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SPRING 2019 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 04
The early bird gets to enjoy the sunrise over Delintment Lake , in Malheur National Forest .
convenience stores near the route , and we filled up our tanks and hydration backpacks at every opportunity .
“ Much energy has been spent to provide you with maps that provide the information needed to successfully navigate without on-ground signs ,” say the OBDR maps . We saw only a few faded , old OBDR signs over the entire 750-mile route . A 2011 blog on Touratech-USA ’ s website provides some background on the OBDR from Leonard Kerns , President of the OOHVA : “ The development of route was financed by the Oregon ATV Allocation Funds . On-the-ground signs were placed and the route was dedicated in the summer of 2000 . Unfortunately , it did not take long for people opposed to the route to bring legal action . Support from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management was lost and all remaining funds were used to remove the signs . At that point , OOHVA stepped in and created the maps using GPS to navigate .”
The OBDR is on public land , so anyone can travel the route using a street-legal vehicle , but much of it passes through areas used for grazing and logging . We crossed dozens of cattle guards and stopped often to open and close barbed-wire gates . Forest land in