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Big Tex Rally

twigg

By twigg
in Watering Hole

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twigg

twigg

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I halted my series of LD Riding posts for a few days simply because I have had my hands full arguing about the Scavenger Hunt :D, but more importantly preparing for a Rally.

 

The Big Tex Rally is a 36 Hour Rally all within Texas.

 

My start point is in Denison, TX, and I will be visiting El Paso, Big Bend and various other places before returning to Dallas.

 

The Rally begins at 6 am tomorrow (friday) and the finish is at 6 PM Saturday. I have a route that covers about 1650 miles. I will have to add 200 miles from home to the start, and about 250 miles home afterwards.

 

Here is an overview of the full route:

 

http://twigg.smugmug.com/photos/i-NjjQ229/0/L/i-NjjQ229-L.jpg

 

 

For anyone curious about following progress, the following link goes directly to the SPOT location page:

 

http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=5955507f422e33e1a

 

That link will go active at 5 pm central and stay on until I am home again. I will be sleeping so it will not move all of the time.

 

There are close to fifty riders starting this event from four different locations. About half the field is starting from Denison.

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Owen

Owen

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I'm packing my bike now to head over to Orange, Tx which is my starting point. That 1650 mile route is a bit more ambitious than mine. This being my first rally, I didn't want to bit off more than I can chew! Good luck and ride safely twigg. See you in Dallas!

 

:biker:

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Owen

Owen

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Completed the BigTexRally. This was my first rally and turned out to be an adventure. What I learned was that you can plan routes and times all you want, but stuff happens and you better be able to plan on the fly! Ended up with enough point to be a 'finisher'. That was my prime goal for my first rally. Also learned that you need to look closely at the routes your mapping software chooses. For instance I would never have planned to ride one of the 'Twisted Sisters', 337 from Camp Wood, Tx up through Leakey, Tx at 10:00pm. By the time I got to Kerrville, I was whooped from dodging deer, skunks, pigs, and coyotes. I did not make it to Tom's to spend the night. I stopped in Kerrville. Round trip from Houston was 1640 miles, 1370 or so during the rally. I had a great time! You guys need to give one of these a try.

:biker:

Here is a photo of me arriving at the finish line. Woo Hoo!!!!!

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/IMG_1431.jpg

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twigg

twigg

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Congratulations, Owen, on your first Rally finish. That is an awesome feeling and no one who has never attempted what you did understands what it takes to manage a feat like that.

 

My own story on this Rally is a little different. A full Ride Report is coming, and I will make it the third part of my Long Distance Series because there is a great deal of information in it that will help others who want a fast-track to LD success (sometimes failure is the more instructive).

 

I pulled out of the Rally just after the end of my overnight stop. By that time I had ridden 1030 miles with just over 600 to the finish.

 

I had amassed 33827 points for the bonuses I collected plus the static points that would be credited, so my final position would have been determined by the bonuses I managed on my second day.

 

I had issues with the bike, for the first time ever in a rally, and rather than punish it anymore I chose to ride directly home. I did not want to be stranded in the middle of Texas.

 

My ride home was 690 miles, and I made it safely. In total I covered 1922 miles over the weekend. I did the required mileage for an In-State SS1000, and the mileage for a BB 1500.

 

This one goes down as a DNF, but one I am happy to have taken part in.

 

Here is one of the bonus pics. It is the grave of James Wesley Hardin, in El Paso. That city is one of the reasons I didn't finish :)

 

http://twigg.smugmug.com/Motorcyling/Rallies/Big-Tex-Rally-2012/i-n8f22xB/0/L/DSCN0941-L.jpg

Edited by twigg
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pktexas

pktexas

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Completed the BigTexRally. This was my first rally and turned out to be an adventure. What I learned was that you can plan routes and times all you want, but stuff happens and you better be able to plan on the fly!

 

Congratulations on completing the Rally. Can't wait to hear about your adventure.

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pktexas

pktexas

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This one goes down as a DNF, but one I am happy to have taken part in.

Twigg, glad to hear you made it home ok. Understand on the DNF, we have all been there. But always learn something trying to complete one of these. Looking forward to the your writeup.

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twigg

twigg

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Twigg, glad to hear you made it home ok. Understand on the DNF, we have all been there. But always learn something trying to complete one of these. Looking forward to the your writeup.

 

I am going to post this as Part Three in my LD Series ... but as you asked:

 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/22/1148285/--Steve-went-to-Prada-and-all-I-got-was-a-lousy-photograph-Jodie

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Owen

Owen

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Well I finally wrote up my full report...

 

 

I left home Thursday evening and headed to Orange, Tx for the starting point. It had been a very hectic week working late hours and I did not feel rested or totally prepared for this excursion, but damn the torpedoes full speed ahead. When I got to the hotel which was about 200yds. from the start location, there were already a couple BMWs parked in the lot. Looking at their setup and all the stickers from various rallies and all, I decided real quick that I was well out of my league here. Be that as it may, I had no lofty goals going into this. What I did want was to complete the rally with enough points to be a 'Finisher'.

 

I can not tell you how many hours I spent working on routes for this rally. Seriously! Dave helped a lot by spending time on the task also and his input was invaluable by giving me a different perspective of the task. Thanks Zippy! When it was all said and done, I had what I felt were 4 viable routes. One was short, about 1250 miles, and the longest was about 1650 miles. All of these would give me enough points, when added to the static boni, to afford me the 30,000 minimum for finisher status. Right from the starters meeting I learned quickly that you have to be able to adjust your plan on the fly. Two things changed my plan big time. First was the extra bonus locations that were handed out. Most of the additional locations carried a score more than twice of all the others. More on that later. The next thing they did was take you driver's license and insurance card and seal them in an envelope. If you reached the scoring table with it still sealed, you were awarded an additional 5000 points. Point being? You were not stopped by the PoPo for speeding or something else. If you needed ID to use a credit card or something you had to talk your way out of it or find a different method. Glad I was carrying a fair amount of cash!

 

6:01am on my start receipt and I'm off. A lot of the riders were heading for Boliver Ferry for the first bonus and then to the next one on Galveston Sea Wall. I chose to skip Boliver because I have crossed that ferry many times and have always had a long wait. I figured that rush hour traffic would be a big slow down. Turns out I was wrong about that. I went straight to the Sea Wall for my first bonus.

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/DSCF0232.jpg

 

My next bonus location was the brewery in Shiner, Tx. My route took me up I45 to the beltway and around to I10. Unfortunately, there was a Fedex truck VS 18 wheeler wreck near 288 and I could not get off the road or get around it. Damn! I sat still for about 1/2 hour then the traffic just poked along. I lost a lot of time here. I made it to Shiner almost an hour behind sked. I collected my bonus there and checked my time and route. I needed to make a decision about my next bonus which was the Alamo in San Antonio. The problem being that I wanted to get to my mandatory bonus location, Judge Roy Beans in Langtry, Tx, today. But they close at 5pm. My gps told me that I would arrive at about 4:50 if I go now. So I chose to skip the Alamo even though I would be going right past it and would loose only about 20 minutes total. It proved to be the right choice. It's a long run to Langtry, 305 miles. I could not afford anymore delays.

 

Over the next 5 hours or so I watched my estimated arrival time vary. It is so hard to make up that 3 or 4 minutes you loose from a stop or slow traffic. Speed limits out west are typically 75mph. That was not going to get me there on time. I pushed it a little when safe and clear. As I approached Langtry, I was already planning an alternative route. I figured that if I miss this one because of time, I would run on out to Valentine for Prada and Ft. Davis. This would add a lot of mile and time but I would be back at Langtry for the 8am opening. When I turned into the road at Langtry it was 5:05. Damn too late! As I pulled up and parked there were two other riders there just getting ready to leave. One told me they locked the door behind him. I went over to the door and banged on it hoping to sweet talk my way in for one photo. No one answered... Then I heard one of the riders call out to the lady and man that were walking away from the building out back. He said there was one more that needed a photo and would they please allow me in for just a moment. They were all too happy to oblige! Yes! They were very sweet and friendly and very happy to help me out. He even took the photo for me!

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/DSCF0235.jpg

 

Getting this one done really helped my state of mind!

 

My next bonus location is Camp Wood, Tx. There is a historical plaque there that marks the occasion of a young, 21yrs, Charles Lindberg landing in Camp Wood. Upon his take off to leave, he crash his plane into a store. He destroyed the plane and the store. This would be about 155 miles. It was dark by the time I got to Camp Wood. I had to run up and down main street a couple times to locate the marker. I did find it but the locals including an INS truck and local cop were keeping a close eye on me. I pulled up the the marker, shut down my bike and got a flashlight out to check the sign. Yep, that's the one I was looking for! As I walked back to the bike, I noticed the two officers watching intently. I got to the bike, got my camera and flag out and was going to put the bike in neutral so I could start it and use the headlight to light up the marker. I did not notice how much of an incline I was parked on and when I put it in neutral, it rolled forward and dropped hard on the left side. Damn damn double damn! In less than 10 seconds both officers where there along with a local resident that was passing by. I figured that I was about to have a lot of explaining to do. But the two officers quickly helped me upright the bike and when I said I just needed a photo of the plaque the cop asked if there was a rally going on. Cool! Didn't ask to see my license or anything! Got my photo and off I went.

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/DSCF0236.jpg

 

So you see, now Charles Lindberg and I both have something in common. We both suffered an unfortunate incident in Camp Wood, Tx. Maybe when I get all famous they will erect a plaque next to Charlie's!

 

My next bonus location is Luckenbach, Tx. This would be about 130 miles. This is where things get a little dicey. As I leave Camp Wood, I am still a bit preoccupied with the bike drop and don't really notice where my gps is taking me. I start out this lonely 2 lane road that has some good twisty curves and think to my self that this would be really fun in the light of day. As I get a bit further up the road I start to feel as though I have been here before. Then the route sign comes up and I'm on Ranch Road 337. Damn the Twisted Sisters after dark! I stop for a moment and check my gps for options. I'm too far out to turn around now so onward I go. Let me tell you this is not a road I would ever want to ride after dark even if the deer rut was not on. This run was very intense. I had to pay attention to the windy road, hills and all the critters. I lost count of the deer. I dodged hogs, skunks and coyotes. By the time I got into Leakey I was already exhausted. I had been on the road for about 15 hours and it had not been a pleasure ride. In Leakey I got on 83 and headed toward Kerrville. Along the way I tried to call Tom to let him know I would not be stopping by for my rest period. Of course the phone did not work way out in the boonies. By the time I got to Kerrville, I had had enough! I was mentally and physically zeroed out! Time to stop. I had planned a 4 hour rest but quickly decided that 6 hours would be in order. I found a hotel, checked in with cash, went to my room, set an alarm and crashed on the bed. Next thing I remember is the alarm. I felt much better. Rest will do that for you.

 

With the extra time spent resting, I decided to skip the Luckenbach bonus. It was to locate a car license plate from Alaska that was nailed to a building out behind a biker bar on a dirt road. While I do like a challenge, I could just see myself at 6am with a flashlight wandering around behind some biker bar looking for a needle in a haystack! Pass...

 

My next bonus location is the Throne of Magnificence in down town Austin, Tx. The plaque reads 'This is dedicated to the Magnificence that is you'. What ever... This leg is only about 105 miles.

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/DSCF0238.jpg

 

When I arrive there are two other riders there. We get our photos and chat a bit. They have decided to head to one of the high point extra bonuses that were given out at the last minute. I thought about it for a couple minutes and decided that if we could score the 7000 plus points at this one, I could shorten my planned route by 3 stops. But I knew it would be risky. Ok... I'll tag along and off we go. It's only about 30 miles away. The bonus specs tells you to find a visitor to the park and have them hold your flag at the water's edge for a photo. Ok... When we get to the park and pay our $12 for entry it is explained to us that this is a nude beach. Hippy Hollow! Damn! Well there is no stopping us now. We park the bikes and grab our flags and cameras and head down to the beach. Ummmm... there are only two guys here this early in the morning and I can assure you they wanted as little to do with our cameras as we wanted to do with their nakedness! Crap, wasted time! I then saw a guy walking in with a fishing pole and cooler. Fully clothed! I sweet talked him into posing for the photos for all of us! Fred is my hero!

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/DSCF0240.jpg

 

 

What a break! That 7600 points just shortened my route by a couple hundred miles.

 

 

My next bonus location would be in Hearn, Tx. Only 90 miles away. I'm feeling much better now.

 

This is the grave site of Rosie Moore. Yep, Aunt Jemima! The run on the dirt road was short and it was in pretty good shape because of the oil well drilling in the area.

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/DSCF0243.jpg

 

My next bonus location was in northern Dallas. This leg was about 175 miles. I needed to get a photo of the service manager at a local BMW motorcycle dealer. Rupert Austin was very friendly and willing to help out.

 

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/DSCF0245.jpg

 

 

Next location is the Texas Theater where Oswald was arrested after shooting JFK. This was also in Dallas and I only had to run a few miles. Oswald ducked into the theater and neglected to pay for the movie. The manager called the cops and that was how he was arrested. There is a poster of the movie that he was watching that was signed by the star and the manager at that time. The theater has since been converted into a bar. Surprisingly enough, or not, no one there knew the poster was hanging on the wall or it's significance. I took the time to explain it...

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/DSCF0248.jpg

 

I stopped on my way to the finish to pick up a cold six pack that was also a bonus. When I arrived I had about 30 minutes remaining before penalty points started. I was elated to have completed the rally. I knew I had acquired enough point to be a 'finisher'. I only had to endure the scoring process and hope all my photos were accepted. I ended up with about 37,600 points and great satisfaction for having successfully competed my maiden rally.

 

 

At the finish line.

 

http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w337/Owen064/IMG_1431-1.jpg

 

Margaret was there to meet me at the finish. The staff had prepared a great banquet for us and we spent the night. Sunday morning we headed home. Round trip from home was about 1650 miles with about 1360 miles on the route. It was a blast and will definitely do this again.

 

Owen

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