Soaking wet, hair whipping back and forth across my face, and shouts of joy muffled by the raging water soaring 70 feet over my head. I fell in love with Sahalie Falls the moment I met her.

“One of the great things about making up lists of obscure objectives to pass the time in the rainy season is that the crowds will be elsewhere.”

It’s a Friday afternoon in February, and our NWAC weather forecasts come bearing good news. A forecast of several new inches of snowfall means the group text is popping off with weekend plans and ecstatic friends.

I love a good scary story; as a matter of fact, I have a few of my own that I’ve relayed to both friends and strangers over the years. And so, in honor of the spookiest time of the year, I’m offering to you, the reader, one of my many strange personal experiences.

Relieved to have found the trail, we were feeling good again back on track. But soon, we’d be facing even more obstacles, patches of snow, and—even more snow.

Even though some of our machines rode with quirks and limits, together, we traveled hundreds of miles, conquered storms, dirt roads and trails, craters, and lava fields, and returned home with memories richer than anything money could buy.

Shortly after leaving our campsite, “Wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks playing on the stereo, I caught my first-ever glimpses of the Oregon coast.

Located between the towns of Florence and Coos Bay, it is the largest expanse of coastal dunes in North America. Towering sand dunes stretch for miles here, making it a hidden paradise for an adrenaline-fueled sport you may not even know exists: sandboarding.

The passage of time, itself, is a great forgiver.

Find waterfalls and trails near Sweet Home, Oregon