2019 Sound RIDER! Event Overview

Innovation and fine tuning make for some grand riding in 2019

Despite which side of the fence you're on in terms of politics; despite what’s going on in your work or personal life - we’re all gonna wanna escape the hubbub at some point this year. And the good news is, you probably own a motorcycle or two, so what better way to escape.

Back in 2009 we decided to introduce a number of localized events and stick with them, fine-tuning them each year. The Rally in the Gorge, which was already in motion, turns 17 this year. The Sasquatch Dual Sport GPS Adventure Tour and the Café to Café Grand Tour turn 11 and the Road Trip GPS Tour turns 10. A lot of effort and miles have gone into creating each of these events and each year we strive to make them better. So here’s a snapshot of how each is shaping up.

Rally in the Gorge 8/21-25

The annual worship of the Columbia River Gorge gets back into play in Hood River in late August. The area snow pack is looking good right now, meaning fire conditions will be lower than recent years. But you know, the Gorge is a big place. If there’s smoke in one place, you can ride in another. Just how big is the Gorge you may wonder? We have maps and tracks for more than 1,000 miles of pavement rides and 700 miles of off-road adventures. That allows us to mix up the recommended rides each year, so we rarely repeat a route two years in a row. Historic US 30 in the Multnomah area has been resurfaced and reopened. This is an area we have been unable to enjoy the last three summers, so we’ll take advantage and add in a few favorites from that area.

Taking the food situation fully into our hands several years ago is probably one of the best things to happen to the rally in recent years. There are not a lot of rallies that offer the quality of food we do when you need it the most – breakfast and dinner. And we’re going to move it one step closer to cleaner eating adding more organics and clean proteins to the mix. And once again, we will offer lunch for early arrivals on Wednesday.

Advance registration is open now. If you’re not on the newsletter list, jump over to the site at www.soundrider.com/rally and join up so you catch all the latest announcements as they happen.

Can’t make the rally, but want to ride in the area? We offer both a paved guide as well as a dual sport guide to riding in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Pick up a copy at https://store.soundrider.com.

Café to Café Grand Tour – March 1 to September 30

The annual grand tour of cafés will kick off March 1^st and we’ve already had a healthy advance signup. Everyone can be a winner as you work your way to 15 cafés in the Pacific Northwest over 7 months at any pace you like. Because many of these locations are under the radar, there is a certain contingent of riders who sign up year after year just to get the list.

Advance registration is open now. Start the journey at www.soundrider.com/cafetocafe.

Sasquatch Dual Sport GPS Adventure Tour: Idaho – July 22-26

2019 is the year we return to Idaho. We’re currently working on a route that semi-reverses the original 2012 “Bucket List” route. Highlights will include the Seven Devils, Lolo Motorway, Railroad Ridge and the Magruder Corridor. The route does not follow the IBDR, but instead packs some stunning riding and views into a very doable 5-day tour. Pre-riding kicks off in late spring and the route will be finalized by late June in time for all registered riders to get it at check-in.

More details about this tour will be revealed in the March issue.

Can’t make those dates, but want the route? This year’s tour book will go on sale following the tour and the 2012 version is available now (along with all the other previous tours) at https://store.soundrider.com.

Road Trip GPS Tour: Vancouver Island – May 13-17

You don’t hear a lot of riders talk about traversing Vancouver Island. Fact is, unless you understand all the options and have some guidance of the best way to tour it, you won’t have much fun. Last October we pre-rode an assumed route for the 2019 tour, ended up rewriting the whole thing and have come up with what we believe to be the template for anyone wanting to explore all the island has to offer.

This year we will not be providing cartage on the route, since there are only two overnight locations and the route is written around a number of out-and-back loops over the 5 days.

More details are coming in February when advance registration opens.

Can’t make the tour, but interested in taking one of our other 5-day tours, using our guides from previous events? They are all available at https://store.soundrider.com. This year’s tour book will go on sale following the tour.

Sound RIDER! Day at Skagit Powersports – March 30

Skagit Powersports will clear a space where we can set up chairs and run several seminars on Saturday March 30. We’ll kick off with a morning session of our popular Tips and Tricks roundtable. Lunch will be included for those who attend. In the afternoon we’ll offer our presentation about Motorcycle Touring in the Pacific Northwest. This show includes both paved and off-road possibilities you may not have considered. More information about this event will be published in the February issue.

There’s plenty of two-wheel adventure and fun ahead. We hope you can join us for one or more of our events this year. If you’re not already a subscriber to our online magazine, it’s easy to do so, using the “Subscribe FREE” link at the top of the page.

SR!/January 2019