"Bike packing" around Bend, OR in July????

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Kind of hatching a crazy plan right now. So I really want to go to Bend around 7/20 for a 5-7 days. Mostly to mountain bike and camp. As a bonus Phish is playing 2 nights in town.

How crazy of an idea is this: Fly into Bend/Redmond with my bike and backpack with lightweight camping gear. Not even rent a car. What is camping like in the National Forest / state land?

In 7 years in Colorado I don't think I paid to camp once. Pick a fire road and ride up it several miles and camp. Is the Bend area this way? Feasible to setup a base camp and ride for a couple days then move camp to ride another zone? I am OK with paying to camp a couple nights if I have too, but I prefer secluded/quite/remote/primitive camping as opposed to National Forest RV loops with 60 footers from Texas loaded with 5 kids and 3 dogs "camping" 15 feet away.

I think this could be a cool and challenging trip.

[RootSkier]

Sounds like fun except the entire Northwest might seriously be on fire by then. I am in MT but I expect significant portions of the NF to be mostly or entirely closed to public use by the end of the summer. It's really, really bad right now.

[mntlion]

lots of free camping west of bend. We usually drive down, tacoma with poptop, and never pay.

[TBS]

What Mntlion sez. Plenty of free primitive camping on USFS land between Sisters and LaPine. And the ganja will be legal by then, although no place to actually purchase until next year.

[jm2e]

Curios idea. Have you worked out the details on how to manage your shit?
Assuming you'll be staying in a hotel the first and last night, how will you get from airport to hotel with the bike? Do you anticipate the giant luggage being an issue with taxis/shuttles?
What to do with your non-bike-packing shit while you're out on the trail?

Incidentally, team Knolly NC (mr & mrs jm2e) will be flying out there next week for about 10 days, bikes in tow. Flying into Eugene and getting picked up by friends with station wagon. Will be riding around Corvallis mostly, but plan a few days in Bend. No plans to sleep on ground, except for a few minutes following dramatic crashes. Will report on trail closure. And awesomeness.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Haven't worked out any details yet. It's 17 miles from the airport to downtown Bend. Figured I could be that weirdo riding his 150mm mountain bike on the highway into Bend.

Was thinking I would just try to hide my shit behind some boulders or something during the day while I was out riding.

This trip may not happen at all now because Knolly has a demo Podium for sale that I am gonna pull the trigger on. Ideally, I would fly out with the Warden and Podium and rent a car and ride trails and do park days at Bachelor. My wallet would turn into a singularity if I tried that though.

[pollydog]

Shoot me a pm. I could pick you up at the airport and give you a ride to/from (if I don't have any work/family conflicts)

[schuss]

I'd imagine it will be hot as balls during that time, so camping may not be 100% ideal.

[TBS]

Normal highs are in the low 90s and lows in the mid-low 40s this time of year.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Shoot me a pm. I could pick you up at the airport and give you a ride to/from (if I don't have any work/family conflicts)

That would be sweet. I'll let you know.

Normal highs are in the low 90s and lows in the mid-low 40s this time of year.

I am from the SE Asian Jungles of New Jersey. 90s are fine when its not 90% humidity like it is here. We sleep in plastic sweat bags just so the bugs dont carry you away at night. We ride bikes on days when you lucky semi-arrid types would turn into a puddle of goo if you walked outside.

::: pumps fist :::

:::regrets certain life choices::: lol

[TBS]

^^^it is quite muggy today, with a lot of clouds and probably thunderboomers this evening...high will be in mid 80s, humidity @ 25%
Ten day forecast is for unseasonably hot conditions with highs in high 90s, lows in the 50s and humidity in the low-mid 20% range.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Ok, so I am thinking about doing a more normal trip and renting a car. Still probably end up camping most of the time to save loot.

So whats the best way to travel with two bikes? Shipping vs. flying them in a bike bag/case?

[jm2e]

^^^it is quite muggy today, with a lot of clouds and probably thunderboomers this evening...high will be in mid 80s, humidity @ 25%
Ten day forecast is for unseasonably hot conditions with highs in high 90s, lows in the 50s and humidity in the low-mid 20% range.

Seriously, people who live in the West have no idea how/why this weather forcast actually sounds quite lovely. Today in NC will be 100F and 90% humidity. Low will be about 80F in the middle of the night, so riding earlier or later in the day doesn't really give you much advantage. And the trails are soaked. By soaked, I mean swampy soaked.

Ok, so I am thinking about doing a more normal trip and renting a car. Still probably end up camping most of the time to save loot.

So whats the best way to travel with two bikes? Shipping vs. flying them in a bike bag/case?

I have a Dakine Bike Bag that I fly with. Similar to the Evoc bag. It's 100x more convenient to use than a hard plastic Thule style case for multiple reasons. That said, if you don't already have one, not an economical option. Airlines will charge about $150 each way. There's maybe a 25% chance they won't charge you. Once you get to the destination airport, it might be tough finding transportation that can accommodate a humongous bag.
The shipbikes.com option seems to be about the same price as airline charges. Maybe a better option to eliminate logistical hassles. Could you ship it to a hotel or bike shop?
Unless you're going to Whistler, I can't see it being worth shipping the Podium. That's a gigantic extra piece of luggage for a couple days of riding.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Perhaps you are right on not bringing the DH bike. I am just a crack fiend. A couple days at the bike park and I barely want to ride regular trails anymore and that is just with the Warden. Can only imagine my jones getting worse with the Podium.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Anyway my flights are booked! 7/17 - 23. Flying into PDX instead of Bend. Gonna rent the smallest vehicle that I can fit my bike into. Trails to stop off at between PDX and Bend?

[TBS]

Some people say the McKenzie River Trail is an OK ride...
And some think Black Rock has some OK features, a few built by maggots...
And if you take the long way to Bend there's a town called Oakridge where people occasionally ride MTBs...

Mt Bachelor rents gravity sleds for their park

Hopefully our heat wave will have abated by then.

[forty]

Curios idea. Have you worked out the details on how to manage your shit?
Assuming you'll be staying in a hotel the first and last night, how will you get from airport to hotel with the bike? Do you anticipate the giant luggage being an issue with taxis/shuttles?
What to do with your non-bike-packing shit while you're out on the trail?

Incidentally, team Knolly NC (mr & mrs jm2e) will be flying out there next week for about 10 days, bikes in tow. Flying into Eugene and getting picked up by friends with station wagon. Will be riding around Corvallis mostly, but plan a few days in Bend. No plans to sleep on ground, except for a few minutes following dramatic crashes. Will report on trail closure. And awesomeness.

whatcha doing in cornvalley?
thats my old hood, need any rec's from brew to trail i got ya covered, mac forest has some good out the back door riding (sss is a fave), but dont miss alsea falls and marys peak as well which are only a short drive

Perhaps you are right on not bringing the DH bike. I am just a crack fiend. A couple days at the bike park and I barely want to ride regular trails anymore and that is just with the Warden. Can only imagine my jones getting worse with the Podium.

there is absolutely no need for the podium in bend, lift served is a joke is current rumor, and its flat as a pancake, seriously, warden is more than enough for anything you will ride

Anyway my flights are booked! 7/17 - 23. Flying into PDX instead of Bend. Gonna rent the smallest vehicle that I can fit my bike into. Trails to stop off at between PDX and Bend?

skip bend?

im the minority here, but i fucking hate bend...
moon dust for dirt, flat flat flat, and full of retirees and imported cali douche, no thanks, i will pass
thats being harsh, but only kind of, when i visit OR i dont go to bend is what im saying, there is this big valley with a forrest full of trees and loam just a short dive to the west, thats where i like to spend my time playing...

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

The only real reason I am actually going to Bend proper is for the Phish shows. Otherwise I am open to anywhere within a couple hundred miles where I can camp for free and ride bikes.

[forty]

good, thats the correct answer

now what kind of riding do you really want to do?
imo either pick a single area to really learn, or mad dash quick hits at a few of the best spots
exploring the urt/mrt/oakridge areas may be right up your ally, less people and more out in the middle of nowhere adventure feeling
but i would pick blackrock/alsea falls/post canyon as places to hit as freeride is my jam and i hate pedaling
ashand is pretty special with 5k of super d descent, but a long haul from the other places of interest, and i hate that town too haha

narrow down what sort of memories you want to make and do some googling, lots of options from perfected berms and flow to miles of natural singletrack alone in the woods, but try to limit drive distances as getting around is slower than you may think to these places... dont waste time in the car when you could be playing in the dirt

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Yeah I am into flowy bermy stuff with lots of downhill. Also like remote singletrack with nice scenery too, but flowly freeride type stuff without tons of slogging is more my style.

Necessary to rent a vehicle with clearance? An econoline van is the same price per day as a tiny Japanese hatchback, but I would end up spending more on gas.

[Tap]

tiny hatchback will work fine

[Danno]

Yeah I am into flowy bermy stuff with lots of downhill. Also like remote singletrack with nice scenery too, but flowly freeride type stuff without tons of slogging is more my style.

Necessary to rent a vehicle with clearance? An econoline van is the same price per day as a tiny Japanese hatchback, but I would end up spending more on gas.

can you sleep in the econoline?

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

can you sleep in the econoline?

That was the first thought, but I would rather sleep outside anyway.

[jm2e]

A mini van would be perfect. Give you a place to keep all your luggage, and also allow you to stealth camp if necessary.

I hit Black Rock (BRMBA) for a day during a brief trip a couple winters ago. It's really hard to fathom what they've done there. I don't hit any big (or even medium) features, and had a blast. If you make this trip and skip it you're doing yourself a massive disservice.
Oregon is worth it just to see the massive trees and epic ferns.

[jm2e]

whatcha doing in cornvalley?
thats my old hood, need any rec's from brew to trail i got ya covered, mac forest has some good out the back door riding (sss is a fave), but dont miss alsea falls and marys peak as well which are only a short drive.

We've got some friends who work at the University in Corvallis. Rode there for a couple days once and loved it. The Mac is an amazing resource. Looking to branch out a little more this time. Wife bruised some ribs at BRMBA last time, hoping to not repeat that!!