OR, WA, ID residents.

[YAHBO]

The YAHBO thinking of selling out here in VT and hitting the road. Gonna do a big scouting tour in June on the old GS. Thinking of moving the whole operation big time.Wanna be in a place where I can take the lady out to a fine dinner, see a movie, do some shopping but live in the woods with the curvy snaky roads right outside my door. I am not a snowbird and I have realized in my two years in VT that I cannot put the bike away for six months. No real ties to the east coast other than the standard friends and family thing. I'll make new friends...and my family bores me.

Tell me about coastal OR and WA...ID an option? I have been to ID working for Edelweiss, but not the pacific NW.

EDUCATE YAHBO!

YAHBO NEED TO RIDE!!

YAHBO NO LIKE -10 DEGREES!!!

[djmcmath]

If -10 is a problem, then there isn't anywhere in Idaho you'd be happy. My parents live in the north end of the Rockies, and while they can see June happening down in the valley, February usually lasts until July.

But then, that's at least partially true until you get west of the Cascades. Typically, winters on the Puget Sound have very little snow, and you have to use Celcius to get to -10. The summers are the most amazing thing in the world: highs in the 70's, lows in the 60's, sunny and warm, from June until September. Or July until August, if the Rainy Season runs long. That's the only trick on the Sound, see -- there's no real winter, just a single, long, drizzling rainstorm from August or September until June or July.

Oregon? I can't comment nearly as much from personal experience, but I seem to recall some pretty rainy summers camping on the Oregon coast, though the green is fantastic.

Good luck to you -- I'm sure there's more who can comment with more detail than I.

Dan

[Noah930]

I lived in Portland for a year. Oregon, in general, is a bit rural/quiet outside of the Portland area. Then again, most of Vermont is fairly rural, too.

Climate is good, if you're coming from Vermont. It's lousy if you're coming from Southern California. Summers are beautiful. About 70-90 degrees with little chance of rain from about June until September. Winters can be a bit rainy. Maybe not as consistently heavy rain like in a NorEaster, but it may drizzle or lightly rain for a few hours at a time...for a few weeks at a time. But the temperature rarely gets below freezing. Maybe for one week of the year.

So everything's pretty green on the Western half of the state (cross over the Cascades and the Eastern half is pretty dry). People are outdoors oriented. The views of the coast, mountains, forests, and the Columbia River Gorge are phenomenal. Tons of hiking/camping/biking/skiing/windsurfing/fishing/hunting for outdoorsmen. Great roads for car/motorcycle guys. Portland International Raceway is pretty user-friendly (how many other cities own a racetrack?). And there are great Porsche shops/people in town. Friendlier people than New Englanders, for sure.

[artplumber]

If winter is your question:

West of cascades = rain. A lot. And when it's not, it's gray. This will still make it difficult to take out your toy in the winter (wet + leaves = accidents) and you have to get an indoor facility to wash & dry the car.

East of cascades = colder. Snow.

If it you want to live in a city, it pretty much is west of the cascades.

Lot of people from the NE live there.

[Drago]

Move along...nothing to see here. Move along...

[Superman]

I'm torn. I see Drago's strategy on the one hand, and I see beauty on the other. I like the "grey." Foggy mornings and cooler temps (in the 40's, for example) are pleasant for me. These mornings are made for STRONG coffee and the evenings are made for beer and stew. I love this place. Hard to imagine greater beauty.

I would disagree with one thing stated at least twice above. June is not the slightest bit reliable. Even July is not. Like San Francisco, Seattle's summer is shifted back. August is the first reliable month, and September is reliable. October is more likely to be dry than June, certainly.

And yes, Western Washington's weather is the epitome of "mild." Our temperature swings here, for the most part, are between 40 and 80 degrees with just a few days' exception. Reasonably hearty people here could (and do) wear shorts all year, and add a sweatshirt in the colder months. Or should I say, they remove the sweatshirt for a couple of summer months.

[Drago]

Sup nailed it 100%.

Way back before the responsible desk job I have now I was one of the shorts-year-round guys and I even worked outside more than 50% of the time.

Layering is the key. Hooded sweatshirts for cold. Goretex for rain.

Long pants when it snows.

[JTO]

Most responses have been from non-Northwesterners so how would they know what its like here? I grew up in the Puget Sound area, lived in Portland and think the climate in those areas sucks.
He wanted to know what it was like here from residents and we're not telling him anything good
Troy

[scottmandue]

Huh?

Originally posted by JTO
Most responses have been from non-Northwesterners so how would they know what its like here? I grew up in the Puget Sound area, lived in Portland and think the climate in those areas sucks.
He wanted to know what it was like here from residents and we're not telling him anything good
Troy

Originally posted by Noah930
I lived in Portland for a year. Oregon, in general, is a bit rural/quiet outside of the Portland area. Then again, most of Vermont is fairly rural, too.

Drago
Location: Pacific Northwest Region, USA

Superman
Location: Auburn, WA. USA

[Drago]

I lied. I really live in Belfast.

[JTO]

The first few that commented weren't from the PNW.
Troy

[Paul K]

It's expensive (relatively speaking) but the city of Bend in central Oregon has a lot of the stuff you've mentioned- great Pcar community, lots of nice bars/restaurants, and some great driving roads-but it can snow a lot in winter. I live on the eastern side of the Cascades- it is very dry here, and you can still buy a really nice house for $250k, unlike many other places in the country. I've lived here for 12 years and have yet to see what I'd call a hard winter...I think your plan of coming over and checking places out is a good one. If you really want to be on the coast, be prepared to be damp/wet!

Cheers,

Paul.

[artplumber]

Originally posted by JTO
The first few that commented weren't from the PNW.
Troy

I, for one, lived there until 2005. It's why my sig states "roving the sunbelt"

[HardDrive]

It rains for about 5 months solid during the winter. Typically about 40 degrees. My boss (and his boss) both ride in to work everyday on Goldwings unless there is ice, which is damn rare.

I love the weather here. It feels mild to me, but hell, I'm from Michigan. Like supe said, a cup of strong coffee and a North Face fleece jacket will get you through the winter here just fine.

[Scooter]

I live in Jamaica, but I feel that I can give some input on the Northwest.

Expect rain, or the threat of rain, at least nine months out of the year. If you don't mind mountain biking in the rain/mud, then you will be fine. Annual rainfall in the greater Seattle area is not as great as you might think, it is actually less than a lot of other areas, but the threat seems to always be there, for at least those 9 months. Cost of living in the greater Seattle area is high. From the information you provided, you may be happy in an area near Snoqualamie...close enough to Seattle (20 minutes without traffic), while living in the woods. Nice, twisty roads up there. As stated above, most of July, August, September and early October are petty predicatable and nice. I hope nobody takes offense, but I have heard people refer to this time as our "Indian Summer".

If you go to the cascade side of Washington, Sequim has a pretty constant weather pattern, similiar to parts of California.

Idaho, and Eastern Washington will provide you with white winters.

In and around Portland in nice. Not sure about the twisty roads. I believe Portand acutally receives less annual rainfall than Seattle. I think Doug&Julie can give some great insight on that area.

[Scooter]

Oh, I forgot to mention that the PNW board here on Pelican is very active, so you might get some good information if you post the same question there.

[Jeff Higgins]

These guys are so full of crap. I am a native Northwesterner; I have lived here for 46 years. All this talk about "rain" is merely their way of keeping outsiders away from our beautiful little corner of the world. Hell, I can't remember the last time it rained here. As a matter of fact, here is the view out my window as we speak:

[JTO]

Guys; play along! We don't want MORE people to move here! Sheesh!
Troy

[Drago]

Did I mention the big nasty lumps that like to belch their filth whenever possible?



Then there is Mt. St. Helens...

[Superman]

I know, I know......this places is PACKED with liberals!

That should do it.