(File photo)
If Oakridge had an unofficial base camp for mountain biking adventurers, it would be The Trailhead.
This aptly named cafe is right at the start of Main Street in Oakridge (which is actually a highway), and I couldn’t think of a better welcome to town.
The Trailhead has a surprising menu. Who would have thought you could get a turkey and brie sandwich or a Thai wrap with tofu in Oakridge?
The staff is a nice mix of folks. Once when I was there (they’ve got wi-fi…sometimes), someone in back was belting out a rap tune he’d written.
Mountain biker Matt Slaven, who lives in Portland but is a regular in Oakridge, says The Trailhead is the place to hook up with other riders, “Pretty much any Saturday morning, you just stop in for breakfast and there’s sure to be some other riders in there.”
Owner David Chamberlain (a mountain biker himself) opened up the cafe four years ago. Some say if it weren’t for mountain bikers, The Trailhead might not exist.
I don’t know if that’s true or not, but when I stopped in on my way out of town today, the staff was hurriedly prepping for an onslaught. One of them said, “The event (Mountain Bike Oregon) is over soon, and there’s no more food at the park…we’re expecting a bunch of hungry cyclists and pretty soon we’ll be running around like crazy trying to keep up.”
Next time you’re in Oakridge, be sure to stop in.