Joined: 04 Aug 2007Posts: 575Location: Haus deiner Mutter
Im going on another bike adventure! The manfriend and I will be taking the train to Kelso on Thursday at 7:30am, and then plan to pedal roughly 130+ miles over the next few days. Our final destination puts us in Salem on Sunday to catch the train home.
This will be my first time pedaling around Oregon. If I had more time, I would have preferred the coast. Either way, I'm super excited to be out again!
Does anyone have experience biking along the area to suggest stops along the way? Places to eat, take pictures, swim, or poop?
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axel
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:54 pm
Joined: 15 Feb 2013Posts: 1654Location: St Johns PDX
please do not ride Hwy 30, 99, or 221 if you can avoid them, there are much better alternatives.
I'll put together something else for you in RideWithGPS.
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Gracie
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:00 pm
Joined: 04 Aug 2007Posts: 575Location: Haus deiner Mutter
axel wrote:
please do not ride Hwy 30, 99, or 221 if you can avoid them, there are much better alternatives.
I'll put together something else for you in RideWithGPS.
Thanks for the advice. Its not the official route, but a good way to gauge mileage for the day. My partner would prefer not to ride more than 30-35 miles per day, so sometimes taking a highway to make the route more direct is best. If the shoulders are too narrow, then yes, I prefer safety and will take any suggestions on route alterations.
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axel
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:31 pm
Joined: 15 Feb 2013Posts: 1654Location: St Johns PDX
roger that. are the B&Bs and lodging that you've indicated on your map already booked? or are you flexible on lodging locations as long as you end up in Salem?
the Hwy 30 bridge at Longview is problematic due to a lack of shoulders, steel grate surface, construction, and constant logging traffic. STP uses it by running a motorcycle escort for their riders during the day.
221 and 99 south of Tigard have lots of truck and farm equipment traffic.
Last edited by axel on Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:36 pm; edited 1 time in total _________________ fat rob.
Gracie
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:35 pm
Joined: 04 Aug 2007Posts: 575Location: Haus deiner Mutter
Yes, every place was booked. Those were the only accommodations that were available besides a place reviewed for being riddled with bed bugs.
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axel
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:55 pm
Joined: 15 Feb 2013Posts: 1654Location: St Johns PDX
that's what I got as far as the best way to get out of PDX to Lafayette and eventually Salem without riding so much on the highways.
North Valley Road is nice and skips having to ride on the highway between Tualatin and Newberg.
the ferry at Wheatland can get you off 211 and connect to the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway to Salem.
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Gracie
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:28 pm
Joined: 04 Aug 2007Posts: 575Location: Haus deiner Mutter
I may consider the route from Newberg to Salem. The route from Portland to Newberg seems a bit longer than anticipated. I suppose we can always see how we feel. I did look at Strava's heat map of the area and it looks like OR-99W is popular among cyclists.
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axel
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:35 pm
Joined: 15 Feb 2013Posts: 1654Location: St Johns PDX
Gracie wrote:
I may consider the route from Newberg to Salem. The route from Portland to Newberg seems a bit longer than anticipated. I suppose we can always see how we feel. I did look at Strava's heat map of the area and it looks like OR-99W is popular among cyclists.
lived just off of 99 in SW Portland for years and it was always something to avoid. it's very similar to riding on 99 (Aurora Ave) in Seattle.
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Gracie
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:47 pm
Joined: 04 Aug 2007Posts: 575Location: Haus deiner Mutter
axel wrote:
Gracie wrote:
I may consider the route from Newberg to Salem. The route from Portland to Newberg seems a bit longer than anticipated. I suppose we can always see how we feel. I did look at Strava's heat map of the area and it looks like OR-99W is popular among cyclists.
lived just off of 99 in SW Portland for years and it was always something to avoid. it's very similar to riding on 99 (Aurora Ave) in Seattle.
Aurora's not too bad, and I take it at times when I go on my Costco runs to Shoreline. I'll admit that I hate riding on highways when touring; they're boring and tend to put you closer to cars than you care to tolerate. Sometimes its more favorable than tagging on additional miles and elevation when you're dealing with time restrictions.
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gsbarnes
Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:47 am
Joined: 15 Aug 2006Posts: 2666Location: No Fun Town, USA
I was hoping to be helpful, but my route from Portland to Salem was East of i5:. Oregon City, Canby, Woodburn. It was very nice, except for a stretch on 99E, which was okay. Not terrible, but heavy traffic with wide shoulders.
I've biked around McMinnville and my general advice is try to avoid arterials with skinny shoulders. I followed a very old touring route, and some of the minor highways have become very busy, including logging trucks, with no room for them to pass. I'd much rather be on a busy road with wide shoulders.
Quiet roads with low speed limits remained nice.
Downtown Salem arterials can be busy in the day, particularly near the river crossing, but it looks like your route avoids that for the most part. North south on 99e was a problem; East West not so much.
The Salem train bus station is pretty boring, so line up something nearby to do in case you arrive early. All I could do was recharge my phone and sit on the floor.
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axel
Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:11 am
Joined: 15 Feb 2013Posts: 1654Location: St Johns PDX
gsbarnes wrote:
I was hoping to be helpful, but my route from Portland to Salem was East of i5:. Oregon City, Canby, Woodburn. It was very nice, except for a stretch on 99E, which was okay. Not terrible, but heavy traffic with wide shoulders.
this route through Canby to Silverton and Salem keeps you east of I-5 and avoids riding on the shoulder of 99E entirely (except for a few crossings). very low traffic.
if one opts to skip some of the climbing -- in Oregon City, you can take the elevator.
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donavanm
Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:06 pm
Joined: 14 Jun 2012Posts: 1342
Ill echo the general kelso bridge and 30 sentiment. The bridge suuucks, but it is just a bridge. 30s not too bad, for a multilane highway, with reasonable shoulder on most of it. Swinging through st helens and scappoose is a nice break. If your up for a climb Id also TOTALLY suggest getting up to lief erickson on your way in to town. Its 13 miles of cruising well groomed forest road that drops you off right in NW portland.
the dreaded ben
Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 11:14 am
Grumpy GreebJoined: 20 Aug 2005Posts: 5329Location: flavor country
this thread is tl;dr, but i will say if you aren't riding this route from kelso to portland you are doing it wrong:
or you could just to the nehalem hwy the entire way. it's gourge and there's very little traffic.
Gracie
Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 3:57 pm
Joined: 04 Aug 2007Posts: 575Location: Haus deiner Mutter
Leaving Dayton to Salem, I highly suggest everyone to ride hwy 221 to Wheatland Rd NW. So many orchards, vineyards, and HOP fields to admire. Its a flat route and has low traffic. I even got to take a river ferry - it was literally a platform connected to wires that crosses the river. It was a perfect route to end the trip.
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Joined: 04 Aug 2007
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