BMW riders roll into John Day

Published 6:15 am Tuesday, June 21, 2022

JOHN DAY — The Chief Joseph Rally returned to the Grant County Fairgrounds this year following a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Camping tents and a plethora of BMW motorcycles of all types and ages once again filled the grassy area beside Trowbridge Pavilion over the course of the three-day event. The rally started Thursday, June 16, and concluded the night of Saturday, June 18, with riders leaving town the following day.

The event was sponsored by BMW Riders of Oregon and drew riders from all over the Western United States and parts of Canada. Guided rides, riding instruction, speakers, seminars and nightly motorcycle movies were some of the activities the rallygoers participated in over the course of the event.

BMW Riders of Oregon rally chair Alice LeBarron said the group is passionate about BMW bikes, but owning one isn’t necessary to join their club.

“Our club and this rally are really open to having other brands of bikes,” she said. “It’s people who are of the same mindset, basically.”

LeBarron said she thinks a lot of people have moved to BMW motorcycles over the years due to the number of different models the company makes that cater to different riding styles and preferences.

LeBarron said she’s been coming to the rally in John Day since 2012 and that she even came over the two years that the rally was canceled due to COVID: “The two years that we didn’t have our rally … I came here with a few friends and we camped out and had an unrally.”

While LeBarron said there isn’t much interaction between the rally and the community, she added that anybody who is curious about riding or anything concerning BMW Riders of Oregon is always welcome to attend the rally and have their questions answered.

LeBarron said there were 277 people registered to attend the rally but that the overall number of attendees was a “bit lower than normal” due to the national BMW rally in Springfield, Missouri, being held over the same weekend as Chief Joseph.

She added that Grant County is always a place she looks forward to visiting every year and that she enjoys working with Mindy Winegar and her staff at the fairgrounds.

“We’ll keep coming here,” LeBarron said. “There is such great riding here, and the location just works for us.”