I had a chance to talk with Mike and Tim at Wednesday’s meeting, and I wanted to follow up with a proposed itinerary and get everyone’s thoughts, ideas, or alternate plans for the ride up. I’ve attached a GPX track for reference.732 miles in total.
Day 1 – Wednesday AM | June 24 Route: 395 → 31 → Fort Rock (pavement), then NF18 through China Hat (dirt section) → 20 → 97 into Redmond before dark. Lodging: There’s a comfortable Best Western Plus in Redmond that I’ve stayed at before. Another option is riverside camping just north of Yakima in the South Canyon area—it looks like a great spot.
Day 2 – Thursday AM Continue north on 97 to Highway 2. It’s a very scenic paved ride. Plan is to arrive in Plain around 3–4 PM, set up camp, and enjoy the festivities.
Day 3 – Friday Touratech Rally
Day 4 – Saturday Touratech Rally
Day 5 – Sunday Break camp and head back, overnight in Redmond.
Day 6 – Monday Return to the Reno area.
There are also training opportunities available through Touratech/DMST if anyone is interested: https://www.touratechrally.com/training
As for lodging on the way up, I’m open to either camping or hotels. Hotels are the easier option—and likely the last real shower for a few days—while the campground does have hose showers. If you’re camping, don’t forget a chair.
My return trip may differ, and I might end up riding solo. I’m considering heading out Saturday evening but haven’t finalized that yet.
Please share your timing, plans, and any ideas. Mike, maybe you can expand on your Tuesday departure idea through the Fort Bidwell area—I won’t be able to leave early, but others might be interested.
Could you and/or other club members on this ride take some brief videos?
With your permission I’d like to edit them into a single brief highlight video to post on our site.
The best videos show action such as riders passing through very scenic or challenging terrain. Videos of skills workshops at the rally would be great too, as well as camping setup videos. Landscape mode is preferred (i.e. hold your phone horizontally).
.
