We traveled well over 7,000 miles by year's end.

Here's all we did by motorcycle in 2012:

 
Lots of day trips in Oregon & Washington state
We tried to ride on any weekend that it was dry and not freezing or not absolutely baking! Don't let anyone ever tell you that the Pacific Northwest isn't a great place to ride a motorcycle year round. We road every month.



One Motorcycle Show - we went February 10, 2012
Here are our photos. Many more people road to the show by motorcycle this year. Not really a travel or adventure trip, by most people standards, but to me, any trip inside of Portland or another big city by motorcycle is an adventure. 



Portland Alley Sweeper/Urban Enduro Assault, Saturday, April 7, 2012
Portland, Oregon.
The Sang-Froid Riding Club hosts this annual "Alley Sweeper"; the club maps out an "off road" route through alleys and unpaved roads in Portland. We attempted it. It was a disaster. Don't ask why - but if you intend to do it, you better be a fantastic rider in mud and in crowds. A dirt bike or small motorcycle would be best.

 
Weekend camping trip in Eastern Oregon, May 2012 (weekend before Memorial Day). It was a fantastic trip! We went the long way around through Sweet Home, Sisters, Antelope, Shaniko, Fossil, Condon, Heppner, Ukiah, and back - all in Oregon. Great roads beloved among motorcyclists - expect to meet lots of Canadians!



Burning Moto Man, June 22-24, 2012
47008 La Duke, Westfir, Oregon, 40 miles east of Eugene on the Middle Fork of the Willamette River.
Free camping, no fees - bring all your own food and drinks.
Focus: international motorcycle travel. Includes presentations, lots of opportunities to socialize and a backroads ride, often to Crater Lake (snow permitting), about 70 miles of which 20 will be gravel. Alternative paved route possible. Sadly, we had to cancel going this year - at the very last minute, Stefan was told he had to work over the weekend. But I'm putting it here because it was part of our plans for 2012.





Gifford Pinchot National Forest / Southern Washington State
July 6, 7 & 8
Two 1/2 days, 322 miles. Our goal for this trip wasn't just to see lovely sites around Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens and enjoy the ride; I wanted to practice on some gravel roads. And I did! This is my favorite part of the Pacific Northwest - it's so beautiful.


 
Sound RIDER! Rally in The Gorge, August 1-5, 2012
along the Columbia River between Portland and Goldendale in the scenic town of Stevenson, WA at Skamania County Fairgrounds. It's super expensive, but we really wanted to meet some other riders and we wanted to finally camp in the Gorge. Here's what I thought of this particular rally.


 
Northern California, Nevada, Southwestern Oregon, first two weeks of September
2446 miles / 3914 km miles. Lava Beds National Monument, Lassen National Monument, Emmets Pass, Devil's Postpile, LOTS of Nevada, the Alvord Dessert, and everything in between.

Here's a list of all adventure motorcycle / dual sport rallies/meetings world wide in 2012; we didn't go to any outside North America in 2012, unfortunately. Actually, 2012, was the first year since 2000 that I wasn't outside the USA at some point. I'm still quite upset about that.

What makes a great motorcycle rally (& rallies I have attended)

If we had more vacation time, we would take LOTS more trips. But, sadly, the USA has ridiculous, almost Dickens-esque time off policies. Robert Reich says a mandatory three weeks off would be good for both the economy and our mental health - he's so right!

Since then:

In 2018, we went around Steens Mountain, and toured Great Basin National Park and Rachel, Nevada, and more. We spent 13 days, going over 2657 miles / 4276 kilometers, mostly in Nevada. It was a terrific, but incredibly hot and smokey, trip.

In 2017, we traveled for 10 days in Washington State on a Smokey Motorcycle Adventure in August. Yes, it was ridiculously hot. But it was still a terrific trip.

In 2016, we went to the exotic land of Idaho. Included at least 120 miles of gravel. Hells Canyon, Silver City, Idaho, Bruneau Dunes State Park, City of Rocks National Reserve, Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Salmon River Scenic Byway, Custer, Idaho, Ft. Missoula, Montana, historic Wallace, Idaho, Lake Coeur d'Alene, White Pine Scenic Byway, Hell's Canyon Overlook, Oregon, Joseph, Painted Hills, and Little Crater Lake in Mt. Hood National Forest. It has been one of our favorite trips to date - nothing in North America has been more beautiful and interesting as this trip.

In 2015, our motorcycle trips included two weeks mostly in British Columbia, but including Hydar, Alaska (Stewart-Cassiar Highway and the Alaska Highway). We went all the way up to the Yukon and back. Lots of bears, which was awesome. The wind almost ruined the trip at the end.

For our Motorcycle Travel & Rally Activities for 2014, we went to Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Goblin Valley, Farewell Bend Oregon State Park, Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, and Camping in a cow pasture in the deserts of Nevada. And I had my first motorcycle wreck!

In 2011, we went to Yellowstone, Western Montana, Wyoming & more
in June 2011. 15 days, 2680 miles. The trip ended at the legendary Burning Moto Man 2011, in Westfir, Oregon. We also spent one week in Washington state, September 2011 to celebrate my husband's 40th birthday, visiting Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Ape Cave, ice cave and lava tubes, Gifford Pinchot National Forest and a bit of Mt. Hood.

Our Motorcycle Travel & Rally Activities in 2010, my first long-distance motorcycle trips! Acutally, we took two! One to the "Lost Coast" of California, and another to Canada (Alberta and British Columbia, Jasper, Banff & Kootenay National Parks) and Glacier National Park.

Also see this list of my motorcycle travel dreams, big and small!

Also see:

              

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