Road/Camping Trip Pointers/Advice?

[MBrockman5]

I’m getting ready to go on a 6 day road trip with my dad from Northern CA, up to (hopefully) Northern Washington. We’ll be meeting up and heading out from Red Bluff on the 25th where we’ll make our way over to Hwy 101. 
 

As this will be my very first long distance multi-day ride (approx. 2k miles round trip), I was wondering if any of you wise folks had any pointers or advice?  Any learning experiences (or regrets) you encountered? Anything worth sharing? Etc. 

 

 

I have a good 2 person MC Tent, Sleeping bag (with a military Gore Tex bivy sack, just in case), Roll top-Dry bag, Compact camp chair, and my waterproof BMW jacket and pants. As well as other misc. gear/tools/etc. 

 

My dad has experience with road trips on his RT. He did a 10 day solo ride from Redding, CA to Alaska a few years ago, so he’s well prepared and properly geared up. I’ve gotten some good info from him already, but I like to delve into multiple resources to get different vantage points and whatnot. 
 

 

Thanks...

[DaveTheAffable]

A beautiful place to ride, I used to live in the greater Seattle area. I also lived in Portland.

 

I hope you realize that it is more likely you will have some rain every day, then having clear skies on any day. This is not the “dry season“.  I don’t know if you’re planning on going to any of the three major passes in the Cascades (which are gorgeous!), But I have included a link to the Washington DOT website that you will find helpful.

https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/highways-bridges/passes/closures-openings

 

We have members that live in Washington and maybe you’ll hear from some of them as well.

 

Safe riding and good trip!

[MBrockman5]

I completely understand about the weather. We have both been monitoring multiple weather reports pretty much everyday or so for different points along the route. 
 

I bought a 2-person/4 season waterproof tent with a full coverage rain fly, and I’m probably going to bring my Wunderlich waterproof cover for my bike (room/weight permitting). We are also planning on a hotel a couple times... Especially if the weather gets too bad. 
 

As for the routes we’re taking (tentatively speaking), we’ll be leaving Red Bluff and taking Hwy 36 west all the way to Hwy 101 and following that up the coast. That is, if everything goes smoothly. As of now, the weather doesn’t seem too bad, but that’s based on the words of the “all seeing weather forecasters”🧙‍♂️

[TEWKS]

This guy actually lives in tents. 

 

[dirtrider]

12 hours ago, MBrockman5 said:

I’m getting ready to go on a 6 day road trip with my dad from Northern CA, up to (hopefully) Northern Washington. We’ll be meeting up and heading out from Red Bluff on the 25th where we’ll make our way over to Hwy 101. 
 

As this will be my very first long distance multi-day ride (approx. 2k miles round trip), I was wondering if any of you wise folks had any pointers or advice?  Any learning experiences (or regrets) you encountered? Anything worth sharing? Etc. 

 

 

I have a good 2 person MC Tent, Sleeping bag (with a military Gore Tex bivy sack, just in case), Roll top-Dry bag, Compact camp chair, and my waterproof BMW jacket and pants. As well as other misc. gear/tools/etc. 

 

My dad has experience with road trips on his RT. He did a 10 day solo ride from Redding, CA to Alaska a few years ago, so he’s well prepared and properly geared up. I’ve gotten some good info from him already, but I like to delve into multiple resources to get different vantage points and whatnot. 
.

Morning MBrockman5

 

Here is part of my my personal list minus my own personal needed things_  

 

Just some things to think about____

 

___Camp Things___

 

-Tent + Rods + Stakes + Ropes
-Tent Footprint Groundcover (needed on wet or rocky ground to protect tent floor)

- Small camp chair
-LED tent light (new batteries) (small LED tent light is a great addition as it lights up entire tent inside)
-Small bright flashlight 
-Sleeping Bag (for weather expected)
-Sleeping bag ground pad 
-Clothes Line + Clothes Pins
-Crocks (Sandals) great for camp showers or just walking around campsite

___Personal___

-Reading Glasses (if needed)
-Sun Glasses
-Money
-Pee Bottle
-Toilet Paper (small partial roll to pack smaller) I stick a small hammer handle inside the tube.
-Kleenex
-Bug Repellent 
-Paper towels
-Shower Towel(s)
-Wash Cloth
-Deodorant
-Soap
-Shampoo
-Hair Brush
-Tooth Bush + Paste
**Shaving Kit   (if needed)

___Riding Things___

-Chap Stick
-Sun Glasses
-Helmet shield cleaner (dish soap or ????)
_Camera (new batteries) + xtra disk
-Ear Plugs for both riding & night quiet sleeping)
-Jackets (for expected Weather)
-Riding Pants (for expected weather)
-Windshield Cleaner (dish soap)

-Security Stuff 
**GPS + GPS cover + all routing entered
-Face Shield anti-fog

**Tools etc
**Tire Patch Kit

 

Personal Riding

-Cell Phone (charged)
-Change (money)

 

IN Tank Bag

-Side stand plate (for soft campground dirt)

-Camera 

-Tank Bag overnight cover (I use a large shower cap)

-Clothes Line + Clothes Pins (optional but helps to dry riding things quicker)

-Trash Bags (large + small) (great for waterproofing camping gear, holding dirty clothes, to clean up camp area  when leaving etc.

-GPS cover

-Sun Glasses

-Paper Towels (partial roll packs smaller)

-Head mounted LED Light (for hands free light around camp site)

-Extra Bungee or tie down cords

 

Camp Life

--Styrofoam Cups
--Paper Plates
--Forks_Spoons_Knives_Paper_Towels
--Unbrella (small) (optional but sure is nice if a lot of rain)
--Snacks
--Pop + Water 

-Small hammer (for tent stakes)

[szurszewski]

 

It sounds like you’ve got the packing thing down and the route is pretty simple. I assume your dad knows what he is doing if has made it to Alaska successfully (was that a ten day round trip??). What sort of advice are you looking for?

 

I literally live where 101 meets I5 in Washington - as in, I’m looking at the interchange out my window right now - and have done the ride you’re proposing many times. Six days total isn’t a whole lot of time to lollygag, but if you are mainly looking to ride all day each day, you can cover a lot. My “get there quick but avoid I5” trips usually involve one day from here to somewhere between Eureka and Brookings - one needs to start early, and it’s a long 400-500 miles if it’s cold or wet, but it’s not bad. 
 

Do you have planned legs for each day? If you’re camping, try to get all the info you can on what’s available before you go as many private and state campgrounds in WA and OR were closed for the pandemic and some have not reopened. 
 

Two things I almost always do when riding that route are eat at Luna Sea in Yachats Oregon (they feed you largely from their own catch and it’s always good) and ride to Stout Grove in Jedediah Park just south of Crescent City (this road is not bad but VERY slick if it’s raining, so depending on bike/tires it can be a bit tricky). Hurricane Ridge is a great view of the Olympics if you make it that far north - and if the road is open (haven’t checked, but they do close it for snow and it’s still very snowy in the mountains here). 
 

If you want some riding company for a few hours I’d be happy to meet you somewhere up here in WA if I’m not working (just working m-w, in Portland, right now). 

 

 

 

 

 

[MBrockman5]

1 hour ago, dirtrider said:

Morning MBrockman5

 

Here is part of my my personal list minus my own personal needed things_  

 

Just some things to think about____

 

___Camp Things___

 

-Tent + Rods + Stakes + Ropes
-Tent Footprint Groundcover (needed on wet or rocky ground to protect tent floor)

- Small camp chair
-LED tent light (new batteries) (small LED tent light is a great addition as it lights up entire tent inside)
-Small bright flashlight 
-Sleeping Bag (for weather expected)
-Sleeping bag ground pad 
-Clothes Line + Clothes Pins
-Crocks (Sandals) great for camp showers or just walking around campsite

___Personal___

-Reading Glasses (if needed)
-Sun Glasses
-Money
-Pee Bottle
-Toilet Paper (small partial roll to pack smaller) I stick a small hammer handle inside the tube.
-Kleenex
-Bug Repellent 
-Paper towels
-Shower Towel(s)
-Wash Cloth
-Deodorant
-Soap
-Shampoo
-Hair Brush
-Tooth Bush + Paste
**Shaving Kit   (if needed)

___Riding Things___

-Chap Stick
-Sun Glasses
-Helmet shield cleaner (dish soap or ????)
_Camera (new batteries) + xtra disk
-Ear Plugs for both riding & night quiet sleeping)
-Jackets (for expected Weather)
-Riding Pants (for expected weather)
-Windshield Cleaner (dish soap)

-Security Stuff 
**GPS + GPS cover + all routing entered
-Face Shield anti-fog

**Tools etc
**Tire Patch Kit

 

Personal Riding

-Cell Phone (charged)
-Change (money)

 

IN Tank Bag

-Side stand plate (for soft campground dirt)

-Camera 

-Tank Bag overnight cover (I use a large shower cap)

-Clothes Line + Clothes Pins (optional but helps to dry riding things quicker)

-Trash Bags (large + small) (great for waterproofing camping gear, holding dirty clothes, to clean up camp area  when leaving etc.

-GPS cover

-Sun Glasses

-Paper Towels (partial roll packs smaller)

-Head mounted LED Light (for hands free light around camp site)

-Extra Bungee or tie down cords

 

Camp Life

--Styrofoam Cups
--Paper Plates
--Forks_Spoons_Knives_Paper_Towels
--Unbrella (small) (optional but sure is nice if a lot of rain)
--Snacks
--Pop + Water 

-Small hammer (for tent stakes)

Thanks dirtrider... There’s a couple things on your list that I didn’t think about. As for hydration, I am bringing a CamelBak. We don’t sell “Pop” here in CA, but I’ll probably bring some “Soda” with me. 😉

[Oldrider51]

Can't offer anything, but Have A GREAT trip!

[MBrockman5]

Szurszewski... Yes, it was 10 days round trip, including one 859 mile day (which he said was a bit rough at the end). We’re not necessarily going with a set schedule/plan. My idea was to ride to Neah Bay, but if we don’t make it there in time, then we’ll just go as far as we can. No rush, no stress... It’s more about the ride than the destination since we don’t get to do stuff together like this very often. 
 

As far as lodging goes, there’s plenty of places to dry camp if we can’t find a camp ground, and we’re going to stay at a hotel at least twice. 

[szurszewski]

Sounds like a good plan

 

If you do have time to make Neah Bay, you get the chance to do the 101 loop of the Olympic Penn, which is nice as the two sides are pretty different. I'd do the east/Puget Sound side up and the coast down if you didn't have any reason to do it the other way, but it doesn't really matter. 

 

 

[Hosstage]

If you've not ridden a lot in the rain, especially for long periods of time, realise that it wears you out. You're fighting water seeping in, helmet maybe fogging, water drops on the shield, just generally hard to see. You will tense up a lot, just due to the road conditions, Try to stay relaxed, let the bike move a little bit, and remember you're having fun!

And just stop when it becomes too much.

[szurszewski]

Their 15 day forecast, for what that’s worth, is looking pretty good - probably a little rain but they may luck out and not get any all-day soakers. 

[MBrockman5]

Hostage, thank you for the pointers. I’ve ridden in rain quite a bit. I love north of Sacramento and before the C19 I rode to SF for school a few times a week both early in the morning and late at night. 
 

I have an anti-fog pin lock insert on my Schuberth C3, and both my visor and Cee Bailey’s [tall] windscreen are treated with multiple layers of Rain-X (plastic) that seems to help with the rain. 
 

We both agreed that of the rain got too bad we would stop for a rest. There’s no point in making a purposely stress free ride stressful by feeling like we “HAVE” keep riding in horrible weather. We’re just going to take it as it comes and adjust our plans as needed/wanted. 

[MBrockman5]

3 minutes ago, szurszewski said:

Their 15 day forecast, for what that’s worth, is looking pretty good - probably a little rain but they may luck out and not get any all-day soakers. 

That’s what we’ve been seeing on different apps and websites. Most, if not all, of the bad weather has passed. We’ll probably ride through some places with snow, but the average temps look to be in the 50’s - 60’s. 

[szurszewski]

6 minutes ago, MBrockman5 said:

That’s what we’ve been seeing on different apps and websites. Most, if not all, of the bad weather has passed. We’ll probably ride through some places with snow, but the average temps look to be in the 50’s - 60’s. 

 

Those, once you get into Oregon, will be your day time highs, but expect mornings to be chilly and damp even if the day is going to be sunny. It will still get be getting chilly quickly once the sun goes down, but being on the coast you'll get the most of it and the days are getting longer, so that's good.  Our spring weather here is notoriously unpredictable and fickle - today, for instance, it was supposed to rain all day but has managed to not do so yet. Tomorrow is also supposed to be full of rain - but who knows? So while you probably won't get drenched you may get drizzled on off and on all day or at least some of some days - and maybe most of most days. If your BMW gear is really waterproof you should be set there, but do bring at least a couple pair of gloves - even the waterproof ones can get to be hard to put on/take off as the outerlayers become soaked. 

[mickeym3]

If you don’t make it to Neah Bay be sure to stop at Ruby Beach (where 101 starts meandering inland).  Also highly recommend Salt Creek Recreation Area (stop at the store in Joyce on the way in).  A ferry ride somewhere along the way in WA is obligatory. 

[PNWrider]

The Makah Indian Reservation (including Neah Bay) continues to be closed to non-tribal members according to the March 26, 2021 tribal government announcement.  There is no opening date at this time.  

[Deesdesk]

One word of advice, Make sure you understand where you're making camp for the night.

 

When my buddy and I did our last big road trip, it was just the two of us with our bikes, sleeping bags, and a tent.

The whole trip was a 'make no plans' kinda-thing and we rode where we wanted, when we wanted. A real manly-mans trip, as it was. 

Late one evening we were riding though a stretch of mountains with no civilization for hours either way. We found an old logging road, found a decent spot,  and make camp for the night. It was pretty much dark by the time we stopped. He sat up the tent while I went off to gather some wood for a campfire. The whole thing was fine; no big issue to report.

However, the next morning, we realized that right beside where I had been getting fire wood (and I mean within two feet of were I stood the night before), there was a big leg-trap and bait barrels set for bears. 

Two things dawned on us at that point.

1. if I had stepped in that trap, there was no phone reception in that area, so medical help would have been a long ways away. A spring-loaded bear trap can snap a man's tibia like a match stick, not to mention the flesh wounds you would incur.

2. We camped in a grizzly infested area without taking any proper anti-bear precautions.

We are both experienced outdoorsmen, but we let our guards down and forgot some fundamentals of camping in unknown territory. We got lucky; very lucky.

Next morning, as soon as we got to a little village, we invested in a very bright flashlight and a can a bear mace.

 

I don't want to deter people form exploring the great outdoors; it's spectacular. But like the Scout moto says, "Be Prepared!"

 

By the way, humans cannot outrun a grizzly (or any bear for that matter). Don't even try. Grizzlies can reach speeds of 30+mph; the average person... 7. 10 if running down hill on a groomed trail with a bear chasing you, but that's still not going do the trick. Not only that, if you run, it's almost guaranteed that it will start to chase you.

You can read about what to do if you meet a bear in the woods.

But please remember, most times these encounters are not confrontational; and you're both startled by each other's presents. Keep calm, remember what you read, and do not run.