Logistics, Getting People and Bikes to Astoria

[staehpj1]

We are making kind of a last minute change. With only a couple weeks to go, our trip originally planned to an E to W transamerica is now possibly going to be a W to E transamerica if we can figure out the logistics. Does anyone have suggestions of how to best get us and our bikes to Astoria?

I imagine we would fly to Portland and take a bus or train to Astoria or possibly rent a car. I think it would be easier if the bikes were shipped directly to Astoria. The problem is where in Astoria. Can any one recommend a person, business, or bike shop in Astoria that would be willing to receive the three bikes and hold them for us for a reasonable fee?

I apologize to those who read crazy guy and BF forums for the duplicate posting to the three locations.

[driftlessregion]

If you give a motel your business they may be willing, at least that was my experience.

[RussellSeaton]

Is there a valid reason you cannot start your transcontinental bike ride from Portland instead of Astoria?  Or ride from Portland to Astoria and then start the official ride?  On all of my overseas loaded tours where I flew into an airport in a big city, I started the tour from that city.  For Rome I took a train out of the airport to get to a train station inside the city before assembling the bike.  I suppose I could have ridden out of the airport but I landed in the evening and it was easier to get into town before riding and assembling the bike.  When finishing my overseas tours, I rode the bike right to the airport and rolled the bike inside and put it in a box purchased from the airline.  I would suspect there is something on the internet talking about riding to and from the Portland airport.

[staehpj1]

No reason other than our desire to minimize the time before we are on the route.  I will be into leave without pay before we are back and I want to minimize that.

We are now thinking of flying with the bikes and renting a van one way to Newport so we can ride just a bit of the coast before starting the shorter option of the official route in Florence.

[RussellSeaton]

"No reason other than our desire to minimize the time before we are on the route."

The logic of this escapes me.  As soon as you sit on the saddle and start pedaling you are on the route.  The route starts from Portland airport instead of the coast in Astoria.  So what.  Still sounds like you are on a bicycling vacation.

Renting a van to shuttle the bikes to the coast to ride a bit.  Then drive the van and bikes to another town to return the van and start riding again.  Sounds like quite an enjoyable way to start a bicycling vacation.

[staehpj1]

"Renting a van to shuttle the bikes to the coast to ride a bit.  Then drive the van and bikes to another town to return the van and start riding again.  Sounds like quite an enjoyable way to start a bicycling vacation."

Not sure where you got that from.  We would rent a van to get from the airport to our starting point which could be Newport or Florence.  One van ride not two.

I need to draw the line somewhere; if getting riding right away was the only factor every tour would start at my front door.

Two days of "without pay" time saved is a big motivation if the ride is in a place I don't particularly want to go.  That is something like $640 out of pocket.

Also one of our party may run out of time to finish if certain events work out in a particular way and if we don't make pretty good time (she may need to be back to start a new job).  We want to avoid that.

That and the fact that when I asked for advice about starting from the airport I didn't find a single person who rode out of that airport even though pretty much every one who does the TA west to east flys in to Portland unless they are local to the area.

Newport to Florence on the other hand is a section of road I an anxious to ride so adding a day or more to do that is different.