
It is 20 "Dam" good places to ride your motorcycle. It is self-guided motorcycle rides to 20 "Dams" in the western US and Canada. Each year DamTour features 16 beautiful, motorcycle-friendly, riding destinations in Oregon and Washington (8 each), adding four bonus dams in adjacent states (and sometimes Canada), that will provide you with an adventure of a lifetime.
The DamTour riding season is March 1st through September 30th (although frequently will start the last weekend of February). That gives you 7 fun-filled months or about 214 days to plan, research and enjoy riding to the dam destinations of your choice, at your own pace, throughout the season.
First you register online HERE, or download this PDF and mail it in, then await your packet. When the season officially begins and you have your packet, you ride to the dam(s) of your choosing, and take a picture at each "dam" stop, with your placard visibly placed on the bike (preferable with the dam in the background) and submit your photo(s) to "DT Rider" to be verified, recorded and posted to the DamTour "dam" albums, and get credit on the "Rankings Table". Please...... send them in as you do them. Don't wait till you finish (see new rules below) or you may not get credit . Each rider has the opportunity to earn random awards as well as an "All Twenty" trophy/plaque, and an Oregon and/or Washington pin for visiting all "eight" dams in those states.
Registration Options this year are to register, just rider, pillion, or both, and registering with a t-shirt (short-sleeve or long-sleeved). The fees this year are $30.00 for riders, and $20.00 for pillions, with the t-shirts options at $20.00 for short-sleeved, and $30.00 for long-sleeved, plus shipping and handling.
Pillion Registration is official this year, with"pillions" signing up for just $20. This new option gives well-deserved credit and recognition to those willing to sit in the back for all those long, sometimes bumpy, and often wet or dirty miles. Registered Pillions will get their own placard, and are eligible to earn the ‘8-in-a state’ pins for riding to all of the state dams, and your own pillion award for all "twenty".
DamTour Store . . .
While not totally new this year (it was added the end of 2009), we have a few things in the DamTour store. We have t-shirts and calendars and hope to be adding a few more things as we go along. Check it out here.
The Right Dam:
In the past we have given riders a bit of leeway on getting the correct dam. This year, I would advise you to read the ‘dam’ pages and the forum and make sure you are heading to the right dam and the right place if you want credit for that ride. If the web page says, do the dam from a particular side… be sure you are on that side of the watercourse.
File Naming:
Your packet will include information on how to name and submit your dam photos. Due to our continued growth, we can no longer accept photos that do not follow this simple naming schema. Submit your photos by email attachment to "DT Rider" at @damtour.com . Please send them in as you visit instead of storing them up for weeks or months. Please do not resize your photos unless you absolutely must or the original file size is over 5MB. If you have any questions or concerns on what this means, have extenuating circumstances, or need help with this, please contact "DT Rider" and I will do my best to help you get it right so you can get credit for your photos.
If you do not have a digital camera, and cannot get them made into digital format for sending by email, and you must snail-mail them, please be sure to identify each photo sent and add the date the dam is visited. Do not wait until you have done them all to send them in, unless it really is done in quick consecutive order. If you are intending to do all twenty dams, your final submittal must be received one week before the season ends or notify DT Rider of your "notice of intent" to finish and when they will be received.
You have until September 30th,
so get on that bike . . .
and have some fun!