State 50 of 50  

    Oregon

Capital: Salem

Population: 3,421,000 (ranked 27th of 50 states)

Area: 255,000 km² (ranked 9th of 50 states)

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Ride Report

This state: 1,553 kms     Journey to date: 31,586 kms

Scroll down below the route map for this state's ride report and photos

Ride Report

Oregon, out of the 50 states I've been in, seems the most diverse. In 3 days I've ridden coastal, marshland, desert, pine forest, rolling farmland, wooded lakeshores and the jewel in the crown, Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the US. Add to that a smoky haze caused by forest fires and Oregon dished up something different around every corner.

I've nicked into Oregon already, at the start, when I rode to Hells Canyon between Washington and Idaho. But the photos below are of the western side of the state.

Oregon also represented the start of the finish. In Eugene I was invited to be guest speaker at BMW Eugene, owners Scott & Madelyn Russell, who put on an evening for their customers. Twisting Throttle Australia was the main subject but the US jaunt also got airtime. While in Eugene I washed the bike at a car wash place & water-blasted 58 days of bugs, dirt and grime out of every cranny. I've got to make sure NZ customs don't force a steam clean when they inspect it so now's the time to clean it with 2 days to go. Grasshoppers came tumbling out of the bash plate, having hitched a ride from Kansas. I can't remember the windscreen being this bug-free and I emptied 2 cans of degreaser on the wheel rims and sprockets. I just hope MAF don't ask to see the air filter.

Then I went to a launderette and washed my tent, fly and groundsheet. Again I need them to be dirt-free for MAF inspection back home.

Through Oregon I had the riding companionship of Blane Howell (pictured in the photos on his 1150RT) from Salem. I also enjoyed the warm hospitality of Terry & Linda Boehm in Salem & you'll see a picture of a BBQ at their place.