Following the rivers

As we would put together the routes for the Rally in the Gorge each year, we often found ourselves parked next to a river. And where there’s a road by a river, there’s bound to be plenty of fun corners.

We may not have the Tail of the Dragon here in the Pacific Northwest, but we’ve got plenty of twisties just about anywhere you go.

And so, it became apparent we were creating some pretty nice poker run routes for the Rally that seemed to tie together multiple rivers. And with that, a series of Three Rivers fun runs began.

In 2016 I took the concept further, twice!

For the annual Road Trip tour that year, I created a paved route that traveled from the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria to the headwaters of that monstrous river near the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in British Columbia. The idea being to hug the river as closely as possible using the paved roads that followed it. Wow. We saw some stuff you might not otherwise see if you were just using highways.

For the annual Sasquatch Dual Sport Tour a month later, I had crafted up the mixed surface version incorporating as many dirt roads as possible. Some days were pretty long in the saddle, but by week's-end everyone on the tour had completed the route. And again, we saw stuff we’d never see just doing a simple car tour on the highways. At Grays Pass, we literally pushed the bikes up over about a half mile of snow since we were a day ahead of the nearby plow being put into service. No bribes worked so we pushed through!

Since the dawn of man, rivers have been essential gathering places for humans since food and water are typically plentiful. Here in the Pacific Northwest most hunting lodges are located along rivers. They often have some sort of food service so it’s a welcome stop for riders as well.

And there’s more than just the Columbia River to follow if you want to create your own route. Taking a ride around Mount Hood entwines you with the Columbia, Sandy, and Hood rivers. Or you can follow the Klickitat River north from the Gorge and get up close and personal with Mt. Adams, then head back to the Gorge following the White Salmon River. A romp over SR20 traces the Skagit River to Washington Pass, then hugs you tight along the Methow River.

So what about creating your own adventure with the river theme. Could a route be created following the Snake River? How about a day ride hugging the Snoqualmie River? Or, what about a route following the Willamette River or the John Day River? All these are possible in one way or another. Simply open up a Benchmark Atlas and start making reality from your dream.

I like to start with a fresh version of an atlas for whatever states or provinces I’ll be routing. Old atlases never have the latest road info, so go with a current one, not Dad’s old Thomas Brothers guide from the 60s.

Then I crank it all into the GPS software and out comes the route. Now it’s time to ride!

Tom Mehren/May 2024

Tom Mehren is the founding publisher of Sound RIDER! and creator of the Road Trip and Sasquatch Tours that ran from 2010-2021. You can still get the tour books and GPS files by clicking here.