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 OBDR
Lessons learned on the Oregon
Backcountry Discovery Route
Is your next big trip going to be a ride through
Madagascar, across the Kalahari Desert or along the Great Wall of China? Having
trouble trying to swing the $20k for the trip? Then perhaps none of the above
will satisfy your adventure zest for now.
How about a series of five-day trips in your own backyard
filled with every kind of terrain possible, a wide array of climatic changes and
enough technical riding to satisfy any dual sport enthusiast?
They call it the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route. In
case you’re not hip to what this ride is, it’s a 750 mile route through Oregon
from the border of California to Walla Walla and it’s about 95% off-road. The
route, which is entirely two track or better, was created in the late 1990s by
members of the Oregon Off Highway Vehicle Association and can be enjoyed by
motorcyclists as well as four wheel enthusiasts.
In July of 2005, I set out to ride the route and completed
500 miles of it. Along the way there was much to be learned so here’s a recap of
some of the important things to know before taking this ride. I look forward
to the day I go back and finish the other 250 miles – more on that in a moment.
Bike Selection – Because of the off-road
nature of the ride a legal dual sport is just what the doctor ordered. You
can’t do the route on a Goldwing or R6. The other extreme being a full-on
dirt bike which wouldn’t pass DOT muster on the paved and forest road
sections. Weight is surely a consideration. Any bike over 400 pounds is
going to seem a bit unwieldy through the more technical sections that can
include steep grades, gravelly ruts and the ever-hiding pucker rocks in the
desert sections.
Tire Selection – The OBDR s no place for a
performance street tire. At best you’ll want to be running a 90/10 or 80/20
dual sport tire - the preferred tread if you don’t plan on trailering your bike
in for the ride. If you do, you might consider a knobby that will provide
far better traction in the tough spots. Another option is to ship a set of
knobbies to yourself at your point of entry to the route – usually Walla
Walla or Lakeview depending on your direction of travel.
Consider a Caravan
– Many four wheelers do the OBDR each year. See if you can’t find two or
more going on the route and pair up with them. Having four wheels along adds
a lot of benefit to doing the route. For starters the weight you’re
traveling with can be lightened extensively by tossing gear such as sleeping
bags, tents and clothing into a jeep. Secondly, should you experience a
breakdown, it won’t take much to get a bike into the back of four wheeler
and bring it out of the boonies. There are plenty of downed trees along the
OBDR so four wheelers are advised to carry a chain saw.
Photo: In June 2005, five of us hit
the OBDR - three on bikes and two in 4x4's.
Group Size – It would be highly dangerous to
attempt the OBDR solo. A lot can happen on 750 miles of back roads and often
no one comes down many of the roads for days on end. That being said, it’s
also important to know that the more people you make the run with, the
longer it will take to complete the route. Our experience tells us a group of
four is about the best size. Plenty of support when someone needs it, but
not so
much that it takes ninety minutes to get the group rolling after each stop.
Combining this thinking with number three, a pair of bikes and a pair of four
wheelers in caravan makes for an optimal number of participants in a group.
A GPS is Critical – If you don’t have a GPS
with the route in it you’re meat. At 750 miles, the OBDR includes hundreds of
intersections. Often you’re moving between roads at a rate of about ½ dozen
an hour. If you had to pull out a map each time to confirm your turn you’d
be forever stopping. The GPS also comes in handy to confirm your position,
keeping you on track. Even if you’re running in a group, it’s imperative that
each rider has a GPS on their bike. Lead positions can change and you never
know when you’ll be the next guy out front. Groups have a way of splitting
up as well. He needs a rest stop, she needs to take off a layer of clothing and I
need to stop and drink some water. With a GPS you can get back on track with
the rest of the group. You can purchase the GPS route and paper maps from the Oregon Off
Highway Vehicle Association at
www.oohva.org.
Keeping Cool, Keeping Warm – A typical day on
the OBDR can include 12 hours of riding. Cold in the morning, hot in the mid
day and cooling down again at night. A good pair of PVC composite rain gear
such as the type made by Nelson-Rigg can be your best friend. It's light
weight, packs up small and holds your body heat when you put it on. And
then there are those times when the temperature goes over 85 degrees. This
is most likely to occur in the desert section, but during summer it can
happen anywhere along the route. When it does, an evaporative cooling vest
becomes a life saver.
When to Ride – Because of the various climatic
conditions, the OBDR is not always a welcoming route. Snow in the passes can
last into July. Desert temperatures can exceed 100 degrees from June to
September. The best times to take a crack are late June if the snow pack was
light that year, late summer if it wasn’t. When the day comes to
hit the desert section, look ahead at the high temps for that day. If it’s
going over 95 you may want to forgo the stretch. Changing a flat tire in the
desert under that kind of heat can take all the fun out of your trip. Has it
rained in the last five days? If it has, you can expect slick and muddy
conditions.
Can't get from Here to There? - More often
than not the official route may not be passable due to snow, closed gates,
washouts or river crossings being too deep, so flexibility with the route
and the ability to read maps and re-route around obstacles on the fly is
key.
Deserts and Rock Gardens – The stretch along
The Great Desert between Summer Lake and the Ochoco Mountains takes nine
hours to complete - if you run the entire stretch. This would include the
infamous Rock Garden which is a two to three hour stretch of riding across
rocks of all shapes and sizes. Those who have comment that there is no
smooth line one can follow, you just have to plow through it to the other
end. As mentioned before, the pucker rocks are everywhere along the desert
section. Anyone willing to enter this area with aluminum boxes on their bike
should be aware they risk having them torn off in no time when running these
two areas.
Become Your Own Camel – Proper hydration is a must on
the OBDR. You’re running in the high desert and your elevation ranges
between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. If it’s clear, it will be dry. If it’s hot and
dry then you’ve got the perfect conditions for heat stroke. Begin your
hydration process at least three days before the ride taking in no less than
a gallon of clean water each day (sorry – soda pop and beer don’t count when
it comes to hydrating your system). Then while you’re on the ride,
continually take in water at the rate of eight to sixteen ounces an hour.
Riding Sane – The psychology of the OBDR is such that
it tends to attract the more aggressive-style rider and the fearless, who can
run all day and still have the stamina to break a nice camp at day's end. The
trouble is that an aggressive riding style on the OBDR can lead to a broken
bike sooner rather than later. Flat tires, tacoed front rims and broken bikes in
general are no fun when you’re out in the middle of nowhere. Common sense
would be the preferred protocol here, rather than ‘I can ride as hard as I
want to.’
How Many Miles A Day? - At 750 miles, 95%
off-road and many technical sections along the way, riders move along the
OBDR at about 150 miles a day. Most sections can’t be done faster than about
25 mph and then of course you’ve got to stop and pee, eat, change your GPS
route, get gas and so on. Consider doing the OBDR over two trips. 150 miles
a day off-road gets a little long in the tooth after about the third day. I
ran 500 miles of it in July of 2005 and pulled out at that point with every
intention to return to my stopping point and picking it up again next time
around. When I hit the fourth day it was obvious we’d need two more days to
complete the ride and I didn’t have the time available to do so.
When to Say ‘When’ – Along the route you may
also hit a point when you’re not having fun anymore. This adventure is all
about fun and if that’s not what’s happening for you it’s time to bag it and
start planning your return trip. The OBDR can tear a bike up, tear a body up
and tear a mind up for a lesser experienced rider. No one was ever less of a
person for getting off the ride early. Don’t let foolish pride force you
into torturing yourself on this route. It should be fun. If your bike is running poorly, you’re experiencing bodily
discomfort (your knees will likely show the first signs) or you’re just
feeling burned out, then it’s time to bail. You wouldn’t be the first and you
won’t be the last.
You Will Get Dirty – Everything you own will
get dirty. No matter how deep you stuff something into your luggage, how
much plastic you wrap around it or how close you keep it to your body,
everything you take on the trip is going to share a common component by the
end – DUST! This goes for cameras, your GPS, change of clothes, sleeping bag
and everything else on your packing list. When you shop for supplies before
the ride, be sure to pick up at least two cans of compressed air to have
when you get home.
Eyewear Considerations – Let’s take the dust
component one step further – your eyewear. Leave the $300 Oakleys at home,
you’ll probably destroy at least one pair of sunglasses on the trip. Take at
least two pair of inexpensive sunglasses with you so you have an extra if
one fails. You could clean the dust from your lenses hourly and it you’d
still not be ahead of the game. Kind of like digging a hole in the sand at
the beach – you’ll never win. As soon as another rider passes you, your
lenses are covered in dust again. A microfiber cleaning cloth and some
quality plastic lens cleaner will extend the life of your eyewear and your
face shield.
You Will Get Wet – You’re going to get wet on
the OBDR. There are dozens of waterholes, stream crossings and large mud
puddles you’ll get the chance to ride through. The question is how do you
plan to deal with getting wet and then drying out? It’s advisable to leave
all your cotton clothing at home. Cotton takes a bit too long to dry when
you’re on the move. Consider bringing along some of the lighter weight
synthetics sold at better outdoor stores which usually can dry out
overnight.
Got Fuel? – If your bike’s range is less than
150 miles, you’re likely to need a surrogate fuel source along the route.
The stretch between Riley and Seneca through the Ochoco mountains clocks in
at 148 miles. This is where the caravan aspect comes in handy. It’s fairly
simple to carry a five gallon can of gas in a 4x4. Carrying an extra gallon
of fuel on a bike loaded down with other gear isn’t so simple. And if you
hit Seneca in the late afternoon on a Sunday you can forget about getting
gas at all. The station was only open from 9am to 1pm on Sunday during our
last visit there. Hours and octanes will vary along the route with many of
the smaller towns only having 87 octane fuel. If you need more bring some
booster along.
Staying In Touch - It's not a bad idea to have
all riders in the party outfitted with five watt CB radios or
walkie-talkies. Family band radios clocking in at just one watt have
little place on the OBDR as riders can get spread out several miles apart
from one another. The additional four watts a CB provides can mean the
difference of whether or not your distress call is picked up by others in
your party.
All this being said, if you like a good dual sport
adventure the OBDR is one of the best you can do in the Northwest. But just to
sweeten the deal, OOHVA is working on five more similar style routes through
Oregon. Oh boy!
TM/Summer 05
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