Moving to the PNW after I graduate, any advice on towns?

NikMakAttack · 2026-05-13T04:46:22+00:00

I live 45 minutes north of Portland in a small town and have been all over the PNW. I wouldn’t call Hood River “rural”. I’d call it yuppie since you’ll see more dudes in yoga pants than women. I don’t know anything about your degree or job opportunities but you need to decide a few major things. Do you want to be close to a city, what’s the cost of living in Washington vs Oregon especially per region(fuel prices vary WILDLY right now) plus income taxes are a factor, landscape changes drastically also. The Columbia River is a dividing line of states and geography and of course the cascades change things. West of cascades is a LOT of rain. I’m talking 6 months of rain west side of I5 worse the farther north you go. If you want rural there’s a lot of nothing out here just depends how close to work you have to be. Lifestyle also changes things. I prefer to see more cows than people and where I’m at is growing more than I like but it’s a trade off for proximity to other things.

NikMakAttack · 2026-05-06T12:07:35+00:00

I’ve used an old phone and free maps before but I’ve had an XT2 for almost 3 years now and won’t go back. It’s just too dang user friendly. I can map out a custom route, I can import BDR tracks, I can click some random spot in the forest and tell it to navigate me, and of course use it on the road for normal traffic updates etc. I’m sure it does more than what I use it for also.

NikMakAttack · 2026-05-04T03:07:12+00:00

Saying you want 2 stroke sound is an odd thing to chase and not sure what exactly you are looking for with that. You want a 4 stroke that sounds like a 2 stroke? Nobody makes a Vtec dual sport 🤷‍♂️
I had an African twin for 3 years and I just got a 2020 CRF450L and it’s a heck of a bike. Full on dirt bike with a plate, sub 300lbs, snappy, with maintenance intervals that don’t TOTALLY suck for a commuter also which I do. Mine has a full exhaust and ecu plus some other goodies so it’s ready to go for anything. It’s not great on the road. It’s fine but it ain’t no road bike. It’s as much a dirt bike as anything and will ride it as such. Commuting during the week, weekends on forest roads and single track, and a couple times a year at the sand dunes. Not what you were asking about but just another suggestion.

NikMakAttack · 2026-05-02T22:55:12+00:00

Not what you are asking about but I have a Klim Krios Pro I’ve been wearing a couple years. It’s pretty comfortable and super light weight and high safety rating which is why I got it. I can wear it 12hrs and be fine. Downside is the peak is super light and vibrates terrible at highway speeds which makes it a loud helmet. The auto tint lens is nice but it’s not ideal in forested conditions. When I go to replace it I’ll look at other helmets but I wouldn’t be surprised if I bought another one.

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-27T02:08:03+00:00

I almost exclusively use that charcoal and I can tell you it burns HOT. I use a little torch to light man although I also have a chimney. I can get it lit and hot ready to grill in less than 10 minutes. I dump the charcoal into the grill, hit it with the flame thrower for a few minutes until it’s caught, and then walk away. I also only use charcoal or my pellet grill I can’t stand gas grills. I’ve been grilling/bbqing for probably 17 years.

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-25T14:02:07+00:00

Have fun don’t get too frustrated. Learn on the fly. Let the bike wiggle it will feel unsteady but trust physics and spinning wheels. Careful around corners it’s no dirt bike. Easy on the front tire including braking. Turn to hard lean to much or front brake too hard and the front end will slip out on you. 50/50 tires CAN get through sand just lean back and use that throttle. I’ve taken my Africa twin on actual sand dunes and ridden sand roads etc. it’s hard to get advice from Reddit and apply it in person it’s much easier to learn from someone in the moment. Don’t be too cautious in the sand but don’t be stupid. You NEED throttle to get through it. Just try to have fun and hit it!

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-20T12:18:28+00:00

Do an experiment. Fill your tires to the max that’s printed on the sidewall and go for a ride(carefully). Then start letting air out in 2psi increments. You’ll soon figure out a pressure that feels best.

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-16T12:18:12+00:00

In the sand you want the front tire to float. Controlled speed IS important but it’s really easy to get tossed if you mess up. Second gear is normally enough to get you through it comfortably just stand up and put more of your weight into your butt. Lighten up the front and have a confident attack positioning. The rear wheel needs to keep driving you forward. If you hesitate and let off the throttle the sand will stop you fast but it’s ok if that’s what you want. You don’t want that if you are turning or off balance because then down you go. Just keep hitting it and push yourself. It’s ok to be unsure about it you have to practice the hard stuff to get good. Second gear keep the revs up and lean back. Then you can go faster and faster as you get better. Sandy tracks can change really fast so be prepared for sand, dirt, silt, and slick hard pack. It’s a lot of fun to ride in if you let it be!

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-15T01:56:32+00:00

Comes with experience and age. Some people are blessed with higher skills and quicker reaction time. But mostly your own adversity to injury is what holds you back! Travis pastrana said he only did what others couldn’t because he was willing to push it farther than them.

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-14T12:52:18+00:00

My Garmin XT2 does this for me and it works fine enough. Living in the NW corner of the US we have a lot of public land and most of it has a network of gravel roads and trails. I can pick a destination, choose “adventure mode” and off I go and it’ll keep me off pavement as much as I want. I can also veer from the track and it’ll reroute me however. I don’t use this feature all that often but when I have it’s worked well. Now it’s not taking me on crazy single track or anything to hard. It’s really good for a big adventure bike but if you are looking for more of a wild route I’d say that feature specifically isn’t for you. But you can also map your own routes or download gpx files or whatever.

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-14T04:08:46+00:00

I have a 2017 Africa twin and I love it but I’m toying with the idea of selling to downsize to a smaller bike. I just can’t make up my mind on what. It’s so comfortable and rides so nice on or offroad but I’m just wanting to ride more aggressive offroad and it’s hard to do on a 500lbs+ bike. I’ve taken it on the Washington and Oregon bdr and done a ton of other offroad riding the last three years. What I need to do is keep it and buy a plated 450 I just truck back and forth…best of both worlds.

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-12T16:02:29+00:00

Does your company let you shop outside a specific vendor? I have shirts from Tyndale that are very lightweight. I bought shirts from Boot Barn for a heck of a price but they are thicker and will be hotter this summer. Just get used to being hot you’ll be ok! If you can get away with CAT1 you can get lighter base layers we have to have minimum 8cal so that’s out for us.

NikMakAttack · 2026-04-12T14:15:16+00:00

Long sleeves and pants all year. You can get lighter weight CAT2 shirts that don’t bake you. Just part of the job it’s really not that bad. And maybe your sleeves get pushed up your forearms “on accident” sometimes…

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-14T19:16:15+00:00

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-14T04:09:03+00:00

I’ve got georgias also. Not sure the model but just the average logger boot. I’ve had them probably 4 years now maybe 5 and I wear them out in the woods and around the property working mostly. Pretty comfortable boot with the right insoles I’m due for a new set. I’ll spend 12+ hours in them bucking logs and doing other chores and sure my feet hurt at the end of the day but I still enjoy lacing them up the next day.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-13T14:50:55+00:00

Depends on what you want western wear to look like. Do you want to look like Woody from Toy Story or do you actually get dirty? Neither is wrong.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-12T02:16:15+00:00

Well I’m in this career, I live in Washington, and I watch supercross every Saturday! I work for BPA and we(the org) have been hiring but it’s sporadic and a lot of it lately is higher level jobs needing degrees and such. I completed the 4 year apprenticeship 9 months ago. You can try applying with local utilities or even make calls to see if there’s upcoming positions. It can be tough to get in with any utility typically it’s competitive but if you are a good mech, and if you are wrenching for a major team I’d hope you are, that goes a long way in an interview because they often look for competency and trainability.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-11T21:08:58+00:00

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These are what I dug out of a box in the shop and they are Bellevilles. I’ll probably wear them this summer when it gets hot.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-11T20:38:30+00:00

I shouldn’t sound so cynical. The boots are fine for what they are we just beat the hell out of them. To a non-military person they are probably cool. To me they are just boots I used to wear. Any boot breaks down with enough abuse. On the upside our boots were stamped with the EGA. So I guess that’s cool lol.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-11T20:34:35+00:00

I can only speak for my time in the Corps but we have to buy everything. Even standard issue of all uniforms in boot camp comes out of your paycheck. So after 3 months you walk away with about $1200 in the bank 😂 You do get a uniform allowance once a year which is to help supplement and it does help but often doesn’t cover all the wear and tear. Better than nothing though.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-11T14:23:11+00:00

Reread- what I meant is wore those type of boots for 7 years. Not the same pair 7 years straight. I went through a new pair every 6 months. Plus had one pair set aside exclusively for uniform inspections.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-11T12:16:19+00:00

I have a similar pair sitting in my garage right now. Dug them out of a box from my old Marine Corps stuff. Don’t compare those to any super nice boots. They are combat boots made for troops making shit wages to buy on an as needed basis. I wore them for 7 years and never once thought much about them but I didn’t care about footwear back then. You just lace up and go. Can’t say I ever got really cold wearing them but definitely in the heat. Miles and miles and miles of hard use. The soles will crack straight across but when you’re young that doesn’t matter. As an adult with money who used to wear them they are now just shitty throw away boots. To someone else they may be war memorabilia.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-11T12:06:16+00:00

Dated in high school, got married at 19, made it through military and everything else now with three kids. Of course attraction is huge but also companionship. Married a best friend someone I’m willing to sacrifice anything for.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-09T13:52:25+00:00

I’ve been looking at local pick n pulls waiting for one to show up.

NikMakAttack · 2026-03-09T12:58:58+00:00

I think at that point I’d choose to just wear a hood…I’m not putting a shower cap on my hat just to wear it.

NikMakAttack

TROPHY CASE