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Photo by Sean Howman, The Pamir highway in an unseasonably cold late October, Tajikistan

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Sean Howman,
The Pamir highway in an unseasonably
cold late October, Tajikistan



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  #1  
Old 31 Dec 2022
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Location: Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
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Riding I-5 South in January?
Hi all,

How realistic is it to ride south from Vancouver, BC to San Diego on the I-5 in January? I know there are some passes involved but I have no idea what the snow situation might be, especially further south. I'm OK with cold temperatures but draw the line at snow and ice.

Any thoughts?

I could always hug the coast but that adds a lot of time.

Thanks.
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Old 31 Dec 2022
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Old 1 Jan 2023
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Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
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After our recent storm, you still have to ask this question?

As long as you're comfortable with the possibility that another storm just like the last one will blow through--snow by the foot, ice by the cm, winds gusting into the hurricane range--you'll be fine. That means maybe you luck out and merely get chilly and face short riding days, but maybe storms force you you to hole up someplace you don't really want to be for three days or a week waiting for things to norm out.

The weather is routinely worse in the north, specifically Washington State, bits of Oregon, and from the Siskiyous down past Mt. Shasta. Even in the south, it's not necessarily smooth sailing--it rained over 5 inches in parts of the Bay Area today. The coastal has less chance of snow, but heavier rain and stronger winds--and the fact that it's slower makes it harder to take full advantage of any breaks in the weather. Either way, it's probably unwise to be in a hurry.

I've done much of this ride during February. I've also done it in a car, and the car is quicker, easier, and in the final analysis more fun.

Hope that's helpful. Give a shout if you happen to slow down someplace near Bellingham.

Mark
Last edited by markharf; 1 Jan 2023 at 04:01. Reason: specificity
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