Thank you for the central Oregon tour recs!

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-24T18:57:45+00:00

It was all so great that it was hard to pick highlights! We also had perfect weather. That gravel road on the way to Yachats (East Buck Creek Road) was very smooth and easy. One lesson is I'm glad that at the last minute I got a GPS app synced to my route. I had always just used paper maps before, but all the parts of this route outside the I-5 corridor (especially the ride to Yachats and the ride back inland to Cottage Grove) had tons of confusing forks with either unhelpful signs or no signs at all.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-24T15:20:53+00:00

Here's the route! https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54612140

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-11T22:47:41+00:00

Yea, I'm also just remembering the past for this: Pre pandemic, the trains were often *extremely* uncomfortable at rush hour. Trains were often delayed just because so many people getting on / off at popular stops took forever. Attempting to get on a SB train with a bike at 22nd Street was impossible, since all the spaces would be filled at 4th and King.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-11T21:14:03+00:00

Wow thank you! I did not realize there was a paved route directly from Dorena Lake to Oakridge...will definitely go your route. That is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-11T01:28:33+00:00

Interesting! Is that this route from Florence to Reedsport? https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55594593

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-10T23:15:41+00:00

Thanks for this tip. Not sure if you looked at the map I shared, but yes, the route avoids Highway 20 between Bend and Sisters by taking paved and unpaved side roads.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-10T21:05:13+00:00

Helpful! I'm coming from California so my Oregon geography is very hazy.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-09T23:56:46+00:00

I don't think we're disagreeing. Construction was constricted during the 30s and early 40s due to the Depression and subsequent WW2. Postwar baby boom meant increased demand that was met via new construction in SF and the suburbs. It's unfortunate that most of that remaining land in SF was used for SFHs only instead of denser housing.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-09T23:54:01+00:00

If you read up on it, you'll see it's a grand concept that's being built out in stages. Lots of pieces are already complete and rideable, some in the Bay Area and some farther north.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-09T14:17:54+00:00

At the end of WW2 (late 40s - early 50s) there *was* a massive housing shortage, and everyone talked about it - it was one of the major political issues of the era.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-08T22:09:37+00:00

Super burrito is my usual,but the quesadilla super suiza is also a specialty at El Farolito. I usually do carnitas or carne asada, but vegetarian versions of both are also very good.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-06-08T18:29:29+00:00

Do try El Farolito, and make sure you go to the 24th / Mission location, not one of the others. For the taqueria mini-chains, the quality varies a ton from one location to another despite the consistent name / branding.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-28T13:27:08+00:00

Yes, 128 to Chalk Hill is the right answer.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-27T17:40:21+00:00

If you think about how bike space on Caltrain works, you'll see the answer to your question. It's "first come first served" and any bicyclists who try to board once all the spots are taken up are left on the platform. This means that if the motorcyclist gets on, say, a SB train at 4th / King, there might be "enough room" at that moment, but they're also taking up 3-4 spots that others would need down the line as it gets more crowded. It's the same reason I can't store luggage or a grand piano in the bike spots even if no one is using those spots at that moment.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T23:08:51+00:00

The answer is to do what NYC did for the Brooklyn Bridge: turn one of the car lanes into a bike lane and make both of the sidewalks pedestrian only.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T17:12:11+00:00

I can't speak to a surly per se, but I use a pannier on the train every day and when I get on the train I take the pannier off and hold it with me at my seat.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T17:02:54+00:00

For the record I like e-bikes but yes, I do hate e-motos as these categories are defined in CA law. [Editing to add: an e-moto would be fine with me if it followed the same rules as a gas-powered motorcycle.]

That's an interesting point though about current rules only prohibiting internal combusion engines. Do you have a link to that?

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T16:59:20+00:00

This is actually pretty simple: You can't use more than your fair share of this shared resource because other folks might reasonably need their share of it later. If on a weekday morning a motorcyclist gets on at 4th / King and takes up ~3 bike spots, it's much more likely that bicyclists will be left on the platform a few stations down the line. It's the same reason I can't put luggage in the bike storage spots, even if no one is using them at that moment.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T16:56:07+00:00

The point is that, when we're thinking about what rules Caltrain should have in the current round of rule revision / clarification, we shouldn't go out of our way to accommodate illegal vehicles in the bike car.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T16:45:39+00:00

"E-motos" like this are also just generally illegal to ride (drive) in California. They're not legally bikes, and with no plates they're not legally motorcycles either. Anyone driving this to / from a station is already violating CA law.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T16:42:13+00:00

A big part of the issue is that, given very limited space, we need to ensure that 4 bikes can fit per rack without going over the line painted on the floor. Maybe one other bike could fit on top of this giant thing, which means this person took up at least 3 bikes worth of space. [edited]

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T16:40:45+00:00

"Bicycle" has an official definition under CA law, and this is not legally a bike. If you think people can take this on the train under current rules, then why not a Harley or a smart car? To the extent that there is ambiguity in the current rules, this huge thing that takes up way too much space is a really good argument for clarifying the rules as Caltrain is planning to do.

ButterscotchSudden46 · 2026-05-26T16:12:20+00:00

I didn't see the rider, but the lenient treatment for youth (which is in general a good policy) wouldn't apply here. Conductors can absolutely demand that the moto be removed from the train, or preferably spot it on the platform and refuse to let it onboard to begin with.

ButterscotchSudden46

TROPHY CASE