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Permalink Reply by mike w. on July 12, 2010 at 1:35am

Hmm. Not familiar with the route North of Tomales, but if you can work it, i would suggest AVOIDING Hwy 1 south of Stinson Beach; the road is very narrow, with hundreds of blind corners, no shoulders, and heavily trafficked by locals who want to drive 60+ in their BMWs & SUVs. i drove the stretch through Muir Beach to Almonte last summer and was terrified at the thought of riding a bike through there. There is a very good stretch of bike route along the freeway from Novato through San Rafael, and i believe that there is a good route to Larkspur to the ferry terminal from there. i have ridden the roads between Petaluma and Novato, and around San Rafael area. It's been a few years, but i recall the roads are narrow, but ridable -there are a lot of riders through there-although the local drivers aren't too happy with riders in general (usual thing involving big groups holding the lane.) That's about the limit of my knowledge af lower Marin Co. i'm sure there are a few others here with much more experience of PCH. i have been told to beware of the lumber haulers up north.
HTH. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on July 12, 2010 at 3:13am

Have you checked out http://www.crazyguyonabike.com ? It's a great resource for tours...and also inspiring for those waiting to get out there!

Also, check out the Chainlink Tourers group It would be great for it to be a little more active.

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Permalink Reply by Marla on July 12, 2010 at 4:14am

I lived in san Francisco for 9 years and used the book below to bike from SF to San Diego, it provides routes and places to stay from Washington state to Baja Mexico it was really good....

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Complete-Canada/dp/08...

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on July 12, 2010 at 4:30am

Seconded on checking Crazy Guy On A Bike. Journals from tourers who have done previous trips is invaluable in preparing for your own when it comes to just about everything from weather conditions, what gear to pack, terrain, places that have good food and campgrounds and everything in between.

Also, Adventure Cycling, which is a non-profit organization that has mapped out several routes around the country (3 of them being cross-country), has a Pacific Coast Route. Maps 2 and 3 apply to your trip.

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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on July 12, 2010 at 5:59am

Ryan is right about the Adventure Cycling maps. You can get by without them but they make the trip a no-brainer.

For the Oregon segment you can save money by picking up a free map of the coastal bike route
in Oregon, nearly identical to the corresponding segment of the AC route map, at the local visitor center.

And while in Florence, be sure to knock one back at Don's Beachcomber Tavern, 1355 Bay St.,
made famous in my book Bars Across America: Drinking and Biking from Coast to Coast,
http://pintsizepress.info.

John Greenfield

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:

Seconded on checking Crazy Guy On A Bike. Journals from tourers who have done previous trips is invaluable in preparing for your own when it comes to just about everything from weather conditions, what gear to pack, terrain, places that have good food and campgrounds and everything in between.
Also, Adventure Cycling, which is a non-profit organization that has mapped out several routes around the country (3 of them being cross-country), has a Pacific Coast Route. Maps 2 and 3 apply to your trip.

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Permalink Reply by emeegee on July 13, 2010 at 2:33am

Thanks, all- I've got the AC maps ready to go and I appreciate the tips about the unpleasant portions and drinking options!

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on July 13, 2010 at 4:44am

emeegee,

Any plans to write a crazyguy journal on the trip?

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Permalink Reply by Jerome Hughes on July 13, 2010 at 5:34am

envious as have always wanted to do this tour, so own the AC maps and will one day get to it...

friends Rich & Laura Kuhlman did their "eh to olé" tour as a honeymoon using motels & credit cards from Canada to Mexico, believe that was in '02 - they could be good resources to tap, find their current web presence at...

http://www.thekuhlmans.com/

they journaled their journey at the time by writing emails from libraries along the way, if they can provide you with these, it will surely be valuable

also, check out some tsunami history in Crescent City, my retired RVing parents summered there for many years, salmon fishing and whale watching in their 14 foot Lund fishing boat (but only on calm days)...

http://www.google.com/search?q=crescent+city+ca+tsunami+1964

have a great trip!

--Jerome

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