Father and Son Epic US Summer Motorcycle Roadtrip 2013 on BMW K1200LT

[TonyBKK]

We stopped in the cute little town of Joseph, Oregon for lunch-


Popular biker destination!


Lots of American metal here!


Found a nice Mexican restaurant with outdoor seating and a beautiful garden-




Kristhawee was HUNGRY and made quick work out of a quesadilla with rice and beans- I'm so happy to learn that he now loves Mexican food!


Perrin and Kristhawee really enjoyed the pond, and thankfully, no one fell in!


Popsicles for dessert! Are you gonna share one of those with me??

[natalie8]

Nice update, Tony. Looks like you had great weather!

[TonyBKK]

Our friends needed to get back to Walla Walla so we said farewell in Joseph and headed East Northeast on highway 350 towards the tiny town of Imnaha on the Snake River drainage-


Another gorgeous day for a ride! You may recall I have a thing for abandoned buildings-


Hard to imagine skiiing on a warm sunny day like today!


Yet you can see the ski slopes off in the distance at the base of Mount Howard-


The ride to Imnaha on the Little Sheep Creek Highway is fantastic and I was kind of surprised how few bikes we saw along this stretch-


Expansive views as we slowly descend towards the Snake River-


The only thing that kept me from really whacking it was the thought of deer popping out of the shrubbery- this is prime deer habitat and we spotted a lot!


Zoomin!


Mile 25; we've almost reached Imnaha-


Ha! Now I know why there wasn't so much traffic! After Imnaha the Little Sheep Creek Highway ends and after we cross the Imnaha River the road turns to a "Primitive Road" aka gravel and dirt!

26 miles of gravel and dirt...

This is the Upper Imnaha Road and it looks like it'd be a ripper on a dirt bike, but on the fully loaded Land Yacht this is not fun at all...


I rode south about a mile in 2nd gear before I decided this probably wasn't a smart or safe way to go. The road was completely deserted, it was getting late, and if I dropped the bike I'd have to unload it before I'd be able to pick it up. I decided we'd turn around and return the way we came, but first we stopped to stretch our legs and see if the fish were biting

Kristhawee fishing on the Imnaha River, northeastern Oregon

[TonyBKK]

Nice update, Tony. Looks like you had great weather!

Thank you kindly

We enjoyed quite fantastic weather in June and early July but later in the summer we did have to contend with some extreme heat, big thunderstorms and even hail. All part of the adventure!

[TonyBKK]

We backtracked about 20 miles on the Big Sheep Creek Road, eventually turning south onto the smaller National Forest "Wallowa Mountain Loop" road-


The Wallowa Mountain Loop Road is simply gorgeous- narrow and twisty, winding through thick forest and deep canyons-


It was getting late so after about 15 miles I pulled off at a small National Forest Campground on Lick Creek- Satellite view:


The campground was nearly deserted and grabbed a nice spot right on the creek-


There was one other couple in the campground and they came over to say hi and Kristhawee was quite taken with their friendly cat, named DUMPSTER!

(He got that name because that's where he was found- in a dumpster!)

Another look at our spot:

Some kind soul(s) left us a nice pile of chopped firewood- thank you very much, whoever you are!

Kristhawee and I splashed around in Lick Creek for a bit- it had been a warm day and the ice cold water was very refreshing! There were lots of small fish but nothing big enough to warrant getting out the fishing pole.

We'd worked up an appetite with the hiking earlier in the day and a full afternoon on the bike- tonight's dinner was beer stroganoff and corn!

After dinner we relaxed around a nice fire, chatting as we watched the stars come out. It doesn't get much better than this!!

[TonyBKK]

Good morning from Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area!

Wow, the Wallowa Mountain Loop Road is just awesome!


Super twisty and in great repair, a real ripper of a road!


We ride to one of the Hells Canyon overlooks and what should we see- another Bavarian Land Yacht!

Their K1200LT was SOOOO much cleaner than ours (but looking at their luggage I'm pretty sure they were not camping...)

Welcome to Hells Canyon National Recreation Area!


Kristhawee at Hells Canyon National Recreation Area


Some day when my boy is a bit older and can ride his own bike it would be a blast to come back here on dirt bikes and explore this area further!



Miles and miles of seasonal roads and trails! A lot more than what you see on this map-


I haven't figured out a good way to stitch these together into a panorama, so use your imagination










Hells Canyon is so deep that you can't actually see the Snake River. Time to hit the road- another look at the twin LT's


Bye bye Hells Canyon! See you again!


The amazing Wallowa Mountain Loop road continues!


Just beautiful!


Eventually the Wallowa Mountain Loop Road ends at a T junction with Highway 86 and we hang a right, heading west towards the tiny little town of Halfway.

Halfway to where? I'm really not sure!

Highway 86 is also a fantastic road!


We stopped in Halfway for gas and a picnic lunch in their historic town park.


Then back on the road headed west towards Baker City-


Highway 86 winds through the hills, offering amazing views along the way-


41 more miles to Baker City!


Clear skies, empty roads, just me and my boy, life is GOOD!


Seems no matter where you go, just about every road in Oregon is a Scenic Byway!


Elkhorn and Journey Through Time Oregon Scenic Byway-


Bye bye Wallowa Whitman National Forest!

[TonyBKK]

I didn't really have a destination in mind today- we were just headed in the general direction of Crater Lake since I'd promised my son we'd re-visit his favorite National Park. By the time we reached Baker City it was mid afternoon. We topped up the Land Yacht and grabbed some food for dinner and breakfast the following morning and rode south and west on Sumpter Stage Highway 7 until we reached Philips Lake where we saw signs for camping- let's check it out!


There are a number of campgrounds around the lake and we checked a few out before choosing a primitive campground on the south side of the lake. Somebody wants to go fishing!


Kristhawee fishing in Phillips Lake, Oregon


My happy boy! Life is good!!!


This "lake" is really more of a reservoir, so the water wasn't so very cold. Somebody wants to go for a swim?


The sun stays up so late this time of year but the shadows are getting long. Our campground shortly before sunset-


On the menu tonight: Pasta Alfredo with tuna and mixed veggies- wow, that's two healthy dinners in a row!


We scrounged up some wood for a fire and watched the stars some out. Kristhawee is so adorable- I'd taught him this little poem last summer and he repeated it every night at the first star:

"Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight"

[TonyBKK]

Good morning from Phillips Lake, Oregon! Bacon baby!


Kristhawee has totally mastered the art of tying his show laces; good job boy!


Kristhawee was keen to earn another Junior Ranger Badge so we decided that today we would visit the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument!

We had driven past the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument the previous summer but we didn't stop on account of the extreme heat! This year was also hot but Kristhawee was a year older and wanted to check it out. Good for you son!

Here's a picture I took of Kristhawee near John Day Fossil Beds National Monument the previous summer when he was just 5


A brief description of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument from the National Park Service site (http://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm):

Colorful rock formations at John Day Fossil Beds preserve a world class record of plant and animal evolution, changing climate, and past ecosystems that span over 40 million years. Exhibits and a working lab at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center as well as scenic drives and hikes at all three units allow visitors to explore the prehistoric past of Oregon and see science in action.



Leaving Phillips Lake we spotted an eagle on a nest!


We rode west on the Old West Scenic Bikeway, also called the John Day Highway and followed a K1200LT trike for a while-


Another beautiful day and gorgeous ride!!


Small house, American flag, horses


Continuing west on the "Journey Through Time" Oregon Scenic Byway-


Rode through the cute little town of Dayville-


Continuing west!




We're getting there!

[TonyBKK]

Riding to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument! Almost there!


Welcome to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument!


This is a brilliant road!


It was getting HOT! We pulled in to the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center so that Kristhawee could pick up a Junior Ranger workbook and we could start learning about the John Day Fossil Beds.

My happy boy at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument with Sheep Rock in the background-


The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center was quite fascinating and we spent a long time exploring and learning-




This fascinating tree shows the evolution of the horse species- the original horse was about the size of a small dog!


Hands on learning! Checking out fossils:


Kristhawee went straight to work on his Junior Ranger book; I'm so proud of my boy!


A map and some information about the Sheep Rock unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument:


For any who might want to learn more about this fascinating National Monument here's a link to the National Park Service website for the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument:

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

It was about 100 degrees outside (you can see the sweat stains on my boy's shirt), so I was more than happy to chill out in the air conditioned paleontology center and let Kristhawee do his thing-


Coloring is fun!


While Kristhawee colored I spoke with a friendly Park Ranger to get some advice on camping in area. There is no camping or lodging within the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, but the Ranger kindly recommended we continue north on Highway 19 and then further north up into the mountains to the campground at Bull Prairie Lake:


Back out into the heat, examining Sheep Mountain through a high powered telescope-


A gorgeous new R1200RT boxer had parked up next to the old Land Yacht-


Let's Roll!

[TonyBKK]

We rolled out of the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center and rode north on the John Day Highway, passing Historic Cant Ranch and the National Monument headquarters-


Highway 19 is a fantastic road that passes through some amazing country-


The colors are amazing, though my on-the-fly pics with the old point and shoot don't really do them justice-


Zoomin!


I believe you can raft down the John Day River in the spring when the water level is higher-


More trees the further north we go-


Beautiful!


We hang a right and ride north on the twisty 207, aka Heppner-Spray Highway, that climbs up into the mountains-




We have the roads pretty much to ourselves!


It was very hot back in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument but the temperature dropped as we rode up into the mountains-


A fantastic ride on a roller coaster of a road! Paved all the way to the campground. Welcome to Bull Prairie Lake!

[TonyBKK]

Bull Prairie Lake, Umatilla National Forest, Oregon!


The Bull Prairie Lake campground was pretty empty and we grabbed a nice big spot close to the lake-


My little guy was eager to go fishing so I set up camp as quickly as I could-


Some info about the campground-


I told Kristhawee to be bear aware!


We explored the south shore of Bull Prairie Lake-


Found the PERFECT spot!




What a gorgeous spot! Hard to see him, but Kristhawee is at the end of the dock fishing


Catch anything buddy??


I laid down at the end of the dock and watched my boy fish-


Are you sure you don't want me to throw you in???


Kristhawee snapped a pic of dad chillaxing on the dock-


Quality time with my boy- this is what it's all about!


The fish weren't biting so Kristhawee wandered off-




Tonight's dinner- hot dogs and baby carrots


Gorgeous weather- I left rain fly off the tent-


Woohoo! Smores for dessert!


Roasted marshmellow right off the stick- Yum!


Good night!!!

[Satonic]

Wow, that backdrop at Hells Canyon is beautiful, looks almost fake!

Really enjoying this journey you are taking us along Tony, thanks for making the effort to share

(And Kris looks better with long hair )

[TonyBKK]

Good morning from Bull Prairie Lake, Umatilla National Forest, Oregon!


Cold and a bit grey this morning, but as the sun climbed in the sky it warmed up quickly; another beautiful day! Kristhawee wanted to try his luck fishing again-


My son befriended an old timer fishing on the dock and got some fishing tips :mrgreen:


Back at our camp site Kristhawee worked on his Junior Ranger workbook while I broke camp-


I'm very grateful to the Ranger at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument who recommended this campground- Bull Prairie Lake was a lovely spot!

Time to ride back down to the National Monument! Let's hit the road! :happy3:

[TonyBKK]

We're headed back to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument via the Journey Through Time Oregon Scenic Byway-




Another hot sunny day!


As part of his Junior Ranger program Kristhawee needs to hike one of the trails in the National Monument. It's getting really hot but fortunately all the trails here are quite short. We decided to check out the Story In Stone and Flood of Fire trails:


We had the place pretty much to ourselves-


Kristhawee on the Story in Stone Trail, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument-


It's pushing 100 degrees and there's not a bit of shade out here-


End of the Trail! You made it little dude!


Heading back; amazing geology here!




An amazing landscape-




My little guy got a second wind and we hustled up the Flood of Fire trail. I'm glad we did!


Otherworldly, isn't it? You can't get a sense for the scale of this feature- it's HUGE!


Flood of Fire Trail panorama-


Only 11 am and already 102 degrees! Gonna be a HOT one today!!


Riding back to the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center we pass more eye catching formations-


Once again, very little traffic, beautiful road!


That dark peak is Sheep Rock; the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center is on the opposite side of the road-

[TonyBKK]

Kristhawee has completed his Junior Ranger workbook so we've returned to the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center to present it to a Ranger.

First we watch a paleontologist working on a fossil that has been brought into the lab in a plaster cast-


Then Kristhawee is sworn in as a John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Junior Ranger!

Bravo kiddo! I'm so proud of you!

We'd been seeing an unusual amount of BMW's in recent days. A large group pulled in next to us and we struck up a conversation. They asked us if we're headed to the BMW MOA (Motorcycle Owners of America) Rally that would kick off in Salem, Oregon in a few days.

What's this? The 41st Annual BMW MOA International rally is kicking off only ~260 miles to the west just a couple days from now?! Who knew?!


I ask my little guy if he wants to go check out a biker party. Without pause or hesitation he says "Let's go!"

Ha! I guess we're headed to Salem!!

[TonyBKK]

Bye bye John Day! We ride south on Highway 19, aka, the Old West Scenic Bikeway!

[TonyBKK]

We rode west on the beautiful Ochoco Highway (26) to Prineville where we stopped to grab some lunch-




The landscape gets greener the further west we go. Ochoco Pass:




Approaching Prineville we can see the snow-covered Cascades off in the distance!


Roll in to Prineville and my little guy is sound asleep on the back, drooling like you wouldn't believe!


He gets a new nickname: "Droolmonster!"


I found a golden arches with a hamster run; little guy is happy!


We'd settled into a nice routine, echoing the previous summer, where we'd camp at primitive sites for 4-5 days and then, when we ran out of clean clothes, we'd treat ourselves to a full service campground, usually a KOA, so that I could get some laundry done, charge up the phone, camera, iPad, check my email and Kristhawee would have lots of kids to play with, a pool and other amenities. We were well out of clean clothes at this point so I did a quick search and found a KOA just north or Redmond:


Let's go!

[TonyBKK]

It's a short ride from Prineville to the Redmond / Central Oregon KOA. (Redmond / Central Oregon KOA | Camping in Oregon | KOA Campgrounds) Nice campground set in rolling hills east of the Cascades- we could see the snow-covered peaks of Mt Jefferson and Mount Hood off in the distance. It's been a hot day and they have a nice pool- little guy can't wait to jump in!


We enjoyed a nice relaxing afternoon around the pool-


Happy Hour


As with most KOA's this one has a well stocked store, free WiFi, hot showers, playground, etc. The staff were very friendly and there were a lot of kids for my son to play with-


We ended up sharing dinner with some kids that Kristhawee had befriended then Kristhawee and I played the classic game of Sorry as we waited for the laundry to get done-


Good night! Tomorrow we ride to Salem!!

[TonyBKK]

We rode down to Redmond, then west on Highway 126 towards the little tourist town of Sisters. The snow covered peaks of the Cascades beckon off in the distance-


Is Oregon beautiful or what??!?


Llamas or Alpacas? Goofy looking critters whatever they are!


Cascades dead ahead!


We stopped for lunch in Sisters where we found a pretty good Mexican joint-


After lunch we hit the good stuff! Highway 242, the old McKenzie Highway to the McKenzie and Santiam passes is a narrow twisting road that's only open in the summer.


The 242 follows the path of an old 1860 wagon route and is so narrow it's off limits to big trucks and RV's, a perfect road for bikes! I usually take pics as I ride, but this road really required full attention and both hands on the bars at all times


It was an exciting whack up the twisty 242 and I pulled over at a viewpoint so that we could take it all in! Kristhawee on the Land Yacht with Mount Washington in the background and an ancient lava flow in between-


Mt. Washington, Oregon! The sea of lava you see is only about 1500 years old- hard to imagine this area covered in red hot lava!


The Sea of Lava, explained:


Back on the bike and we motor along until we reach the 5,325 feet (1,623 m) McKenzie Pass and discover this bizarre structure built completely out of lava rocks:


It's the Dee Wright Observatory!


This Dee Wright Observatory was built by hand during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps, completed in 1935 and named for the construction crew’s foreman who had died the previous year after serving 24 years as a Forest Service packer and crew foreman. Read more about Dee Wright Observatory here: Dee Wright Observatory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Looking east, the way we came-


Looking south at the Sisters- closest to us is North Sister and the further one is South Sister-


Up on top of the observatory is this cool brass "peak finder", cast in 1937, that points to all the surrounding peaks-


Kristhawee with the Sisters behind him-


Hand cast in 1937- Very cool!

[natalie8]

Very cool!

[TonyBKK]

The windows in the Dee Wright Observatory are cut to specifically highlight the neighboring mountains. My point and shoot couldn't capture the inside of this structure very well at all-


Here's a much better picture I found on the net:


Kristhawee with Mount Washington in the background; the snow covered mountain on the right is Mount Jefferson-




Pretty cool isn't it little dude?


Father and son at McKenzie Pass, Oregon!




A final look at the Sisters before we jump back on the bike and hit the road!


What a gorgeous road- reckon the McKenzie Highway should be in the top 20 motorcycle roads in the US


The 242 ends at a T-junction and we hang a right and ride north on the 126, aka McKenzie Pass and Santiam Pass Oregon Scenic Byway






Who comes up with these road names?! The "Over the Rivers and Through the Woods Oregon Scenic Byway"?!

Turns out this is the South Santiam Highway 20; I missed the turn to the North Santiam Highway 20, but no matter- this was a beautiful road and great ride!

Some people hate signs like these, but bikers love 'em!




We made good time to Salem; I knew that the BMW MOA Rally was taking place at the Fair Grounds but didn't know how to get there. Wasn't too hard to find tho!

[TonyBKK]

Welcome to the 41st Annual BMW MOA International Rally in Salem, Oregon!

Beemers, Bigfoot and Blue Skies! :mrgreen:

Kristhawee at the Oregon State Fairground in Salem, Oregon! He is a happy camper- coming here was totally unplanned; I just love how easy going he is :mrgreen:


First order of business was to get registered and figure out where to camp.


Tons of space at the Oregon State Fairgrounds- we chose the "Oak Grove" on the south side of the fairgrounds as it was close to the entrance, the folks there seemed quite friendly and there was plenty of shade under the big oak trees. A panorama taken from our spot; Kristhawee is playing with our neighbors dog


Inside the fairgrounds, Beemers galore! (But if you look closely you'll see that there are other brands mixed in)


Wow, who knew BMW makes a 250cc dirtbike?!


So much to see at this rally! A huge list of vendors and tons of seminars plus a full entertainment schedule and more! The Vintage BMW Display and Contest was a highlight for both of us-


I don't know anything about these old bikes, but they sure are a pleasure to look at!




Did BMW actually make bicycles? I couldn't tell if this was genuine or a nicely done fake... I suspect the latter though...


Drum brakes, shaft drive, hard tail- awesome!


Not only vintage bikes, there were a lot of vintage riders at this rally!

This old timer rode all the way from the east coast on his 1975 BMW rat bike. He was pulling a home made trailer that looked like a torpedo on wheels- that was his camper! Mad respect to him for making the journey and I sure hope he makes it home alive!!

So much to see and do! Can't go to a State Fair without enjoying a snow cone! :mrgreen:


The first night there were some great bands on the stage at the Amphitheater, with old school CANNED HEAT headlining! Yes! Canned Heat!

The very same band that played at Woodstock back in 1969 is still going strong! Amazing!

[TonyBKK]

Good morning from the 41st Annual BMW MOA International Rally at the State Fairgrounds in Salem, Oregon!

Ha ha! Looks like someone partied a bit too hard last night!

Some bikers from mainland China moved in next to us- they had shipped their bikes all the way from China and were touring the US and Canada for the summer- Respect!


Eventually the little guy woke up and we wandered back to the rally and enjoyed some big breakfast burritos-


There was a children's pavilion where we met Dee, a retired science teacher from Minnesota who had driven all the way to Oregon with a car full of Monarch Butterflies!


She's actually rather famous and breeds thousands of Monarchs every year for the University of Minnesota and schools all over the country. While traveling Dee's Monarchs spend most of their time in wax paper envelopes, but they need to feed twice a day and in captivity their favorite food is watered down honey. Who knew?!

Monarchs aren't as fragile as I thought- who knew you could store them in envelopes and actually hold them by the wings and not damage them?

How does Dee keep track of her butterflies? Look closely at the picture above and below and you'll see that Dee has numbered them!

How does a butterfly eat? Kristhawee's word of the day: PROBOSCIS!

If the monarch is hungry it will eat all by itself, but sometimes you need to take the toothpick and manually unwind their proboscis and dip it in the honey water- then they feed until they are full.

Once full they wind up their proboscis and then Dee puts them in a butterfly tent so they can stretch their wings and chill for a while, before going back into their wax paper envelopes.


Dee taught the kids (and me!) everything we ever wanted to know about the Monarch Butterfly! Their life cycle, how to tell the males from the females, their amazing migration patterns, why they only lay their eggs on Milkweed, etc!


The kids were tested on their knowledge of the life cycle of the Monarch- Kristhawee passed with flying colors

Do you know the difference between a cocoon and a chrysalis? Kristhawee does!

Really impressed by the kids pavillion- Dee and her friend had set up a ton of activities for the kids. Arts and crafts-




I could tell that Kristhawee was in good hands and most of the parents left their kids at the pavillion all day while the parents attended seminars and whatnot, so I wrote down my number just in case of emergency and told Kristhawee I'd be back in a few hours.

First order of business- take advantage of the DIY bike wash station and clean the beast!

Very nice of BMW MOA to supply the sponges, towels and simple green!

I had a number of other things that I needed to get done- first and most pressing were new tires for the Land Yacht- never have I owned a bike that eats front tires the way the K1200LT does!


Usually I average 1 front tire to two rears, but on this bike it's pretty much the opposite. I guess it's the extreme weight that wears out the front tires so fast? I asked around amongst the more experienced BMW riders and it seems it's not unusual on these big heavy bikes to wear out your front tire well before the rear. My front tire was badly cupped and got noisier over time. It was definitely time for a replacement!

Fortunately there were a lot of tire vendors on hand and I spoke with several reps before deciding on some Metzeler ME880 Marathon tires. I was running the OEM Bridgestone Battleax's and other than the relatively short tire life of the front tire I was happy with them, but these fellows at NoMar recommended the Metzelers, claiming they would perform just as well but last longer.

[natalie8]

simple green!

I remember Simple Green! Great pics and info yet again. I'm not quite sure about the difference between a cocoon and a chrysalis except for the appearance. I'll have to look that up.

[TonyBKK]

I picked up Kristhawee from the kids pavilion in the early afternoon; got there just as they were giving the Monarch butterflies their afternoon feed-




Sounds like my boy had had a fun day- Kristhawee won another animal, this time a moose to go along with the turkey he'd won the day before!


There was a fun "shuttle" that made the rounds of the rally grounds at the Oregon State Fairgrounds- it consisted of hay bales on a trailer and Kristhawee jumped on the shuttle every chance he got


Kristhawee really wanted to ride the chair lift, but looks to me like it hasn't run in years...


Lots and lots of bikes!!


I took advantage of the DIY oil change station to service the Land Yacht-

Thanks BMW MOA! All I needed was oil and a filter; the BMW MOA volunteers supplied everything else!

That evening Kristhawee and I decided to take a break from the rally and go for a walk in Salem. A quick peek at Google Maps revealed a large park nearby and the one thing missing from the Oregon State Fairgrounds was a proper playground. We walked about a mile south of the fairgrounds to Englewood City Park and Kristhawee burned off some of his incredible energy-


Nice park full of big old oak trees and a nice playground. Lots of kids for Kristhawee to play with too!


Around sunset we decided to find some dinner. We wandered east on Market Street until we came to the very welcoming Willamette Valley Grill-

The lot was full of bikes and we hadn't enjoyed a proper sit-down meal in a real restaurant in a while so this was a nice treat.

After a big dinner my little guy was falling asleep on his feet and I ended up carrying him for a good chunk of the long walk back to our tent at the Oregon State Fairgrounds

Going to the BMW MOA Rally was an unexpected treat for my son and me. Everyone we met there was friendly and welcoming, and it was an eye opening introduction to the BMW scene and culture.

I'm hoping Kristhawee and I can make it to the 2014 BMW MOA Rally in Minnesota this coming summer, though timing wise it might be a bit tough to get there in time...