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Sport Riders Unite!

Discovering the best of the Columbia River Gorge at Sportbike Northwest

Lance Oliver

Photos by Lance Oliver As I launch forward in first gear, my anticipation builds as quickly as the revs of the Ducati Multistrada’s engine.

In front of me are 3½ miles of perfect road leading up out of the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington-Oregon border. Far ahead on the slope, I can see the asphalt coiling back on itself like a black snake amidst the golden, late-summer grass.

I accelerate into the heart of the Ducati’s powerband and bend into the first few curves on Maryhill Loops Road. And it’s quickly apparent this is no ordinary strip of pavement.

No two turns are alike. I roll through a 90-degree lefthander, then multiple hairpins that swoop around more than 180 degrees. There are esses, sweepers and decreasing-radius turns carved through rock. And there’s barely a straight between any of them.

It’s a sampler of all that veers, built as an early experiment in constructing curves. And I’m halfway up the mountain when it sinks in—I have this road all to myself.

Really. At this moment, I’m literally the only person on the entire length of Maryhill Loops Road, a route I wouldn’t be allowed to ride any other day of the year, because it’s not open to traffic.

Soon enough, the other couple hundred riders who are signed up for the weekend’s Sportbike Northwest Rally will begin arriving to ride this road.

But for now, I’m alone, enjoying a brief blast of sportbike nirvana: no speed limits, no oncoming drivers, no lumbering motorhomes.

Just perfect curves, brilliant sunshine and sport tires melding to hot, smooth asphalt—the stuff of motorcycling dreams.

Best of all, it’s just one of the highlights of what may be America’s most unique motorcycle event.

All too quickly, I arrive at the gravel turnaround at the end of this historic road and kill the Ducati’s thumping idle. A light wind ruffles the stillness as I look down over the road and the incredible view of the Columbia River Gorge beyond it. Everything about the experience seems unreal.

But it’s not. So I fire up the Ducati for a repeat performance.

Did you ever wish that for just one afternoon you had your own, private, super-twisty road to enjoy with friends?

Have you ever ridden your sportbike to a rally and felt out of place among a flotilla of luxury tourers, or a parade-ground of cruisers?

Have you ever arrived home from a solo sport-tour and wondered: Where are the others like me, riders who enjoy traveling swiftly yet safely, who appreciate above all the satisfaction of riding well?

Tom Mehren understands.

Mehren publishes Sound Rider (www.soundrider.com), an online motorcycle magazine serving the Puget Sound region of Washington state, that includes something for everyone, including off-road riders. But his heart lies with those who enjoy performance streetbikes, and that’s why he created the Sportbike Northwest Rally.

Centered in Stevenson, Washington, the rally features the spectacular scenery of the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington-Oregon border. The third edition, in late August last year, was still a small event with just a couple hundred people, but growth has been steady.

“I’m probably leaving a lot of money on the table,” Mehren admits. “I could do a cruiser rally. Three days at the beach. Call it Sturgis West or something. But that’s not where my heart is. There are plenty of cruiser rallies already.”

There aren’t many rallies like Sportbike Northwest. And there aren’t many places to go riding that offer the combination of scenery and roads you find in the Columbia River Gorge. Which makes both the event and the site worth a look.

I don’t know about you, but I instantly have a good feeling about any event that lies at the other end of something called the “Bridge of the Gods.” The fact that the bridge, which carries me across the Columbia from Cascade Locks, Oregon, to Stevenson, Washington, offers a reduced toll to motorcyclists is another good omen.

As I roll into the Skamania County Fairgrounds early Friday morning for the first day of Sportbike Northwest, it’s quickly apparent that the “sportbike” in the rally’s name is a bit misleading.

The parking lot is not jammed with race replicas. Instead, sport-touring and sport-standard bikes are most common: Honda’s VFRs, Yamaha FZ1s, Triumph Sprint STs, Ducati ST4s. But there’s a range of machinery I find interesting. I spot a big-bore Kawasaki ZZR1200 next to a flyweight Suzuki GS500, a comfy Yamaha FJR1300 alongside a no-compromises Buell CityX, a few Suzuki SV650s and one MV Agusta Brutale.

If it’s true, as some say, that you are what you ride, this should be a good group to ride with.

And ride we do.

The event covers two days. And you spend most of the daylight hours each day on the bike.

By 10 a.m. on the first day, the first group rides are rolling out of the fairgrounds. I choose something called the Hood Loop and set off on a 178-mile run through the Oregon countryside that features views of Mount Hood from all four compass points. The ride leads us down narrow forest roads that slice through the woods, where occasional openings in the trees offer glimpses of snowy Mount Hood glowing in the sun.

One highlight is Cooper Spur Road, which we pick up just outside the little town of Parkdale. Wider than the paved goat trails of the forest roads, and curvier than the state highways, Cooper Spur is tight, winding and smooth. And it’s over way too soon.

But there’s more in store, including a ride up to a lodge located above the treeline on Mount Hood’s flank. The route incorporates portions of the Barlow Trail, a wagon trail that predated roads.

The day ends with a portion of the Historic Columbia River Highway. It winds over forested bluffs past Vista House, a monument to pioneers that’s sometimes called the world’s most beautiful roadside rest. The afternoon is getting on, but I can’t make myself hurry.

Who could ride past 620-foot Multnomah Falls without stopping? Not me, anyway.

Back at the rally site, I discover the other attraction of Sportbike Northwest: the chance to socialize with like-minded riders.

Everything from inexpensive motels to a classy resort lodge are nearby in Stevenson and Cascade Locks. But camping is free at the fairgrounds for anyone registered for the rally, and that’s where you’ll find most riders as the sun sinks low.

A picnic shelter becomes rally headquarters. Local organizations sell food and drink to raise funds. Picnic tables are lined with benchracers reliving the highlights of the day’s rides.

One of the youngest is Rodney Myrup, a 21-year-old from Olympia, Washington.

“I like to do motorcycle camping, but I’ve always been solo,” he says. “This is just what I need, people to ride with and new roads to ride.”

Myrup has never attended a rally before, and he’s not the only one.

“This is the first rally I’ve ever been to,” says Joe Malloy of Lynnwood, Washington, who rides a Honda CBR600RR. “It seems there’s not a lot of stuff like this for sportbikes.”

Having seen the stunting and burnouts that can crop up at bike nights and casual sportbike gatherings, first-time visitors at Sportbike Northwest are surprised by the laid-back atmosphere here. These are people who do their riding out on the road—not in the parking lot.

“You don’t see any showboating,” says Derrick Montague, a Canadian currently living in Richland, Washington. “Everybody’s just out having a good time.

“You learn from each other, too. You can ride with people who are a little better.”

After dinner, there’s entertainment as unique as the event.

Matt Sanders and Brad Allen are pretty much like everyone else at the rally. They love riding Oregon’s finest roads. But a few years ago, they began combining motorcycling with their other love: filmmaking.

The two mix on-bike footage with interviews of motorcyclists talking about their love for riding, their favorite roads and even their philosophies.

The result, so far, is “Lines,” a five-episode movie Sanders and Allen sell on DVD (www.linesthemovie.com). And it’s a predictable crowd-pleaser when shown to riders at Sportbike Northwest. Laughs, groans and admiring murmurs accompany the on-screen action as darkness falls, and the sound of good times ripples out into the darkness of a cool Washington night.

Day two offers up more great roads, in the form of the rally’s annual poker run, which hits some of the Columbia River Gorge’s most scenic locations.

The first checkpoint on the run is a motorcycling treasure you may have seen on the cover of a book, in a magazine, or on a TV commercial: the Rowena Curves.

We get there the scenic way, following U.S. Route 30, which leads us past orchards and fields with occasional views of the Columbia. It’s a relaxing road, relieved of heavy traffic by nearby Interstate 84 that parallels it.

Just east of Hood River, Oregon, the road climbs a hill overlooking the gorge, with miles-long views of the valley. At the top is Rowena Crest overlook, where we pull off and I get my first look at the real attraction: the serpentine twists of this coast-to-coast U.S. route, descending the bluff in a series of hairpins and wiggles like some back-country road. I gotta try this.

Riding the relentless curves to the bottom, through Mayer State Park, it’s easy to see why this road is a favorite of folks who film car commercials—not to mention the “Lines” guys. One of their five movie segments features these very curves.

At the bottom, there’s no way I can resist a U-turn to ride back up the hill and enjoy it again.

I spend nearly an hour at the Rowena Crest overlook, enjoying the scenery and watching riders stream down the hill.

But on this ride, the Rowena Curves are only a warmup. Checkpoint No. 2 is my introduction to the Maryhill Loops Road.

For 364 days each year, motorcyclists can do nothing but dream about this private road, built by an eccentric millionaire (see “What in Sam Hill...”, above, right). Mehren fulfills those dreams by renting the road for his rally participants to ride. From 1 to 4 p.m., it’s all ours. Volunteer starters keep the bikes spaced apart, but we’re free to ride Maryhill as many times as we like during the three-hour time window.

I make my first trip up the hill, knowing that more good roads lie ahead on the way back to the fairgrounds, where there’ll be dinner, more bench racing, and another motorcycling movie after darkness falls.

Even with all that waiting, I’m not ready to leave this unique place. So I fire up the Ducati, pull back into line, and wait my turn to ride the Maryhill Loops once again.

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Three Ways Not to Wear Out Your Welcome

“Off the top of your head, it doesn’t sound like a good idea, a rally for sportbike riders in this world of liability,” admits rally organizer Tom Mehren.

But Mehren takes a simple, three-step process to keeping things sane, safe and fun at Sportbike Northwest, and making sure the people of Stevenson, Washington, are glad to see him return each year.

1 Focus on Safe Riding. Each year, Mehren invites a guest speaker with a background in motorcycle safety. In 2005, the speaker was David Hough, author of “Proficient Motorcycling” and other books and magazine articles about riding safety. Each morning began with “Coffee with Dave,” an informal discussion of riding techniques, gear and other issues. And just before each ride, the last thing riders heard from him were these cautionary words: Have fun, but remember, crashing is no fun.

2 One Simple Rule. Mehren has one rule for the Skamania County Fairgrounds and the Maryhill Loops Road, the two places where he is the law: No breaking traction. A wheelie, stoppie or burnout means your wristband is clipped and you’re asked to leave. It’s a hard-and-fast rule. Maybe that’s why Mehren has never had to enforce it.

3 Give Something Back. Sportbike Northwest supports local charities. In 2005, the rally donated money to the Skamania Kids Explorer Fund, which funds field trips for local kids to many of the state parks and historic sites the riders themselves visit. Mehren learned that local kids often haven’t had the opportunity to see the wonders in their own backyards.

Sportbike Northwest Named AMA Northwest Regional Road-Riding Convention in 2006

Tom Mehren and company expect Sportbike Northwest to be bigger than ever this year.

And as a showcase rally in the region, the event, to be held August 24-27, has been named the AMA’s Northwest Regional Road Riding Convention.

This year, in addition to all the great scenery, roads and camaraderie, the rally will feature demo rides by Triumph Motorcycles, which has signed on as a new sponsor. That means you can ride not only the Maryhill Loops Road, but also the new Daytona 675 sportbike or any other Triumph that catches your interest.

Sound like your kind of rally? Get full information or register online at www.soundrider.com
/sbnw/.

What in Sam Hill…?

Riding east on Washington Route 14, forested slopes give way to treeless, parched hills, and an apparition appears.

It’s a massive mansion, set amid an oasis of vineyards and lush lawns overlooking the Columbia River, far from any town or other obvious reason for existence.

Just beyond the mansion lies something even more odd: a replica of Stonehenge. And somewhere beyond that is the Maryhill Loops Road, the sinuous string of curves that climbs the toast-brown hills and ends...nowhere.

What’s all this? It’s the work of Sam Hill.

A North Carolina-born Quaker who made and lost fortunes in a variety of entrepreneurial endeavors, Hill was tireless, even maniacal, in spinning ideas.

What is today the Maryhill Museum, an eclectically stocked art museum in the middle of nowhere, was intended to be Hill’s mansion overlooking a utopian town. But the town failed and he never lived in the mansion.

The Stonehenge replica was built as a monument to peace, inspired by Hill’s visit to the original during World War I and based on an erroneous account of human sacrifices taking place at Stonehenge. Hill felt the war was a sacrifice of youth.

But the Sam Hill legacy of most interest to motorcyclists today was his role in bringing roads to the West in the early 1900s, when virtually no pavement existed.

“Good roads are more than my hobby; they are my religion,” Hill proclaimed, and he lobbied for them with evangelical zeal.

Hill put his own money into his belief that good roads would transform society. He built 10 miles of roads on his ranch, just to test materials and construction techniques. One of those, the Maryhill Loops Road, is maintained today by the state as a historic site. You can only ride it at Sportbike Northwest.

Hill’s biggest success came across the river in Oregon. The Columbia River Highway, the road he had long envisioned to make the beauty of the gorge accessible to the masses, was built from 1913 to 1915, and it’s still a great ride today.

Mount Hood

Stonehenge replica meets race replica.

Some misguided people who don’t ride motorcycles think Interstate 84 is a welcome alternative to the Rowena Curves.

There’s only one way you can ride the Maryhill Loops Road: Sign up for Sportbike Northwest. It’s worth the price of admission.