Motorcycle rally riding into town

PORTHILL — Are you ready to get the Harley out to North Idaho this July?

The first-ever 2 The Border Motorcycle Rally, an all-rider event to Jake’s Landing at Porthill is coming at the end of July.

For three days, July 28 to July 30 motorcyclists will be meeting up at the northern border to camp, meet up and ride. The event is open to all brands of motorcycles both on and off-road.

“We love motorcycles, we love North Idaho, and we love motorcycle rallies," organizers said of why they began the event. "But, in North Idaho (like really really North) we don’t have any rallies, so we found a great location and decided to just do it ourselves.”

And that spot is at Jake’s Landing in Porthill, situated on the Kootenai River next to the U.S./Canada border.

Locals motorcycle enthusiasts Tony Wade, of TourMoto Design and Troy Olson have partnered up to bring a motorcycle rally to Boundary County.

"Motorcycles are our culture and we couldn't find any rallies in the Idaho Panhandle," Wade said. "So we decided to make our own."

Wade said Jake's Landing in Porthill is the ideal location for the rally due to camping options and proximity to Canada and the International Selkirk Loop. He added the event is to also a way to help draw business to Jake's Landing and the Jacobson family which have been affected due to the past closure of the port of entry.

The event will include a poker run, which is a local tour incorporating on-road and off-road checkpoints to give everyone a chance to have some fun. Riders will collect a card at each stop and the rider with the winning hand will receive a prize.

There also are lots of excellent riding options in the area to explore, giving riders the option to explore on pre-planned routes or go freestyle and explore all day on their own.

All routes will be distributed via the Rever app and all rides are self-guided. Riders are encouraged to group up and find new friends with whom to ride.

Raffles will be available from vendors and other local businesses with tickets available at the welcome tent until Saturday afternoon. Tickets will be drawn Saturday evening and winners must be present. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Backcountry Discovery Routes, which aims to create and maintain a trail system all over the country.

In addition to a nearby restaurant and general store, there will be a dinner special on Saturday. VIP tickets include grab-and-go breakfast on Saturday and Sunday and dinner on Saturday. There will also be some small food vendors available.

Participants are encouraged to check out "Vendor City," which will be open all weekend.

Camping is available for motorcycle/tent campers, and other lodging is available nearby.

While passports are not required unless riders are coming from Canada, organizers highly recommend bringing a passport if you have one, so riders can explore southern Canada as well.

The organizers hope to make this an annual rally and bring riding fun to north Idaho.

Information: 2theborder.com