"Ride Oregon First" Dual Sport M/C Tours: The Cascade Discovery Route

Me and my bike got to do some things on that "troad" we had never done before. Like getting over a few downed trees on the fully loaded Adventure that were way bigger then the clearance on the bike. I found myself in a place I'd never been and was excited and nervous at the same time. With the gentle slap on the back by others and a little motivational encouragement I got over those obstacles with little problem. I now know I can do that

You can ride and play it safe and never push the limits or you can ride with guys/galls that will push you just that little bit that turns you into a better rider.

Had a blast on that ride

I searched very hard to find the roads & troads that were very much like the best sections of the OBCDR (Oregon BackCountry Discovery Route),
and to skip it's sometimes longish pavement connectors and replace them with more dirty & fun roads.
I'm thinking that is the reason most of you are looking at this thread,...TO BE CHALLENGED !!

I also wanted ALL types/sizes of bikes to have FUN.
I was a bit apprehensive about sending SIXTEEN riders on KTM 950/990 Adventures (and one on a 690) through the original sections of some of these old roads.

I knew we would have riders of all different abilities, and all on loaded-for-camping fully laden bikes.
NOT ONE of these KTMs fell down in this section of the Old Grasshopper Road pictured above.
I rode Sweep, at the end to collect any mishaps, and there were NONE!!!
(excepting the one pannier knocked off by a downed tree )

I know there was at least a couple of those riders that admitted being new to Big Bike ADV-Type riding,....
....and they all MADE IT, and they all had FUN!!

Last August's premier paid tour of the Cascade Discovery Route included two smaller bikes,
a KTM 530EXC (killowatt, quoted above), and PigPen's plated XR650R.
I'm pretty damn sure they never felt cheated by this Route being officially "Big Bike Friendly",
and I know they were never bored....

The Cascade Discovery Route ends (when started in Hood River) at the beginning of the OBCDR's Route 3 and Route 4,
very near Sisters, Oregon, one of very few towns located WITHIN a National Forest.
Having ridden Route 4 two years ago, I opted to take Route 3 South with these two thumper riders,
down to Crescent Lake area, where we headed East on the OBCDR Route 2.
I had to stop short, and get back to my life, while these two had another week off.
They continued East on OBCDR Route 2 to connect it with OBCDR Route 5,
they then rode that North up to Walla Walla, WA, the end of the OBCDR.

The Cascade Discovery Route gave them an opportunity to get on dirt just an hour out of Portland, Oregon,
....and allowed them to stay on dirt for the rest of their vacation
No SuperSlab to get to the start of some far-away ride

And BTW, it is officially called "Four Cans and a Box....on a Tortilla"
...and most that I've fed it to would agree that it's some of the best multi-day camp food they've ever eaten.
Blows away freeze-dried on the trail, AND even beats a Burger Joint in the city!

I sure do.. Thanks for saving my bacon. I might have been in Bend before even realizing it was gone:eek1
I thought the route we took was just right for ADV Bikes, You could make it as hard or easy as you wanted to.
Myself,Radek and Ian had a great time flogging threw the wagon road at high speed, Then side by side sliding around corners at triple digits on the red gravel was something that I will remember for years to come.

Jeff, I want in please!

I played around up on those old wagon roads this past summer and loved it. I would love to join in on your tours! I'll check out your links for dates and such.

This is really cool, I can't wait!

Excellent, MrBracket !! Thanks for jumping on board

I feel that it's just a bit too early for me to set exact dates,
I don't wish to hinder potential attendees at this point.
.....I was looking forward to suggestions from you
I'm flexible and ready to ride & guide,...and cook

The 1857 Santiam Wagon Road is just one of many old troads (trail/road) on this tour
that border the edges of Oregon's great Wilderness areas,
and some very special troads that are actually still legal to ride INSIDE Wilderness areas
(in & back only, optional/alternate excursions, quiet pipes only, please).

For these roads, the maps say...."Four Wheel Drive Required"
Heh.
They don't know what we can do with ONE WHEEL DRIVE

When do you think the weather will allow the first tour this year??

WOW, I just might have to take this in...I haven't looked but will there be another KTM Ralley this year in Bend?

I've been shut out of two of the highest Wilderness edge passes in late July two years in a row, now.
I went back to both of them in mid-August,
and there was still snow in small piles on the sides here and there.
But, it forced me to find a just-East-of-the-Cascades route that bordered the East side of the Badger Creek Wilderness, and also Oregon's newest proposed Wilderness at Horse Heaven, just East of Madras.

I have ridden the Horse Heaven/Cherry Creek Ranch area heading down into the "Wild & Scenic" section of the John Day River in January and February on perfect riding conditions with no dust. I've also been snowed/mudded out of this same area in May, but rode it again in early June last year.

The moral of the story ^^^^.....
August through October for all sections of the true Cascade Discovery Route,
but I have great alternatives much earlier, that are a bit less forested.

The KTM Rally will be in Steamboat Springs, CO next year.
But, we can have our own Adventure Rally anytime you want
That 620 Adv of yours need some excersize?

Whoa....

It's been a MONTH !!!
Spring is almost here

Here's some pictures of where YOU want to be right now:

The Cascade Discovery Route is NOT road-bike friendly,
and it was not really designed to accommodate n00bs on a brand new GS with Tourances or similar,
...without some experience and stamina, and hopefully, some knobbies .
An "Adventure Spirit" is definitely required to have fun on much of this Route.


About 20% of the Cascade Discovery Route is what I consider to be.....decidedly not n00b friendly; rocky and nasty even. It was designed to be kick-ass fun for mentally and physically prepared riders on bikes of all types and sizes, including most well-prepared Big Trailies. These are very old and never improved two-track rocky & rutted troads that you would never take any normal, unmodified 4-wheel drive or Sport-Utility on. Blinker-breaking stuff for those that try to ride it without positive authority.
The toughest sections may certainly be bypassed with alternates by some or all of the group.
And I like my groups to be small enough to make this easy to do.

Another 30-60% is definitely challenging for all riders. The percentage of this type of riding depends on your definition of challenging. As much old dirt-only two-track as possible, but doable by just about anyone that has decent experience on any bike, just maybe at a slower pace for those new to dirt (which is just fine).

Less than 20% is plain old gravel, with less than 3% on pavement.



A bike rental place near Bend, Oregon specializes in Dual Sport Rentals, and offers a variety of Dual Sport bikes from small to large:
http://www.oregondualsportrentalandadventures.com/Tours.html

Email sent........I'm interested and have some time available!

Cheers

Dang we have a nice backyard, don't we?

Yup
That's why y'all must....."Ride Oregon First"

Some of you might need this Ride Report of our most recent Tour from last week of the "Cascade Discovery Route" to get you jacked up:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=918666

It's still being written as I post this, but it was EPIC !!

We still have 3rd week-October openings, and our weather is still AWESOME here.
The squiters are gone, the days are cooler,
....and the new tarp I had to buy after Olaf of Oregon's last report can protect us from any evening rain.

See you on the trail !!

So, what's the official policy on trading beer for these tours? I feel like that should have been outlined by now....