By the time most riders stirred from their tents each morning, the coffee was already flowing.
Each day of the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder began in the dark. I’d crawl out of bed at 4:30am, fire up the coffee brewers, and start brewing coffee before the birds even knew it was morning. By 5:00am, that familiar smell ... Loam Coffee in full bloom .... began to drift across camp.
And like clockwork, the line would form.
By 5:30am, it wasn’t uncommon to have people lining up, mugs in hand, sleepy-eyed but smiling. On the final morning, I counted 20 in line before I even poured the first cup. For the next two to two and a half hours, it was non-stop. No breaks. Just brew, pour, repeat.
I’d grind and brew through about 15-20 pounds of coffee per day. That’s a lot of caffeine. Riders came back day after day, and while there wasn’t always time for long conversations, the small talk we snuck in was golden. “How’d yesterday go?” “How’s the body holding up?” “What’s the route look like today?” Those little check-ins were a reminder that coffee wasn’t just a beverage; it was a ritual. A touchpoint. A comfort.
Oregon Trail Gravel isn’t your average gravel event. It’s a five-day point-to-point stage race that pushes riders through the volcanic rock, Cascade climbs, and high-desert dust of central Oregon. And while the pros were chasing podiums, many others were just chasing sunrise views and post-stage river soaks. In between, there was this: a line of people waiting on a hot cup to start their day.
Keeping up with demand was a fun kind of chaos. There were always about 20 to 30 people in line. Always. As soon as I got close to catching up, more would walk over, mug in hand, ready to fuel up before the next big ride. The gratitude was real. You could feel it in the thank-yous, the eye contact, the occasional bleary-eyed joke.
By late morning, the line would finally fade, and the racers would head out. That’s when I’d take a deep breath, rinse out the brew gear, pack up to drive to the next stage of the race, and get ready to do it all again the next day.
Although I had no time to snap photos while brewing and serving coffee, I was able to capture the camp vibes.
I wasn’t riding the Oregon Trail this year, but I was still part of the rhythm. The early morning hustle, the clatter of bike shoes on gravel, the energy that builds before another day on the bike. Loam Coffee had a front-row seat to it all. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
