Messages

46

General Discussion / Re: Daytime Lights in Montana

« on: January 26, 2021, 12:23:48 am »

Otherwise, my top states would be Montana, Washington and Vermont. Bottom would be Oregon, New Mexico and Illinois.

Out of curiosity, what puts Oregon on the bottom of your list?

47

General Discussion / Re: Daytime Lights in Montana

« on: January 26, 2021, 12:22:54 am »

Welcome to the next wave of big government.

The irony of course is that most (most, not all) of the proposed laws like this come from those who claim to be about limited government.

48

Routes / Re: Lower Columbia - Washington or Oregon Side?

« on: January 25, 2021, 11:11:03 pm »

PS - They have an $80 zillion plan to redo the stairs.
Mega concrete structure with concrete columns and retaining walls.
Why not a Trex composite ramp like they have at the beach parks?
Or wood.

Since it's part of the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail, certain aesthetic concerns have to be addressed. This leads to the new design.

As for wood, well, wood tends to be slippery when wet, and it gets pretty wet here...

49

Routes / Re: Lower Columbia - Washington or Oregon Side?

« on: January 18, 2021, 09:53:50 pm »

I think I'm gonna beg, borrow, or buy me a boat ride
from St Helens to north Sauvie Island.
Then ride down the west side dike along the Multnomah Channel.
Kinda crazy, but it sure beats US 30, eh?

(I've hitched across the Mississippi and other big rivers before.)

Cool if you can pull it off. But does the "back" way not appeal to you?

50

Routes / Re: Lower Columbia - Washington or Oregon Side?

« on: January 18, 2021, 06:16:51 pm »

West do the Washington side, ferry over to Oregon, backroads to Clatskanie then backroads to Vernonia.  From there, take bike paths and back roads to Portland.  Perfect route comes and goes. 

What John said. This route is what the new Cycling The Pacific Coast book by Bill Thorness recommends. It's a lot better than 26 or 30, the two ways the old Kirkendall/Spring version used. There will be three climbs: 47 out of Clatskanie, the summit on Banks-Vernonia Trail (not so bad since it's a rail-trail) and going over the West Hills into Portland. Most Portland people will skip riding through the Tualatin Valley and catch the MAX light rail from Hillsboro into Portland.

An alternate is to catch the Crown-Zellerbach Trail from the "town" of Pittsburg, a few miles north of Vernonia on 47. It's another rail trail, but is unpaved and still a bit rough in spots. It'll drop you off in Scappoose. Then you can take 30 the rest of the way into town. The trail is nice, riding on 30 from Scappoose to Portland not so.

Below is a pic of the route map the Thorness book uses.

51

Routes / Re: The Great American Rail Trail Seattle to Missoula

« on: December 28, 2020, 08:24:20 pm »

The Beverly Bridge remains closed and gated with additional barbed wire.
I hope that it will be reopened, but I would not plan on it given the history.
It's been 30+ years of promises - - - but I'm hopeful.

From the website HikeBikeCook mentioned:
https://palousetocascadestrail.org/beverly-bridge.html
Looks like construction is slated for 2021, with an aim-to opening date of September 2021. Of course, that could be pushed back, but they are actually doing something about the bridge.

52

Routes / Re: The Great American Rail Trail Seattle to Missoula

« on: December 28, 2020, 02:10:02 pm »

We are also interested in getting to Olympic National Park and have little desire to go to Oregon between the civil unrest and wildfires.

The "civil unrest" in Oregon has been widely exaggerated by the media. Most of what you saw was confined to several blocks in downtown Portland. As the TransAm route does not even come close to Portland (and skirts the center of Eugene, if you are worried about there,) civil unrest would be the least of your worries on a bike tour.

The TransAm does pass through the burn area in the McKenzie River Valley, though. You could bypass it by using US 20, but that road is probably busier.

53

General Discussion / Re: Advice for Newbies about the Weather.

« on: December 17, 2020, 11:28:10 pm »

I tried two different small crank Midland jobs, and one solar-powered Midland radio...they were all junk, very poorly made, and of course, none of them are as small as a cell phone, so now you're dealing with bulk and weight.

Well, sounds like Midland is a company to avoid!

I've used the offerings from Eton before, and they are pretty decent. My current radio is a C. Crane Skywave. It's not crank or solar, just simply powered by 2 AA batteries. It comes in at eight ounces and is pretty compact, but not cellphone compact. (I doubt you'll get great reception out of a radio the size of a phone.) The weather band is handy, and it's fun pulling in shortwave broadcasts from the other side of the world while at camp at night.

54

General Discussion / Re: Average Touring Weight observed at ACA HQ weigh-in?

« on: December 17, 2020, 10:31:20 pm »

I think weight can matter, but not as much as some people make it out to be. I'll try to find the lightest weight yet durable stuff that's in my budget, but don't obsess over gram-counting. For me, the bigger deal is mass than weight. After doing a big tour about ten years ago with the "traditional" four panniers-handlebar bag-saddlebag-etc setup, I've reduced the amount of baggage I bring. It was just too much stuff to worry about, especially when I had to change modes of transit.The less space I have to pack things the less temptation to bring too much.

55

General Discussion / Re: Advice for Newbies about the Weather.

« on: December 17, 2020, 10:27:28 pm »

I just have a weather app on my phone along with extreme weather alerts, no need for a separate radio.  I've had small lightweight backpacking radios and they didn't last long nor worked very well with poor reception if any at all, so now I just use the phone.

There are places where cellular/data/wi-fi are non-existent, so there can be a need for a separate radio. I use both the radio and phone apps.

Out of curiosity, what radios were you using?

56

General Discussion / Re: Average Touring Weight observed at ACA HQ weigh-in?

« on: December 16, 2020, 02:34:40 pm »

I do too pack a few extra pounds compared to the ideal American image and my doctor once termed me as "fit-fat", just before I beat the machine on my stress test and he told me I was okay to go bike the Alpes.   Like I mentioned I lost 40 pounds hiking and too much weight loss was actually an issue. When I returned from my trip people were shocked  that I had dropped from a 38" waist size to 33". So while I can afford to drop 30 lbs. on a cross country trip my wife would be losing 30% of her body weight and be unable to cycle. So, my questions were more of a scientific nature. Did not mean to offend anyone.

No offense taken. I think everybody's body works differently. Some will lose weight on a cross-country tour, some will stay the same, some may even gain a few pounds. I did a four-month tour in 2011, and can't remember if I lost/gained anything. I'm guessing I maintained my weight or maybe lost a couple pounds. I think that as long as your body can do the miles and your bike doesn't become a hindrance in terms of weight, it's all good.

57

General Discussion / Re: Average Touring Weight observed at ACA HQ weigh-in?

« on: December 16, 2020, 01:52:41 pm »

Of course one the cheapest and best ways to reduce total weight for the average American is to reduce the weight of the rider, but they don't weigh the riders.

I don't know you, HikeBikeCook, and you end your comment with a smiley face. But your comment can be considered a bit sizeist.
I'm on the heavier side and don't "look the part" of a bike tourist, whatever that means. But I've done my share of long-distance bike touring and did okay, overweight or not.

58

General Discussion / Re: Warmshowers now charging.....everyone!

« on: December 13, 2020, 10:34:44 pm »

I just got an email from Warmshowers about the app and such. The pertinent info:

1. You will continue to have access to your user account through the website for free. The app is an optional upgrade if you prefer the ease of using an app. All current access remains the same for you through the main website. The app is not required and instead is an enhanced experience.

2. The app fee is USD 2.99 per month or USD 17.99 per year. This allows us to provide regular maintenance, bug fixes, and support to ensure you continue to have the best experience possible when using our technology.

The main website will continue to be available to you for all your touring and hosting needs if you do NOT wish to use the app.

59

General Discussion / Re: Bike/train travel

« on: December 03, 2020, 04:49:12 pm »

But wait!  Amtrak doesn't offer thru-checking, so if you change trains during your journey, you have to reclaim your bike from the first train and checked it back in on the second.

Amtrak does offer through checking, as long as the bike is boxed.
From the web page I mentioned previously:
"You can still box and check your bike to and from stations that offer checked baggage service if you like. This is a good option if bicycle space is sold out on a train where checked service is available. It's also convenient if you're changing trains since our baggage handlers will move your bicycle box for you between connecting trains."

I'd urge anyone interested in using Amtrak with a bike to check out this page:
https://www.amtrak.com/onboard/bring-your-bicycle-onboard/bike-faqs.html
I agree that bike info via Amtrak isn't always the easiest to decipher. But this page does do a good job of sorting out the info.

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General Discussion / Re: Warmshowers now charging.....everyone!

« on: December 03, 2020, 02:36:35 pm »

While I definitely prefer things like Warmshowers to be totally free, I can understand why they may need to charge. There's definitely money needed to maintain the website, database, app, etc. They take donations, but it's probably not enough.

The positive angle I can see for charging a fee for WS is people will probably value it more. Having a cost in this capitalistic society, even if it's a small one, will mean that people won't treat it as casually. It could cut down on the mooch factor described above. And yes, there's even a positive in charging hosts. There are definitely people who may have good intentions when they sign up to host, then go on to ignore requests. It makes a network less valuable when there are all these potential hosts that are unresponsive. It is good that WS shows a host's response rate in their profile. But it may cut down more of the noise when hosts have to pay a small fee per month to be listed.