Oakridge: Mountain bike capital of the Northwest
OAKRIDGE, Ore. -- The mountain town of Oakridge now bills itself as the mountain biking capital of the Northwest, a claim backed up by nearly 500 miles of singletrack trail in the mountains around town.
"You're along old growth, along the river, along the creeks," said Randy Dreiling, an Oakridge City Councilor and owner of Oregon Adventures. "It's just a special place to be."
He thinks more people are discovering the beauty of Oakridge.
"Every year, you notice the difference," he said. "I think it will really hit in 2 to 5 years, but it's really hit compared to where it used to be in the last couple of years."
The difference? This former timber town is now about getting down on two wheels.
"As business owners will tell you," Dreiling said, "you look out your window and see bikes on tops of cars during the summertime up here."
After a long ride, mountain bikers can cool down with a pint of beer since Brewers Union Local 180 opened for business. The new pub is one of a few places in the U.S. making cask-conditioned ale, a style more common in England.
Brewer Ted Sobel uses a hand pump to serve the beer.
"We pull beer, versus whatever you do down there on the guest taps," Sobel said. "So that, my friends, is a proper pint of beer."
Whether they're into mountain biking or just fans of good food and good beer, Oakridge residents hanging out at the pub were happy to see the town get visitors.
"Oakridge has seen some up and down times," said Benjamin Beamer. "Now, we're on a definite upswing. Pople are really discovering Oakridge as the recreation place that we are."
