The Oregon BDR Experience
Episode 6: ORBDR Section 2
In this episode, we travel from Christmas Valley to Plush Oregon. The first 40 or so miles we find ourselves riding over ancient lava flows into an ancient lakebed. We ride in some of the remotest country to be found in the lower 48 states across a vast desert wilderness that seems endless and yet contains its own charm and beauty like nothing I have seen before. The infamous cattle guard mentioned on the BDR route maps is out here in this section. After traversing miles of desert lava and sand, we ride parallel to high voltage powerlines that look like they don’t belong. Before long we wrestle many cattle gates and overgrown sagebrush trails. The sage tears at our luggage and even rips a piece of mine apart. It is slow going until we finally found a “real” road that lead us down into the valley below Hart mountain. Upon arrival at the town of Plush and are greeted by the town mayor … A black Labrador retriever. After a nice dinner, and mingling with real cowboys we camp in the town park … the only green grass we have seen for the last 200+ miles of travel. AND it was the only green grass in town. It was a day to remember for sure.
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
Read more of my Moto travels here:
www.advrider.c...
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