Getting to Astoria?

[jimbarb]

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about getting bikes and people to Astoria, OR (from distant locations) to begin the TransAM route?

[staehpj1]

This is a rehash of something I posted over on the crazy guy on a bike site, but some of it may be useful.  At least some of it is applicable to an Astoria start, but much of it applies to alternate starting points.

We flew into Portland and didn't wind up going to Astoria. We wanted to start our ride on the coast for a day or so. For us the best solution was to rent an SUV big enough for our three bikes. Prices varied widely and not all offered one way rentals, but Enterprise was reasonable. Splitting the cost three ways it was the cheapest option we found.

The bus option was limited in a few ways that made it less than convenient. There was no service to Newport or Florence. We didn't want to start in Astoria, but considered it since there was bus service to there. There were three of us and the buses could only take two bikes per bus. There was no way to be sure we wouldn't be competing with others for the rack space. They ran infrequently enough that riding on different buses didn't seem like a good option.

We wanted to ride a bit of the coast before heading inland so we dropped the car off in Newport, but I am pretty sure there was a place to drop off in Florence.

We rented the car for one day and were able to spend a day sightseeing the Columbia gorge and Portland while we had the car. We rented a yurt at Beverly Beach State Park and dropped the car off in the morning, just within the 24 hour limit.

[CMajernik]

You could ship your bikes to one of the Astoria bike shops, fly into
Portland, take a bus to Astoria, pick up your bikes, and be on the road.

There is also bus service between Portland and Tillamook (72 miles south
of Astoria). They take bikes but you would need to check with them to see
how many bikes the bus can carry. The website is http://www.tillamookbus.com/

 

[WesternFlyer]

Amtrak has bus service from Portland to Astoria, from Albany to Newport and from Eugene to Florence & Coos Bay.  I have never taken one with a bike, but Amtrak is pretty bike friendly and it might be worth a call.

Western Flyer

A wise traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving.
           Lao Tzu

[bikeparts]

Send your Bikes to a Bike Shop in Astoria.Fly to Portland or Take the Train.Then take a Bus from Portland to Astoria and pick up your Bike.Good luck on your Trip and Be Safe.......................

[valygrl]

I flew to Portland, rented a Uhaul one way to Astoria.  This was cheaper and more convenient than the bus for 2 people.  I think if you were alone the bus/train was cheaper, but the schedule was very limited - I think it was once a day.   This was in 2004.