Black Dog Dualsport Ride
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Most of Saturday was an easy ride, a good mix of backcountry paved, dirt, and gravel roads with a couple of intermediate sections tossed in for good measure—kind of like the scenic tour. There were lots of incredible vistas of the Cascade Mountains. At one point we were able to see Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams in Washington State, then Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson in Oregon. Amazing considering the two furthest peaks are 100 miles apart.
After spending most of the morning in Washington, we hopped into Oregon and had a quick stop at Fun Country Powersports in The Dalles. They welcomed everyone with ice cold bottles of water and an air-conditioned showroom. Both were welcome as the outside temperature was bumping the 90°F mark. Doesn’t sound too bad, but take my word that it was hot!
From there we wound around up to the Rowena Crest Viewpoint on State Highway 30 to enjoy a jaw-dropping 320 degree vista down to the Columbia River Gorge. It was less than 20 miles back to the fairgrounds along roads meandering through an area covered with fruit trees and wineries. All too soon we were directed to the day-ending special test ride around a small horseshoe-shaped course. The slowest time was the goal, with penalties for dabs or falls.
And did I mention the kids? The course was jammed with them, armed with large-caliber water weapons. The U.S. Navy doesn’t have a thing on these warriors of hydration. They gave David everything they had in an attempt to derail his slow-speed test. The funny part was he rode competitive trials back in his homeland of New Zealand. The DR is no trials bike and he fell over just as his front wheel crossed the finish line.
Sunday began with another sign-in, meeting, and roll chart winding before we headed through the gate at eight in the morning. Somehow I managed to get us lost within the first two miles. After doubling back a couple of times I found the error. Meanwhile, David was just sitting at the intersection waiting for me to come to my senses. Paybacks can be tough!
Because I was pulled over to the other side of the road, my friend Lisa went by and almost didn’t see me until I waved. Grabbing the front brake on the loose gravel she went down. Thankfully, she was wearing body armor. However, her little WR250 wasn’t so lucky. The bars and mounts were tweaked and a few other minor scars now adorned the plastics. No biggie, as her boyfriend, Brian, and I had it ready to go in about 15 minutes. With her bike resurrected, off we went.
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