Oakridge, Oregon

Posted by Charles Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:11:00 GMT

There in the middle of Oregon, near almost nothing else, lies the little truck stop town of Oakridge, and seemingly limitless miles of wonderful singletrack trails. Some may know it as the site of the Mountain Bike Oregon events, or even the Cascade Cream Puff endurance race, and most mountain bikers will hear more about it as time goes on

I first got a chance to ride there, but just barely, in the Fall of 2004, during what is normally the best time of year to be there, and also during about a week of uninterrupted rain. Nigel and I quickly made our escape to drier climates, and vowed to return, which we did, exactly a year later. At that time, in the Fall of 2005, I was planning to open a new business, a bicycle store, and Nigel was advising me on a number of different aspects of that. On trails like Hardesty, Alpine, and Waldo Lake, we mostly rode, but also strategized, and in the evening, we mostly ate and drank, but also networked. This was the same weekend and the first year of Mountain Bike Oregon, and there were many cycling industry celebrities and other influential types littering the trails, and the tables at the Trailhead Cafe.

This week, I will celebrate the third anniversary of the incorporation of Passion Trail Bikes, and I am sitting in a Howard Johnsons hotel atrium, in Spokane, Washington as I type. Tomorrow, Sean and I will drive across the Canadian border in our overloaded Prius, and meet a few good friends in Nelson BC for three days of outrageous descending from the Baldface Lodge. After that, I intend to hook up with Nigel again in Oakridge, this time with a few more close friends, for a few more days of epic riding. We’ll be off to Bend after that, as the group of alums grows, and then we will dissemble, and most will head toward home. Reports from the road will follow.