Long Beach to Portland

[Gone in 60]

While I was on a business trip last week, I snagged a MotoQuest "Transport Special" deal to take a bike from their Long Beach CA to Portland locations.

I've blocked out next Monday-Friday for the ride, and have a flight home Friday night. I've never been much further north along the coast than about Mendocino, so I'm excited.

As far as budgeting ride time, I'm putting the longest leg in front, which gets me as far north as possible covering ground I'm familiar with, and I'll split up the time for the next four days to Portland. I'm also budgeting my stops for places where I can get cheap lodging, rather than staying in tourist towns as much as possible.

Planning is the interesting part, but the ride should be a lot of fun. The weather looks great for the week.

 

[pdedse]

While I was on a business trip last week, I snagged a MotoQuest "Transport Special" deal to take a bike from their Long Beach CA to Portland locations.

I've blocked out next Monday-Friday for the ride, and have a flight home Friday night. I've never been much further north along the coast than about Mendocino, so I'm excited.

As far as budgeting ride time, I'm putting the longest leg in front, which gets me as far north as possible covering ground I'm familiar with, and I'll split up the time for the next four days to Portland. I'm also budgeting my stops for places where I can get cheap lodging, rather than staying in tourist towns as much as possible.

Planning is the interesting part, but the ride should be a lot of fun. The weather looks great for the week.

Sounds fun! Normally, I'd committ easy enough to offer a night or a two in Gresham, just east of Portland if that works. But just now, started a trip trying to ride my KLR650 to Canada w/ a friend. Made it 30 miles down the road and the KLR started lurching / surging...I suspect main jet of carb. Had to backtrack home while my friend awaits me in mid-Washington. I'll catch up with him, but have to switch out bikes and will do the trip on the CB1100. I could/should/may be back bike Tuesday/Wed of next week. If you need a place to stay possibly Wed and / or Thursday, let me know. I'm about 30 min from the airport, would be happy to give you a lift if needed. I'll like spend the night at home tonight and leave wee hours of tomorrow morn, and then my access will be sporadic over next few days.

 

[Gone in 60]

Thanks for the offer, Pdedse, and good luck on your trip! I'm planning my route now, and looks like my last riding day, Friday, will have me going from Florence or Newport on the coast to Portland, getting to the MotoQuest office to drop off the bike in the afternoon. From there I'm headed to the airport and my flight home. Looks like they are just over three miles from the Portland airport, so I'll ask if they can drop me off, or it should be a very quick Uber ride.

My route plan so far is:
Day 1: L.A. to Monterey
Day 2: Monterey to Fort Bragg (routing over the Golden Gate Bridge)
Day 3: Fort Bragg to Crescent City
Day 4: Crescent City to Florence or Newport
Day 5: Portland and fly home

L.A. to Monterey is a long first day in the saddle, but I've done that ride plenty of times and don't need to stop at all of the scenic places along the coast. Plus, if I am delayed for any reason, I can ditch the coastal route and beeline up the inland route.

Just need to fine-tune and book some rooms. I'm riding an F750GS, and scanning a few reviews, it's called a good canyon-carver, so it might be more fun on the coastal twisties than the bigger bikes I've typically ridden.

 

[Jonz_imp]

Hi- If you head up the coast from Newport to Astoria, let me know. There's a great coffee/sandwich place on a pier in the Columbia River. Bumble Bee Tuna canned all their tuna there years ago. Then 2hrs to Portland.

 

[DutchRutter]

I was going to mention if you are in the Independence/Salem/Keizer area and need anything let me know. We're about an hour and change south of Portland.

 

[Gone in 60]

Thanks for the offers, guys! I will keep that in mind. As far as Astoria, I'm not budgeting time to get that far north yet, since I'll need to get the bike to MotoQuest's office and catch my flight home, but if I'm ahead of schedule I will try to make it.

Hopefully I won't need anything! MotoQuest keeps their bikes in good running order, even if some of them have definitely seen some adventure. The last one I rode was an R1200GS with an Alaska plate, that looked like it had been drug through a forest on both sides. Definitely a conversation starter wherever I stopped!

 

[DutchRutter]

Weather is going to be a lot better next week for a long riding trip. This week we've had a few 100+ days.

If it we're me and time was not too much of an issue. I'd stick with 101 from Newport up past Lincoln City (usually heavier traffic area) then Hwy 18 through Otis and Grand Ronde. Then in McMinnville take 99w all the way into Portland.

 

[Gone in 60]

Thanks, Dutch, but now the WHOLE trip is ruined.

I make an annual pilgrimage to the Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum. It's in Monterey, is underground, very dark and murky, hasn't been touched since the Sixties, and is about the creepiest thing you can do. I was looking for its hours to see if I could visit once I get up there, and found out that it is permanently closed.

I might as well not even make the ride now.

 

[Nachodaddy]

:rofl:

 

[DutchRutter]

Thanks, Dutch, but now the WHOLE trip is ruined.

I make an annual pilgrimage to the Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum. It's in Monterey, is underground, very dark and murky, hasn't been touched since the Sixties, and is about the creepiest thing you can do. I was looking for its hours to see if I could visit once I get up there, and found out that it is permanently closed.

I might as well not even make the ride now.

Might not all be lost. Newport has a wax works. Also has that same level of dark and creepy.

 

[the Ferret]

Guess you won't be crossing the new 6th st bridge?

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=la+...&FORM=VIRE

 

[Gone in 60]

Nope. Won't be crossing the 6th Street Bridge. I went to see it a few weeks ago on its opening weekend, and was hoping to ride my CB across it and get some cool GoPro footage.

The downtown side of the bridge is in the New-ish Arts District, and a short walk from the new Bike Shed. As I got closer, the streets were jammed. I wasn't sure why, but parked at Bike Shed, grabbed an iced coffee and walked to the bridge. The surrounding streets were jammed with Angelinos excited to drive and walk across the new bridge. It was cool, as there was a sense of pride about it - people were happy to experience the new bridge. Yes, there were a few spray paint tags and skid marks on it already, but that was about to change.

Jumping on my bike and riding home, the freeway headed in the direction of the bridge was being blocked by LAPD and several squad cars were racing toward the bridge. The mayhem was just beginning. The day after I checked out the bridge, I was headed to Michigan to staff one of our company's races, which featured a Chrysler Hemi class, and the latest news about the bridge was a Dodge Hellcat that lost control while doing donuts, hit two cars, then the bridge. Of course, everyone was showing me the video, and saying "Had to be a Mopar guy."

Now, the bridge is a joke, covered in spray paint, donut skid marks, the wreckage of cars that have slammed into it.

It's proof that we can't have nice things.