Sasquatch 2/4 Day Dual Sport Tour
2009
The new tradition
August 27 to August 31 2009
Lots of riders dream of that around-the-world
adventure ride, or taking several weeks off for a ride through
Indo-China, perhaps taking a few weeks off a little closer to home
and riding to Alaska or doing the Continental Divide ride.
I ain’t got a few weeks. You got a few weeks?
We need something a little more doable for the rest of us. We've
come up with just that. Read on.
In 2005, I headed for Oregon with two other
riders and two 4x4 owners to ride the Oregon Back Country Discovery
Route. The fabled ride leads riders from the border of
California and Oregon to the border of Oregon and Washington. Along the way
there are hundreds of miles of rickety roads, primitive camping,
minimal fuel and food availability and minimal viewpoints. For some,
this might sound like fun. Being well past my Boy Scout days, I
wanted something more. I was looking for better scenery,
better fuel availability and better food and accommodations along
the way. Like how about a hot shower each day?
 A view of Mt. Adams along the Sasquatch Dual
Sport route.
Having ridden through much of Washington state,
I got the idea while working on the
Sound RIDER! Guide to Dual
Sport Rides through Washington State book, that it might be fun
to conceive a similar back country discovery route that filled all
my desires. So I grabbed my atlases and mapping software and began
to draw a route from Hood River to Canada. Along the way I routed
the ride to broad vistas, dependable lunch and fuel stops and each
night it ended in a town that provided camping, motels and upscale
accommodation choices in most cases. Then I took an old name out of
retirement and the 2009 Sasquatch Dualsport was born.
The entire ride is ridden over a four day
period – departing Friday morning from Hood River and arriving
Monday afternoon at the Canadian border. For those who only have a
weekend, they can join up with the group Friday night or Saturday
morning in Packwood, and leave the group Sunday afternoon once we
arrive at Lake Chelan. We overnight Saturday in Ellensburg.
The majority of the ride is off-pavement riding
on well groomed (for the most part) Forest Service and DNR roads
making the ride doable for any dualsport and larger adventure bikes.
There are pavement work-arounds if you get tired of the dirt.
The official program cover.
The scenery is stunning. Views of Mt. Hood, Mt.
Adams, Mt. Rainier and the North Cascades are just the beginning.
The various volcanic masses along the route including ancient lava
beds and basalt walls tell the tale of millions of years of grumbling
and groaning from deep inside the earth’s crust. The alpine lakes, meadows, rivers and streams along the way provide serenity
well worth stopping for a break to soak in the views. Being out
in this area for four days often means you might take in a wildlife sighting, or two
or more. The lower region of the ride has been known to reveal a few
turkey broods, elk, grey wolves and quail. To the north, deer are
common at this time of year along with hundreds of bird species and
perhaps a reptile or two as well. You will bring your
camera!
 Of course, throughout the four days we are
essentially on the hunt for Sasquatch, which many people in these
parts claim to have seen. In fact, in Skamania County it is illegal
to shoot a Sasquatch – except with your camera.
For this ride, lodging choices are entirely up
to you. Once you’ve registered you will be mailed an itinerary and
accommodation guide with our recommended camping, motel and hotel
choices for each day. Then it’s up to you to make your reservations
ASAP to insure you stay where you want.
Connie will be driving the SR! Element and will
provide cartage for up to 40 liters of gear per rider (about the size of a
medium Givi box). That means if you’re carrying camping gear you can
leave it behind when you depart in the morning and have it waiting
for you when you get to the next day's end.
Hey - it just looks like a fake, but it's not, really it's
not!
If you plan to ride all four days, you’ll want
to get into the Columbia River Gorge area Thursday afternoon and
join us for our kickoff dinner which will be held at one of the
finest Northwest campgrounds – away from the trains below.
Clean bathrooms, hot showers, a gathering lodge and more. Very nice!
There is no additional charge to camp at the campground that
evening.
Tour books complete with a detailed description
of each day on the ride, maps and turn-by-turn directions will be
provided when you check in.
Once you’ve checked in, GPS uploads for each day
will be available to Garmin GPS owners. Be certain you’ve loaded
your MapSource maps for the entire state of Washington and Southern
British Columbia ahead of time.
On the way to the next stunning view on day
3
Check-in will be Thursday evening at the
campground, Friday morning at the Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce and
Saturday morning at the Shell station in Packwood. Times and
addresses are included in the itinerary and accommodation guide.
What you get (advance registration prices apply):
 2 Day Riders (Saturday and Sunday) = $50
- Itinerary and Accommodation Guide
- Tour book with descriptions, maps and
directions for all four days of the ride
- Garmin GPS File Uploads Saturday morning
- Saturday/Sunday cartage
- Bragging rights
4 Day Riders = $90
- All of the above plus,
- Thursday night dinner kickoff
- Thursday night camping at no charge
- Cartage Friday-Monday
- Four days, three nights and too much fun!
For the sake of the environment, this tour is
limited to 70 riders. Leave your loud pipes at home. Please wear
full textile or leather gear. All participants will sign a waiver
and will be issued a wristband that must be worn throughout the
tour.
 UPDATE:
Advance registration is closed. You may sign up Friday morning at
9 am at the Mt Adams Chamber of commerce (corner of Highway 14 and
Highway 35 at the Hood River Bridge) for for the full 4 days for
$110, or sign up Saturday at the Shell station in Packwood, WA for
Saturday/Sunday for $60.
Tom Mehren/Spring 09
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