Oregon Volcanoes Rally

Many of today’s technology-driven, electrification, and social media-obsessed adults don’t relate as much as I do to the joy of the wind in your face on a petrol-propelled motorcycle.

Their loss in my opinion.

But, for those who get it, they know that Harley-Davidson enthusiasts like to get together, get to know each other and do a lot of riding.

For those of us who live in Oregon, we clearly know that we have some of the best riding in all of the U.S., which means this year we get to share this gem of a state at a National H.O.G.® motorcycle rally.

I’m talking about the Oregon Volcanoes H.O.G. Touring Rally happening September 11-15th. For those unfamiliar with Oregon, it’s a perfect time of year for riding, with mild temperatures, little chance of rain, and the foliage season begins. Adding to that, the Pacific Northwest is increasingly known for its craft beer, coffee shops, vibrant music and food scenes which is reason by itself to visit the state.

The last time there was a National H.O.G. Rally — that was started out hosted in Oregon — was back in 2017 for the Lewis and Clark; The Expedition Returns. That ride basically followed in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark’s 1805 expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, from Seaside, Oregon to St. Charles, Missouri. If you want a little sample of that adventure, I detailed the adventure HERE.  If you’re looking for even more information about Lewis and Clark, visit the National Geographic site dedicated to their journey HERE.

50 Rides, One Nation

It’s been my experience after attending a few National H.O.G. events, they are a class act.  The local dealers often host evening events and the route information and swag are of high quality.  In addition, the H.O.G. planners (Bill Davis • Rally Coordinator) make it very simple to participate and have a great experience!

At present, the Oregon Volcanoes Touring Rally has 190+ H.O.G. Members and guests registered.  Keep in mind, this isn’t a “group ride” where a couple hundred bikes depart simultaneously every day with a ride captain.  Riders are free to forge their own departure times and routes (with solid guidance on scenic location stops and daily endpoint events) while riding at your own pace.

The ‘Volcanoes’ rally will start on the eastside of Portland, OR with a ride along the Columbia River Highway to the scenic Multnomah Falls viewpoint. Traveling a little farther and it’s a picturesque view of Mount Hood, the first of eight volcanos on this ride. The tour will then head north to an active stratovolcano, Mount St. Helens in Washington State, at a viewpoint which is also one of the stops for the 10 Rides for ‘21 H.O.G. challenge.

Mount St. Helens Loop

You might recall that the 10 Rides for ’21 is an annual H.O.G. member challenge featuring 10 great destinations throughout the country, along with a recommended scenic route for each. At this rally, riders will also have the option of picking up one of the 50 Rides, 1 Nation H.O.G. challenge on the Columbia River Highway at the Vista House in Corbett, OR. That’s two H.O.G. challenge stops completed, in less than 100 miles into your rally! The tour will loop back around to the westside of Portland for the first night on the road with a hosted event at Paradise Harley-Davidson.

On day-2, the tour will pass through the Opal Creek Wilderness and have spectacular views of Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters and Mount Bachelor to the eastern side of the mountains ending in Bend, OR for a hosted party and meal.

On day-3, the tour takes the route west towards the coast and the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean and the coastal community of Coos Bay. The tour will ride by Newbury and Mount Mazama Volcanos.

On day-4, the tour will ride by the Mount McLoughlin volcano and will visit Klamath Falls before ending the rally with a hosted meal, party and closing ceremony in Medford, OR.

There will be a total of five hosted stops planned at Harley-Davidson dealerships along the tour route. Check out the H.O.G. website if you’ve yet to register and want to join the tour HERE.

It should be a great Oregon tour, with a side trip into Washington and a riding route that provides twists and turns and follows many of the region’s noteworthy volcanos.

Photos courtesy H.O.G. and Harley-Davidson

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McKenzie Pass Highway

McKenzie Pass Highway (OR242)

Oregon is home to a large network of highways and backroads, from rugged coastal headlands to deep old-growth forests, lush vineyard-lined valleys to lofty alpine passes, high-desert vistas to deep river canyons. The epic landscapes offer up motorcyclists everything from beginner to expert road diversity.

One such spectacular highway is the old McKenzie Pass Highway (OR242), which opened this week from it’s winter hibernation.

Assuming you start in Sisters, Oregon you’ll have about 8 miles of warmup of gently rising, mostly straight road as you head west past hay meadows and into the forest. Then you’ll take a 90-degree turn at McGregor’s Curve, and the elevation climb is on. The main ascent is over 5 miles, and you can settle into a rhythm as you take in the pine-scented air.  Unfortunately, you’ll also note the large wildfire destruction from the summer of 2017 that disrupted the forest and surrounding landscape.

Until the 1860s, the pass was an Indian trail that later became a wagon route (known as Craig’s McKenzie Salt Springs/Deschutes Wagon Road) for driving cattle over the Cascades.  As you emerge from the forest at Windy Point, you’ll get a nice view of Mt. Washington and can scan across a 65 square mile, 2,000-year-old black lava flow. You may want to stop to process it all and then continue on as the ascent travels serpentine asphalt between lava-rock walls just before reaching the summit.

The summit provides a unique view of the lava-rock-constructed Dee Wright Observatory (at 5,187 feet), which provides panorama views of the mountain landscape and Three Sisters Wilderness areas.

The 25-mile, 4,000-foot descent to Highway 126 is no “puff and fluff” ride as it snakes down tight corners and exhilarating switchbacks to the dense Cascadian forests over the McKenzie River. It’s a dramatic transition from the east side of the Cascades and is a billboard of the natural environment and defines the uniqueness of the region.

The highway speed limit is slow at 35mph to 45 mph in most places. The scenic views are well worth the extra time and should be on everyone’s ride list.

Additional Information:
The John Craig Story
McKenzie Pass
Previous Blog Post

OR 242 map/photo courtesy of Oregon By-ways.

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Riding McKenzie Pass Highway

Old McKenzie Pass Highway (OR 242)

The Old McKenzie Pass Highway (OR 242) will officially open to all traffic on Monday, June 19, 2017.

The narrow, twisting roadway and high elevation (5,325 feet) make the highway too difficult to maintain and keep clear during the winter months.

Many of us look forward to the annual opening and to traverse lava fields, snowcapped peaks and cruise along rushing rivers which highlight this scenic highway to central Oregon’s Cascade Mountain passes.

Heading east-bound, OR 242 travels through Lane, Linn, and Deschutes counties, beginning at the junction with OR 126 near McKenzie Bridge and ending at the junction with US Highway 20 and OR 126 at the City of Sisters.  From Sisters, Oregon heading west, the route travels past hay meadows and ascends 2,000 feet through ponderosa pine forests.  The road follows an old wagon route, emerging from the forest at Windy Point and provides a dramatic view of Mt. Washington and a 2,000-year-old lava flow.  The 25 mile, 4,000 foot descent snakes down switchbacks to the dense Cascadian forests and ends near the McKenzie River.

Few realize that the McKenzie Pass is also known as the Craig’s McKenzie Salt Springs/Deschutes Wagon Road.

The backstory — in 1862, John Craig was was one of 50 men hired by Captain Felix Scott to build a trail from Eugene over the Cascades. By then the rush of westward-bound Oregon Trail pioneers had slowed, but the discovery of gold in Eastern Oregon prompted a flood of people heading eastward. Scott’s plan was to sell Willamette cattle to the hungry miners east of the Cascades.

As Scott’s road-building crew neared the lowest route across the mountains they encountered miles of snow and jagged lava fields at McKenzie Pass. Craig favored chipping out a road through the lava fields, but Scott decided to skirt the lava fields in favor of a notch at Scott’s Pass on the shoulder of North Sister that was 1000 foot higher, steeper and crossed more snow. Scott’s route was later abandoned and is known today as the Scott Trail in the Three Sisters Wilderness.

After working for Scott, Craig spent the next 15 years working for himself while championing his vision of a lower crossing through McKenzie Pass. In 1871 he formed the McKenzie, Salt Springs and Deschutes Wagon Road Company and began to build his toll road. He cut trees, chipped and chiseled a roadbed out of the jagged lava fields just north of North Sister to form a McKenzie Pass crossing lower than what was available at the time.  By the Fall of 1872 his road open and began collecting tolls of $2 for a wagon, $1 for a horseback rider, 10¢ for cattle and 5¢ for sheep. After its completion he won a federal contract to deliver mail from the Willamette Valley to Camp Polk in Central Oregon over the road. In summer, the mail was carried on horseback. In winter it was carried on John Craig’s back. To accommodate the mail carrier, a small cabin was built about half way across, in which he could spend the night.

For many years John Craig carried mail from the Willamette Valley to Eastern Oregon, by horseback in the summer and on his own back in the winter.  After attempting to ski Christmas mail over McKenzie Pass in the winter of 1877, he was found frozen beside his mail pouch in his shack atop McKenzie Pass.  Mystery still shrouds the details of his death.

The U.S. Forest Service decided in 1920 to make the highway a tourist-friendly route over the mountains, so engineers took care to align it for sightseeing, with spectacular views of volcanic peaks, including the Three Sisters, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Washington, Broken Top and even the more distant Mount Jefferson to the north.  The road became a seasonal scenic highway in 1962 with the completion of the Clear Lake-Belknap Springs section of OR 126.

The highway is a local favorite and should be on everyone’s Oregon highway bucket list.

References:

The John Craig Story
McKenzie Pass
John Craig – A Pioneer Mail Carrier, by Ruth E. Richardson – 1963

OR 242 map/photo courtesy of Google.

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