BIG TRIP starts in 5 days, any tips for a crazy canuk

[spyderrock]

Well the day is coming fast, Friday August 12 we leave for San Francisco from our home here in Sherwood Park Alberta. Total mileage should be around 6500km give or take:ohyea:. On Friday we cant leave until 3:00 oclock so we will make it as far as Valemont BC, spend the night there then off to Edmonds Washington to catch the ferry to Port Angeles we want to start at the most northern tip of the coastal hi-way. We are going to work our way south taking our time as our friends who are riding with us(on a harley) one of us has to ride in class:roflblack::roflblack: just kiding its a nice bike, they have not been down this route before. We are gone for 12 days should be a good time just had the new Two Brothers exhaust installed and the bike sounds great and is running good to. I have not been on this route on a bike once in a car so if any of you have tips I and my wife will gladly listen. Our second night should have in Tillamook if we don't stop to much for photo's. From there off to Eureka then to San Fran. The trip back from there we have a few different routes planed maybe go up to Lake Tahoe over to Reno then to Salt Lakecity and north on the I15 or we could go back north of San Fran to Crater Lake and northeast from there back home. If any one here know a great route north please let us know I thank you a million times, I know there are a lot of :spyder2: owners who live in the area so if you see this by all means please leave a tip for us thanks a million this is a great site.

[BikerDoc]

Sounds like a wonderful experience.. Have a safe ryde and lots of fun:clap::clap:

[murphybrown]

Awesome trip coming up for you guys...I am basically just finishing the reverse..tonight at Newport, OR...little So of Tillamook...after leaving Hollister, CA (Corbin factory) which is little south of San Jose..I went over to 101/1North went over to SanFran/ Golden Gate Bridge then traveled 1 N...after 9 hrs and getting very dark called it quits for that day and stayed at Ft Bragg..in my book take PLENTY of time to do 1...it is a wonderful, albeit slow, 2 lane twisties...next day I came into Eureka (4 hrs)...then Eureka to Newport approx. 8 hrs again running coastal all the way....I bascially travel about 4-5 over speed limit...
Hope that helps enjoy...have warm clothes (I just add my rain gear as it keeps the heat in) - altho you are probably coming from coastal cooler climate but I came from 100 degree ryding in shorts and tank so appreciated the extra layers as go along coast...oh yea the fog rolls in at dusk!!!!!
Enjoy you have selected a great route...




Well the day is coming fast, Friday August 12 we leave for San Francisco from our home here in Sherwood Park Alberta. Total mileage should be around 6500km give or take:ohyea:. On Friday we cant leave until 3:00 oclock so we will make it as far as Valemont BC, spend the night there then off to Edmonds Washington to catch the ferry to Port Angeles we want to start at the most northern tip of the coastal hi-way. We are going to work our way south taking our time as our friends who are riding with us(on a harley) one of us has to ride in class:roflblack::roflblack: just kiding its a nice bike, they have not been down this route before. We are gone for 12 days should be a good time just had the new Two Brothers exhaust installed and the bike sounds great and is running good to. I have not been on this route on a bike once in a car so if any of you have tips I and my wife will gladly listen. Our second night should have in Tillamook if we don't stop to much for photo's. From there off to Eureka then to San Fran. The trip back from there we have a few different routes planed maybe go up to Lake Tahoe over to Reno then to Salt Lakecity and north on the I15 or we could go back north of San Fran to Crater Lake and northeast from there back home. If any one here know a great route north please let us know I thank you a million times, I know there are a lot of :spyder2: owners who live in the area so if you see this by all means please leave a tip for us thanks a million this is a great site.

[BitSlayer]

:thumbup: on the ride. We used to live in Seattle and enjoyed that area. As you are dropping down around Burlington, you might consider going over Deception Pass. Take US-20 towards Anacortes and then south. You will take a bridge over Deception Pass itself with some good roads and good scenery as well. That is one of the trips we would always take visitors on to show them the area. Here is a link to the state park that is there. At the top is a picture of the bridge itself:

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Deception%20Pass&subject=all (http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Deception%20Pass&subject=all)

Following US-20 down Whitby Island to the southern point and at Clinton catch the ferry over to Mukilteo. That will get you back to I-5. Another option, and highly recommended is to catch the ferry just south of Coupeville over to Port Townsend. Take US-20 until you find US-101 and go west towards Port Angeles. In Port Angeles, look for the road to go up into the mountains to Hurricane Ridge. It is a breathtaking view of the Olympic Mountain range. Here is a link to the park:

http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm
(http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm)
From there, make your way back onto US-101 and follow it all the way to San Francisco. All the way will be good roads, fun ryding and great scenery.

One other, completely different, option would be to take the North Cascades Loop over into eastern WA and come back across the Cascades around Everett. You catch that route just north of Mount Vernon. Here is a link to show you an overview of that drive:

http://www.cascadeloop.com/index.php?page_id=209

Be sure and look around on that site to get more details about what you can expect. Again, good roads to ryde on and great scenery.

I am jealous. We are in OK now and we really miss the mountains. Have fun and be sure and give us a synopsis of how the ride went. Hope this helps...

[spyderrock]

Awesome trip coming up for you guys...I am basically just finishing the reverse..tonight at Newport, OR...little So of Tillamook...after leaving Hollister, CA (Corbin factory) which is little south of San Jose..I went over to 101/1North went over to SanFran/ Golden Gate Bridge then traveled 1 N...after 9 hrs and getting very dark called it quits for that day and stayed at Ft Bragg..in my book take PLENTY of time to do 1...it is a wonderful, albeit slow, 2 lane twisties...next day I came into Eureka (4 hrs)...then Eureka to Newport approx. 8 hrs again running coastal all the way....I bascially travel about 4-5 over speed limit...
Hope that helps enjoy...have warm clothes (I just add my rain gear as it keeps the heat in) - altho you are probably coming from coastal cooler climate but I came from 100 degree ryding in shorts and tank so appreciated the extra layers as go along coast...oh yea the fog rolls in at dusk!!!!!
Enjoy you have selected a great route...


hey Murhpybrown thanks for the tips and we do have plenty of warm clothes that wont be a problem lol, we are in the middle of the prairies about 4 hours east of the Rocky Mountains. We are going to the Corbin factory as well I will be ordering a seat and back rest. Do you know once you get of the 101 onto hi way 1 are there many fuel stops having trouble looking this up, thanks again for all the info.

[spyderrock]

:thumbup: on the ride. We used to live in Seattle and enjoyed that area. As you are dropping down around Burlington, you might consider going over Deception Pass. Take US-20 towards Anacortes and then south. You will take a bridge over Deception Pass itself with some good roads and good scenery as well. That is one of the trips we would always take visitors on to show them the area. Here is a link to the state park that is there. At the top is a picture of the bridge itself:

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Deception (http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Deception%20Pass&subject=all) Pass&subject=all

Following US-20 down Whitby Island to the southern point and at Clinton catch the ferry over to Mukilteo. That will get you back to I-5. Another option, and highly recommended is to catch the ferry just south of Coupeville over to Port Townsend. Take US-20 until you find US-101 and go west towards Port Angeles. In Port Angeles, look for the road to go up into the mountains to Hurricane Ridge. It is a breathtaking view of the Olympic Mountain range. Here is a link to the park:

http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm
(http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm)
From there, make your way back onto US-101 and follow it all the way to San Francisco. All the way will be good roads, fun ryding and great scenery.

One other, completely different, option would be to take the North Cascades Loop over into eastern WA and come back across the Cascades around Everett. You catch that route just north of Mount Vernon. Here is a link to show you an overview of that drive:

http://www.cascadeloop.com/index.php?page_id=209

Be sure and look around on that site to get more details about what you can expect. Again, good roads to ryde on and great scenery.

I am jealous. We are in OK now and we really miss the mountains. Have fun and be sure and give us a synopsis of how the ride went. Hope this helps...

hey Bitslayer we are in fact going up to Port Angeles and will go up to the park south of there. Thanks for the tip and yes I love the mountains we live 4 hours away and spend a lot of our time in Jasper and Banff National Parks great riding. We did the cascades loop last fall and it was awesome beautiful place there went into Leavenworth, I may have spelled that wrong but still a beautiful little town. Thanks again for all the info I will enter this info into my trip information book, you guys rock on this forum.

[murphybrown]

No issue with fuel stops..but don't do as I did..watch the sunset..THEN try to find a motel aftr 9 p.m. tough pickin's and pricey!!!!! But I was soooooo willing..heck she could have quoted me twice the amt and I would have taken it!!!!!! That was 11 pm. I swear last room on 1!!!!!


hey Murhpybrown thanks for the tips and we do have plenty of warm clothes that wont be a problem lol, we are in the middle of the prairies about 4 hours east of the Rocky Mountains. We are going to the Corbin factory as well I will be ordering a seat and back rest. Do you know once you get of the 101 onto hi way 1 are there many fuel stops having trouble looking this up, thanks again for all the info.