It’s that time of year again when the low rumble of thousands of Harley Davidsons depart across Baker Valley for the 18th annual Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally.

Bikers from all over the Northwest flock to Baker City for what is considered one of the most rider friendly rallies in the state.

Clayton Wise, 56, and Vikki Mueller, 48, arrived early on the first day, and this will be their third time coming back to the rally.

“We’ve been riding together now for about three years,” Wise said. “We like to take as much time off as we can — a lot of good rides to go on at this rally.”

Wise and Mueller arrived on their Harleys pulling a tent trailer for them to sleep in.

While most hotel rooms were booked months in advance, the fields at Baker High School are being rented out to bikers who couldn’t find a room.

Others just wanted to spend their weekend camping out.

The girls basketball and soccer teams are volunteering from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to help with registering all the bikers, keeping the bathrooms stocked and taking out the trash.

The cost is $30 to rent out a plot for the weekend and all the proceeds go toward funding for the girls teams.

“It gets expensive staying in hotels for more than a couple days,” Mueller said. “This trailer pretty much pays for itself pretty quick.”

See more in the July 7, 2017 issue of the Baker City Herald.