William’s Travels: Riding transit from Coos Bay, Oregon to San Jose, California!
William’s Travels: Riding transit from Coos Bay, Oregon to San Jose, California!
William’s next leg takes us to from Coos Bay, Oregon to San Jose, California! As you might recall, he’s riding transit from Vancouver all the way to Tijuana, Mexico. Follow along each morning at 11 a.m. over the next few days as we document William’s travels on The Buzzer.
Journey so far:
- 🚌 Kilometres travelled: 1,970 km
- ⌚ Hours travelled: 116.2 hours
- 💲 Total fares: $139.40 USD
Places visited
Brookings:
I woke up to clouds in Coos Bay and I learned that not all bus stops were marked – it was a bit challenging (and stressful) to figure out where to wait for the bus! I eventually hopped on the bus to Brookings and passed expanses of forest and stretches of clear-cut forest.
The clouds parted as I travelled south. There were some really amazing views of the coast appeared as I continued travelling south on Highway 101. The weather began to cooperate, making for some very nice photos, even from the window.
The segments from Coos Bay to San Jose were few but long. I only had three segments from Coos Bay to Eureka — the fewest segments for this entire journey in a single day (except the final day). Both the first and last segments were well over three hours long, making it a necessity for rest stops. I also got to speak to fellow passengers and in one case, the bus operator. I encountered people from all walks of life, some with more difficult circumstances than others. It gave me some perspective on my journey.
I arrived in Brookings and had a 3+ hour layover. This gave me a chance to explore the surroundings and I found some beautiful spots by the coast. At this point in my journey, California seemed to be only a stone’s throw away.
I also had a tight connection that almost wasn’t! After crossing the state border, I had to connect at a casino/gas station on the outskirts of Smith River. Per the schedule, it was a very tight connection, arriving and departing exactly at 2:15 p.m. However, I found on this trip that the intercity routes arrive a few minutes before the scheduled time, so I had a good 10 minutes before the other bus departed. Phew!
Highway 101 wound down the California coast, ducking in at times amongst giant trees. It was breathtaking! I was told by another passenger that this is second growth, so the trees that were there before were even taller and bigger. I would recommend anyone to go visit the California coast, either on a bus, in a car, or maybe even a bike! At the end of the day, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I found myself in Eureka, a quiet city with large, beautiful murals every block.
The missing link: The trip from Eureka to Ukiah completed a link in Northern California that allowed me to travel to Mexico on public transit. This route was only introduced in January 2024. Before then, it was only Greyhound (which I learned stopped its service recently), and on public transit, I could go only as far as Gridley, creating a 12-kilometre gap between there and Live Oak. This link is currently charging promotional rates: only $2 USD for a 250-kilometre journey!
Redwoods give way to vineyards: About halfway through the day, I encountered field after field of vineyards among gentle rolling hills. I had entered Sonoma County — in other words, wine country!
From the redwood forest to the urban jungle: I knew I was close to San Francisco when I could see Coit Tower from afar. Soon, the massive towers of the Golden Gate Bridge emerged. I had made it to San Francisco. Familiar were the sights of the Transamerica Pyramid and the newly built Salesforce Tower. Along with the sights, came Friday afternoon traffic.
What the T?: I had a one-hour layoff in San Francisco, but it was enough time for me to go check out the new T extension (Central Subway Extension) to Chinatown. Here is a picture of a brand new shiny LRV at Chinatown Rose Pak Station:
First time on Caltrain: I took the express Caltrain from San Francisco to San Jose Diridon. I took a train with an older set of carriages. Very similar to West Coast Express – but no power outlets.
Reflections
The most expensive transit fare of the journey was on this leg, on Curry Public Transit, from Coos Bay to Brookings. It cost me $20 USD to travel 175 kilometres. Compare this to the previously most expensive segment between Portland and Tillamook, which cost $15 USD to travel 120 km. Also, as a data point, the segment between Smith River and Eureka cost me $12 USD, travelling a distance of 160 km. It made me wonder how fares are set. I also saw a note on the bus from Smith River to Eureka stating that they are considering raising fares. The cost of transit was front of mind today because of the large distances travelled on a single bus route.
I also had a chat with the operator from Coos Bay to Brookings, who told me she was struggling to make ends meet because she was only getting a $0.10 USD/hour wage increase this year. It was more poignant when you consider that I was the only person on the bus when we had this conversation. Some of these buses don’t run frequently. If you miss the bus or if the bus is full, you’re out of luck. Fortunately, that didn’t happen to me, but the operator from Coos Bay to Brookings told me she has had to refuse rides before because the bus was full.
Having a chance to meet some people on the longer rides, it was sobering to hear some of the stories, be it people going to work, people fleeing dangerous domestic situations, people visiting relatives (sometimes in prison), maintaining long-distance relationships, or some people just travelling across the country, finding adventure or a better life. One other person I met was making his way across the US, but not all on public transit. Some of the passengers seemed to be down on their luck. Some of these people were saying they had to make the difficult decision between finding a place to stay or buying enough food. Wishing these individuals all the best, wherever their journey’s take them.
As I have now entered California, I think the most “challenging” part of my journey is behind me. Travelling through rural Oregon involved buses that sometimes only ran once or twice a day with very tight connections (like the ones in Lincoln City and Smith River). There are a few more services like that in California, but there are more options for contingency plans, and I’m less worried about being stranded. Hope all continues to go well. I checked the forecast, and it appears to be sunny the rest of the way down to Mexico!
The journey from Eureka to Ukiah ran close to four hours, but it only cost me $2 USD. The next segment from Ukiah to Santa Rosa was only 1.5 hours long, but it cost me $18 USD. My last segment from San Francisco to San Jose (on commuter rail, to be fair) cost me $9.95 USD on the Clipper Card for about a 1.5-hour journey. Pricing for public transit is interesting! I was able to cover over 500km from Eureka to San Jose, mostly because the routes stayed on the freeway, especially in northern California. This is supposed to be the day I covered the most distance throughout the entire trip. In terms of cost, this is supposed to be the second costliest day in terms of transit fares. The day I travel from Santa Maria to San Diego is expected to be the costliest, partly because I’m traveling on two commuter rail services that day. Maybe it’s the weather being so warm (30°C in Santa Rosa) or because of the distances involved, but I feel like I should be in Los Angeles by now, but I’ve only made it to San Jose. Anyway, I expect to be in LA in three days.
After a few days on shuttle services, I’ve come back to conventional buses, and even had a ride on an LRV and a bilevel commuter rail car. None of the services I took were particularly full, even on the service heading into San Francisco on Golden Gate Transit. Perhaps because I was going against traffic at the time. I’m very grateful for the Humboldt Transit Authority operating the Redwood Coast Express from Eureka to Ukiah. It’s an exceptionally long route, with very little in between. This once “missing link” has made my journey from Canada to Mexico possible on public transit. I hope they can make this service sustainable.
Speaking of large service areas, it has been fascinating to see the large geographic areas of some of the transit agencies in the past two days. Curry Public Transit from North Bend to Smith River covers 200 kilometres, Redwood Coast Transit from Smith River to Eureka covers 160 kilometres, and Humboldt Transit Authority from Eureka to Ukiah covers 260 kilometres. Comparatively, Brunswick Beach to Aldergrove (two extremities of the TransLink network) is about 90 kilometres. Many thanks to all these and other transit providers for making this trip possible.
