HIGHLANDER
naewittyshitepostedeere
What does Road FM 170 look like on the Texas / Mexico border ? A few riders are picking off Baquillas overlook as a Bonus ? It must be hotter than blazes down there, and it’s not easy to get there either.
Personally, I'm reminded that it's now Day 9 of the IBR and in 2007 they had just started the "call-in bonus" concept. I did mine and in the middle of it debated with myself as it chewed up the seconds, "Ummmmm....it's Day 8 of the rally......or is it Day 9? It's Day 9! And I'm in Colorado and headed to Greensburg, Kansas next."Win, lose or draw, these are pivotal hours, nothing else in the world matters. You are completely alone with the stench of bad choices, a touch of fear, the taste of failure frosted with a faint sight of victory.
Reminds of the first year I ran, 2011. To finish you had to nail all 48 states. Around Day 3 was getting paranoid I would lose track. So I wrote down on a piece of paper the 2 letter codes for every state in two columns then folded the piece of paper so it would sit in the tank bag visible at all times. Every time I scored a state I literally scratched it off the list.In 2009 I LITERALLY took a Sharpie to the surface of my SPOT tracker and scratched out the days as a ritual each morning. (I saw somebody do this on their fuel cell at the CP this year too). By the end of the rally my hash marks miraculously matched reality.
Having done a similar route with the same roads in AK, but riding two up and towing a trailer, I got 6500 miles on a Michelin PR2 in 2015, and 5800 miles in 2018. The second trip we carried more weight in spares with us as we had two new riders going along and not sure what they would have with them.About the clump of 3 in Saskatchewan:
Remember that riders that chose Alaska left Kennewick (at best) with a brand new rear tire. I bet their Alaska choice chewed rubber up like cheap bubblegum.
And Edmonton looks like the first real place to get fresh rubber...and also a pretty good place to land last night after midnight to snag a rest bonus. I think that pack of 3 probably will deal with these variables a bit differently. It's possible the order of those 3 will change as they clear that city.
...snip
It ended up being oddly comforting/reassuring to see the steady progress of scratched off items and be able to verify everything I had scored (and had still to score)
Mine was a grease pencil with the windscreen and tank bag my palettes. I didn't trust memory at this stage. Must do x & y at next fuel stop... And triple checking distance, speed, time calculations, what time zone?, Km to miles if north of the border. And checking 'stitch pockets for rally critical items- camera around neck? Flag? Camera card? Rally pack? Rider card? Passport? Credit card? Phone?In 2009 I LITERALLY took a Sharpie to the surface of my SPOT tracker and scratched out the days as a ritual each morning. (I saw somebody do this on their fuel cell at the CP this year too). By the end of the rally my hash marks miraculously matched reality.
IIIIIIIII
I call this the pat down. To be done while repeating "Everything has its place, and everything goes in its place" over and over.Mine was a grease pencil with the windscreen and tank bag my palettes. I didn't trust memory at this stage. Must do x & y at next fuel stop... And triple checking distance, speed, time calculations, what time zone?, Km to miles if north of the border. And checking 'stitch pockets for rally critical items- camera around neck? Flag? Camera card? Rally pack? Rider card? Passport? Credit card? Phone?In 2009 I LITERALLY took a Sharpie to the surface of my SPOT tracker and scratched out the days as a ritual each morning. (I saw somebody do this on their fuel cell at the CP this year too). By the end of the rally my hash marks miraculously matched reality.
IIIIIIIII
Interesting! On the theory that Leg 2 packet is an addition to Leg 1 and all 99 pages are in play...that makes it pair well with the Everglades one from earlier.Tip of Key Biscane is now in play , that a new bonus !
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