Aussie starting TransAm 1 July, W-E; questions about bike box

[spareparts]

Dear all,

My first post so here goes...

So I land in Portland on 1 July from Melbourne Australia, with bike in cardboard box. Have to get myself + bike and gear to Astoria for the start of the TransAmerica, build the bike (I'm confident with a spanner), and somewhere amongst it all, sleep off some jet lag.

Should I:

(1) Build my bike at Portland International Airport. Apparently they have an assembly facility there, and possibly willing to accept a box for disposal (not 100% sure about this). But with bike built, I then have to travel to Astoria by Greyhound (any other options?). Coach companies might be looking for the bike to be boxed, so could be some wasted effort with this option.

(2) Place my boxed bike on a Greyhound and travel to Astoria. Once there, I would hole-up in a motel for a few days to sleep, and reassemble the bike. But then I'm stuck with a box that the motel owner might be unwilling to accept (unsure what waste disposal arrangements look like in Astoria). Pay him/her for this maybe?

(3) Place my boxed bike on a Greyhound, travel to Astoria, take the boxed bike to an LBS and pay them for the privilege of letting me reassemble my bike on the premises. The major problem I can see with this option is the dates. 1 July is a Saturday, and the next business day is the 3rd, one day before the Fourth of July national holiday (so not sure if anywhere is going to be open).

So what would you do? Any advice would be welcome.

This is a great forum BTW. Generally very positive vibe.

Spareparts

[jamawani]

Northwest Point bus service from downtown Portland -

http://oregon-point.com/northwest-point/

Portland  -  9:20a      6:10p
Astoria    - 12:18p     9:05p

Q: Can I bring my bicycle?
A: Yes! Purchase a bicycle ticket to reserve space for your bicycle, as the bus is limited to three bicycles per trip. A bike box is not necessary and the bicycle is stored in the luggage bay with the luggage. The cost is $5 per bicycle, in addition to your paid fare.

[spareparts]

Thanks for this Jamawani. Think that's a problem solved 

[maxton]

I would definitely get it put together in Portland. the shop in Astoria is very sub-par in my opinion

[spareparts]

Thanks for the reply Maxton. Only just caught it.

Yes, that's what I'm going to do. Bike build at the airport after arriving, and then off to a motel in Portland to sleep for a stretch.