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Old March 4th, 2010, 10:39 PM   #1
green.saki
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Name: Leo
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Moto Trip: Round Trip from Bay Area to Seattle

hey all,

thought this might be a good place to post and ask for some advice. i'm planning a moto trip on the 250 from san jose, ca to seattle, wa and back on april 10-19 (with 3 days spent in seattle). i'm planning 5 days to get there and about 2 days to get back. the dates that i am spending to get there are basically firm.

here's my planned route:

san jose to seattle: http://tinyurl.com/yk4bvvb

seattle to san jose: http://tinyurl.com/yc5hsnn

(ignore the winthrop/vancouver/port angeles loop, as it will be left out due to time constraints)

one of my concerns is the weather. as we all know the pacific northwest is known for its rain, and i have limited experience in the rain (basically one hour in light rain). a bigger concern is that the places i really want to visit (crater lake national park, klamath falls, mt. hood, mt. rainier national park) will still be covered in snow in mid-april. doing some research on the national parks website, there are some major roads that are open through these areas (smaller roads are closed until late may/june). my main question is, how rideable are these major roads for the ninjette in mid-april? (i.e. main road to crater lake is plowed daily during this time)

some questions:

1. am i correct that these conditions will be horrible in these areas?

2. is riding through snow plowed (possibly icy) roads any fun, or do you basically have to tip-toe through them (especially if they are mountain roads)? any riding tips/technique when tackling these types of roads?

3. should i avoid these roads altogether?

i have experience doing several 3-day 1000+ mile trips, so distance isn't that much of a worry for me.

if anyone has any experience riding up in the pacific northwest in these areas during this time, any advice is greatly appreciated!
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Old March 5th, 2010, 12:05 AM   #2
Zim
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What kind of tires are you going to use and how many miles are on them?
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Old March 5th, 2010, 12:34 AM   #3
green.saki
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i currently have pirelli sport demons, roughly 3200 miles on them, with a lot of tread left. my original stock tires (BT45's if i remember, lasted 7500 miles and i replaced them early before one of my long trips even though they still had fairly decent tread left). any suggestions on other tires for this trip?
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Old March 5th, 2010, 12:51 AM   #4
Angel-be-Good
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Nice! I did a similar trip last year and am gonna go to Seattle again this year. Bringing a friend with me (also on a 250), but we'll be going in July, hoping for better weather.

I would say you are for sure going to get wet, so be prepared for it. It's not too bad if you're prepared. I wasn't really. Also, getting back in two days along the coast is a stretch.

I did it on Pirelli Sport Demons, your tires are fine.
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Old March 5th, 2010, 07:21 PM   #5
green.saki
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ryan, thanks for the link to your blog. i remember seeing and reading it (not fully) before. there's some good, fun info there, thanks!

i see that you stayed at the redwood national park hostel in klamath? i was aiming for that to be my stop for the first night as well, but the hostel has recently closed down! damn, i wanted to experience one of the top 5 hostels in the world!
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Old March 6th, 2010, 12:17 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by green.saki View Post
i see that you stayed at the redwood national park hostel in klamath? i was aiming for that to be my stop for the first night as well, but the hostel has recently closed down!
What!? Where am I going to stay on the home this year? Sad news, it was a beautiful place to stay.
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Old March 6th, 2010, 12:20 PM   #7
jcgirl
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Hey Leo, Are you going to be meeting up with riders along the way? I think it'd be cool you could have a bit of a ninjette reunion along the way... Ya know, Seattle is real close to Victoria...
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Old March 6th, 2010, 08:46 PM   #8
green.saki
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hey jenn, i was planning to do it solo (since don't know any riders up that way), but if people wanna meet up along the way, that'd be great! since i'm planning extra days to get there, i might just do the vancouver loop if i have the time (and the weather cooperates)! how's the weather and roads around your area?
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Old March 6th, 2010, 10:10 PM   #9
jcgirl
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Everything up here is beautiful!!! I would love to meet up with you and do some riding. I was thinking about doing it the weekend before for my 30th birthday, but it can wait a week. I could probably ride back with you a portion, at least through Washington. Let me know, if your interested.
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Old March 6th, 2010, 10:32 PM   #10
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Be dressed and mentally prepared for cool, wet weather - and if you're lucky maybe you won't get it.
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Old March 13th, 2010, 08:14 PM   #11
green.saki
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so i'm still prepping for my trip.

question for you riders up in oregon, washington, canada, as well as anywhere else in the world where its rainy and cold: do you use heated gear during this time of year (winter)? at what temperature do you use heated gear? or are liners and extra layers enough to get by?

i'll be riding 8-10 hour days through various areas, so i'm sure to hit areas that are below 30 degrees, maybe less!
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Old March 13th, 2010, 09:05 PM   #12
capt_bugaloo
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Lately on the coast the temps have been in the uppers 30s through the 40s. You want want to think about riding along Hwy 101 and sticking to the coast. It will be a lot slower but also a lot more scenic and with milder temps.

I've never used heated gear, just layers. I have always packed my extra items in Zip-loc bags and plastic garbage bags in the saddlebags for waterproofing, and then changed layers when I needed dry items. If the temperature drops below 35f you may want to hole up in a motel for a day, especially if it's wet.
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Old March 22nd, 2010, 04:43 AM   #13
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Two weeks ago or so I took the ferry from Seattle to one of the islands, then took 101 around the Peninsula, down into Oregon, across through The Dales, up to Maryhill to finally see the little Stonehenge, up through Yakima, over I90 through the pass and back to home over 3 days, stealth camping along the way.

I-90 at any rate didn't have a single trace of snow. We've been having wonderful weather this spring. A couple weeks ago it was about 60 degree highs, 40 something lows. Gotta love El Nino.

I just wore long johns and dragin' jeans was was nice and toasty most of the time and a couple layers up top. Nothing drastic. It got pretty nippy going into dusk on my fingers. I'm a cold fingers person though. If you got heat, it'll come in handy, if you don't, you'll survive.

For 100% sure, bring rain gear. That far out it's impossible to say what kind of weather we're gonna have, but rain is HIGHLY likely. It wouldn't be uncommon to have frost in the lowlands and snow up higher, but this year I'm pretty sure we're done with freezing weather. But of course Western Washington is one of the hardest to predict (weather wise) places in the world.

I was up in Mt. Rainier Natl. Park about a month ago scoping out this years camping spots and made it most of the way to Crystal Lodge and didn't see any snow their either.

So I'm betting you'll have a good trip come April in the low 60's. If we do a pool, I got $5 on 63 degrees.
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Old March 22nd, 2010, 11:36 PM   #14
green.saki
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Thanks for the info guys! I'm getting all my gear ready and starting to feel more comfortable about the weather up there. Your advice is much appreciated!
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