mfrankpdx

Yeah kinda miss those days. How is it done now?

This coming weekend looks good, so I'll probably be riding.

Transported

I rode down Apiary last fall, remembering it as a fun road. It was not.

It had debris on it, and moss and potholes everywhere. I gave up after a few miles because it was so unpleasant.

Maybe if I were on a supermoto I could have fun dodging all the obstacles.

DGA

Racing sailboats?! Did you retire?

It's been a while and I could probably get away on Saturday for a shorter ride. Kiddo, work, being out of shape and getting really fat would keep me to a shorter one though...

mfrankpdx

I did Apiary to Meissner/Canaan a few weeks back. Didn't seem that bad, but I was putting along at the speed limit too.

I'd like to do a Carson/Cougar or maybe Klickitat run before I head back to MD too, so that might be in the cards for this weekend. It's supposed to be around 60F out there this weekend.

Transported

It would be awesome to see you on a bike again. Maybe a shorter ride on Saturday.

Not sure about Apiary. It was a wet day. If I had been going faster, I may have been bounced into the woods, the pavement was so uneven in many places. And, I was really not going that fast.

I have never been a fan of Carson/Cougar. But, willing to give it another go.

I do love, love, love Klickitat. But, it is a haul just to get there and makes for a very long day. Almost as exhausting as Fossil. It is a great way to spend a lazy summer day and I love how you go from the rainforest to high desert and back all in one day.

307T

I drove Apiary Road about a week ago. The stretch from OR-47 to the quarry is not silky smooth but is not bad if you pay attention. Some frost heaves and the occasional chuckhole towards the top. No more difficult than Meadow Lake Road, a ride that we have all done together. From Apiary (Fern Hill) down to the bottom of the hill is very nice. Please note that I said that I DROVE. I wouldn't have had any problem on the bike though. It is a Harley after all.

Texasl

Have any of you Portlandia folks ever taken the Team Oregon ART class on the Cart track at Canby? I'm signed up to do it on the 12th of July and I was just curious what everyone thought about it. I don't really want to do a track day, but I do want to be looked at by professional trainers.

DGA

It would be good to see you Vaun. Let's do it... I can move things around Saturday to make nearly any time work.

DGA

Never ridden Pat's acres, or taken that class, but it's a go cart track, it should be fun. If you have a smaller, lighter bike, it will be a hoot.

Flyboymedic

I have and highly recommend Team Oregon and the Pats Acres track. I last was there in August and took my VStrom 650. I was riding it waaaaay past its limits, and my tires limits.

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Flyboymedic

@Texasl now that I'm at my computer I'll further explain that Team Oregon provides instruction for everyone which would include the brand new rider on a little scooter, to the big fat 'loud pipes saves lives' cruiser rider that just bought all the chrome bullshit, to the Speedy Gonzales crotch rocket rider who's out to win traffic awards, and everyone in between. That is a wide audience to instruct, with VERY different needs and goals and its tough to cater to everyone. That is my frustration with their instruction curricula and they have a one size fits all approach to instruction. In speaking with the instructors I have a strong feeling that they are not allowed to deviate or offer their opinions on the higher speed needs of faster bikes/riders with more capable bikes. Like with playing a musical instrument, if you apply and practice certain basic fundamentals, it will make you more cognizant and a better rider but for an advance rider, be forewarned that you might get bored with the drills. Having been riding for quite awhile now I'm pretty confident in my abilities and the capabilities of the bikes that I ride. That being said, I like to take some sort of rider training course every couple years to get me thinking again of the dangers out there so as not to get complacent, and the fact that it was paid for by my base, helped my decision last year. To be honest, I treated it like a day off from work to go ride a motorcycle around the small track, screw off, and have fun, as I really haven't ridden much last year or this year at all. And I took the most inappropriate bike I had in my arsenal to screw off with!

Texasl

I'm pretty sure that there will be some rudimentary drills targeted at the less experienced riders, but I still plan on getting some good out of the experience. I need some strange, but qualified eyes keeping an eye on me.

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Flyboymedic

And that's the approach you'll get something out of it with.

Texasl

And if not I still get to hoolie around on a go cart track.

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Rusty Nail

Hey Texas. I took that class twice maybe 8 or 9 years ago about a year apart. First time I was just getting to now my zx10r so the pace seemed okay. Even fast for me as there was a guy on one of those huge cruisers dragging his running boards on the corners waiting to pass me. The second time I was comfortable on the bike and it was painfully slow. But it could have been just because there were riders there of lower skill than before. It is supposed to be an advanced class but they use mileage as a gauge for that which is not even close to a good way to judge skill level. They do make you do some useful drills like swerve and stop. That was tricky for some people. A few dropped bikes as a result. Also the track is for go karts so most of the corners or for a relatively slow speed. They can help you work on form though. Just make sure you let the instructors know what you want during the class session and you should be good.

Have fun but be patient.