Triumphrat

ken226 · 03-04-2008, 09:55 PM

Anyone here from northwest Washington state. I have an oppertunity through my employer to transfer to Blaine but I don't know much about that part of the country. I'm from Arizona where you can pretty much ride all year. How is northwest Washington?

stanegoli · 03-04-2008, 11:54 PM

I can't answer to local Blaine conditions, but it is in the Pacific Northwest...so think Seattle, Portland-type weather.
Totally unlike Arizona

Very wet and not too much fun to ride in winter, but awesome in summer and fall. The PN is a very beautiful area with some great riding.

If this is for a few years it would be a great change. If it is permanent think long and hard about your priorities.

Pablo · 03-05-2008, 12:50 AM

If you are hard core enough you can ride all but maybe a couple months out of the year. The International Motorcycle Show is always the first of December and I have ridden to it a couple of times. This year it was really just partly cloudy and around 40 in the morning and I seriously considered riding to it but mid afternoon it started to snow.
We usually try to do a Resolution Ride on New Years Day. We have had instances where we were riding in the snow and times like this year where it was about 40 and dry and we had a great time.
The past few weeks have been pretty good with days in the mid 50s and down to mid 30s at night. The thing that you have to remember is that you can go from sea level to a few thousand feet in a couple hours ride.
The cool thing about living in Blaine though would be that you would have the choice of all the roads in Washington plus being able to pop over the border to BC and check out all the roads up there. Check out www.destinationhighways.com They publish the definitive motorcycle guide book for both BC and Washington.

mistermellow001 · 03-05-2008, 01:04 AM

Blain is right on the border with British Columbia, Canada. I second what everyone else has said. I don't like the rain, but I do manage to keep my Bonneville in riding condition all winter, because there are those rare cold moments where you can get out. Snow very seldom sticks for long close to the Puget Sound. Lots of nice urban life and amenities in Vancouver, B.C., less than a half-hour away if the border is light.

idahotb · 03-05-2008, 01:46 AM

Western Washington (west of the Cascade Range) is moderated by the Maritime effect where warm moist air off of the ocean gets trapped by the mountains. This results in mild (35-45 degree winter) with lots of rain (November-June) but little snow. When the sun does shine it is absolutely gorgeous. There are great roads around there, but they tend to be a bit crowded and well patrolled. Eastern Washington and especially British Columbia offer some of the best open roads I have ridden; but are definitely seasonal (like May-October). I haven't really ridden in the Southwest though (at least not south of Utah), so I can't make a comparison.

mistermellow001 · 03-05-2008, 12:29 PM

Ken, one thing to consider (and you won't know until you try) is how tolerant you are of rain. As Idaho said, it's moderate, but arriving here in the middle of a cold, rainy, windy day can make you feel like you've made a terrible mistake. I'm just saying this because that's what happened to me when i moved from the San Diego area to Seattle. That was in '78 and I've been here ever since, so obviously the weather shock didn't last long. Just be prepared for a season or two of adjustment.

MVP44 · 03-05-2008, 12:42 PM

Don't do it - Don't do it

I would love to be back in the SW - wish my kids weren't so rooted here in all they do or I would be NM bound

With that said - I moved to MD for a Job opportunity so I understand the dilemma

Spent two weeks in Puget Sound back in my Navy days - I liked it, but it was mid summer and really didn't rain that much so I may have gotten a false picture

Dirtybill · 03-05-2008, 02:01 PM

I've lived in the Vancouver BC area since 74 and what has allready been said is true. The rain can get to you. One thing that's helped me is owning either a dual sport or dirt bike in addition to a street bike. Makes the riding season a little longer and you can start a little earlier. Helps if you have a pickup or a trailer if the weather is crap here. We've often done the 4 hour drive to the Okanagan area where it will be sunny and warm while it's raining on the coast and then unload the dualsports and go riding there.

Garyhjd · 03-06-2008, 03:26 AM

Come visit Blaine NOW. See what it's like in the winter before you decide to move. The summers are great, its the rain that you have to see if you can live with. I was born here, raised here, college here, then lived in LA for several years and moved back, and I hate the rain. But you learn to live with it, because they make waterproof riding gear.

Oh, check out cost of living verses your salary and see if it will work for you. I spend time up in Bellingham alot and am always suprised what crap costs up there.

Gary