SCOTT AND JULIE STEVENSON: 3 STEP HIDEAWAY

By Paul Strubell of Dirt Orcas – 1/16/17

For the fifteenth installment in our ongoing interview series here at Dirt Orcas we are very pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Scott Stevenson. You may know Scott by his www.advrider.com call sign of “DingWeed’.

Scott has done some pretty excellent riding since picking up his first “off-road” bike in in 2006. The adventure bug hit him hard and he has done trips to Alaska, Baja, up and down the Continental Divide Trail and many many other trips on BDR’s and highlight type roads. He has earned his stripes to say the least.

A few years ago Scott and his wife Julie launched an adventure hub near La Sal, Utah called 3 Step Hideaway. It’s driveway is literally along the Trans America Trail Route in the scenic Colorado Plateau.

You can check out the accommodations here or follow their Facebook page for fun updates.

While Dirt Orcas and my interviews tend to focus on adventure riders and overland travelers, we also always like to tighten that focus to people who live in an unconventional way. Scott and Julie’s decision to operate an adventure based, old timey bed and breakfast as a headquarters for adventurer certainly fits the mold.

While Moab draws adventure types from far and wide because of its accessibility and world class outdoor recreation, Scott and Julie’s addition of 3 Step Hideaway offers a quieter home-base with similar world class accessibility. With accommodations to wet your whistle, have a great meal, get a great nights sleep, and speak with like minded adventurers, 3 Step is quickly becoming a major destination for overland travels of all sorts.

Scott and Julie are great reminders that a passion for adventure is often as rewarding as the adventure itself.

What do you consider to be your place of work?

My place of work is a little slice of Heaven right here on earth……..3 Step Hideaway!

You ride as well. Year, Make, Model of your bike?

I ride a 09 WR250r and have 65,000 miles on its clock. No rebuilds, I have never been into the motor! It has been a rock solid bike for me!

Did you name your bike? What do you call it?

I did not name my bike…..I just refer to it as my WR.

When and how did you come across Three Step Hideaway?

We found 3 Step Hideaway thru a friend on ADVrider in the fall of 2013…….we worked on the place all winter and opened for business in the spring of 2014

Have you made any upgrades or changes to the property to make it more suited as an adventure hub?

Yes, we have upgraded all of the systems here at 3 Step. We are totally off the “Grid” and take care of our own water, power, wastewater systems, rainwater systems.

We have turned the horse barn into a motorcycle shop so that riders with mechanical issues can hopefully get back on the trail! The shop includes bike lifts, a wire feed welder, compressor, lots of hardware and bike parts. We also keep a stock of oil, tubes, some tires as well.

What is your favorite part about it living/working from Three Step?

My favorite part of living and working here at 3 Step is, without a doubt, the people!!

We get some Great folks coming thru from all over the world!!!……everyone has a story to tell!!……..and getting to here about everybody’s adventures is AWESOME!!!

What is your least favorite part about it?

My least favorite part of here at 3 Step is doing dishes, and folding sheets!!!

It is mostly Julie and I doing the work here……we are getting busy enough now to get some regular help for the 2017 season!! WaHooooo!

What is the best place to ride near Three Step?

Most guys that come to 3 Step, ride there on tracks or the Trans America Trail, the UTBDR, COBDR, or I have a pretty good library of tracks around this area that I am more than happy to share! Some times I can get away and ride with some of our guests…..I do not guide though.

Is there just one?

The best place to ride around 3 Step…….pick a direction….. the riding is Spectacular everywhere. We are in the foothills of the Rockies! And at the edge of the Moab desert. You can see the mountains at Telluride, CO from the Cantina front porch, step off the porch about 30 feet and look north, you can see the La Sal mountains, just to name a couple of Great riding areas……and of course……MOAB!!!

Favorite road you have ridden?

My favorite road I have ridden……….it was a 30 day ride with my Awesome riding Buddy Mark Sampson when we rode Mexico to Canada and back again mostly on dirt!

In one word, what describes your approach to life?

ADVENTURE!!

If you could give a person one piece of advice when thinking about operating an adventure headquarters what would you tell them?

Living and working 3 Step Hideaway is a lot of work! Get some help so that you don’t get burned out!!

It takes a special kind of person to recognize that the journey, not the destination, is the point of life. Travelers know this. Was there a point in your life where you became conscious that you were one of those people?

On my adventure rides it was always about the folks we met along the way, and of course the dirt riding is icing on the cake!!

You have found a strong place in the community of adventure motorcycle travel. What values do you think your home instilled in you, that you apply to your business?

Our business is a little different than most….we feel that if you treat people with respect, dignity, and common courtesy, they will mirror it back to you. Everything here is on the honor system.

When you get a cold drink, you write down what you got and pay when you check out…….we have a shop fund jar for hardware, use of the shop, gasoline, tubes, tires,etc. …….just whatever you need toss a donation in the jar……or write it down and we settle up when you check out!!……..We like to treat people the way we want to be treated with respect and common courtesy for everything!

I admire your outside the box approach to career and home. Do you see yourself as somebody who took a leap of faith to live in an unconventional way or do you think it kind of just happened?

Julie and I for sure took a leap of faith in starting 3 Step! We have sure been Blessed by all of the Fantastic guests that have stopped by are little slice of Heaven here on earth!! We Thank each and everyone that has stopped by!!

Where do you want to go next? (geographically and career wise)

Julie and I are working on getting some more help here to be able to enjoy the guests more without so much day to day cooking and cleaning!!

Bucket list rides……NVBDR, NMBDR, more Baja, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Alaska, etc. etc………….as much as I can!!!

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MARK SAMPSON: BIG DOG ADVENTURES - Dirt Orcas says:

March 20, 2017 at 4:13 pm

[…] rides with Scott Stevenson of the 3 Step Hideaway often. You can see my interview with Scott here. They seem like a great […]

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