[OGRipper]

We typically obey the rules when it comes to leash laws, but I admit that sometimes we let our dogs off-leash when it's technically not allowed.

I also sometimes ride my bike on trails where bikes are not allowed.

I also sometimes exceed posted speed limits.

Yup. And I'm not being a dick making the reports, or telling them there are rangers coming. I'm avoiding telling them directly they're entitled twats that think the rules don't apply to them.

So passive aggression and trickery instead of directly making your point and moving on. Got it.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
So passive aggression and trickery instead of directly making your point and moving on. Got it.

Trust me - I've tried the direct approach. You'd be *amazed* that people don't actually react to it very well. So, over time, I've come up with a system that works for me.

 

[binary visions]

Back on the original topic...

Oakridge checks a lot of your boxes. Also, the mtb trails are top notch, seriously some of the best on the West Coast. Like a lot of similar places however, you need to be ready to deal with right-wing nut jobs though.

Thanks for chiming in. We had originally discounted California, partly for cost reasons. Was doing some poking around San Jose area on AirBnb and the prices are definitely a bit high from what I'm initially seeing.

We tend to keep to ourselves and spend most of our time on the trails, so usually the nutjobs don't impact us too much

 

[OGRipper]

Back on the original topic...



Thanks for chiming in. We had originally discounted California, partly for cost reasons. Was doing some poking around San Jose area on AirBnb and the prices are definitely a bit high from what I'm initially seeing.

We tend to keep to ourselves and spend most of our time on the trails, so usually the nutjobs don't impact us too much

Yeah sorry for the derail there...

Not sure I understand your post about California though. Oakridge is in Oregon.

I'm in SF and for sure this area and down South to San Jose and beyond will probably be more than "a bit" high. Plus there are too many people, too much traffic, etc. I would never choose San Jose if I had the option to work remotely.

 

[binary visions]

Not sure I understand your post about California though. Oakridge is in Oregon.

Derp, sorry. There's an Oak Ridge, CA and I knew you were in CA so I thought you might be recommending some place local.

 

[iRider]

Oakridge, Oregon on Trailforks

Oakridge has three hundred plus miles of riding with everything from easy river trail rides to long downhill shuttle action.

www.trailforks.com

 

[iRider]

Oakridge checks a lot of your boxes. Also, the mtb trails are top notch, seriously some of the best on the West Coast.

Ring....ring....British Columbia is on the phone and wants to have a word with you.

 

[boostindoubles]

How is the riding in Yakima?

It's getting better. There are options now locally that ride almost year round and within an hour of driving there are more options. We have put in close to 30 miles of sagebrush singletrack in the last 10 years. Working on a 30k sq ft asphalt pumptrack now. It's in the works!

Also - the options for dog friendly hiking are much greater than the mountain bike trail options.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Guys - I don't think @binary visions rides bikes any more...

 

[OGRipper]

Ring....ring....British Columbia is on the phone and wants to have a word with you.

Ha! Yeah, yeah, of course. I said "some of the best" and I'll stand by it. For sure BC has amazing trails, probably the best, but there's the whole citizenship thing to consider for a relocation, and the popular spots are getting crowded and no longer cheap. That said, like a lot of people I'd move to Squamish if I could figure out how to make it work.

 

[binary visions]

Guys - I don't think @binary visions rides bikes any more...

I'm not traveling with a bike, since we're only taking what we can fit in the car and it's a tight squeeze. But if there's good riding nearby, I'll rent something and go for a ride.

It's just not the primary source of outdoor time now - we spend more of our time hiking with the dog.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Ha! Yeah, yeah, of course. I said "some of the best" and I'll stand by it. For sure BC has amazing trails, probably the best, but there's the whole citizenship thing to consider for a relocation, and the popular spots are getting crowded and no longer cheap. That said, like a lot of people I'd move to Squamish if I could figure out how to make it work.

I think you can go for 6 months at a time... which seems like it would work quite well for @binary visions.

My wife and I have delusions of grandeur that we may do something akin to our nerd overlord and his lovely companion once the final kid is out of the house... and the Canadian Rockies are WAY high on my list for spending some quality time in...

 

[Jm_]

People think the only places in CA are LA/SD/SoCal metro and the Bay Area.

 

[SkaredShtles]

People think the only places in CA are LA/SoCal metro and the Bay Area.

 

[binary visions]

I think you can go for 6 months at a time... which seems like it would work quite well for @binary visions.

Yep, that's what we figured - we can do several months up there and then come back to the US and go somewhere else.

We went to Banff when it was pretty much peak season, and still a large majority of our hiking didn't have very many people on the trails - even as the popular spots crowd up, I feel like you can escape a majority of the crowds by just sticking to the longer hikes that aren't directly at the major landmarks. And waking up early, of course.

The Banff downtown was a nightmare, but we didn't go there so we could shop at the kitschy art galleries.

 

[boostindoubles]

Yakima's problem is the demographics are terrible. Rich white trump lovers and poor white trump lovers make up 30%. Marginalized brown people make up a solid 60% and the last 10% is everyone else.

 

[iRider]

Ha! Yeah, yeah, of course. I said "some of the best" and I'll stand by it. For sure BC has amazing trails, probably the best, but there's the whole citizenship thing to consider for a relocation, and the popular spots are getting crowded and no longer cheap. That said, like a lot of people I'd move to Squamish if I could figure out how to make it work.

Not disagreeing with you that Oakridge has some great trails. But when I lived in OR some years back they were more geared towards trail bikes, quite flowy, smooth, no jumps and not too steep. So I did end up in Blackrock more often ... in about a 10:1 ratio. I guess if I had lived in Eugene I would have been more often there, but the vast trail network in the McDonald and Dunn forests satisfied my trail bike riding needs nearly as well and could be accessed on bike from town.
I liked Alpine and Moon Point and one of the Larison ones ("Rock" I think?), but personally I rate Mary's Peak North Ridge higher as it was way more technical, borderline unrideable in spots. Heard it got dumbed down quite a bit after I left, which is a shame if true.

 

[iRider]

I'm not traveling with a bike, since we're only taking what we can fit in the car and it's a tight squeeze. But if there's good riding nearby, I'll rent something and go for a ride.

It's just not the primary source of outdoor time now - we spend more of our time hiking with the dog.

j/k

 

[Adventurous]

People think the only places in CA are LA/SD/SoCal metro and the Bay Area.

Right? Let's not forget the Central and Coachella Valleys!

 

[Adventurous]

If hiking is your jam, have you considered a wee sojourn to Alaska?

 

[6thElement]

For sure BC has amazing trails, probably the best, but there's the whole citizenship thing to consider for a relocation

Younger brother and his family emigrated there from yurp because his wife went back to school for her Masters so they got in against her student visa.

I'm not about to go back to school and wife already has her MBA, so maybe there's a family angle once they're citizens

 

[jimmydean]

While Hood River has gotten a bit crazy, it is still a nice hub with access to all the things.

 

[Jm_]

If hiking is your jam, have you considered a wee sojourn to Alaska?

Just beware we only have a few trails, everything else is a nasty scree-fest of multiple routes through boulder fields and shit. No one really gives a F, so we just hike right through the tundra. And we only have 3 kinds of terrain. Open water, swamp and mountains.

 

[binary visions]

If hiking is your jam, have you considered a wee sojourn to Alaska?

I'd love to go to Alaska. A couple things are standing in my way now:

- Can't cross the Canadian border
- I work 5 days/week and need reliable internet for it, so I'd have to take a bunch of vacation time just to drive up, forget about actually hiking
- I assume I could get okay internet in Anchorage or other cities, but to get close to the wilderness, I'm guessing I that changes

I've always kind of assumed that Alaska would have to be just a vacation trip rather than a remote working trip. But I could be wrong - I don't know what the internet situation is like near the wilderness areas.

 

[BikeGeek]

If your after lots of options for local hikes that are dog friendly and low crowds come to Yakima. Low cost of living and centrally located for accessing the entire PNW in a sub 5 hour drive. Most of the PNW can be accessed in a 3 hour drive though. Lots of tacos.

Downsides... not a trendy place at all.

Upside: for a couple of months out of the year everything smells like hops

 

[boostindoubles]

Theres 20+ foothills trailheads for hiking within a 40 mile radius of town. Some more formal than others. Those terrible demographics I mentioned earlier equate to most of the trails being basically empty.

 

[Westy]

Theres 20+ foothills trailheads for hiking within a 40 mile radius of town. Some more formal than others. Those terrible demographics I mentioned earlier equate to most of the trails being basically empty.

The demographics of who uses trails over here got a lot more diverse this year. I'd prefer to see fewer people on the trail but this is at least a form of progress.

 

[boostindoubles]

The demographics of who uses trails over here got a lot more diverse this year. I'd prefer to see fewer people on the trail but this is at least a form of progress.

Yeah it has been great watching new groups of people out on the trails and trying mountain biking. There has been a good amount of new users out here also. Humanity needs more people to connect with their natural surroundings and feel invested in protecting it.

 

[6thElement]

Thread semi-hijack, is there any riding this time of year in the Portland area @jimmydean I think you're the local for that area?

I've only ridden Bend/McKenzie/Westfir stuff 9 years ago in the middle of summer.

MTBProject doesn't show much near Portland and I'm guessing all it's doing at the moment in OR is raining down low and snowing up high.

 

[boostindoubles]

Theres not much at all near Portland. There is musterings of new trails I dont know about that are west of the city. Probably worth checking out.

They just built a bike park called Gateway Green.

Legit trails are going to be about an hour away - Sandy Ridge in OR and Cold Creek in WA. Growlers Gulch is a little farther north on I5 in WA. Into the Gorge is Syncline and Post Canyon which are Hood River/ White Salmon.

 

[jimmydean]

Thread semi-hijack, is there any riding this time of year in the Portland area @jimmydean I think you're the local for that area?

I've only ridden Bend/McKenzie/Westfir stuff 9 years ago in the middle of summer.

MTBProject doesn't show much near Portland and I'm guessing all it's doing at the moment in OR is raining down low and snowing up high.

Portland doesn't really have riding outside of Gateway Green and Powell Butte. Forest Park is mostly closed to bikes. There used to be some choice "unauthorized" trails, but I haven't been up there in a while.

Portland is more of a base camp than a place for activities. Gateway Green is awesome, but it's very small.

Mt Hood is finally starting to bike in the summer.