Tour DeFred

This event is for BMWCCA Members Only

ALL DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS MUST SIGN THE ELECTRONIC WAIVER BEFORE THE EVENT

We will meet at 9:30 am at Bonneville Locks and Dam near the Fort Cascades Trailhead. The meeting spot is just before the Dam on the right.  Input Fort Cascades Trailhead into google maps. Mandatory Drivers meeting is at 9:45 am

The drive will start at Bonneville Dam and continue east on Scenic HWY 14, all while offering great views of Oregon from the Washington side of the Gorge, before turning inland along the Klickitat River toward Mount Adams, then looping back along the White Salmon River toward the Gorge. Along the way, you will pass breathtaking viewpoints, take on a series of tunnels, and lean into the curves of the road. In addition to the lovely Columbia River Gorge, canyons, wildflower-covered mountain meadows, and higher-elevation forests await.

The Tour turns inland along the Klickitat River along Highway 142. As the Tour continues inland, the center stripe in the road disappears, as the road opens up to canyons and higher-and-dryer mountain meadows. Cellphone service is spotty here, so be sure to your beloved Bavarian Motor Works machine is in top condition before taking this drive; this would be a bad place to break down.

Then we go west toward Mount Adams. On a clear day, the mountain looms ahead on the road, occasionally ducking behind a stand of higher-elevation trees before coming once again into view. In 13 miles farther, there is a place to stop, take in the Klickitat River Valley, and take a selfie with Mount Adams before we get back on the road toward Glenwood, where there is a general store that offers a public restroom and a place to pick up a snack and something to drink.

Just outside Glenwood, the Tour turns southwest, running through forested areas and past farms and wetlands along the White Salmon River. At BZ Corner, the Tour turns south as it heads back toward the Gorge. At the fork in the road in Hasam, we’ll take the downhill turnoff to Highway 141 Alt to head back toward SR 14 to Underwood to end the approximately three-hour tour.

At this point, you can turn west, back toward Vancouver and Portland, or turn east, covering a little bit of familiar ground, to get to the Hood River (Oregon) toll bridge to get back to Interstate 84 — bring along $2 if you want to get across the river here — and have lunch in Hood River, or head back home along I-84. Either way, the drive and the views along the Tour are going to be spectacular.]

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for the Tour de Fred today!