I’m moving to Oakridge

On Alpine Trail.
(File photo)

Just finished my first day of riding down here at Mountain Bike Oregon in Oakridge.

The trails are out of this world and my tent is set up mere feet from the rushing of the green-blue Willamette River (and just a few yards from the beer garden).

I left Portland (very) early this morning, ate breakfast at camp, packed a lunch, then hopped on a yellow school bus full of other riders for 20 miles of some of the best singletrack I’ve ever ridden. We did a trail known as Alpine: about 20 miles, with 4,500 feet of descending on glorious, narrow, and perfectly maintained trails.

After that morning ride, I hopped on another bus to the top of Larison Creek and then enjoyed another few miles of singletrack bliss that ended right at camp.

Bike Gallery set me up with a very nice Gary Fisher Hi-fi full suspension bike and it has performed without a glitch.

I’m enjoying the rhythm and flow of the riding, hitting the corners just right, rolling through the forest enveloped in a blur of ferns and fallen logs (while trying to not crash with the $2,000 worth of rented lenses on my back!).

We rode on knife-edge cliffs, through meadows of Bear Grass, down shale-strewn switchbacks, in and out of shadowy groves. Pure magic. Just like I remembered it.

I’m headed back to camp. I need a beer. Enjoy the slideshow. I’ll post more tomorrow…

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.