Filling in the Gaps

[Soulboy#1]

Hi all

Im down to 10 days and counting before i board a plane to D.C. and start my first tour on the Transam trail east to west. Ive managed to find a word document
online that provided quite extensive reviews from cyclists who have navigated the transam trail over the years and have given their reviews for places to stay and eat!
The only snag is that as the information goes into Oregon it only lists information up to Eugene and has no information from about places to stay and eat from Eugene to Astoria. Does anyone have any info from Eugene to Astoria or can point me in the direction to a resource online that might have this information?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks all.

[jamawani]

But the "gaps" are what it is all about . . .

[Soulboy#1]

Thats such a great reply.....

[jamawani]

Well, I'm probably a whole lot older and have been touring since the Middle Ages.

In the olden days, we would come into a little town and just scope it out - -
Ask some people where their favorite place to eat was.

Electronic media is fine, but it has changed the way we do things.
We probably pedaled a few extra miles -
but we also found great places that way, too.

[Soulboy#1]

Do you know what, you've just gone and changed my whole attitude toward the trip in five words!!!

Thank you.

[jamawani]

You are welcome -
I hope you have a fantabulous trip.
I am happy for you.

[adventurepdx]

Well, I don't want to ruin Soulboy#1's personal journey that much,  and I haven't done the whole Astoria-Eugene section, but I have done the on-the-coast section a bit, since I live nearby. So here's a few pointers:

• Astoria is a nice little town, with a healthy amount of places to eat these days. Nothing like it was like 10 years ago! Blue Scorcher is a good spot for breakfast, and there are several brewpubs in town if that's your thing. Personally I like Buoy the best, and Fort George has a decent food menu.
• Pelican is another good brewpub. They now have two locations, both on the route: One in Tillamook (limited food, from what I remember), and the old-main one in Pacific City with the great view of the ocean.
• There are a few options for camping on the coast route. Most (if not all) of the Oregon state parks that provide camping on the coast will have hiker/biker sites. These are for the exclusive use of bicyclists or hikers (anyone moving under their own power), cannot be reserved, and cost $5 to $6 per person a night. My favorite is Cape Lookout, which you should pass by. In fact, don't stop there, or it may just spoil you! 

And here's a pic of the Cape Lookout hiker/biker site:


And you're just about 200 metres from the actual oceean:

[jamawani]

Speaking of old - - -
Are you old enough to remember cyclists camping at Cape Meares?
There was only one spot at the picnic area for hiker/bikers only - no other camping.
So at night, you had the whole park to yourself.
I think I camped there in 1988 or 1989. Wow!

<<<>>>

Wait - - I see you answered the same question 4 years ago.
Things like old campgrounds get lost in the tides of history.
Not like it was a transcript of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates or anything.

In a similar vein, the Alaska Highway has been rebuilt over the past 20 years.
New, straighter roadbed. Wide forest cutbacks so the low winter sun can hit.
But the old highway wound along creeks and around hills - much more intimate.
I've ridden both - but can never ride the old highway again.

[joefincher]

Would be great to see the Word doc. Please share the link. I will begin West to East around 7 June. Hope to see you on the road

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

[hon_cho]

You're in no danger of starving along that section and you're in the home stretch to Astoria so you'll be very in touch with what your body craves for fuel. 

by the way,  we were in Williamsburg, VA for Easter Sunday and I was thinking of all the cyclists starting their journeys in Yorktown.   

Let's see what I remember from last summer.  My tandem partner has more refined and healthier tastes than I do so I don't remember anything other that the basic  food groups:  Fat, Sugar and Salt

Tillamook:   The Tillamook Creamery.  You Scream, I Scream, We Scream for Ice Cream.  Generous (huge) servings of ice cream,  free cheese samples,  other food available. 

Rockaway Beach:  Pronto Pup.   

Cannon Beach:  Some expensive restaurant, we were dining with family and friends.  Lots of choices because it's a touristy place. 

Astoria:  Custard King (Get a Kale Salad!) but you're at the end of your journey so eat and enjoy whatever you want.

 

[indyfabz]

Ive managed to find a word document online that provided quite extensive reviews from cyclists who have navigated the transam trail over the years and have given their reviews for places to stay and eat!

And how dated is some of this information? Things come and go over the years. A great example is the recent closing of the Jackson Hot Springs Lodge in Jackson, MT due to the death of the owner. Fortunately, a place with indoor lodging and camping opened up across the street a few years ago, but unless someone re-opens the lodge or the café in town fills the void left by its closing, there will be nowhere to get breakfast in town as the café is only open for lunch and dinner. Heading west, you will have to go another 18 miles to Wisdom.