[ORRando] The Attraction of One-Way Permanents between the Pacific Coast and Portland

[Alan Woods]

I prefer to ride one-way permanents instead of out-and-back rides. For me, there is a sense of accomplishment when I ride TO somewhere. After a ride, it is interesting to fully explore a new place. It is even better when the “new place” is a nice new place.

One-way rides offer the opportunity to significantly increase one's “radius of knowledge”. “Blank” areas on a mental map will be filled in more quickly during a point-to-point permanent than on an out-and-back ride, where the riding radius is only half as far.  No mile is wasted when no part of the route is retraced.

For me, one-way rides are best if there is convenient public transportation available at the end to take me and my bicycle back to the starting point. No automobile is needed to support the ride on either end.

Others who ride one-way permanents prefer to ride back to where they started on a subsequent day. Reversible one-way permanents give RUSA mileage credit in both directions. Stacking permanents together like this is good training preparation for long brevets.

One-way permanents are also attractive because they can be worked into an outing with friends or family; ride one-way, meet up in an attractive place, spend the night, explore the area, and drive (or take a bus) back home.

There are approximately 50 one-way permanents in Oregon. About 30 of these are 200km or more in distance. To look up Oregon one-way permanents go to http://www.rusa.org/cgi-bin/permsearch_GF.pl Then set “Shape” to be “point-to-point” and “Within or through” to “OR”. Links provide registration information for each permanent. Route sheet, waiver, and road book will be provided by the permanent owner as part of the registration process.

Three of the newest one-way 200km permanents in Oregon link beautiful parts of the Pacific coast with cosmopolitan Portland. All are reversible, meaning that a rider can either start at the shore or in the Portland area. The starting points are all accessible by public transportation. The destinations all feature inexpensive public transportation suitable for returning both the rider and bicycle back to the beginning point.

“Surf's Up” (RUSA Permanent Number 1944) links the Cedar Hills Shopping Center (adjacent to the Sunset Transit Center) in Beaverton with lovely Cannon Beach. Its route is posted at http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2436273 “Surf's Up” includes bicycle-friendly suburban roads, a long stretch of bike path through forests, quiet roads, and a lovely route through the Coast Range. The entire route is paved, but the final seven miles between Seaside and Cannon Beach are on the wide shoulder of Highway 101. This section of the highway is designated as part of the Oregon Coast Bike Route, but car, truck, and RV traffic can be heavy, particularly on a summer weekend. MAX connects all parts of Portland with the Sunset Transit Center for $2.50 (Trimet trip planner: http://trimet.org/index.htm). Twice daily Amtrak buses link Cannon Beach (CBO) with Union Station in NW Portland (PDX) for $17 (http://www.amtrak.com/home); non-stop buses leave Cannon Beach or Portland in the morning and in the evening, 7 days a week. The last bus of the day leaves Cannon Beach for Portland at 6:45PM; the last bus of the day leaves Portland for Cannon Beach at 7:50PM. On these Amtrak buses, bicycles are carried in a luggage bay under the bus at the cost of $5/bike. No boxing is necessary and, in my experience, the bay for bicycles is usually empty of other items. Tickets can be purchased at Union Station in Portland or at Theresa's Family Market (1170 S Hemlock St), which is across the street from the bus stop and shelter in the Mid-Town district of Cannon Beach (near the City Hall).

“Suzie Sells Seashells at the Seaside Seashore” (RUSA Permanent Route Number 2090) links Multnomah Village with popular Seaside. Its route is posted at http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3380287 The entire permanent is paved and no part uses busy Highway 101. Trimet buses connect all parts of Portland with Multnomah Village for $2.50 (Trimet trip planner: http://trimet.org/index.htm). Twice daily Amtrak buses link Seaside (SSD) (bus stop with shelter is near Del's Chevron, 1215 S. Holladay Dr., Seaside) with Union Station in NW Portland (PDX) for $17 (http://www.amtrak.com/home); one-stop buses leave Seaside or Portland in the morning and in the evening, 7 days a week. The last bus of the day leaves Seaside for Portland at 6:30PM; the last bus of the day leaves Portland for Seaside at 7:50PM. On these Amtrak buses, bicycles are carried in a luggage bay under the bus at the cost of $5/bike. No boxing is necessary and, in my experience the bay for bicycles is usually empty of other items. Tickets can be purchased at Union Station in Portland or from the bus driver.

“Tillamook Stomp” (RUSA Permanent Route Number 2016) links Multnomah Village with Tillamook, where you can visit a cheese factory, explore the shore around Tillamook Bay, or visit the beautiful and quiet coastline between Cape Meares and Cape Lookout, all on a bicycle. The route of the Tillamook Stomp is posted at http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2754462 The Tillamook Stomp includes bicycle- friendly suburban roads, over 20 miles of bike path through forests, and very quiet highways and roads through the Coast Range, including a few miles of gravel. Trimet buses connect all parts of Portland with Multnomah Village for $2.50 (Trimet trip planner: http://trimet.org/index.htm). Tillamook County Transportation District runs a twice daily bus service between Tillamook and Portland (http://www.tillamookbus.com/schedules.htm) for $15. The last Route 5 bus of day leaves Tillamook Transit Center (2nd St. and Laurel Ave.) for Portland at 12:35PM and the last Route 5 bus of day leaves Portland for Tillamook at 3:25PM. On these buses, up to two bicycles are carried on a front rack without charge. Tickets can be purchased on the bus.