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FavoriteRidesandDestinations . com / ridermagazine . com
and savored burgers and beers at the Thicket Café & Lounge . We enjoy roughing it , but we ’ re not too proud to take advantage of good fortune when it lands in our laps .
Our five days and three nights on the OBDR provided us with as much adventure as we could hope for . We rode 750 miles on dirt and gravel roads through the backcountry of Oregon , through dense forests , across high-desert plains , along mountain ridges , away from cities and people and normal obligations . We rode through rock gardens and sand washes , forded rivers and navigated over or around countless obstacles , challenging ourselves while also having fun . We had campgrounds to ourselves , where we enjoyed star-filled nights and soul-warming campfires , and we stumbled upon cozy motels and restaurants , where we recharged ourselves with creature comforts .
Paul , Marten and me — the Navigator , Fabricator and Chronicler — bonded over the experience . When we reached Walla Walla , Washington , the northern terminus of the OBDR , having ridden 1,500 miles together , we high-fived and celebrated our shared accomplishment . The next day we headed off in different directions , Paul to Seattle , Marten to Calgary and me home to Ventura , completing a SaddleSore 1000 in the process , but that ’ s another story .
RESOURCES Oregon Off-Highway Vehicle Association oohva . org
Backcountry Discovery Routes ridebdr . com
We were treated to some of the best scenery of the entire route , such as wide-ranging views from Kendall Skyline Road in Umatilla National Forest , on the final day .