ITI training camp AK, Oregon loop of wonder, Jan/Feb 2013

[Area54]

My career will be taking me to Portland in mid Feb 2013 for a few days, then I have a commitment in Ashland a week later, for a few days, then I will be making my way back to Santa Monica to recoup and head back home.

Edit: Now Alaska for ITI training camp, tour of Oregon.

I've been waiting a long time to combine these two opportunities (Portland and Ashland - and everything in between). I'm planning on bikepacking as much as possible, but of course will be building in plan B's in case of inclement weather etc. I've got a heap of links and route info bookmarked off this site to read through, but could still use up to date info.

Some areas will be a composite trip of ride/Amtrak - more on this as I get to each stage. Right now I'll concentrate on the OR section as I think this will be highlight with a lot to see - plan on 4 days riding time. About the same for the CA section - I think I'll Amtrak a bit here to save time and cherry pick highlights.

The bike will be the ti Fargo, will refine the bike and kit to suit this trip. Fat front, whatever it needs.

I'll admit it, all my experience and kit has revolved around trips in Australia (but ridden a reasonable amount in AZ and CA), so this has been tailored to suit temps from -6 to 40 degrees C, with high humidity and lots of rain. Might need a bit of help if there's snow. I've spent a reasonable bit of time in the snow (not riding), I've got a mate just back from ITI so will be picking his brain too.

Some things I'd like to include would be the giant norcal redwoods, maybe big sur.

I have many, many questions, so please be patient.

Lets start.

What sort of weather and temps could I encounter?
Any animals to be wary of?
Suggested routes or highlights to see?

I'll go with that for the moment.


EDIT: title changed to match planned itinerary

[chrisx]

They come in the night and take your food. They don't always wait for you to fall asleep.  Like a giant rat that is not afraid of you.  They carry disease.  Their sharp teeth cut through the fabric of your tent. The clever monsters can undo a latch. they roam free from Canada to Mexico.

worst animal = raccoon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon
Either a plastic jug of some sort or hang your food pack from a thin tree branch.

bike & hike sells imba mt bike trail maps
http://bikenhike.com/portland-bike-n-hike

February is winter in the Pacific Northwest  Winter = rain
It rains much less on the Eastern slopes of the Cascade mountain range.
Try the Hood River area if you like winter trail riding.

unlikely you will get a break in the weather to check out Tillamock state (rain) forest.
http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/tillamookstateforest/docs/NonMoto_TrailGuides/NonMotoTrailGuide_vAug2011.pdf
Route 5 will drop you at the trail head, check the winter weather again first
http://www.tillamookbus.com/schedules.htm

http://cotamtb.com/

http://bikeportland.org/

[Area54]

Ah yes, I've had similar little ratty visitors in the night, our brushtail possums are smart, but not as bold or omniverous as raccoons. Was thinking of hanging the food - thanks for the reminder. Any alpha predators or flora to be worried about?

I'm looking at my vintage Rand McNally as bedtime reading, I spy the Pacific Crest national trail running through Hood river region. Can only assume that this would be heavy in snow, possibly slow going for my timeframe. Looks awesome though, right past Crater lake. Unless I Amtrak it to Springfield, take 58 south east to Willamette pass/Diamond Peak and pick up the PC national trail from here till I can turnoff and head west to Ashland.

This will be my 4th trip to the US for job related training (with a week or so tacked on for riding on each trip), always in winter, as well as the 4th state I'll have visited. First time I'll be camping on US soil though.

[chrisx]

I am retracting my statement about this trail or that one.
Oregon is a soggy muddy mess in February. I'll be in Mexico

The Pacific Crest Trail is for hikers only.

Oregon is full of natural wonders.  None of them do I visit in February.
Are you able to change your time frame to September? July?
Powell's book store is the largest in the world.  Read between the lines on that one.
I saw a shirt at the fair today, it said "the Pacific Northwet."

Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a neat place in California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoobomb
Try this one Sunday night.

Take day rides and forget about the over night ones.  Save your days off and spend them further south.  Don't park a ti Fargo on the side walk in Portland and expect it to be there when you return!

[Area54]

Thanks for being straight to the point, that info is gold.

I can't change the dates I'll be in town.

Zoobomb added to the plan.

Might spend an extra day or two seeing the sights of Portland, then Amtrak south. Crater Lake Dayride/overnighter, would this area be under a snow blanket?

Next Question:

I'll have about 4/5 days to get from Ashland to Santa monica. I was thinking of riding Ashland/San fran and amtrak to SM, but is Big Sur worthy of skipping, compared to Humboldt and surrounds?

[chrisx]

"from October to June, the park turns into a snow covered wilderness, receiving an average of 533 inches of snow annually''
http://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/index.htm

http://nw-trail.org/
These guys have meeting and group rides.  They are strong trail advocates.  Forest park is a the largest city park in the US.  Check their calender and meet up for the group ride.  Many of them work in the bicycle industry. 
also check the bikepdx calender, you never know, maybe there will be a trade show or something.

http://cielo.chrisking.com/bikes/mountain-bike-details/
The local hub maker makes bikes as well.

http://www.renovobikes.com/badash-29er/
This is the one I dream of.

http://www.ahearnecycles.com/
another maker of quality bikes in portland

No sales tax in Oregon.  Get a good one and take it home.
read bikepdx

Red wood forest is one of my favorites.  These are the tallest trees on earth. A ride south from the red woods might be bearable, ( no snow shoes?)

[Area54]

Has anyone used the AK ferry service from Haines BC to Bellingham WA?  This will be in early February.

[Roland Sturm]

It's a great area for biking you are visiting, much of it enjoyable almost year round. SoCal (but not Oregon) can have warm (even hot) days  in the middle of winter  - but you are just picking about the most likely time for bad weather. Even in Southern California with the mildest climate there is, this is not a good time to go bikepacking. See the recent threads under routes for Los Padres (the National Forest just north of here) or Stagecoach (although the parts near San Diego should be fine).

Don't know a whole lot about riding in Oregon, so the Oregon folks will chime in. I've done some riding in Ashland before, nice loop from town around Mt Ashland - goes past the top of the ski lift. Yes, ski lift, I doubt I would have brought my bike in the winter.

Where I am, there never is snow and I ride all year in the Santa Monica mountains - but February may be the one month where I'm not riding any single track. My quick loop from home (Sullivan Canyon) tends to be a river then, not a trail, and other trails (e.g. backbone) are likely to be muddy, riding is no fun and just causes trail damage. I give them time to dry out. Dirt roads should be ok most of the time unless you hit the middle of a winter storm.

A good indicator for biking (even though it is road biking) is the Tour of California. It was held for a few years in February, but the weather was too problematic and it excluded real mountains. Weather was a mixture of miserable riding, not unlike Belgium spring classics, and some nice days. How often do you see people drop out of a break because of hypothermia (and that was riding along the ocean)?
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/Archives/2008-archive/press/2008-stage4-results.html
And even Ashland, near the border, is a lot further north.

But February may be a really good time to visit the deserts - although that is California, not Oregon. I'm not a desert fan myself, but have done a bit of riding in a few (including Death Valley last December).  Anza-Borrego is the closest to Santa Monica, but probably about a 3 hour drive. A shorter loop could be done in the Carrizo Plains, but very boring riding and Feb is probably the flowers come out.

[mTeryk]

I'll have about 4/5 days to get from Ashland to Santa Monica. I was thinking of riding Ashland/San Fran and Amtrak to SM, but is Big Sur worthy of skipping, compared to Humboldt and surrounds?

Ashland to SF is 500 miles along the coast with no place to grab the train along the way. I did it in 5 days last year but it didn't leave a lot of time for site seeing. Big Sur is beautiful but subject to landslides in the winter which close the road for extended periods.

If you are dead set on getting an extended ride in then Big Sur may be your best bet. On the plus side traffic will be at a minimum and you can grab the train in San Luis Obisbo if you are running behind. On the downside it can be quite wet and stormy with temperatures in the 40's (F).

If it were me, I'd bike around Portland sampling the coffee and beer, then hop the train to SF. There's a decent chance of nice weather in SF and great (road) riding just across the Golden Gate in Marin. If the weather is crappy at least there is great food and music, otherwise you can hop the train and keep heading south looking for better weather.

Teryk



 

[Area54]

Thanks Teryk, a buddy and I spent a day riding SF and Marin headlands trails in winter 2011, we lucked out with great weather, agree with the food and entertainment, after a days riding I hoovered down a chowder and chips (ok, fries) in a matter of minutes!

Plans have now changed, will now be flying home from SF, not Santa Monica. Be cool to get out for a Mojo night ride, missed it last time.

AK for ITI training camp, then to Portland for tech conference, then to Ashland for training/certification course.

[Area54]

A bit more info required:

What would be the best way to get to Skagway/Juneau for the ferry to Vancouver Island, from Anchorage, at that time of the year? After camp, I'm thinking of heading to Vancouver Island for north-south ride, then ferry to Seattle and train to Portland.

[Eric]

Fly from Anchorage to Juneau, no easy way around it. But if you do that you might as well just fly to Seattle.

[Area54]

I thought as much. But I do like surface travel, would it be nice on the water at that time of the year?

[Eric]

Can't say. I had some friends that took the monthly Gulf Ferry last winter from PWS to Haines/ Juneau and they had perfect weather. But it's the gulf, you could get totally hosed.
I'm pretty sure it only runs once a month in the winter, I'd check the schedule...

[Area54]

Is the road to Whittier AK (and the tunnel) open in the winter, and more to the point, open to bicycles?

[chrisx]

http://www.ferrytravel.com/alasks_marine_specials.htm
the ferry does not go to Anchorage, do your home work before hand.  You can get Amtrak in bellingham, WA when it drops you off. check about on off privileges.  The inside passage is about as scenic a route as exists in the world, ride that boat. 

http://www.bcferries.com/
second choice

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Vicky-Spring/dp/0898869544
central Oregon to about Garberville CA is a good section.  When I did that route in March/April  2007 I got soaked  and snowed on in Tillamook OR, in April.  In January of 2009 it rained severe on that route all the way to San Diego, then the winter storms started as I headed into Baja.  The other time I pedaled that route I also got wet.   

http://humboldtredwoods.org/  not to be left out

I woke up to a touch of ice in my water bottle just a day or two north of this place around the beginning of September 2012.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party
It is winter in February.  Be prepaired.

on the brighter side: once you see these places, you will go back in summer

[Area54]

Thanks Chrisx, once again that is gold. Plan is evolving slowly and ever changing. There are some locations that just keep popping up as good/great to see, and other areas that are best left for a better season. Some areas I'm just gonna gut it out because I have no choice. Research, learn, prepare, execute, endure, enjoy, photograph, document. To be honest, because in Australia we get pretty good weather most of the time without the extremes, I'll prolly view each miserable day with a smile on my face, and be sad when it ends and I return to my 26-32 degree C summer days. But still even here, rainy days anywhere is a PITA.

[Area54]

Plan has now changed due to work requirement (needed back in the shop earlier, seemed the bosses at work and at home didn't want me away for close to 5 weeks)

So now will be ITI camp in AK, then a day later flying to Portland for a training course, then a lazy week and a bit until the next conference in Portland, then fly home. Sad to leave Alaska so soon after camp.

So it seems all my riding will be in Oregon, no choice. I'm not one for man-made structures, beer or coffee, natural wonders are my thing. So, loose plan is to see as much as possible, on or off the beaten track. I'll buy some snowshoes and explore areas I can't ride, never snowshoed before. Plan to head east from Portland to Mt Hood/Hood River, south to Bend, head for Crater Lake, west to a trainline then back to Portland for last conference. My old Rand McNally has quite a few POI's to visit, but I'm sure there are more...

The maps I get will determine the route. If I can only get road maps, then roads I shall follow.  If I can get trail/backroad maps, then these I will follow. I just want it to be an adventure.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

In my working years I to did a lot of travel/schooling for my company and I would always tack vacation time on the trip to do a bit of exploring in the areas.
Many times it would not be the perfect time of the year to see these places however I always had a great time. Non peak time usually means fewer people and this was always a big plus for me. Many places in the USA are so crowded during peak times that what you get to see is not worth the hassle of dealing with the crowds, reservation, waiting in lines, etc.

Really think out your kit, you know it will probably be wet and cold so pack accordingly. Over pack and you will just have a ton of gear to deal with.
Keep an open mind. Nothing will spoil a trip more than to have a must see list but you can't see it do to weather.
Hit up local mtn bike shops and places like REI camping stores to get advice on where to go right then and there based on the current weather. I believe chrisx posted a few.
If you can't mtn bike rent snow shoes, etc. If you hit the roads those single redlines on your Rand McNally map can be wonderful.
Again, keep an open mind, go with the flow and you will have a great adventure. AK, OR, CA are 3 of the best for natural wonders  in the USA.

[Area54]

So I'm now down to basic route planning, I have a question about flora - specifically the spikey kind. I've ridden in Arizona and Socal and had my fair share of incidences with goatheads and cactus. Tell me - is there a need for tubeless in Oregon from the context of goathead type of puncture? Bike I'm planning to build for the trip is a fat with Husker Dus (folding bead) and need to know if I really need to go tubeless. No stranger to tubeless, more than likely would be a ghetto tubeless conversion in a hotel room (I'll buy the tyres in Anchorage and finish the build there)

Is there a goathead prickle issue in OR?