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Hello Oregon Riders!

rockers

Member
I'm in the process of planning a western States Tour for some of my European friends. We plan on renting bikes in Colorado and do a 3 week loop out west.

We plan on entering Oregon from Shasta, CA area, then following Hwys 97 & 62 to Crater Lake. Then 138, 58 along what appears to be a scenic route from Crescent Lake to Bend along Crane Prairie Res. & Tumalo Mtn. Map doesn't have a number (I assume it's a road and not a scenic waterway?) From Bend we will follow 97, 26, 207, 19, 7, 86, to Hell's Canyon.

I would appreciate any input on the route or suggested changes (pavement please) and also any recommendations for lodging and places to eat & see. Prefer reasonable and if possible unique!

Thanks
Bob Alexander
08 BMW RA Rally Chair
 
You'll be missing some of the best roads in America! I'll put together a road plan for you to consider that will (a) keep you on pavement, and (b) take you places you will remember.

Let me know how many miles you want to travel in a day - there are a number or roads that limit speed drastically.
 
Best roads in America? Oregon about 25/30 years ago wasn't bad but now? Well, if traffic and more traffic is your thing, enjoy, you're gonna love it. Avoid everything west of the hump (Cascade Mts.) and the Bend, Redmond, Prineville area isn't much to write home about either. Problem is all roads east of the hump seem to converge in the Bend area and Bend has been the fastest growing area in the state for years mostly Californians. I can get through Spokane on city streets twice as fast at rush hour than I can the Bend area. Hwys 197 and 97 from Madras to the Columbia Gorge is about the only enjoyable ride from central Oregon to the coast in my humble native Oregonian opinion.:banghead
 
You want 97 to Bend, then N to Madras, to Fossil, then 218 to Condon (Pop 350, but the Condon Hotel to 4*,and its restruant is 5*). From Condon go on 206 towards Heppner, but take the cutoff to Ukiah, just before you hit 207. From Ukiah, go to Granite, then Sumpter (great old mining town with a working steam train). From Sumpter, head to Baker City, cross 84, then take 86 to Hell's canyon - you can take 71 to 95, but that's a a crummy trip - I recommend going to Joseph, then up 3 to Lewiston & from there .....

Hwy 3 out of Joseph is one of my Faves. You will have more fun on those roads - hands down..

Enjoy!
 
I'm in the process of planning a western States Tour for some of my European friends. We plan on renting bikes in Colorado and do a 3 week loop out west.

We plan on entering Wyoming from Idaho at Yellowstone and spending a couple days there. From Yellowstone heading east to Cody, then Thermopolis, Riverton to Rawlins, then over the Snowy range to Laramie.

I would appreciate any input on the route or suggested changes (pavement please) and also any recommendations for lodging and places to eat & see. Prefer reasonable and if possible unique!

Thanks
Bob Alexander
08 BMW RA Rally Chair

Are these different trips/dates or is this excursion getting larger?
I ask as I think you may want to add Washington State as well...
That and both requests seem similar.
~ Jim
 
I'll go along with that add Washington idea. After you endure Oregon roads Washington will seem like a breath of fresh air. Actually, take Oregon RT3 from Enterprise to the boarder when it changes to WA SR129 to Clarkston. It doesn't get much better. Well, except maybe the Bear Tooth in MT/WYO.
 
The route you propose is really pretty good. I would also suggest Hwy. 244 between Ukiah and La Grand. Also a short stint on Hwy. 27 from Bowman Dam on Prineville Reservoir into Prineville. A very nice 20 mile stretch through the Crooked River Gorge. Paulina Rd., from Prineville over to Supple and Seneca and Murderers Creek Rd. are also some great ones in the "Oregon Outback" but you will need a really good map to find those. North central and the N.E. corner of Oregon has some greatest riding anywhere regardless of what Big Red says!! Realizing that you can't do everything there are some other great local rides around the Bend area if you are interested.
 
I've been all over the western states and some of the best riding is in North Eastern Oregon. South eastern is desert, straight roads and rediculously low speed limits, and heavily patrolled. There are a couple of great hot springs north of John Day that are my preferred destinations. Just about anywhere you go in NE OR is great. And then head across the rattlesnake into Idaho and then the famed Lolo Pass (curve sign warning next 77 miles). It doesn't get much better than all that!

When the National was in Redmond one of the BMW head honchos talked at the closing ceremony and said that the riding in OR matched anything they had in europe. So don't let anyone tell you otherwise! It's true.

I'd love to ride along with you guys, it sounds like fun. I try to make it out there at least twice every summer. I never seem to tire of the ride.
 
You're right about the great country in NE Oregon - I don't care for most of westen Washington tho - too many open hot wheat fields for me. Northern Idaho is terrific too - that's our preferred run into Canada.

We try to get to Calgary and Jasper every couple of years... The Canadian's really know how to build roads for motorcycles...

Back to Oregon - we spent two tours of over 2K in eastern Oregon, on great roads. Both were on DIFFERENT roads too... on many of the roads, you can stop on the road for a break, and not worry about traffic.... or another human.... perhaps a cow.... deer?.... mule.... no humans tho....
 
Just about anywhere you go in NE OR is great. And then head across the rattlesnake into Idaho and then the famed Lolo Pass (curve sign warning next 77 miles). It doesn't get much better than all that!

Now we're getting him back to that Stanley, ID area. See his Idaho post.;)
 
You're right about the great country in NE Oregon - I don't care for most of westen Washington tho - too many open hot wheat fields for me.

Look on the cover of May's ON...
That don't look like any wheat field to me... Some sweet riding in Eastern WA State.
Plenty of twisties that are empty.

Umm... Wait a sec... Nevermind... It does suck.
 
You want 97 to Bend, then N to Madras, to Fossil, then 218 to Condon (Pop 350, but the Condon Hotel to 4*,and its restruant is 5*). From Condon go on 206 towards Heppner, but take the cutoff to Ukiah, just before you hit 207. From Ukiah, go to Granite, then Sumpter (great old mining town with a working steam train). From Sumpter, head to Baker City, cross 84, then take 86 to Hell's canyon - you can take 71 to 95, but that's a a crummy trip - I recommend going to Joseph, then up 3 to Lewiston & from there .....

Hwy 3 out of Joseph is one of my Faves. You will have more fun on those roads - hands down..

Enjoy!

From hyw 86, about 10 miles short of hells canyon take Forst road 39 (paved) and head for Joseph. This is about 50 miles of nothing but up and down and round and around and great vuews.
 
Two of my all time favorite road are in NE Oregon, hwy 245 (Dooley mountain) http://oregonmotorcyclist.com/ridepage.php?page=hwy245
and Hwy 218 Shaniko to Fossil I believe mentioned above.
http://oregonmotorcyclist.com/ridepage.php?page=hwy218
I can spend days riding these roads over and over.

I have riden those roads many time and have posted them on the AMA web site. Hwy 245 I call the deals gap of the North west. On my way back from the Deals Gap, I came out on Ontario Ore, through Vale and up to Unity and then over Dooley Mt. and on to Baker City,and said YES this compares to the Deals Gap.
On 218 the turns never stop and little trafic, except one time the road was full of
cycles of the human power kind, and they were around every corner in the middel of the road.
Roy
 
How are you planing on getting back to colorado from washington. if it out thru Montana swing south at missoula at the Idaho bordor cut back west and stay in Montana, go thru a little town called Wisdom. it is at 6000' at the continental divide. just watch out for cows, miquitos before late july and elk. great sceneri. then run to dillon, mt go up on 90 and come back down in central montana and go into wyoming. on the east side of yellowstone.:drink
 
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