Getting bikes from Vancover to Portland

[neil]

Hi
Attracted by Oregon, 12 of us are coming in September 2015 for a 19 day tour around Oregon from the UK.
We intend to start and finish from Portland.
The issue I have is getting the bikes too and from Portland from the United Kingdom
There are several options
1) Fly to Portland, however United charge an eye watering $200 dollars each way to transport the bikes.
2) Fly to Vancover with Virgin airlines who carry bikes free and then drive the bikes to Portland and back again. in effect I have a budget of less than $4800 dollars to do this for a 7 hour trip each way.

Does anyone have any suggestions please and if this includes a reliable contact/company or someone would like to do this with a large van then please let me know

   Thankyou
      Neil Wheadon

[Pat Lamb]

Just a couple ideas, I don't really know what the costs would be.  How about renting a truck?  I'd think, for a 19 day ride, you might be better off with a one-way rental each way for a 15' or 18' U-Haul or Ryder truck, although I don't know how badly the border would screw things up.  (Have you looked at flying into Seattle instead?)  You might be able to get either a 9 or 12 passenger van for the people.

Alternatively, can you fly into Vancouver and take a train down to Portland, checking the bikes as luggage?

[adventurepdx]

The easiest way would be to take the train! Amtrak Cascades has a daily train from Vancouver BC to Portland OR. Tickets will be around $50-80 per person, depending on dates and how far in advance you book. There are spots on the train for ten unboxed bikes. Each spot is $5 and requires an advance reservation. You can also put boxed bikes on the train for $10 each (if you need to buy a box from them, it's an extra $15.)
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/662/483/Amtrak-Cascades-Schedule-070714,0.pdf

[neil]

Looks like we'll have to fly to Portland as Virgin Atlantic are stopping flights to Vancover this summer.
  Thanks for everyones help
       Neil

[adventurepdx]

Cool. And it's spelled Vancouver. 

[John Nelson]

Why do you want to go to Portland? Portland is not on the coast. If you intend to do the coast of Oregon, you really want to get to Astoria. If time allows, you would ride there from Vancouver on the ACA Pacific Coast route. Should take about six days.

I agree with not patronizing United Airlines. We should not reward airlines who charge obscene prices to transport bicycles. Frontier and Southwest only charge $75.

[adventurepdx]

Why do you want to go to Portland? Portland is not on the coast. If you intend to do the coast of Oregon, you really want to get to Astoria.

Because Portland is the most accessible place to get to from other places, especially from overseas. There is a small airport in Astoria, but I can imagine the logistics/cost of getting twelve people and their bikes there from the UK would be prohibitive. (And they would probably have to take a connecting flight from Portland or Seattle anyway.)

There is a bus that runs from Portland to Astoria, the NW Point. It runs from Portland Union Station and Greyhound Station out to the coast. I'd guess getting twelve bikes on one bus trip would still be an issue.

[neil]

Because Portland is the most accessible place to get to from other places, especially from overseas. There is a small airport in Astoria, but I can imagine the logistics/cost of getting twelve people and their bikes there from the UK would be prohibitive. (And they would probably have to take a connecting flight from Portland or Seattle anyway.)


[/quote]

Yes above sums it up
This is a tour of Oregon not just the coast
I cycled the west coast 19 years ago and the section Vancouver to Astoria isn't as nice as the section we are doing. We did it on a tandem and my wife remembers the traffic.
The route is on the other post I've posted on this subforum for NW.

I do have a little sympathy with airlines. Bikes are tough to handle, X-ray etc so don't mind a small extra charge. I would far prefer they are flown than banned, but please don't hijack this post discussing costings
   
   Thanks again
      Neil