OK, we fly out Friday and pick up our rentals in Milwaukee, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, Oregon at 10 AM Saturday. Planning on crossing the Columbia twice, briefly to get into Washington state and back then down to the Evergreen Museum and then out to the coast on day 1.Gonna do the Tillamook area then start traveling south. I hope to get a lot of pictures and hopefully keep the trip updated as we go. Once again, thanks to all of the contributors for helping us plan. we wont hit everything but are going to make the best of our time out there!

 

"One small piece of advice about the toll on the Golden Gate Bridge. There are no longer any toll collectors. You just ride through the toll gate. Locals like myself have a transponder that records my passage through the toll gate and charges my account. You will however have to go to the Golden Gate Bridge web site and pay the toll online within 48 hours of passing through the toll gate."[/QUOTE]

We rode over the Golden gate and they have cameras, after about a week we received (by mail) the Fee/ticket with our photos to my home. It was about $7/bike.
The strange thing is if your going south, there is a fee... Going north, I was told - no charge?

 

We rode over the Golden gate and they have cameras, after about a week we received (by mail) the Fee/ticket with our photos to my home. It was about $7/bike.
The strange thing is if your going south, there is a fee... Going north, I was told - no charge?[/QUOTE]

In the early 1970's, they realized the same number of people cross each bridge in each direction. So they doubled the tolls in one direction and made the other direction free. That moves the traffic faster in the non toll direction and the bridge district winds up with the same amount of tolls.

 

We crossed the bridge on the bike in August last year, both directions, never received any fee via mail, I guess they couldn't see my plate under the Tour Pak!?!? Thank you SF for a free ride.

 

I have ridden a lot of the coast in Oregon and Northern California. I was born and raised in Newport, and if there's anything in that area I would recommend, it would be the Yaquina Head Lighthouse at Agate Beach (2 miles north of Newport). Also the Agate Beach Motel there is a hidden gem with beach access on the south side of Yaquina Head, which means it's sheltered from the prevailing NW winds that blow in the summer. If you want art galleries and gift shops hit the bayfront, but it's a real zoo with tourists, although Rogue Brewery has a brew pub there. Also there's some good food with Mo's and the Fishermen's Wives restaurant.

Cape Perpetua south of Yachats (say Yah-hots if you want to sound like a local) is great riding and there are a couple of really nice waysides there. Skip the Sea Lion Caves, it's cheesy and touristy.

The Dean Creek Elk viewing area 2 miles east of Reedsport on Hwy 38 is worth a quick detour if the elk are cooperating.

The Bandon Old Town and lighthouse area can be a lot of fun.

Cape Sebastian and Harris Beach State Parks are worth a look if you're into scenic waysides.

The Avenue of the Giants south of Eureka parallels 101 and is a great road winding through the redwoods.

Trinidad is California trendy, but has a really nice little harbor and public beach.

If you want some challenging riding head to Shelter Cove from Garberville, part of the infamous Lost Coast. It's kind of out of the way but if you have half a day to kill it's a pretty cool spot.

We're heading to Ft. Bragg in a couple of weeks, so that'll be new to me.

 

"Ave of the Giants" is a must.
Lombard St in SF might be a challenge. Do it!

 

Lombard Street is ok but touristy. But then again, most of the northeast quadrant of San Francisco is touristy. Tourism is one of the biggest industries in San Francisco. All the touristy places are actually real nice. That's why they are touristy. So see them all if you wish. But I want to drop in one of my favorite not so touristy locations.

When you visit the Golden Gate Bridge, find you way to Fort Point. It is literally under the bridge. When they built the Golden Gate Bridge, they had to add an extra arch over Fort Point to build the bridge and preserve Fort Point. Fort Point is a Civil War era military fort right at the Golden Gate. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the summer, the park rangers give a free guided tour and tell you the history of the fort. It is an interesting place.

 

Lombard Street is not for the weak or inexperienced. All brick and cambered the entire way, no good place to stop. If you get stuck in traffic you may have an issue if you had to put your feet down. We did it, I wouldn't do it again. And if it is raining!?!??!?!?!?!

 

One of the nice things about riding in California is that the rains almost always come only in the winter months, and the rain is almost always predictable. The traffic on Lombard is only heavy in the warmer months, tourist season. So it is unlikely that anyone who visits San Francisco on their bike would find it raining. It might however be slick on foggy days, which is even trickier. Myself, I have driven down Lombard in a car, but have never attempted it on my bike. No need to do so for me.

 

I am planning to ride the PCH in about 2 weeks and this thread has helped me a lot. Actually changed a couple of my nightly spots last night. So thanks to everyone here.