HW 101 from Wasington State to California....anyone ridden it ?

I have ridden most of it, and all of PCH 1 in California. Did you have a specific question about the road/route?
 
So many questions....
- locations that you recommend seeing or skipping
- weather
- road conditions, traffic, heavy police speed traps,....
- recommended riding clothes/armour for cool mtn.s and hot valley temps. I am travelling LIGHT.
- did you camp or motel
-how did you plan your route along the coast?
- anything else I should ask??
Thanks revrandy,
Mike
 
It is kind of hard to answer all the questions.

First off when you get into California, just south of Eureka you have an option of taking the lost coast vs. 101. DO IT. The road is totally amazing. About 125 km's down semi-paved roads with 18% grades and gravel switchbacks. Not to be missed. It took me over 4 hrs to ride it. A bonus is you come out in the land of the giants, redwood forest.

Plan on the temp's being considerably cooler along the coastal portions than inland. It can be 15c different depending on the weather patterns. The weather itself will change. Around Eureka and northern coastal areas, expect fog in the morning, sometimes most of the day. The same holds true when you ride PCH 1 south of Carmel towards Santa Maria (through Cambria).

Regardless of when you go expect slow moving traffic south of Monterrey, RV's pulling cars, tourists etc. It is a bit better midweek, but still quite slow going.

I planned my route the old fashioned way, using a Rand McNally paper map. That is how I plan all my trips. Hotels were booked ahead of time, so I knew I had something on the other end (went during a busy time), and also knew how far I had to go that day.

Finally I wore armour on the coast, in the valley, through the mountains. I don't ride without it. When hitting the 40c plus temps in the central valley I had basketball shorts under my armour vs. pants - still sweated but not as much. Take plenty of water with you and stay hydrated. Be sure to fill up when you get to 1/2 a tank as some areas the gas stations you see will charge about $2 a gallon more than in the major centres. Oh yeah, don't count on your mobile phone working. You will go through sections with no coverage. I took a SPOT just in case. If you don't have one, happy to sell you mine for half of what I paid.

Hope this helps.

p.s. if you have time, consider the Naciemento - Fergusson Road. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Same with US 33 into Ojai.
 
Being along the coast, it can definitely be foggy at times, esp. early mornings.

Can't much comment on the Wash & Oregon sections as I've never been there. Some of the sections are semi-remote (gas stops can be spaced apart widely, testing some motorcycle's fuel range), but you may have that part figured out already.
 
There isn't bad riding anywhere in Washington State or Oregon. I haven't done the 101 personally but everyone who has says the same as the riders above. My most memorable ride in Washington besides mount baker is the 20 out to Windthrope in the Okanagan. Un-friggin-real. I envy the ride you're planning!
 
I have ridden this twice. I would suggest getting to Victoria to start, then take the ferry across to Port Angeles Washington. The tip of the Olympic Peninsula is where the "Coast Hwy" more or less starts. Then start riding south, this route is far more rugged and wild and right on the Pacific rather than starting from Vancouver and riding down the east side of Puget Sound, which can be very built up, given that Seattle is there, more or less one big city. A really nice city but a city nevertheless. This rugged coastline extends right down into California, lots of state parks right on the ocean to camp if you choose to. It can be foggy and wet along this coast, especially on the Olympic Peninsula, but the scenery is unbelievable, further south into Oregon it gets generally less wet and more sunny. Oregon has hundreds of beaches along it's coast and they are spectacular. Generally once you get away from the large urban centres, at least in Oregon and northern California the road gets somewhat less busy. Since you are riding south you will always be on the ocean side which is cooler than riding north. This highway is very twistie so remember it might take 3 times as long as you think to travel any distance south, which is to say, leave yourself lots of time, it is going to take a while to ride this highway, and you will kick yourself later if you just blast it and don't take in the scenery.
 
I haven't done it on my bike, but I did a couple round trips to LA and did a week and a half of camping down the 101 back when I lived in Victoria. Camping anywhere along the coast in Washington and Oregon even in the summer is gonna be C O L D! I went camping in August and the temp still dropped to around 10C but with the ocean breeze it can feel colder. So just a heads up, bring a warm sleeping bag and a thermarest.

the roads in the States are awesomely well maintained and the 101 from WA to CA is beautiful. When you see the signs warning you of aircraft patrol, they aren't kidding so don't be too tempted even if you see nobody ahead of you and behind you for miles :P Ask how I know. I wouls try to plan the 101 stretch between Monterey and LA on a weekday so there's less traffic.

One kinda cool place to stop on the way down is the sand dunes in Oregon near Reedsport/Coos Bay and you can try riding the dunes :) either bike or ATV.
 
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