Central Oregon has a lot of to offer for sport touring motorcycles. The wide open spaces, long sweeping turns, the lack of traffic, and the open desert make for very memorable rides. Oregon is one of the most amazing states to ride in and not very many people know that. The diversity of the roads is something to behold as there is a lot to choose from. Since it is north of California I can see why it would be passed over.
I was invited on this ride and couldn’t say no. It was only four and half days. If you can’t take at least one of two 4-6 day riding trips per year, it is kinda sad. These are the days we live for. At least I do!
Leaving from Blaine, Washington at the crack of dawn we made it into Leavenworth at 1030am. Good to know for future trips! Our destination was The Dalles, Oregon. We stayed at the The Dalles Inn. Rates were good, pool was perfect, cookies at the desk. Dinner was at a Baldwin Saloon. This Saloon had a rich history dating back to the 1890s. Drinks and food were excellent.
The Dalles was a great spot to jump off into Central Oregon. The following were the highlights! Get out you map and/or buy The Butler Oregon map.
Hwy 218 – Antelop to Fossil (Gas is located in Fossil, you just have to find it). Mostly made of us tight desert roads with 25mph to 35mph corners. love it.
Hwy 207 – North of Spray. Fresh road with banked corners. This is a must ride road.
Hwy 402 – Kimberely to Long Creek. Nice road with nothing too challenging.
Hwy 395 – Long Creek to Mt Vernon. High speed sweepers in the mountain forest.
John Day is a great place to stay for the night. The Best Western has a decent rates with the required pool and hot tub.
Hwy 26 – John Day to Sumpter. A few nice sweepers but nothing to get excited about.
Hwy 73 – Sumpter to Granite. Starts off great! Then turns to shit. Skip this road.
Hwy 52 – Granite to Ukiak. Dual Sports only. I hated this road. Skip it!
Hwy 395 – North of Ukiah. One of the best in Oregon. The nicest high speed sweepers I’ve ever ridden. The sight lines and banked corners are the kind you only see on race tracks. Do not miss this road. TRY to keep the speed reasonable.
Hwy 74 – Vinson to Heppner. Not as good as the 395 but it is hard to top that.
Hwy 207/206 – Heppner to Condon is an excellent, long road. Gorgeous scenery with endless turns. Some incredible drops offs so take it easy.
Hwy 19 – Condon to Arlington. Good road heading north. While you will have to deal with Interstate 84, you’ll welcome the break.
From this point on we headed to Leavenworth on roads that were no where near comparison to Central Oregon. We stayed the night in Leavenworth which is always a great place to stay. If you don’t know about Leavenworth, WA. Google it!
If you are are less than a two days ride from Central Oregon, make a trip of it. These are truly great roads to ride.
