Riding Around the Hood

[TourPros]

Enough already Jeff. When is this ride happening again? You know those pictures are the places I love the most. You should have pushed me harder when we were in the shop you know I need motivating

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by Ladybug0048

That looks fun, even with the ruts. Keep it coming I think this thread is going to give me some ideas

Originally Posted by PNW Buttercup

you and me both LB... I was thinking this would be a nice little trip...

Ideas indeed. Everybody needs THIS ride.
Don't forget, though...ONLY WHEN IT'S DRY !

Originally Posted by oremike

Me to my friend I'm 22 years clean, riding motorcycles and adventuring like this is what keeps me wanting to stay that way.

Oh, I still embibe from time to time, but journeys like this are sweeter than sin

Originally Posted by Crossthread

YES! Places I've never been. Places I wanna see!
Backroad junkie here...need more input. Hiya AJ!

As I've said above, you really DO want to see these back roads.
Best ride in a long time.

HiYa CT
Thanks for watching !

Originally Posted by bensgone

Nice ride report and pics! I am in on the next one (work permitting)

Thanks, for the compliments; this is fun to share.
Where you at bensgone, somewhere close?
The next one is next week sometime, whenever the weather says it's best,

Thursday or Friday, maybe....

[TourPros]

Gonna by an airhawk seat pad right now !!

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by TourPros

Enough already Jeff. When is this ride happening again? You know those pictures are the places I love the most. You should have pushed me harder when we were in the shop you know I need motivating

I made a special stop by your house the night before, just to hassle you.
Yes, the pavement run to/from Madras to get there was a bit harsh, but it was soooo worth the rewards.

See post above, Thursday or Friday, maybe?
I've still never been to Bickleton!
I'm just betting you know some back roads to get there.....

[Apple Jam]

Past the Cherry Creek Ranch, I found gravel on the road, as I came to the John Day River



Sweet.
I mean really.
I paused there ^^^^ for a while and ate my sandwich.
And paused some more.

What a DAY !!
Sorry for rubbing it in, TP, but I'm still enjoying the journey.

I saw my first Humans just past here, a Rancher in his pickup with his dog in the back.


Twickenham !!



Not much here but a big bridge across the John Day, but I left the dirt roads behind, for a gravel road so smooth, that I had to brake test it to see that it wasn't pavement.



Frozen waterfalls were everywhere



This road led to Hwy 207 to Mitchell. A big, fast, empty two lane hwy.
MortimerSickle, Squishy, and I rode this Hwy just a week ago.
I like it.

It's about 3:45 now, and I'm ready for a real meal.
What does Mitchell have to offer? We passed right by it last week.

The "Little Pine Cafe" just opened this last weekend, and just got their liquer license last fall.



So a a glass of Cabernet and MONSTER BBQ Pork sandwich, it is, then.
Ahh.

Hwy 26 to home then. Sheeese. Packed snow on Hwy35 at NIGHT is another story.
I'm sure glad there's no traffic, here.
Home by 7:30pm.
32 degrees.
Brrrrrrrrr.

Hot Tub !!


See y'all next week?

.

[oremike]

Yep what a cool area, looks like Trout Cr.Rd cuts down to the Ochoco Area and the road to Twickenham is the same as the one from the Painted Hills. Best get over there soon, when Yahoo finishes it's new facility in Prineville The area well be inundated with people. Prineville is in a water crisis, they can't pull anymore water out of the ground or the Crooked river so all the people comming in to work at Yahoo have to commute from Powell Butte, Alfalfa, Bend, Redmond and Madras. That's whey all the new development is happening out that way.

[oremike]

If you'd have turned north instead of south at Twickenham you'd have seen this sign:

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by oremike

Yep what a cool area, looks like Trout Cr.Rd cuts down to the Ochoco Area and the road to Twickenham is the same as the one from the Painted Hills. Best get over there soon, when Yahoo finishes it's new facility in Prineville The area well be inundated with people. Prineville is in a water crisis, they can't pull anymore water out of the ground or the Crooked river so all the people comming in to work at Yahoo have to commute from Powell Butte, Alfalfa, Bend, Redmond and Madras. That's whey all the new development is happening out that way.

Maybe, but they'll be geeks on scooters, at worst,
not studly adventurers on Dual Sports.
This road will still be empty.

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by oremike

If you'd have turned north instead of south at Twickenham you'd have seen this sign:

A good excuse for the NEXT TRIP!

[oremike]

Originally Posted by Apple Jam

Maybe, but they'll be geeks on scooters, at worst,
not studly adventurers on Dual Sports.
This road will still be empty.

I fear worse , they'll be flatlanders in brand new Toyota FJs' fuckin' stuff up for everyone.

[Ladybug0048]

"The sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky if falling." ~ Chicken Little

[oremike]

I prefer "just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't trying to to kill me"
quote from an unknown motorcyclist

[outfront]

Cool Pics!
BTW; is that a Mefo tire on your Bike? If yes, where did you get it?

Originally Posted by Apple Jam

Get gas in Madras, bring extra food, and be prepared to spend the night if something happens.
You're not going to see anyone for the next 70 miles of dirt road

Find "B" street at the North end of Madras, head East, and just keep going.
It starts out on this freshly graded (I saw the grader that day) gravel road.
If you look back towards Madras, you see this:


The gravel ends pretty quickly, and the road becomes dirt. Good Dirt. No dust dirt, this time of year.
Keep going past the cattle ponds, and you see just a bit of painted hills



after about 10 miles of decent dirt road, you get to rutville.
You DO NOT want to ride this road in the mud, when it's been wet.

Fortunately, the rancher trucks that drive here in Winter are not shod with aggressive treads, and the ruts they leave are smooth bottomed, and fairly easy to follow when it dries up.
I went pretty slow for a long ways here, this big bike likes to fall over rather than climbing over the ruts


You'll follow this nasty rutted road for 5ish miles or so down the hill into Ashwood.
This sign shows mileage for the shortcuts back to civilization.
I went the long way, and stayed away from it all.
Ashwood today is a small community of 6 or so families, and this old church





Next up is Donnybrook......

[Maxacceleration]

Got it AJ! Somehow I missed this thread.

I have my OBDR maps coming. A friend & I will be doing part of that.
That would be a good mix, in with some of your routes posted here.
Sheesh I need to boot my kids & little woman responsibilities...

I probably won't make it down with my bike until a bit warmer weather comes.

But still...

[Apple Jam]

Originally Posted by outfront

Cool Pics!
BTW; is that a Mefo tire on your Bike? If yes, where did you get it?

Yep. Mefo Super Explorer. I LOVE IT for the back. Front Mefo, not so much. A proper knobby is needed up front for what I ride.

Bought from Trail Tricks in CA.

Small knowledgeable shop Motocross Setup Shop that also sells tires,
and he's a proper ADV guy that posts regularly in California Regionals & Vendors.
And he rides a 990/950

His website is limited for purchases, It's a small busy shop.
So visit the website, then call the phone number to order.
He has always had them in stock for two sets now, $158 or something for my size back tire and ships super fast & cheap.
Cheaper than the big online places.

Closed Sundays and Mondays, but he returned my call quickly Tuesday morning last time.
Expect broken english, but don't let it confuse you, he seems to know his shit.

Tell him you were refered from ADVrider.