Oregon BDR

29.June.2024

I left the campground a bit in a hurry as the mosquitos were really bad. Hopped on the highway towards Denio.

My plan was to refuel in Adel, not knowing that this is not a town. As I rolled in the Gas Station / General Store / Restaurant looked closed. But there was an American flag at the entrance so walked in. The place was just recently bought and the new owner is very friendly and helpful. Even the fuel pumps have been repaired (currently the do not look like that).

I got fuel and a fresh coffee together with breakfast was offered, which I gladly accepted. During my break I had a lovely chat with an elderly guest and the owner. Got a lot of stories and can only recommend to stop there if you are in the area. The place is going to be updated bit by bit and hopefully becomes another known watering hole.

The following ride on the highway was boring but I made it to Denio Junction, the starting point of the Oregon BDR. I skipped fueling here in favor of Fields with is almost on the route. As usual Fields was busy, but I fueled up and bought some refreshments in case I had to camp before reaching the next town.

The start of the off-road part was a mix of washed-out road, rocky and sandy sections. Afterwards was a fast stretch which had been spiced up with silt sections. Some of them were very deep and you could see the aftermath of incidents.

The views were great but by time it looks all very similar. A lot of sage bushes flats and occasionally a climb of a ridge and the descent on the other side into another flat. As I made my way towards Plush, a rider on a 701 came from the other side. It was the father of a father and son duo riding the BDR, but the son had a flat earlier and they were out of glue and tubes. I missed him as I made a little shortcut, but I could help with a spare rear tube.

Clouds came in and I decided to stop at the next campground for the day just before Plush. Overall, the day was exhausting and some stretches are very rough. No surprise that a flat happened there. Temps were still nice and rain didn’t really come. I had a nice relaxing evening with some good conversation with the camping neighbor.

30.June.2024

The sun woke me up as the campground had no trees for shade. But for once it got warm early due to that. I had a slow start and after coffee and a lot chatting with another BDR rider from Canada, I backed my stuff and rode out of camp not too late.

First business was to fill up gas a t the Plush Hart Mtn Store. A very interesting place with dollar bills sticked to the ceiling. Friendly people, and as I heard from others, also a good place for a burger.

The Canadian rider (Floyd) and myself decided to ride loosely together so we have no problem with the dust.

The first miles were fast dirt. But that’s about to change 45 miles into the ride. From there on it was a rock garden with the occasional sand pit in between.

It remained like that almost all the way to Christmas Valley, where we refueled and restocked supplies before heading out to the next section. From now on there was the sand more present and only some rocky spots. Take your pick.

The side trip to Pine Mountain allowed a nice view from the top.

We wanted to camp the East Lake on the Paulina Bonus track. The trail to get there was sometimes a ATV trail with the typical hoops and sandy spots. Not my favorite.

As we arrived at the campground the sun was almost gone. We pitched the tents and settled in for the night.

01.July.2024

The night was cold and we felt lucky that the sun reached our tents early. After a quick breakfast we rode to Paulina Peak which allows a great view of the lakes and several mountains, Like Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, etc. in the distance.

The road had a big variation in the condition. From super nice fast gravel to sandy single lane with whoops.

Sometimes the track runs through Lava fields.

At a quick stop at the Newberry National Volcanic Monument Visitor Center gave us an idea about the geological circumstances which formed this landscape.

On the way to the Three Creek Lake we hit our first snow spot.

The lake is very nicely located but cold. There is even a little shop where you can rent boats and buy small items.

The descent to Sisters was easy and temperature wise a welcomed change. We stayed at the Municipal Campground which has nice showers and is conveniently located to walk into town.

The town is picturesque and decorated. Just one warning for those who like to ride long hours, all restaurants and bars are closing at 8pm.

02.July.2024

As I gave out my rear tube, I needed to get a new one. Here intown is a good motorcycle shop, but it opens not before 10am. Due to that we had a slow start into the day. A breakfast at the Sisters Coffee Factory was a good beginning for the day.

Right out of town are starting the trails which are heavily frequented by ATV’s. Luckily, we were alone when we reached the Sunlight Cave. We got there around lunchtime. The sun was just right that nice beams were created in this Lava Tube Cave. A great visit!

More ATV trails brought us via the first part of the expert section to the View Point. The climb is not easy but worth the effort. Fantastic 360-degree views.

The rest of the expert loop I didn’t doo as the notes said that there will be whoops in the late summer. I had already many of those just on the short climb to the summit. But also the normal track had many of those and with all this traffic we have seen, the track got also more deep sand spots.

After a short break at the Big Lake Campground, which would be an excellent stop, we worked on our way to Detroit for fuel and supplies for the night.

Just outside of Detroit I met 2 Canadians on DR 650 who told me that all the remaining tracks are clear. Only the Ollalie Expert Section they had not done. Unfortunately, in town we met 2 other Canadians who told us a different story. Now whom shall we believe? What the heck, we just look for ourselves.

All this area had been hit by a huge wildfire and the road was not in a good state.

We stopped a the Ollalie Lake where are many campgrounds and found our spot right at the shore.

03.July.2024

You have not often the privilege to have breakfast with such a view.

The road on this side of the mountain was well maintained and we made good progress. After several great forest roads, I stopped at the Summit Lake for a break.

We had a great lunch in Goverments Camp before we tackled the last stretch to Hood River. On this section we have been told that there is a place impassable due to snow. It started nicely with good view of Mt. Hood.

The southern loop was a bit boring and as the Historic Barlow Road is closed, I would skip that part the next time. Soon we reached the point where the said snow blockage should be, but we didn’t find any significant obstacle.