Trip up coast--NorCal, Oregon, Washington
I need ideas and suggestions for a 3 week trip I'm planning for my family, two adults and two kids, up the West coast this summer starting from the Sacramento area. We'll be in a 30' travel trailer. ...
Forum Discussion
Excellent info. Thank you!
RedRocket204 wrote:myredracer wrote:
Sounds like you know the Or & Wa. well. With so much unprotected coastline, are there any periods during the summer when it isn't so windy and maybe the winds even die right down or is it windy most of the time? Maybe the winds pick up in the morning and die down in the evening some days? I can't remember any time I've been there over the years when there hasn't been strong winds off the water. I think it's a good idea to have some warm clothing with you for a walk on the beaches because it can be a bit chilly.
Is there a prevailing direction for the winds? We towed a smaller TT northward once and had a heck of a time from strong gusting winds from the northwest which made it a real white knuckle trip.
I know you were asking the other poster but thought I would jump in here. I just moved away from the north OR coast a few years ago but had spent the previous 9 years there.
Yes, there are times in the summer where the winds are generally not blowing. However, it was more often than not the winds would blow. I also did a lot of surfing there so taking advantage of non-existent wind was what we would look for.
Usually, the mornings are when there is little to no wind. In the summer after morning, the convection gets going much further inland as the land heats up. This causes the air over the hot land to rise so other air ultimately fills in that void. The air filling the void usually comes from the coastal areas...that is why the winds will pick up when there is no approaching storm.
Problem with those wind currents is the ocean water along the PNW is usually cold, so when the winds start, it can feel like someone turned on the air conditioning. In the summer, those winds are northerly, coming off the cold water. IT can make for a great place to kite-board as the winds blow from north to south which is mostly parallel to the coastline there from Warrenton to Seaside.
Ask my wife, as that is really the primary reason we moved away. Toughing out the long rainy fall/winter/spring and hoping for a mild to warm summer was not very frequent when we lived 2 blocks from the ocean.
Don't get me wrong though. There are extremely nice days there as I have seen many of those days. Just not enough of those days. :)
