Oregon

A collection of 64 posts

Classic Roads

US 101 in Oregon: An Oceanside Wonderland

US 101 is perhaps most famous for its stretch in California, where it connects with (or forms a part of, depending on your definitions) the Pacific Coast Highway with SR 1. However, the road doesn’t end at California’s northern border. If anything, it might get even better from

Jul/Aug '25 Premium Content

Portland, Oregon Shamrock Tour®

Spruce, Cedar, Oak and Giant Airplanes Birds aren’t real, the sticker on the back of the Subaru suggested. The faded green Outback was parked next to my 2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 LT outside the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, OR. The sticker was somehow appropriate, as we

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Alvord Desert, Oregon: Blood, Sweat, and Gears

It wasn’t the sound of a Honda Africa Twin booming across the Alvord Desert in 103 degrees that got our attention. Nor was it the cloud of dust rising from the long, sweeping powerslides its rider was performing. It was the abrupt stop. The absolute silence. When the dust

Travel Guide

10 of the Best Cities for Motorcycling in the US

If you ask 10 motorcyclists what the best cities for motorcycling are in America, you’ll get 10 different answers. Although it’s great that our country has such a buffet of excellent riding, it can also make it difficult to choose where to point your front wheel. It’s

City Escape

City Escape: Salem, Oregon

Let’s escape the city—the city of Salem, OR, that is. Twisties abound.  The Beaver State capital is located along the Willamette River in Western Oregon. This route leads you up and down, twisting through the valleys and foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the east and rich farm

Destinations Premium Content

Boring, OR—The Most Exciting Place to Visit

Booooooooooring! So you might think, but Boring, OR, is anything but boring. In fact, according to the town’s slogan, it’s the “the most exciting place to live.”  Alright, maybe that’s a bit of marketing hyperbole, but the sentiment stands. There’s plenty of fun stuff to see

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Deadman Pass, OR

Classic Roads

The King of Roads—Historic Columbia River Highway

A title like the King of Roads sets up a lot of expectations. The Historic Columbia River Highway lives up to all of them. That’s not the only accolade bestowed upon this 75-mile stretch between The Dalles and Troutdale, OR, though. It’s also designated a National Historic

City Escape Premium Content

City Escape: Ashland, Oregon

Buried between the remote Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges just north of the California state line lies the charming town of Ashland, OR. This burg’s location, far from any major city, is probably the greatest part of Ashland’s allure—Portland is about 300 miles to the north and

Travel Guide

12 Cities to Visit for Amazing Mural Art

Not all fine art is confined to museums and galleries. Many American cities are chock-full murals and other works of street art that rival whatever you may find in the local art museums. Your motorcycle is an excellent vehicle for ferrying you from one mural to the next. With

Nov/Dec '23

City Escape: Grants Pass, Oregon

Oregon is a very green state and this route takes you to some of its greenest parts. You’ll start with a northbound jaunt on the I-5, but don’t let the interstate put you off. I-5 is a roller coaster of a road, with sweeping curves that

Travel Guide

4 Unique Desert Rides

Deserts possess a unique magic, but their serene beauty often masks inherent dangers. Yet, when you’re equipped for the ride with plenty of water, sun protection, and working high-quality maps, they can deliver unforgettable moto trips. Deserts offer properly prepared riders astonishing vistas and amazing landscapes, with sunrises

WEB Exclusive

Vista House at Crown Point—Corbett, OR

In 1918, long before the advent of interstate highways and expansive rest areas, architect Edgar Lazarus designed a “comfort station” atop Crown Point, which overlooks the Columbia River Gorge some 25 miles east of Portland, OR. Perched atop a stunning basalt promontory, approximately 700 feet above the Columbia River, is

Sep/Oct '23 Premium Content

ZenMoto Part 4: Oregon to California

It takes just one day off the bike for all of my gear to leap out of the bags and be strewn all around the room. It’s been a good day off in Jacksonville, OR, but it’s time to gear up for the final stretch. Ocean It’s

Accommodations

Review: Abigail’s Bed & Breakfast Inn—Ashland, OR

My long day on the BMW R 18 began near Seattle and culminated in Ashland, OR. In this small town, renowned for hosting the annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival, I arrived at Abigail’s Bed & Breakfast Inn. Against the blushing evening sky, the sight of the charming Victorian-styled Abigail’

Jul/Aug '23 Premium Content

ZenMoto Part 3: Idaho to Oregon

Motorcycle travel connects you to the land in a unique and singular way. You sense the size of the world as it rolls beneath your wheels. You feel the massive forces shaping the terrain as you traverse it. You acknowledge the footsteps of native tribes and settlers that came before.

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

3 Days From Denver, CO to Princeton, OR

Late June, Denver, CO. Summers here are always hot and dry, and I can’t wait to get out of the big city. I’ve got the last of my Mosko Moto bags packed. I throw the kickstand up, kick it into first gear, and I’m off. I won’

Destinations

Stop Along The Oregon Trail in The Dalles, OR

Yesterday & Today Although indigenous people inhabited the Columbia River area for millennia and the Lewis and Clark expedition camped here, The Dalles owes its beginning and name to French-speaking Hudson Bay Company fur traders. The word dalle roughly translates to English as a “large tile” or “flagstone,” and

Accommodations

Review: The Itty Bitty Inn—North Bend, OR

Before departing Southern California for an extended coastal trip, I did some random searching for possible hotels along my planned route. One in particular caught my attention—the Itty Bitty Inn in North Bend, OR. Comprising just five rooms, this old-school roadside motel has a bizarre and infectious charm.

WEB Exclusive

Destination: Grants Pass, OR

The town was “named in honor of General Ulysses S. Grant’s 1863 victory at Vicksburg. Originally named Grant’s Pass’s, the apostrophe was dropped after 1900. Grants Pass was a stagecoach stop in the 1860’s. It became a rail head when the Oregon-California Railroad (now Southern

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

A Thousand Shifts

The strange, quiet noise of travel. When you have nothing but time to think—about the past, about all the good and the bad times, about the things that lie ahead, for now unknown but certainly there, approaching on that smooth ribbon of pavement. I was somewhere between my home

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

A U.S. Bucket List on a Budget

Slurping a coffee at Burnout Cafe in Vancouver, Canada, the butterflies in my tummy were doing barrel rolls. This was it! The start of our big ride from Canada to the southern tip of Argentina. With no house to sell and no apartment to rent out while we are gone,

Sep/Oct '22

City Escape: Portland, Oregon

This route includes a ride through some foothills of the Cascade Range, awe-inspiring waterfalls, and a cut across the Willamette Valley into Oregon’s Wine Country. There are good stopping points in some of western Oregon’s colorful small towns. From mountain views to working farmland, rolling hills and

Travel Guide

Top 10 Motorcycle Rides to See Fall Colors

One of the best things about motorcycle touring is experiencing an area with all of your senses. You hear, see, and feel more than you would from inside a windowed vehicle. At RoadRUNNER, we always feel more connected to an area after a bike tour. Fall is one of our

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

A Decade-Long Riding Tradition

Every summer we do at least one group ride. We used to spend the whole week together,  but now, three days is about the best we can manage. This year, we chose Oregon and Washington State. Most of the group flew into Portland and rented BMWs. With a fresh Ducati