The Oregon Trail

I remember back in elementary school when computers were pretty “new” and we had the old school apple computers with the green screens. My favorite games to play were Number Munchers (I have always been a math nerd) and The Oregon Trail. Little did I know that one day, I’d actually be riding trails in Oregon on this cool machine called a mountain bike. (although I did not ride the Oregon Trail)

I got the opportunity to spend a whole week in a state I had always wanted to visit. As the Ergon sales manager, part of my job is to visit bike shops and make sure that the buyers are educated with our brand, check to see if they have any comments or complaints, and also simply to make a contact on a personal level with all our dealers since Ergon is ordered through the distributors and not directly. When I got the word that Oregon was next on my itinerary, I planned it so I could race the Cascade CreamPuff on the weekend, and work during the week.

I got to see a huge chunk of the state, visiting Portland, Bend, Oakridge, and Eugene by car! I made sure to taste the local singletrack flavor in each area. When I think of Oregon, I think of moss, loamy singletrack, and thick trees. Here are my impressions of each area so if you go to Oregon, you know what to expect!

Portland.

Banana slug. I have never seen anything like this before! I thought it was a snake at first!

I forgot what this called, but you can actually eat it and it’s sour and tart. YUM!

I rode a trail called Scappoose. The guy at the bike shop said to park next to a blue gate and the trails all loop on each other.

I couldn’t get over how big the trees in Oregon are compared to Colorado. They are a LOT wider in diameter and so tall!

It was so dark in some sections of the trail that it almost seemed like nighttime. Clear lenses are a must. It was literally like being in the jungle!

There are some really cool trails around Mt St. Helen’s that I didn’t get to ride because you have to drive far, but I would love to check those out!

Oakridge/Eugene area

Portland sits at sea level, but Oakridge is in the mountains with an elevation of close to 1500′. The trails were a little drier and not quite as “jungly.” There was a LOT more moss and the rivers were soooo big, deep, and clear. It was mind blowingly gorgeous.

At the CreamPuff

Bend.

I headed East and was absolutely shocked to find myself in the high desert. Who knew? It looked a lot like spots on New Mexico and Colorado. The singletrack was no longer like carpet, but very fine, dry dust and smaller dry pine trees.