How many miles can I cover in four days? 1,080 to be exact. Oregon coast, Crater Lake and Mount Hood – I’m coming for you! Here, I’ll outline the trip with some additional insight.
Considering that I passed the Bing maps “street view” car twice, I thought I’d use Bing to map out where I went. If you see me waving to the camera somewhere along Hwy 38, let me know. Ignore most of those letters on the map, they’re not really points of interest – just places I needed to move the route.
Day One: Seattle to Depoe Bay, OR
This is a lengthy ride. Taking I-5 to Hwy 101 through Olympia and on to Raymond, WA. Riding near Raymond is a pretty fun little area. You’re twisting along through forestry land, so that also means you might have a few furry creatures that decide to walk into the road. Do not hit a deer.
The coast begins with Astoria and Seaside, but doesn’t start to wow you until Cannon Beach and Arch Cape.
This was my longest day – and by the end I was feeling it. Somewhere after Tillamook I decided I’d had about enough of the cow shit smell – and wanted to get off of this motorcycle. Here, 101 starts to get really boring until you wind your way into the Siuslaw National Forest and eventually find the coast again at Lincoln City, 45 miles from Tillamook.
Read all about Day 1: The Oregon Coast.
Day Two: Depoe Bay, OR to Crater Lake and Chemult, OR
The Oregon Central coast is a treasure chest of beautiful views and twisty roads. Lighthouses, overlooks, state parks, sand, sun, surf (and often some early morning fog) dot the landscape. The area between Yachats and Florence is fantastic. Next time, I’m making a beeline for this section of 101 and the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area.
The coast was great – but today I have to get my butt and my bike over to Crater Lake. Surely it will be another long day, but after some slab I’m into the mountains following roads free of traffic and full of turns. Highway 38 from Reedsport to Elkton was a big surprise. Lots of fun. Highway 138 once into the Umpqua National Forest was another good time.
Crater Lake was incredible. It was everything I’d hoped for and much more.
Read all about Day 2 in my Crater Lake blog post.
Day Three: Chemult, OR to Mount Hood and Portland
Living in the Pacific Northwest, you have to love mountains. I’ve documented Mount Rainier quite well by now, but the other volcanic icon of the area is Mount Hood. There is a “Central Cascades Scenic Byway” that I wanted to take, but it is supposedly not well marked and my internet connection at my cheap motel made it difficult to plan the route, so I slabbed to Hood through Bend and Redmond (lovely little place to stop for a bite to eat).
After Hood, you can go to Portland via Route 35 + I-84 or via the more direct Route 26. I took Route 35 for the twisties and because I wanted to ride along the Columbia River Gorge, which could be a three day trip by itself.
Read all about Day 3: Motorcycling Mount Hood.
Day Four:Portland to Seattle
Home across the St. John’s Bridge up Hwy 30 and into Washington State. Stopped quickly to grab some lunch in Longview and then back to I-5 and home to Seattle.
Wrap-up
Another fun solo trip in the books. Please click on each day for photos and more detail.
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