Weather conditions late September, driving South?

decooney · #1 (**permalink**) 04-25-2009, 08:09 AM

Gotta question for you NWCC guys...

What is the typical weather behavior in late September if you were driving south from Washington/Oregon into California (good, bad, terrible)?

Note: There are a few new folks up there asking about Cobras On Highway1 (CH1) this year, thinking about coming...and possibly trying to meet and drive down up with others but not for sure if they want to drive it in a Caravan or to buy/bring box trailers. I know in the past during WSCB mid-May there were some rain issues to deal with for some of those folks coming down, so I'm wondering if late September is any better or worse. Thanks in advance for your replies.

dblbarrel · #2 (**permalink**) 04-25-2009, 09:26 AM

Dwayne, Sept is usually one of our better months for dry weather.
I know all about rain issues and WSCB.

decooney · #3 (**permalink**) 04-25-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dblbarrel

Dwayne, Sept is usually one of our better months for dry weather.
I know all about rain issues and WSCB.

DB,

I remember that photo! Each year many of us were in awe of you guys making the trek rain or shine, and truly appreciated it. I will never forget the first year of WSCB when Brent showed up in a polished Kirkham on that first Thursday evening with mud smears, wet, sunburned face, and ears half blown out. True Road Warriors.

Hey, I don't know some of these new folks sending me messages from up there, and they are not familiar with your regional clubs yet, etc. So if you hear of a small group on your end discussing coming to CH1 maybe later on you guys could reach out to them and pull them in to a planned caravan or something... some of them are from GT40s.com and a few others hearing about CH1 from the outside of CC through vendors. If you know anyone in your crew coming, please let me know or post a thread on NWCC, so I can direct them there to help people get hooked up together for caravanning. NWCC to CH1 2009?

Thanks,
DC

Michael C Henry · #4 (**permalink**) 04-25-2009, 05:29 PM

The days may be OK but it'll be getting cooler at night. mornings will take lomnger to warm up and temps will get uncomfortable afte dark. I remember being in Shasta in sept of 2000 and watching a family of motorcyclest at the local eatery. All bundled up and stiff. Some wouldn't take their face protection down for almost half an hour after being indide. Oh don't forget the fog.

HighPlainsDrifter · #5 (**permalink**) 04-25-2009, 05:58 PM

Hi Duane,
Glad to see you are still gathering snakes!
Bev and I travel every year at the end of september,either down the coast or through the siskiou's on our way to Arizona. It's a great time to travel from the NW.
However mornings can be cold and damp with dew on the roads and car if left out overnight.It can freeze in the higher elevations and need to dress for it- and add antifreeze to the cooling system if you don't normally run it in a cobra.Good THERMAL gloves are a must!
Watch out for stuff on road and deer at dusk and dawn, Steve and Penny missed one by inches going to WSCB.
Then the heat can hit you south of Redding, 104* last year.
Wish I could make it,maybe in a couple years.I'm about 2/3 way through my Daytona build.
Regards,
Perry.

jwd · #6 (**permalink**) 04-25-2009, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dblbarrel

Dwayne, Sept is usually one of our better months for dry weather.
I know all about rain issues and WSCB.

Statically, Sept. is not a great month.The record rainfall totals vary from .05" to 5.95". I've lived here all my life (54 years). Sept. can be beautiful or it can be terrible. It's the luck of the draw. I've seen them very warm throughout the month and I've seen it start to rain on Labor Day and not stop for months. However, typically, Sept. starts out fairly nice and by the 2nd or 3rd week, temps, drop and the rain starts. The only way I would consider the CH1 would be with a trailer. As far as weather goes, it can be foggy, rainy and cool in Monterey that time of year as well.

Jim

Bartruff1 · #7 (**permalink**) 04-26-2009, 07:51 AM

by the route....I would say 1-5 most often would have the best weather but boring as hell....97 would be colder in the mornings but also pretty boring..the coast 101 is spectacular if the weather is good but it can change quickly and the traffic can be annoying...in the early fall I would take 395, neat little towns, little or no traffic, wide variety of mountain and farm scenes and GREAT 2ND AND 3RD GEAR WINDING UP AND DOWN ROADS !!! If it is the Journey and not the destination....that is a superb motorcycle sports car route, the roads around John Day will make you laugh out loud...The people there seldom (if ever) see a Cobra so you will get a lot of questions at gas/meal stops ....go for it but check with ODOT to make sure they are not sanding or spraying for frost in the canyons and passes.. ...

Andrew Teal · #8 (**permalink**) 04-28-2009, 10:49 PM

Duane,
I always go down 395 from Lakeview Oregon, the rds is great, wide open with very little traffic, slow down if you see on coming traffic as all the radar there is from moving policed units as the space is so wide open, you can cut over from just south of Portland on I5 to sisters Oregon to Lakeview 395. The weather is always better this way and the distance is about the same as I5 to Reno. The second year of the bash I drove this way home and saw no rain, as Fred, Brent and the others had lots of rain up I5. If you dont drive up 101 this is great second choice.
Like Jim says the weather can be anything, last year we had a great fall, By the way what is HC1?

Andy

DonC · #9 (**permalink**) 05-12-2009, 08:48 AM

Duane:
Sorry I'm so late chiming in but I've been out of touch for a bit.
September can be a little bit iffy. Usually the first half of the month is pretty good but the last half can be wet.
Two of the past 5 years the last half of the month has been quite wet while the first half was fine. The rest of the time the last half has been in and out.
Returning from longer trips I've managed to get in just before it rained for a week (well, one of them I got caught for the last 80 miles). Once you get south of the Ashland and the mountains and cross into CA it's usually pretty good.
I do Snakes to the Lake in late September with the Bay Area club and I've hit rain in Oregon one of the 3 times I've gone. Last year I drove the Cobra down and back on I5. Cold in the morning but T shirt weather in the afternoon. As I said, a bit of a crap shoot. Bring a trash can liner to use as a poncho just in case.
DonC

decooney · #10 (**permalink**) 05-12-2009, 11:44 AM

Thanks for the replies everyone.

As more details unfold and word gets out about actual day plans for WSCG/CH1 (Cobras On Highway1) in September, I'm wondering if we'll get any last minute NWCC area requests to attend and just how many more might come from up north. It seems only folks with trailers and true road warriors with trash bags ready might inquire. If we get another room block extension, we may only have 10 spots left on the next hotel block release, and i was kind a hoping to see a few more from up North attend.

Don C,
since we've worked together in the past on these kinda things and communications back and forth, maybe you can keep me posted if you hear of any last minute thinkers up there so I can keep an eye out for them.

Thanks.