a "Ride Oregon" section devoted specifically to bike touring.  If you're getting out to the coast from Portland, there are some great back road routes - see the City of Portland maps page: http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=34809

7

Gear Talk / Re: Oversized touring frames?

« on: February 14, 2011, 12:32:06 pm »

thanx for the leads on Gunnar & Rodriguez frames - I'll check into it! There are week-long UBI classes here in Portland where you can learn framebuilding, and build your own frame - I think it would be great but can't quite dedicate the time/expense at present. 

8

Gear Talk / Re: Oversized touring frames?

« on: February 05, 2011, 12:21:55 pm »

Thanks, pd & Dave.  I've got the longest Nitto stem, which helped considerably.  I'll take a look at/ride on the Fuji, and give Co-Motion's website a look.

9

Gear Talk / Oversized touring frames?

« on: February 04, 2011, 03:54:02 pm »

Anyone know of a maker of a 64cm-66cm (production) touring frame? I can't afford a custom build, and my 62cm B'stone RBT is really a bit small for me.  I haven't been able to Google anything up...

10

Routes / Re: Portland Amtrak station to Champoeg State Heritage Area

« on: February 04, 2011, 03:43:17 pm »

Indy, yes with a crowd of 2000 it would lose a lot of it's charm.  It's main appeal is that it has *only* a hiker/biker camp, and a group camp - so once the day-trippers clear out you've got the grounds pretty much to yourself.  Champoeg you share with hundreds of other campers & RVers.

11

Routes / Re: Portland Amtrak station to Champoeg State Heritage Area

« on: February 02, 2011, 12:45:48 pm »

Michael, here's a route I put in bikely.com for Portland to Champoeg:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Portland-to-Champoeg-State-Park

The one problem with this route is that currently the Willamette River bridge from Oregon City to West Linn is closed - there is a bike/pedestrian shuttle, though.  There is also a steep but scenic climb up Pete's Mt., after which you're rewarded with a long downhill to the Canby Ferry (one of 3 ferries on the Willamette River).   

Anyway, the work-around if you don't want to take on the shuttle or the mountain is:
from Oregon City, find the elevator right in downtown (no fooling, it's save you a few hundred feet of climbing and some distance, plus it's really odd) then follow High St south for a few blocks , LEFT on 5th, turns into Linn St., then at a big intersection with Warner-Milne & Warner-Parrot, find Central Point Rd. and follow it for about 7 miles - then RIGHT (west) on Bremer Rd. into Canby.  You can pick up the route above here.

Here's a series of Willamette Valley bike maps you may find helpful:

http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=36638&a=316792

Also of note: Willamette Mission State Park , not to far from Champoeg, now has hiker/biker campsites. IMO a much nicer place to camp than Champoeg -

 
jeff