Transit Touring
We've officially left on our trip to explore America by folding bike, trains, and transit. Right now, we're updating from the Book and Bean in Prineville, OR, a town on Eastern Oregon which is along the TransAmerica Trail. While we haven't intercepted an Amtrak route yet, we have had the interesting experience of combining bikes and buses.We've met many cyclists that start their Pacific Coast bike tour from Portland. There is, of course, a little matter of the coastal range to get over before one gets to the Pacific ocean. For the time constrained -- or those that don't want to ride over the mountains (though we highly recommend it for the gorgeous scenery!) -- there is a great multi-modal option from Portland Union Station -- The Wave bus. Operated by Tillamook County Transportation District, the bus very conveniently leaves from downtown Portland and drops you off at Tillamook (a shortish ride from the famed Tillamook factory).What is remarkable about The Wave, is how bicycle-friendly it is. We did a short loop from Portland to Tillamook and back utilizing The Wave. By the time we got to Tillamook, there were no less than 5 bicyclists on board and four of us were touring! While only equipped with a 2-bike front rack, the drivers are friendly and helpful. We were able to store our bikes folded in the rear luggage area. The driver even took on other bikes inside as the rear luggage area filled up.The Wave is a great option if you're riding the Pacific Coast and want to beeline to the coast form Portland, or if you want to make an excursion into Portland during your coast tour without taking up 4 days going back and forth.Another great bus option from the Portland area is The Breeze bus, that leaves from downtown Union Station and drops you off at central Oregon's bicycling gem -- Bend. The Breeze bus does not have front bike racks and you must box your bike, though we were able to get on board with our Bromptons after some reasoning with the driver. It's rather unfortunate since it's a great connector between two excellent cycling cities. Hopefully, with VisitBend's big push to promote Bend as a cycling destination, they will add more accommodations for bikes (especially car-free Portlanders that want to escape the gloom of the valley). Once in Bend, you have access to days of beautiful and quiet riding on country roads. Bend is home to many professional cyclists and hosts many large cycling events every year. It is also very bicycle-friendly, with bike lanes, roundabouts and no less than 10 bicycle shops in town! After exploring Bend, you can also ride to Redmond or Prineville and hop on the TransAmerica route.We already know that transit and bikes are a great combination in urban areas, but it is also a great way to vacation with your bicycle! It can help the time-constrained tourist visit areas that would have been difficult by bicycle alone. It can also afford the curious cyclist a way to explore beyond what they could typically cover in a day.-- RUSS ROCA and LAURA CRAWFORD sold all their belongings to travel by bicycle in 2009 and started PathLessPedaled.com. Since then, they have been bicycling around the United States and documenting bicycle culture.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/06/transit-touring.html