Re: [RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-27 Thread Robert Kirkpatrick
Yeah Jan's backdoor is something I've wanted to do as well. However the Seattle 
to Puyallup bits leave a lot to be desired. Some nice views of Mt. Rainier. May 
isn't an amazing time, though this year there isn't likely to be any snow. Of 
course the coast could be plenty wet as well. Could go either way.

Anyway all the routes have a lot of good stuff in it. I would maybe suggest 
ferry to Vashon Island and on the edge of the sound to Olympia and then cut 
over to intersect the route. I have a great Vashon to Oly route on my computer 
at home if you'd want that.

-Robert

Sent from my iPad

 On Feb 27, 2015, at 9:15 AM, rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com wrote:
 
 
  Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions? 
 
 Mark Reimer marknrei...@gmail.com: Feb 27 10:34AM -0600 
 
 Cool, thanks guys!
  
 I've been toying with another idea, which was recommended to me by a local
 Seattle friend. There is no ocean or ferries, which is really too bad, but
 it does have some spectacular climbs and gravel roads.
  
 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5639292
  
 I'm hoping to finalize my dates and rough route tonight. Thanks for the
 input!
  
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Re: [RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-27 Thread Mark Reimer
Cool, thanks guys!

I've been toying with another idea, which was recommended to me by a local
Seattle friend. There is no ocean or ferries, which is really too bad, but
it does have some spectacular climbs and gravel roads.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5639292

I'm hoping to finalize my dates and rough route tonight. Thanks for the
input!

On Fri, Feb 27, 2015 at 12:06 AM, SpiralCage spiralc...@gmail.com wrote:

 Yeah, personally I'd ride 101 to Cosmpolois (just skirting Aberdeen) and
 then 105 down to the coast. Some great riding along the coast there and the
 section into Raymond right above the water is fantastic. Plus you go by the
 Cranberry Road Winery which also has a new brewpub associated with it.

 SR 6 is good times as far as it goes, but then you are in Centralia. I've
 got a good route from there to Olympia if one was dead set on going to Oly,
 but I think if I was on the train I'd just stick with it to P-Town.

 So given lesser time constraints this is the route I'd actually take:

 https://goo.gl/maps/KhWp8

 note on this one I moved a section from my previous route on hwy 12 to a
 frontage road, which one should do regardless of which of these variations
 one utilizes.

 On Thursday, February 26, 2015 at 9:31:45 PM UTC-8, Shawn Granton wrote:


 On Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 9:28 PM, shawn m. smul...@gmail.com wrote:

 +1 on Robert's route. I would note, however, that the stretch of Highway
 101 north of Raymond to the Highway 107 junction is (or was when I rode it
 in 2012) logging truck hell. I've also taken Highway 6 over the Coast Range
 between Raymond and Chehalis and wouldn't hesitate to go that way again,
 especially since taking the Amtrak to Centralia puts it in pretty easy
 reach from Seattle.

 +1 to SR 6. Pretty quiet and a very low pass (700 feet?) over the
 Willapa Hills (Coast Range), almost doesn't feel like you're summiting.
 There's a state park, Rainbow Falls, about 20 miles outside of Chehalis.
 Nice park, has a hiker/biker site.
 -Shawn


 No one actually looks at email signatures anymore, but here goes nothing:
 http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/
 http://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/
 http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/
 Un-electronic mail goes here: P O Box 14185, Portland OR 97293-0185

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Re: [RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-27 Thread Chris Chen
From Raymond to Aberdeen I took the route out to Tokeland and along the
coast, back along Gray's Harbor. Far nicer!

On Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 9:28 PM, shawn m. smula...@gmail.com wrote:

 +1 on Robert's route. I would note, however, that the stretch of Highway
 101 north of Raymond to the Highway 107 junction is (or was when I rode it
 in 2012) logging truck hell. I've also taken Highway 6 over the Coast Range
 between Raymond and Chehalis and wouldn't hesitate to go that way again,
 especially since taking the Amtrak to Centralia puts it in pretty easy
 reach from Seattle.

 On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 9:16:40 PM UTC-8, SpiralCage wrote:

 Whoops, double checking that map, it looks like it got a bit messed up.
 THIS is my preferred route from Seattle to the Coast:

 https://goo.gl/maps/YAhj0

 -RjK

 On Feb 25, 2015, at 9:14 PM, Robert Kirkpatrick spira...@gmail.com
 wrote:

 Yeah I wouldn’t go that way in WA at all.  Here’s a link to a Google Map
 with my preferred route:

 https://goo.gl/maps/zVT8U

 This has some great riding along Hood Canal, through the woods and small
 little towns and is pretty much more direct. I’ve done that in two-three
 days, staying in Shelton (slightly off the route) or camping at Potlatch
 State park. I’d personally do it over three days staying at Potlatch, then
 Lake Sylvia and finally Long Beach.

 Good luck, lots of great riding on your route.

 -Robert

 On Feb 25, 2015, at 8:18 PM, Shawn Granton urbanadven...@gmail.com
 wrote:

 Mark, that route looks like it could be a good one. I have no experience
 with the routing you chose from around Olympia to the coast, but I'm
 guessing it will be lightly trafficked, maybe forest/gravel roads, maybe
 not even passable in some spots (if you're relying on Google Maps in
 bicycle mode to give you directions.) Robert Kirkpatrick/Rootless in
 Place may have a little experience here. My only tip right now: rather than
 ride south from Seattle through suburbia (which, if you stick to the
 Interurban trail, will be flat), ferry from SW Seattle (Fauntleroy) over to
 Vashon Island then ferry over to Tacoma. While not as flat, will be a lot
 more scenic and different, and you'll get two ferry rides in!
 -Shawn

 No one actually looks at email signatures anymore, but here goes nothing:
 http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/
 http://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/
 http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/
 Un-electronic mail goes here: P O Box 14185, Portland OR 97293-0185



 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 2:46 PM, Mark Reimer markn...@gmail.com wrote:

 I've also been toying with the idea of flying to Seattle instead and
 riding to Portland over that time frame. I put together a quick route,
 525km over four days and one evening. Seems a bit much, but I'm sure there
 are ways to trim that down. Screen Shot 2015-02-25 at 3.23.37 PM.png

 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 3:19 PM, Mark Reimer markn...@gmail.com wrote:

 Thanks so much! That is very helpful.

 I should have mentioned, I've been to Portland before. Just once. I was
 on a motorcycle tour and stopped at a friends house. I stayed for the day
 and he took me around. It's a lovely place, definitely need to visit for
 longer some time!

 Your route seems pretty good. Distances are varied and never too long.
 I don't mind riding the 101 - it is a beautiful road and I can deal with
 pavement when the ocean is right beside me :)

 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 2:57 PM, Shawn Granton urbanadven...@gmail.com
  wrote:

 Hey Mark-

 Welcome to Oregon! But I noticed that your plans don't seem to give
 any time for, y'know, exploring Portland itself. I can tell you from
 experience that Portland is slightly different than Winnipeg. ;-)

 Anyways, I think that a North Coast Loop would be good option to get
 ocean and climbs. Though you'll have to use US 101 on the coast itself for
 a good part which would go against your wish for avoiding the busy. But 
 the
 scenery makes up for it! This would be a mostly paved route. There are
 gravel options over the Coast Range, but they can/will be steep and a GPS
 unit is needed as most of those roads are un/poorly marked timber company
 roads.

 It could look something like this:

- Sat May 16: Get into PDX, take MAX light rail to Hillsboro, ride
20ish miles to Stub Stewart State Park.
- Sun May 17: Ride Banks/Vernonia Trail, OR 47 and OR 202 to
Astoria (80 miles.) No camping in Astoria but hotels/motels, closest
camping would be at Ft. Stevens, another 10 miles away.
- Mon May 18: Ride 101 and some alternates to Nehalem Bay State
Park (40 miles)
- Tues May 19: Ride 101 and some alternates to Cape Lookout State
park (40 miles)
- Wed May 20: Back to Hillsboro MAX via Nestucca River Road (a
smidge of gravel) (80 miles)

 It's a bit ambitious, esp. with the coast range climbs, but you can
 shorten/ease it by taking a bus on one of the portions, either the Point
 bus 

Re: [RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-26 Thread Shawn Granton
On Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 9:28 PM, shawn m. smula...@gmail.com wrote:

 +1 on Robert's route. I would note, however, that the stretch of Highway
 101 north of Raymond to the Highway 107 junction is (or was when I rode it
 in 2012) logging truck hell. I've also taken Highway 6 over the Coast Range
 between Raymond and Chehalis and wouldn't hesitate to go that way again,
 especially since taking the Amtrak to Centralia puts it in pretty easy
 reach from Seattle.

 +1 to SR 6. Pretty quiet and a very low pass (700 feet?) over the Willapa
Hills (Coast Range), almost doesn't feel like you're summiting. There's a
state park, Rainbow Falls, about 20 miles outside of Chehalis. Nice park,
has a hiker/biker site.
-Shawn


No one actually looks at email signatures anymore, but here goes nothing:
http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/
http://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/
http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/
Un-electronic mail goes here: P O Box 14185, Portland OR 97293-0185

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Re: [RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-26 Thread shawn m.
+1 on Robert's route. I would note, however, that the stretch of Highway 
101 north of Raymond to the Highway 107 junction is (or was when I rode it 
in 2012) logging truck hell. I've also taken Highway 6 over the Coast Range 
between Raymond and Chehalis and wouldn't hesitate to go that way again, 
especially since taking the Amtrak to Centralia puts it in pretty easy 
reach from Seattle.

On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 9:16:40 PM UTC-8, SpiralCage wrote:

 Whoops, double checking that map, it looks like it got a bit messed up. 
 THIS is my preferred route from Seattle to the Coast:

 https://goo.gl/maps/YAhj0

 -RjK

 On Feb 25, 2015, at 9:14 PM, Robert Kirkpatrick spira...@gmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 Yeah I wouldn’t go that way in WA at all.  Here’s a link to a Google Map 
 with my preferred route:

 https://goo.gl/maps/zVT8U

 This has some great riding along Hood Canal, through the woods and small 
 little towns and is pretty much more direct. I’ve done that in two-three 
 days, staying in Shelton (slightly off the route) or camping at Potlatch 
 State park. I’d personally do it over three days staying at Potlatch, then 
 Lake Sylvia and finally Long Beach.

 Good luck, lots of great riding on your route.

 -Robert

 On Feb 25, 2015, at 8:18 PM, Shawn Granton urbanadven...@gmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 Mark, that route looks like it could be a good one. I have no experience 
 with the routing you chose from around Olympia to the coast, but I'm 
 guessing it will be lightly trafficked, maybe forest/gravel roads, maybe 
 not even passable in some spots (if you're relying on Google Maps in 
 bicycle mode to give you directions.) Robert Kirkpatrick/Rootless in 
 Place may have a little experience here. My only tip right now: rather than 
 ride south from Seattle through suburbia (which, if you stick to the 
 Interurban trail, will be flat), ferry from SW Seattle (Fauntleroy) over to 
 Vashon Island then ferry over to Tacoma. While not as flat, will be a lot 
 more scenic and different, and you'll get two ferry rides in!
 -Shawn

 No one actually looks at email signatures anymore, but here goes nothing:
 http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/
 http://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/ 
 http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/
 Un-electronic mail goes here: P O Box 14185, Portland OR 97293-0185



 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 2:46 PM, Mark Reimer markn...@gmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 I've also been toying with the idea of flying to Seattle instead and 
 riding to Portland over that time frame. I put together a quick route, 
 525km over four days and one evening. Seems a bit much, but I'm sure there 
 are ways to trim that down. Screen Shot 2015-02-25 at 3.23.37 PM.png

 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 3:19 PM, Mark Reimer markn...@gmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 Thanks so much! That is very helpful. 

 I should have mentioned, I've been to Portland before. Just once. I was 
 on a motorcycle tour and stopped at a friends house. I stayed for the day 
 and he took me around. It's a lovely place, definitely need to visit for 
 longer some time!

 Your route seems pretty good. Distances are varied and never too long. I 
 don't mind riding the 101 - it is a beautiful road and I can deal with 
 pavement when the ocean is right beside me :)

 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 2:57 PM, Shawn Granton urbanadven...@gmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 Hey Mark-

 Welcome to Oregon! But I noticed that your plans don't seem to give any 
 time for, y'know, exploring Portland itself. I can tell you from 
 experience 
 that Portland is slightly different than Winnipeg. ;-)

 Anyways, I think that a North Coast Loop would be good option to get 
 ocean and climbs. Though you'll have to use US 101 on the coast itself for 
 a good part which would go against your wish for avoiding the busy. But 
 the 
 scenery makes up for it! This would be a mostly paved route. There are 
 gravel options over the Coast Range, but they can/will be steep and a GPS 
 unit is needed as most of those roads are un/poorly marked timber company 
 roads.

 It could look something like this:

- Sat May 16: Get into PDX, take MAX light rail to Hillsboro, ride 
20ish miles to Stub Stewart State Park.
- Sun May 17: Ride Banks/Vernonia Trail, OR 47 and OR 202 to 
Astoria (80 miles.) No camping in Astoria but hotels/motels, closest 
camping would be at Ft. Stevens, another 10 miles away.
- Mon May 18: Ride 101 and some alternates to Nehalem Bay State 
Park (40 miles)
- Tues May 19: Ride 101 and some alternates to Cape Lookout State 
park (40 miles)
- Wed May 20: Back to Hillsboro MAX via Nestucca River Road (a 
smidge of gravel) (80 miles)

 It's a bit ambitious, esp. with the coast range climbs, but you can 
 shorten/ease it by taking a bus on one of the portions, either the Point 
 bus that goes out to Astoria, or the Tillamook Wave bus back from 
 Lookout-ish to 

Re: [RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-26 Thread SpiralCage
Yeah, personally I'd ride 101 to Cosmpolois (just skirting Aberdeen) and 
then 105 down to the coast. Some great riding along the coast there and the 
section into Raymond right above the water is fantastic. Plus you go by the 
Cranberry Road Winery which also has a new brewpub associated with it.

SR 6 is good times as far as it goes, but then you are in Centralia. I've 
got a good route from there to Olympia if one was dead set on going to Oly, 
but I think if I was on the train I'd just stick with it to P-Town.  

So given lesser time constraints this is the route I'd actually take:

https://goo.gl/maps/KhWp8

note on this one I moved a section from my previous route on hwy 12 to a 
frontage road, which one should do regardless of which of these variations 
one utilizes.

On Thursday, February 26, 2015 at 9:31:45 PM UTC-8, Shawn Granton wrote:


 On Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 9:28 PM, shawn m. smul...@gmail.com javascript:
  wrote:

 +1 on Robert's route. I would note, however, that the stretch of Highway 
 101 north of Raymond to the Highway 107 junction is (or was when I rode it 
 in 2012) logging truck hell. I've also taken Highway 6 over the Coast Range 
 between Raymond and Chehalis and wouldn't hesitate to go that way again, 
 especially since taking the Amtrak to Centralia puts it in pretty easy 
 reach from Seattle.

 +1 to SR 6. Pretty quiet and a very low pass (700 feet?) over the Willapa 
 Hills (Coast Range), almost doesn't feel like you're summiting. There's a 
 state park, Rainbow Falls, about 20 miles outside of Chehalis. Nice park, 
 has a hiker/biker site.
 -Shawn


 No one actually looks at email signatures anymore, but here goes nothing:
 http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/
 http://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/ 
 http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/
 Un-electronic mail goes here: P O Box 14185, Portland OR 97293-0185 



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[RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-25 Thread Mark Reimer
Hi friends,

So I've mentioned in other posts that I plan to ride the Oregon Outback 
this year, May 22-24. As luck would have it, I've managed to secure the 
full week prior off from work, as well as a day or two after. So now I'm 
looking to fly out to Portland on May 16th, and leave on the 26th. That's 
lots of time for riding!

My friends will be landing in Portland on May 20th and plan to take the 
train to Klamath Falls on the 21st, which I'll accompany them on. We'll 
ride the O.O., then ride from the finish back to Portland on the 25th and 
fly home the next morning. 

So that leaves me with May 16th (afternoon) to the evening of May 20 to do 
some touring. 

For those in Oregon, what would you suggest I ride with five days? 

For what it's worth, I would love to be able to...:
- See/camp by the ocean. I live in the dead centre of the continent. The 
ocean is a real treat for me.
- Get at least a couple nice climbs in. Again, it's flat here. I'd like to 
see some elevation (but not 'too' much hah, I'm a prairie boy)
- Spend as much time as possible off the major highways. I'll be on the 
Atlantis with 2.1 tires and a light setup. Gravel, trails, fire roads, 
whatever. I'm game for all of that. I'll have a GPS with me.
- I also love bridges and ferries. Always take the opportunity to ride a 
ferry if you can. It just adds that 'certain something' to a trip in my 
opinion.

I've considered riding to Astoria and doing a Northern loop. Also thought 
about taking the train South on the 16th, riding closer to Klamath and 
meeting the guys there instead. It's all open to discussion. Thanks!

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Re: [RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-25 Thread Robert Kirkpatrick
Yeah I wouldn’t go that way in WA at all.  Here’s a link to a Google Map with 
my preferred route:

https://goo.gl/maps/zVT8U https://goo.gl/maps/zVT8U

This has some great riding along Hood Canal, through the woods and small little 
towns and is pretty much more direct. I’ve done that in two-three days, staying 
in Shelton (slightly off the route) or camping at Potlatch State park. I’d 
personally do it over three days staying at Potlatch, then Lake Sylvia and 
finally Long Beach.

Good luck, lots of great riding on your route.

-Robert

 On Feb 25, 2015, at 8:18 PM, Shawn Granton urbanadventurelea...@gmail.com 
 wrote:
 
 Mark, that route looks like it could be a good one. I have no experience with 
 the routing you chose from around Olympia to the coast, but I'm guessing it 
 will be lightly trafficked, maybe forest/gravel roads, maybe not even 
 passable in some spots (if you're relying on Google Maps in bicycle mode to 
 give you directions.) Robert Kirkpatrick/Rootless in Place may have a little 
 experience here. My only tip right now: rather than ride south from Seattle 
 through suburbia (which, if you stick to the Interurban trail, will be flat), 
 ferry from SW Seattle (Fauntleroy) over to Vashon Island then ferry over to 
 Tacoma. While not as flat, will be a lot more scenic and different, and 
 you'll get two ferry rides in!
 -Shawn
 
 No one actually looks at email signatures anymore, but here goes nothing:
 http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/ 
 http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/
 http://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/ 
 http://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/ 
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/ 
 http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/ http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/
 Un-electronic mail goes here: P O Box 14185, Portland OR 97293-0185
 
 
 
 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 2:46 PM, Mark Reimer marknrei...@gmail.com 
 mailto:marknrei...@gmail.com wrote:
 I've also been toying with the idea of flying to Seattle instead and riding 
 to Portland over that time frame. I put together a quick route, 525km over 
 four days and one evening. Seems a bit much, but I'm sure there are ways to 
 trim that down. Screen Shot 2015-02-25 at 3.23.37 PM.png
 
 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 3:19 PM, Mark Reimer marknrei...@gmail.com 
 mailto:marknrei...@gmail.com wrote:
 Thanks so much! That is very helpful. 
 
 I should have mentioned, I've been to Portland before. Just once. I was on a 
 motorcycle tour and stopped at a friends house. I stayed for the day and he 
 took me around. It's a lovely place, definitely need to visit for longer some 
 time!
 
 Your route seems pretty good. Distances are varied and never too long. I 
 don't mind riding the 101 - it is a beautiful road and I can deal with 
 pavement when the ocean is right beside me :)
 
 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 2:57 PM, Shawn Granton 
 urbanadventurelea...@gmail.com mailto:urbanadventurelea...@gmail.com 
 wrote:
 Hey Mark-
 
 Welcome to Oregon! But I noticed that your plans don't seem to give any time 
 for, y'know, exploring Portland itself. I can tell you from experience that 
 Portland is slightly different than Winnipeg. ;-)
 
 Anyways, I think that a North Coast Loop would be good option to get ocean 
 and climbs. Though you'll have to use US 101 on the coast itself for a good 
 part which would go against your wish for avoiding the busy. But the scenery 
 makes up for it! This would be a mostly paved route. There are gravel options 
 over the Coast Range, but they can/will be steep and a GPS unit is needed as 
 most of those roads are un/poorly marked timber company roads.
 
 It could look something like this:
 Sat May 16: Get into PDX, take MAX light rail to Hillsboro, ride 20ish miles 
 to Stub Stewart State Park.
 Sun May 17: Ride Banks/Vernonia Trail, OR 47 and OR 202 to Astoria (80 
 miles.) No camping in Astoria but hotels/motels, closest camping would be at 
 Ft. Stevens, another 10 miles away.
 Mon May 18: Ride 101 and some alternates to Nehalem Bay State Park (40 miles)
 Tues May 19: Ride 101 and some alternates to Cape Lookout State park (40 
 miles)
 Wed May 20: Back to Hillsboro MAX via Nestucca River Road (a smidge of 
 gravel) (80 miles)
 It's a bit ambitious, esp. with the coast range climbs, but you can 
 shorten/ease it by taking a bus on one of the portions, either the Point bus 
 that goes out to Astoria, or the Tillamook Wave bus back from Lookout-ish to 
 Portland.
 
 As for bridge/ferry, there is the Westport Ferry west of Astoria that crosses 
 the Columbia. Then you'd have to get back to Astoria via the Astoria/Megler 
 Bridge. At 4.1 miles (6.6 km) long, it's not everyone's cup o' tea. And it 
 would also increase the overall length of this tour by a significant margin, 
 maybe another 40 miles or so.
 
 Hope this helps!
 
 yours,
 Shawn
 
 On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 8:46:59 AM UTC-8, Mark Reimer wrote:
 Hi friends,
 
 So I've 

Re: [RBW] Planning first longish bike tour in Oregon. Suggestions?

2015-02-25 Thread Robert Kirkpatrick
Whoops, double checking that map, it looks like it got a bit messed up. THIS is 
my preferred route from Seattle to the Coast:

https://goo.gl/maps/YAhj0 https://goo.gl/maps/YAhj0

-RjK

 On Feb 25, 2015, at 9:14 PM, Robert Kirkpatrick spiralc...@gmail.com wrote:
 
 Yeah I wouldn’t go that way in WA at all.  Here’s a link to a Google Map with 
 my preferred route:
 
 https://goo.gl/maps/zVT8U https://goo.gl/maps/zVT8U
 
 This has some great riding along Hood Canal, through the woods and small 
 little towns and is pretty much more direct. I’ve done that in two-three 
 days, staying in Shelton (slightly off the route) or camping at Potlatch 
 State park. I’d personally do it over three days staying at Potlatch, then 
 Lake Sylvia and finally Long Beach.
 
 Good luck, lots of great riding on your route.
 
 -Robert
 
 On Feb 25, 2015, at 8:18 PM, Shawn Granton urbanadventurelea...@gmail.com 
 mailto:urbanadventurelea...@gmail.com wrote:
 
 Mark, that route looks like it could be a good one. I have no experience 
 with the routing you chose from around Olympia to the coast, but I'm 
 guessing it will be lightly trafficked, maybe forest/gravel roads, maybe not 
 even passable in some spots (if you're relying on Google Maps in bicycle 
 mode to give you directions.) Robert Kirkpatrick/Rootless in Place may have 
 a little experience here. My only tip right now: rather than ride south from 
 Seattle through suburbia (which, if you stick to the Interurban trail, will 
 be flat), ferry from SW Seattle (Fauntleroy) over to Vashon Island then 
 ferry over to Tacoma. While not as flat, will be a lot more scenic and 
 different, and you'll get two ferry rides in!
 -Shawn
 
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 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 2:46 PM, Mark Reimer marknrei...@gmail.com 
 mailto:marknrei...@gmail.com wrote:
 I've also been toying with the idea of flying to Seattle instead and riding 
 to Portland over that time frame. I put together a quick route, 525km over 
 four days and one evening. Seems a bit much, but I'm sure there are ways to 
 trim that down. Screen Shot 2015-02-25 at 3.23.37 PM.png
 
 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 3:19 PM, Mark Reimer marknrei...@gmail.com 
 mailto:marknrei...@gmail.com wrote:
 Thanks so much! That is very helpful. 
 
 I should have mentioned, I've been to Portland before. Just once. I was on a 
 motorcycle tour and stopped at a friends house. I stayed for the day and he 
 took me around. It's a lovely place, definitely need to visit for longer 
 some time!
 
 Your route seems pretty good. Distances are varied and never too long. I 
 don't mind riding the 101 - it is a beautiful road and I can deal with 
 pavement when the ocean is right beside me :)
 
 On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 2:57 PM, Shawn Granton 
 urbanadventurelea...@gmail.com mailto:urbanadventurelea...@gmail.com 
 wrote:
 Hey Mark-
 
 Welcome to Oregon! But I noticed that your plans don't seem to give any time 
 for, y'know, exploring Portland itself. I can tell you from experience that 
 Portland is slightly different than Winnipeg. ;-)
 
 Anyways, I think that a North Coast Loop would be good option to get ocean 
 and climbs. Though you'll have to use US 101 on the coast itself for a good 
 part which would go against your wish for avoiding the busy. But the scenery 
 makes up for it! This would be a mostly paved route. There are gravel 
 options over the Coast Range, but they can/will be steep and a GPS unit is 
 needed as most of those roads are un/poorly marked timber company roads.
 
 It could look something like this:
 Sat May 16: Get into PDX, take MAX light rail to Hillsboro, ride 20ish miles 
 to Stub Stewart State Park.
 Sun May 17: Ride Banks/Vernonia Trail, OR 47 and OR 202 to Astoria (80 
 miles.) No camping in Astoria but hotels/motels, closest camping would be at 
 Ft. Stevens, another 10 miles away.
 Mon May 18: Ride 101 and some alternates to Nehalem Bay State Park (40 miles)
 Tues May 19: Ride 101 and some alternates to Cape Lookout State park (40 
 miles)
 Wed May 20: Back to Hillsboro MAX via Nestucca River Road (a smidge of 
 gravel) (80 miles)
 It's a bit ambitious, esp. with the coast range climbs, but you can 
 shorten/ease it by taking a bus on one of the portions, either the Point bus 
 that goes out to Astoria, or the Tillamook Wave bus back from Lookout-ish to 
 Portland.
 
 As for bridge/ferry, there is the Westport Ferry west of Astoria that 
 crosses the Columbia. Then you'd have to get back to Astoria via the 
 Astoria/Megler Bridge. At