first timer- highway 1 from oregon to san francisco!

[raedonovan]

Hi biking buddies!!
I have been biking in NYC for about 10 years and I am used to the urban biking experience. I have also done one 200 mile bike trip in Quebec which was beautiful and amazing and inspiring. This summer, a friend and I are thinking of biking from Ashland, OR to San Francisco along Highway 1.
I'd love to hear tips or advice from anyone who has done this route. I am a little nervous about the no shoulder/sharp turns/cars thing. I know that of course it's important to be very cautious and aware and to stay to the side, but I'm curious about just how safe/dangerous it is...
Thanks! Happy biking!
Rae

[CMajernik]

Rae:
One idea - go to http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ where many cyclists record their trips in journal format and search Pacific Coast. I suspect there are many entries from folks who have ridden the coast and you could get a better sense of the riding conditions. Be aware that the route will be much busier in the summer due to tourists. If you can go in early September there will be a lot less traffic. Also, have you read the info about the Coast on this page? http://adventurecycling.org/routes/pacificcoast.cfm

[cgarch]

The coastal route is truly wonderful. Easy camping, easy to get supplies. Only trick would be how are you getting from Ashland to the coast? There are two ways. You could head over to US 199 to Crescent City - or -head south of Ashland and pick up CA 96 to head west. 96 follows the Klamath River and is quite scenic with little traffic. There might be a third alternative - riding west of Medford and then taking the road south to Happy Camp. There was a Cycle Oregon recently that used this route - worth searching for. In either case heading west of Happy camp you'll be rewarded with some spectacular scenery on low traffic roads. Services however are a little sparse until you reach the coast. At the coast you pick up US 101 and won't reach CA 1 until Leggett. Indeed crazyguyonabike has many journals for rides on that route, including our trip from last year. I'll dig up the Cycle Oregon link later and post.

Don't worry about the twisty and sharp curves and poor shoulders. Where the road is like this no one is going that fast. Put it out of your mind and relax and enjoy the ride.

Happy Trails