The Oregon BDR Experience
Episode 1: Leaving Home & Section 7

In this episode, I leave home with my friend, Dr K, starting north of Seattle, Wa. We had a blast riding our fully loaded Tenere 700 adventure bikes on paved roads into the mountains around Mt Rainier and then over to Mt St Helens. We intended to camp on Section 1 of the Washington BDR. However, due to a slide and fires we had to re-route to Trout Lake. It turned out to be better than what we could've hoped for. After departing Wa state, we began our trek south on the ORBDR, starting at Hood River. We rode through the Oregon wine country before leaving pavement for gravel. The byways here were rocky and offered a little bit of challenge to make it interesting. Unfortunately, we had to re-route to Hwy 35 due to road closures (fires) and ended up on pavement before regaining gravel at the start of Section 6. Our journey was a blissful ride full of amazing scenery and fantastic vistas AND dramatic views of the largest volcanoes in the PacNW along the way.

OBDR Route Description
The Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route (ORBDR) is a 750-mile, multi-day off-pavement ride designed for adventure and dual-sport motorcycles. The route traverses a vast climate area. The ORBDR is probably the most diverse BDR route to date in this regard. The RideBDR website suggests that folks start in the southern desert near the Nevada/Oregon border and traverse north with gradual ingress towards pine mountain forests. We did the opposite, as we started our trip north of Seattle on adventure motorcycles and explored ancient pine forests of Washington State and enjoying some of the southern portions of the WABDR. We officially started the ORBDR at Hood River and worked our way through the northern Oregon cascade mountains witnessing all the major volcanos of the state, after which, we found ourselves in the remote high deserts of the southeastern portion of Oregon. Lava rock, “moondust”, sand and mountain rock were forces to be reckoned when riding a motorcycle through here. The sagebrush, lava tubes and glaciated volcanoes are sights to behold and experience along the way. These natural wonders provide a prime rugged outdoor adventure experience. Be prepared, however, as the Oregon BDR is not to be taken lightly. It is one of the hardest routes they have mapped out to date. Beginners are urged to cut their teeth elsewhere. Explorers should be prepared to be self-sufficient, camp, prepare for rain, extreme desert heat along with the many physical challenges provided by the terrain all without the comfort of cell phone service or motels. Distances along the route are measured by hours to travel rather than miles. We did not move fast. Instead, we took a cautious and methodical approach, touching on all the highlights of the wilderness and skipping a few of the more technical challenges to maximize our Experience. To avoid the extreme heat, we planned out trip in September to avoid the summer crowds and summer heat. We were fortunate as the highest temperatures experienced were no more than the low 80’s (deg Fahrenheit)

I hope you thoroughly enjoy this episode of our travels. It is presented to show the joys, wonders and hardship of this route from a non-sponsored, not-for-profit perspective.

Please “LIKE”, “SUBSCRIBE” and comment if you enjoyed this. It will encourage me to do more of these types of productions in the future.

As always, Thanks for Riding with me, ~GrizzLee

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