350-mile bike tour of the Oregon Coast - by Matt Haughey

September 15, 2014 8:35 PM

Matt Haughey describes his bike ride along the Oregon Coast on Tumblr. Spectacular photos included.

Apparently this is on the return trip home from the XOXO Festival. More here.

Tagline: "I'm riding my bike solo over 350 miles of the Oregon coastal border, September 15-19, 2014".

posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome to MetaFilter-Related at 8:35 PM (48 comments total)

Oops, I should have put this up on Projects.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:42 PM on September 15, 2014 [3 favorites]

LEARN TO USE THE SITE, MATT, GEEZ
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:56 PM on September 15, 2014 [46 favorites]

If anyone is into Tumblr, I'm kind of perplexed what is happening to photos being posted there. They're way blurrier and saturated than the ones I'm uploading. I suspect there's some crappy CSS in the theme I'm using that resizes things in a bad way but it's annoying to me that the photos look kind of terrible on a desktop (they're fine on mobile).
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:19 PM on September 15, 2014

Wow, looks like an amazing trip! (But also, yikes, be safe out there.)
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:25 PM on September 15, 2014 [2 favorites]

Ugh, it looks like Tumblr is resizing anything I upload down to 500px wide. That blows.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:32 PM on September 15, 2014

Here's the fix mathowie.
posted by unliteral at 9:39 PM on September 15, 2014 [2 favorites]

Weird, the theme I'm using doesn't size down. It appears my uploaded (many megapixel) images were shrunk on the upload and stored as 500px in Tumblr? Maybe it's the slow hotel wifi I'm using that is the limiting factor.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:50 PM on September 15, 2014

Welp, figured out I was uploading >10Mb original images, which Tumblr doesn't like and resizes as tiny. Oh well.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:59 PM on September 15, 2014

This is great. As a Willamette Valley native I know a lot of this terrain, but only by car. Looking forward to following your trip.
posted by wallabear at 11:25 PM on September 15, 2014

I love the Oregon coast so much. A ride like that is probably beyond my grasp, but it looks like a wonderful trip.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:37 PM on September 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

you went right past my house (101, northern curry county).
posted by bruce at 12:45 AM on September 16, 2014

Ugh, it looks like Tumblr is resizing anything I upload down to 500px wide. That blows.

Well, if you will insist on using this newfangled unproven gizmo that the kids are into, then these are the risks you take.

Better to upload your pictures to gopher.metafilter.com - telnet in if you have a connection issue.

Great pics btw
posted by Wordshore at 1:36 AM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Nice pictures! Looks like an awesome ride. Have fun and be safe.
posted by foxhat10 at 7:50 AM on September 16, 2014

my classic anti-bonk combo of a Snickers bar and a 12-ounce can of coke to keep my energy and spirits up

I'm no expert, but twelve ounces of coke seems dangerously excessive.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:09 AM on September 16, 2014 [6 favorites]

Coulda used imgur homie.
posted by cashman at 9:56 AM on September 16, 2014 [3 favorites]

Neat. A decade ago I cycled from Port Angeles WA to Astoria along the 101. I think that got me accustomed to the scary lack of shoulders etc. on that highway because I don't even remember the bridge being all that scary (though it clearly is). I rode US-30 to Portland, had a great time there for a few days and did some regional rides, and then took the I-5 corridor (though mostly avoiding I-5 itself) back to Olympia WA and the 101 along the Hood Canal back to Port Angeles. I mostly camped rough beside the highway and cooked me own meals though, couldn't afford $200/day :) I sure appreciated that the Hawthorne Hostel in PDX had a major discount for cycle tourists who camped in their backyard, and I think it ended up being just $5/night.
posted by Emanuel at 10:54 AM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh, now I want to do this on my beloved new ebike as I am a hill wimp . Except for the terrifying bridge ride part. It is a treat to read about the trip. Nice pix.
posted by bearwife at 12:14 PM on September 16, 2014

Highway 101? You're only about 500 miles north on that route from my place in SLO, CA (and another 200 miles south was where I grew up in the San Fernando Valley suburb of L.A. - I can't seem to get away from that freeway). Yes, no bicycles allowed where I am but on the "frontage road" (my actual address) we have the most-used bike lane in the county... the Tour of California has rushed by my front door.

Anyway, happy cycling, Matt, and don't spend so much time on the internet! Cortex and company can take care of the 'Filter... on second thought, HURRY HOME.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:05 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Fantastic photographs, Matt, thank you for sharing them.
posted by Pudhoho at 3:35 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

This is fantastic. Looking forward to reading it and checking out the photos. It's truly an extremely beautiful region.
posted by urbanlenny at 6:29 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Please make sure to include a photo of your bike setup.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:23 PM on September 16, 2014 [2 favorites]

Great photos, Matt. Have a wonderful trip and safe travels.
posted by arcticseal at 7:30 PM on September 16, 2014

Never mind, I see you posted a photo on your Instagram page.

I'll see myself out.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:07 PM on September 16, 2014

Yes, if you felt like taking a couple shots / describing your setup and gear for this trek, that'd be swell.
posted by lazaruslong at 8:46 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yes, if you felt like taking a couple shots / describing your setup and gear for this trek, that'd be swell.

Before I took off I did this post on the blog. I also did a couple posts on what is in my bags, but mostly it's just one set of day clothes, two sets of bike clothes, stuff for rain/cold, and a laptop and gazillion cables.

So far in practice everything is working pretty well. I'm a little worried about my wispy light dropouts with the rack weighted down. The eyelets were only designed to hold fenders so I don't think the frame would last thousands of miles of touring but I'm hoping I can finish the remaining 200 miles without any trouble.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:36 PM on September 16, 2014 [3 favorites]

Looks amazing. I am jealous, and now semi-seriously considering some kind of multi-day meetup/bike ride in Oregon for 2015!
posted by Jon Mitchell at 12:12 AM on September 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

Day 2 has been posted.

(I too am totes jealous - and I don't bike but I did really get into Breaking Away.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 8:06 AM on September 17, 2014

(Yum.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 8:20 AM on September 17, 2014

Thanks for sharing that mathowie, and joseph conrad is fully awesome; it triggered a little reliving of a bike trip my girlfriend and I took up the Oregon coast back in the late 70s.

We took the train from Seattle down to just south of Corvallis, rode to the coast (logging trucks: brutal; brunch in Alsea: divine) and back north (big mistake: 10+ mph wind in our faces the whole way); she'd had the 'flu' the week prior to the week we left, I came down with it the day of the hill climb toward Tillamook (104° fever, paranoid delusion RVs were trying to kill me; very embarrassing); we crossed the Astoria bridge on a windy day and it was truly terrifying (she stopped, looked back at me after a bad gust, and her eyes had rolled partway back into her head); we were both kind of shocked at how bleak and empty the Washington section of the highway felt compared to the Oregon side.

But despite (because of) all our vicissitudes it was a wonderful trip, and I look back on it with great fondness; thanks for reminding me.
posted by jamjam at 10:22 AM on September 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

I did the whole Pacific coast a few years back. The Oregon segment of the trip was a definite highlight.
posted by killdevil at 5:51 PM on September 17, 2014

Beautiful Cielo! [seethes with jealousy] For a rain bike, it's awfully clean looking!
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:49 PM on September 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

Day 3.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 9:57 PM on September 17, 2014

Some resources in case for everyone considering a multi-day bike ride in Oregon:

SOME MAPS
- Oregon State Bicycle Map, Columbia River Gorge Bike Map, and Oregon Coast Bike Route Map.
- Oregon's Washington County Bike Map (plasticized for maximum rainproofness!)
- Oregon is the only state in the USA with ***Scenic Bikeways***

PORTLAND/VANCOUVER
- All the Portland area bike maps
- Vancouver Washington Bike Map
- Best rides around Portland (check out the column on the left-hand side for even more great routes!)
- Starting or ending your bike ride in Portland? Public transit goes everywhere.
- Recommended reading: Bikenomics by Elly Blue. Local publisher & author.

CAMPING
- Oregon Hike & Bike Campsites - Camping is affordable when you don't need the car parking lot! $5/night.

MISC
- Oregon bike law: short version & long version
- Warning: Your appetite may double. Here are some food suggestions.

Put the fun between your legs. Expose yourself to bicycles.
posted by aniola at 1:34 AM on September 18, 2014 [7 favorites]

.

(For Karl)
posted by bondcliff at 5:26 AM on September 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

Thanks for this - it's wonderful. Keep the rubber side down, Matt.
posted by Dashy at 10:25 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

I've found, as a runner, that ButtPaste is an incredibly effective and easy solution to skin rash due to sweat/rubbing, easily found at Target, probably at drugstores, too.

Their motto should be "one and done" because I've never had to apply it more than one time.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:14 PM on September 18, 2014

(That last comment was in response to bondcliff's.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:15 PM on September 18, 2014

If Matt ever wants to introduce you to someone named Karl, maybe say no.
posted by onlyconnect at 6:37 PM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Day 4 - hope you like photography 'cause it opens with a corker...
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 8:14 PM on September 18, 2014

ending up riding five hilly miles (up to 12% climbs) until I connected to the Oregon Coast Bike Route,

I shudder to think how strong a person's legs need to be to push a loaded bike up a 12% grade with a 34/32 low gear; I used a 20/32 for gentler climbs and labored even so.

I originally thought I’d get into Bandon too early for lunch but with over two thousand feet of climbing, It took nearly three hours to get the 30 miles into lunch.

This made me laugh. By the end of the second day of a bike trip all destinations turn into food or foodandsleep.
posted by jamjam at 9:51 AM on September 19, 2014 [3 favorites]

So envious! I'm working my way toward a tour longer than two nights and really excited and impatient.

This made me laugh. There's a challenging ride that starts in Orinda, CA called the Three Bears. Seven Devils sounds way worse than Three Bears!

So do we get a gear list? I don't know why, but gear lists are one of my favorite parts of tour reports.
posted by rhiannonstone at 5:14 PM on September 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Day 5.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 9:11 PM on September 19, 2014

So do we get a gear list?

Yeah, go back in the archives and I describe pretty much everything I rode on and carried. I'll write some posts next week about reflections on it and what I would do if I did it over again tomorrow.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:31 PM on September 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oops, I somehow managed to miss that there were posts pre-day 1. Thanks!
posted by rhiannonstone at 10:45 PM on September 19, 2014

I've wondered how awful our coastal bike route actually is for cycling. Does anyone know of a town-to-town trip like this, where you can stay in hotels, but with better bike lanes and such?
posted by bluedaisy at 12:46 PM on September 20, 2014

Very impressed you actually wrote the blog post each night. My trip journals usually only have two or three entries, then I decide it's too much work for vacation.
posted by smackfu at 7:37 PM on September 20, 2014

bluedaisy, you might check Bicycling the Pacific Coast out from the library. It lists the levels of difficulty of various legs of the coastal route as well as descriptions. It also lists hostels along the way.

All the state parks along the Oregon coast offer yurts with beds inside.
posted by aniola at 9:47 PM on September 20, 2014 [2 favorites]

I haven't looked at the scenic bikeways with hotels in mind, but those would be another great place to start. No cars. They are amazing.

Or there's always the Netherlands.
posted by aniola at 10:23 PM on September 20, 2014 [1 favorite]