My ride on the Orygun Run started almost a year before the first ride actually took place. I managed to rope Max into putting on the first one by simply saying, "We could probably do an event." I knew that local riders were eager for another event - even if it was only loosely organized - as long as it was fun. I was just eager for something that was about riding your damn motorcycle. . . a lot.

And so a half-baked and somewhat hair-brained summer moto-camping trip was born. The Orygun Run is, really, just an excuse to ride all over Oregon and have a party to land at each night. But the point of the run has always been about the ride. Because it's sharing miles together that makes strangers friends and makes friends family. It's not about what you ride or how fast you ride or about looking cool while doing it. In case you missed the point: it's just about the ride.

While I knew that other riders could get behind this philosophy, even I had no idea how much our community needed an event like the Orygun Run. Hearing people talk for months after that first event about the roads they discovered that weekend, the rad people they met and partied with each night, and how good it felt to put down some serious miles has made the Orygun Run something even more meaningful for me. I couldn't wait to do it again.

I am blown away time and again at the amount of support there is for this run. And I truly can't thank the riders, donors, and sponsors enough for getting behind the whole idea. Go figure, you guys really like riding motorcycles, partying hard, and waking up to do it all again.

-Adam A, @thiswildlife_thisfreedom
(Photo by @rambleonphoto)