PRE-RUN
@pdxjbird: “Hey Bro, I have an extra ticket to the Orygun Run, wanna go”?
@pdxwood: “Hell yes, but it’s my fiance’s birthday this weekend.....”
DAY 1
We are the first to arrive at 2 Stroke… coffee’d up and ready to roll. Adam gives us a map, a bandana, and we hit the road.
The Highlights: Stopped for hydration in Shaniko. The one employee said we couldn’t drink outside the store... but we could go across the street. She said, “...just watch for rattlers." Rolling through the twisties on Hwy 218 with a bunch of choppers and a flatbed chase vehicle at our heals. We rolled into the hacienda of our radical host, @steve_dewey/aka@athandleather, in the early afternoon with our pick of spots to choose from. (It’s worth noting, we landed pre-beer!)
DAY 2
Sweet spread of coffee and food for the morning - also 2 Stroke Coffee Co. - set us up right for the long journey ahead. The night before our host filled our head with thoughts of riding the salt flats on the other side of the Steens...
The Highlights + A Side of Nevada: As we headed down Hwy 395 we saw a sign for Paulina. We both thought: ”Man, I haven’t fished Paulina since I was a kid." We were quite disappointed when we landed in the town Paulina... not the lake. Luckily, there was gas. We asked the quickest way to get back on track. The route included a mostly gravel road from Izee, OR to Burns. We saw real cowboys - herding cattle - and there may have been banjos…. We rolled into Burns. We had a beer and lunch just as the main pack of Gunrunners rode in. But we were off to find the salt flats. As we rolled down Hwy 205 we got plastered with grasshoppers north of Fields, OR. We stopped for what was supposed to be the best milkshake ever. I can neither confirm nor deny. The town teacher/milkshake maker may not have been having her best day. We were told it would be many many miles of gravel to get to the flats, so we opted for a no helmet session through Nevada instead. We dropped into Denio and shredded the new road on Hwy 140. It was time to make the miles: through Adel, Lakeview, Valley Falls, Summerlake. At this point, we were low on gas, but figured we had to be close enough to Fort Rock. We rolled into Fort Rock on fumes… but no gas. No cell coverage and total darkness. Somehow, we rolled into camp with nothing in our tanks, but we were greeted with smiles, beverages, and food. This campsite was amazing - and plenty of trees for hammocks.
DAY 3
Last but not least... the best of shred.
The Highlights: We rolled into Sisters and stopped for gas. @vanbriezzy caught us on camera and we were off. Shredding up that hill passing cars in perfect harmony...
IN CLOSING
I look forward to year two... but this birthday thing... well, she may not forgive 2 years in a row.