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tracks are now available upon request when maps are purchased from OOHVA .) Since most of the OBDR is at 4,000-8,000 feet of elevation , we planned our trip for August to avoid snowpack .
A long-time adventure-riding and home-brewing buddy of mine , Paul Beck works in IT . Since he created our tracks and led our group ( his GPS was the only one that worked reliably ), we dubbed him the Navigator . Marten Walkker , another riding buddy , is a master carpenter ; he made his own tail bag , auxiliary gas tank , toolbox and highway pegs for this trip , so we called him the Fabricator . And since I kept a journal , shot photos and sent daily postcards to my wife , I became the Chronicler . Similar in pace and temperament and always ready for a quick laugh , we were compatible travelers , like the Three Amigos . We were all of German descent and riding BMWs — Paul on an R 1200 GS , Marten on a G 650 Xchallenge and me on an F 800 GS Adventure — so Drei Freunde is more accurate though it doesn ’ t exactly roll off the tongue .
Departing from Ventura on California ’ s southern coast , our first 750 miles were on pavement as we made our way up to the northeastern corner of the state . On the afternoon of our second day , a half-mile before the Oregon border we turned from U . S . Route 395 onto County Road 2 , entering the national forest , leaving the pavement and climbing up into the Warner Mountains . We had to shift our brains from the grip and monotony of wide-open pavement to the delicate balance of riding top-heavy adventure