Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Rides, Rallies, & Events Planning a trip from Kentucky to Oregon

Hello all, I'm planning to leave Kentucky on the afternoon of May 5th and arrive in Portland on or about May 10th. My intended route is basically leaving Kentucky on I75N to I64W to I70W to I29N to I80W to I84W to US26W into Portland Oregon. That's 2516.28 Mapquest miles in case you wondered. My main concerns are I80 through Wyoming, I84 from the Ogden/Salt Lake City area into Oregon and US26 into Portland. I'm already familiar with I75 and I64 as far as Illinois.
Any one live near enough my intended route to tell me what kind of weather to expect in Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and finally Oregon around the second week of May ? I also intend to ride the Oregon coast from Tillamook south to Crescent City California and return to Portland on I5 while I'm there how bout weather conditions in that area?
Thanks in advance.

Be prepared to wear your rain gear while you're ridin' along the Oregon coast that time o' year, Carl.

Not so much that you might hit rain, which you might, but more that you're almost sure to at least hit some very dense fog and drizzle.

Ya see, the Pacific Coast, all the way from WA state clear down to San Diego, usually doesn't hit its "summer weather" until about late July.

(...or as Mark Twain once famously remarked..."The coldest winter I ever spent, was a summer in San Francisco!")

Maybe it's just me but I'd be trying to get rid of a few of those Interstates.

Thanks Dwight, I assumed I'd spend most of my time in Oregon wearing my rain gear, lol. I don't mind a little rain and fog or even the cold. My main concern is snow at the higher elevations along my route. I'll be pretty early in the season to rule it out, but spring semester ends on the 5th and summer session begins on the 22nd. That's the only time I can make the trip.

Hi Smokey, I'd love to do away with all the interstate riding and make my way cross country on secondary roads, but I'm limited on time and the super slab is the most efficient way to get there. After I complete my degree I intend to make a second run to the west coast and back all on secondary roads, unfortunately thats still a couple years away.

Hello Carl,
Summer starts in July here, Dwight is right.
I suspect you should be fine as far as snow is concerned.
I-84 ends in Portland on the east side and Hwy 26 (the sunset hwy. to the coast) begins on the west side. The gorge is awfully windy in the aftenoons, so be prepared. I would cross over to the Washington side at Biggs, OR and ride Hwy 14 all the way to Vancouver and cross back over to Portland on I-205 or I-5.
The coast range may be cold but the snow should be gone. It should be gone now, but it's not. I don't know know about Utah, but we got some southern Idahoan's on here. Hopefully they will speak up.

I don't know if you are planning on staying in Portland, but give me a heads up if so. There are several of us on here from Portland, and at least like to try and meet for a meal if possible.

Have fun!

Carl,

I can't speak much to the weather along your route but I can say that map quest blows. Google maps is much betterer.

I hear you about the reasons for slabbing. However, you should have time for some side trips on fun roads. Now to find those roads. Check out MotorcycleRoadsUS.

As far as making time on the slabs, time can be made on rural routes too. Take a gander at the roads using google street view to give you a handle on the road conditions and possible road congestion. And be sure to research road closures/work before you leave.

Nebraska in September. Swanson Lake Reservoir. 29 degrees.

When riding cross country be prepared for any condition. Especially if you plan on high altitudes.

Should be great weather through Southern Idaho. Average daytime temps in early May near 70, 45 at night.

Mike

I intend to stay in Portland for 3 or 4 days actually, my best friend lives off 26 near Gresham. It's my intention to take I84 to Ontario and take The Central Oregon Hwy 20W/26W passing through Brogan , Government Camp, Warm Springs Reservation, etc into Gresham/Portland.
I've debated on a more northerly route on my return trip going to Vancouver then working my way back through northern Idaho , North Dakota, around the great lakes to I 75S in northern Ohio.
I'm thinking I'll have seen enough cold weather riding by the time I get there, so, I'm leaning more toward taking secondary roads out of Oregon into California, Nevada, Arizona then riding I 40 E back to ! 75 N in Tennessee at that point I'm about 100 miles from home. It's about 3100 miles or so.
Thanks for the info. I'll buy you a beer or two when I get there.

Thanks for the info and encouragement Moe. I've already fired off emails to the highway dept of each state asking about planned road work during this time frame. I try to be prepared for most anything every time I leave the house if I intend to leave the immediate area, experience has taught me that its better to carry things you may not need than to be caught unprepared.
I've looked into the monthly average temps and precipitation levels, I have the gear to ride comfortably in temps into the mid teens and have ridden into the single digits.
This is by far the longest ride I've ever been on, and honestly it's a bit intimidating since I'm going solo. I figure if I prepare for every thing imaginable then pack more gear I should be ok.

Those temps sound good to me Mike, Thanks.

Let us know when you get to Portland.

BTW.. In May, you're better off taking a southern route rather that the northern route for your return trip.

Just some obvious stuff -- Never rode that far in one trip, as 2700 miles round trip was my longest, but I'd seriously consider satellite radio or 16 GB of pod player, along with some high end noise occluding ear phones. A plastic bag and an elastic band makes a plenty good enough rain shield for a Sat radio. I'm partial to Etymotic Research ER6i ear phones myself, but I'm sure there are many other good ones too. I do believe that the deep in-ear noise occluding style are a must if you want good audio. It takes a 1/2 day to get used to 'em, but they're audio heaven after that.

A very comfortable full face (modular) helmet would be on my what to bring list too. If the helmet has a "DOT" sticker, that's good too. Some state's police troll for that sticker. If your current helmet has any hot spots or pinch spots, you'll be wanting to set it afire at around the 700 mile mark.

A loud air horn is good if slabs are the way. 5 or 6 thousand miles is a whole lotta blind spot exposure. My Stebel air horn saved my bacon near Indy in the pouring rain. No hard feelings - the guy couldn't see me. More of a wrong place at the wrong time thing. I bet he was wide awake after the 130 db of discord. ;-) Throttle on!

Another personal preference - A Valentine One radar detector, for they are directional. Me & un-congested slabs = go fast. I have a 9 volt battery (or 12 volt wired) head phone amp that will accept both an audio and a radar detector input. (I think it does cell phones too, but I don't care about that.) When the bird dog barks, the signal silences the other audio feed so you can hear the radar warning. Very cool, but kinda pricey, but then again, so are high speed traffic tickets.

Keep an eye on your chain guard bolts. If or when they come loose, the guard likes to jump in between the tire and the swing arm. It makes for a right proper tire lathe. Eee-yup.

These folks http://www.ironbutt.com/about/default.cfm have some good info on long haul riding.

fwiw i went down from oregon to california then across east to kansas and north in may last year. i was rained and chilled out on the oregon coast (CA was gorgeous).

I went across at around the LA level because there was snow north of there in utah and colorado. I hit big winds in new mexico and skittered across kansas watching the skies.

it's nothing you can't handle but be flexible and don't commit yourself (for example) to some mountain pass that could be closed when you get there.

I'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks Bucky, I have an Ipod already loaded up with tunes as well as slacker radio on my blackberry so I'm set for entertainment.
I've considered a modular helmet, but for now I'll stick with my KBC Motodesign it's a full face,DOT and Snell labeled on the back,and it's the most comfortable helmet I've ever used, plus I've mounted speakers in it and it's broken in already.
I run a set of 130 db electric horns mounted off the center stand brackets.
As far as the radar detector goes I rarely ride fast enough for it to be an issue, 5 to 10 over is about it for me in unfamiliar territory, lol.
Good tip on the chain guard, I'll definitely check out that link, I'd heard of them before but hadn't thought to look for their site.

Alternate routes already planned out. I just hope I don't have to go to plan B, it'll add quite a few miles.

Cool, looking forward to meeting up with you here in Puddletown.
Definitely check the weather before heading up over the mountain. They don't train yearound for the Olympics up there for nothing. It should be fine, cold, but fine.

Watch out for the wind gullies on I-80 in Western Wyo. When you see roadsigns showing trailers tipping over in the wind, you know you have arrived.

White out conditions over Mt Hood/Hwy 26 today. Just thought you might want to know.

Sounds like fun :|

Spent most of the weekend doing prep and maintenance, I've installed a new 180/70/15 ME 880, the front only has a couple thousand miles on it (wish I'd known then the 130/70/18 would fit). Wired up a power port. Re geared 19/42 and installed a new chain. Checked all fasteners and re water proofed all the electrical connections.
Then I loaded all the gear I intend to take with me and rode 300 miles in temps from the low 30's to the mid 40's to get a feel for how the bikes gonna handle loaded heavy. No different than haulin the little woman (she's 104 lbs) and gear for a weekend.
Next project valve adjustment, oil change and recheck everything. I also have a set of kuryakyn halogen silver bullets to mount up, I'm thinking of using fast eddies turn signal relocation brackets as mounts. Anyone know where I might find a switch that fits the dash panel with no modification? I also hafta get a new PIAA blue bulb my old one finally died after being used in my last 3 bikes. I installed a stock replacement bulb, I'd forgotten how much of a difference those bulbs make.
Also does anyone know how many 68 gram CO 2 cartridges it takes to inflate a tire completely or at least to a safe pressure? The big cartridges are pretty spendy I'd hate to waste em just to find out.
And my girlfriend thinks I've lost my mind, so if I'm not on for a while you know she's had me commited.lol

Had I alloy rims I would pack this (or something similar).

Quote:

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And my girlfriend thinks I've lost my mind

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Gotta love it er her no? And it is just not your girlfriend. Most folks that don't ride think a cross country roll is insane.


"Most of these kits use disposable CO2 cartridges to inflate the tire once you've repaired the puncture. How much do you need? According to our tests, it takes six 12-gram canisters to inflate a 180/55-17 rear tire to 20 psi, while a similar number of 16-gram charges will get it to 23 psi. A single 68-gram cartridge will inflate that tire to 22 psi. These pressures are lower than normal in part because CO2 cools dramatically when it's released. In any event, riding on the tire will increase pressure enough to make it safely to a better source of compressed air."
Entire article

Widmer Brothers Brewery is a sure visit.

Thanks for the info, Fortunately I have alloy wheels, and I already have a Tech repair kit. Just wasn't sure how far 2 68 gram canisters were gonna go toward inflating a tire. Hopefully I wont have more than 2 flats along the way.

Thanks Dinqua but I think I'll try to avoid Tsunami areas during my trip. lol. I think you posted the wrong link.