tel
Well-known member
Guess I should jot a few notes down about my first Utah 1088 before my old brain can't remember what all the fun was about.
The ride from Sth. CA was hot, really hot, I remember that much. – Damn I hate slabbing it!
Here's some pics from Friday afternoon and Saturday before the start.
The Rally Organizers waiting for something to happen.
The morning of the Rally
30 minutes to figure out the route. I’m standing by the bike, (which just happens to be parked in the sun, first of many mistakes) maps all over the place, glancing up and wondering where most of the rider were. (In their air-conditioned room, sitting at their desk of course, you stupid numbskull). But I need the GPS, gotta plug in some bonuses, right? No, I didn’t bring the power cord – duh!!
Let’s see – hmmm… 10,000 points, 50 miles of dirt, hmmm, dunno about that, but looks close by and I did have a KLR so I know how to ride dirt, don’t I, sure I do, yep, put that puppy down for a definite maybe.
5,000 points for photo of a plastic T-Rex in a local garden park – easy money baby, she’s in the bag! That’s what I like the easy one’s – wait, hold up there – open 10am to 3pm. Damn! Still Dirt + Dino = 15,000 points and Vegas only got you 17,700+ if I remember. Yep, 15,000 are in the bag, ……maybe!!
Ok, so what’ll I do till my date with the big Dino? I plugged in the GPS bonus, hey not too far (maybe 50 miles) and 2,000+ points! Put that down. Wendover – 2,000ish, Nevada, yep looks good.
The slow ride – what’s that all about. I’m pretty new at this game but it’s here at the hotel and 3,250 points. Gotta scoop up them gems. Time to get going. 8:10am ish.
Ya gotta ride between the two lines in 45 seconds or more. Huh! Yep over there! Oh I see. Ok, I can do that! Everybody making it? Yep, most are! Okie dokie! Line up and watch the guy ahead. He makes it. My turn. Shit!!!!!! I mean Crap, put my damn foot down. Steve said I was at 38 seconds and about 10 feet from the line. :dribble: Ok, no sweat, I get another go. “ !!“ Guess you’re not allowed to use bad language on this forum, so, well, think of a word that exclaims your total disgust of what you just screwed up and slot it in. You get the picture. – 20 minutes gone and zero points for truly. – Hey FJR’s just wern’t meant to go slow – you’all know that.
Ok, so I ain’t going to win this rally! You know I dream of stupid things like winning – Ha ha ha! That’s the nice thing about dreams, you can win, beat the bad guys, get the girl, swagger down Main St. with the crowd cheering. Gotta laugh right. Blew it in the first 20 minutes.
Right – let’s get some points – 2,000 for the GPS bonus – I’m on my way – yea baby!!
Have you ever felt really stupid? Well my little buddy Garmin said head down Bangerter Hwy. So I did, I mean he knows I’m in a hurry, right? Sure he does. After running about 20 miles, stopping and starting at the various traffic lights, I’m thinking that young Garmin here just isn’t on the same page, he’s letting me down. I’m starting to curse, you know, quietly to myself, ok really loud (that what I like about riding, I can blaspheme at the whole world at my own volume – cool huh!). Then I see a sign for Jehi and think to myself, there’s another bonus down this way, I remember reading it, so I glance down at my bonus sheet (you’re wondering how I do this while riding eh? – well, I got myself this patented see-through plastic folder, neatly attached to my tank, under my tank bag. Just yank up the tank-bag a touch and bingo, one page of bonuses, cool huh! and oh so safe!) Some store called Cabella or such in Lehi. - Did you know that they’re having a street parade in Lehi today? Bet ya didn’t. And where there’s a parade there’s cops directing one and all. I had to laugh, nope I had to cry! Kids were waving at me and I was doing 5 mph, Holy crap! I was lost! I think my head was firmly up my ass. :help: East of the freeway, I stop, and get my bearings. I ask a local in a truck at another frigging traffic light – “back at the freeway, he says” No it ain’t, so I head north on I15 (yep, that’s the way I shoulda come if Garmin had a Rally brain in his little plastic shell). Ok I’m moving now, at least 60, frigging woop-de-doo! What a Rally machine, this FJR is? Shit! I missed the turn, it was labeled wrong. Three miles on and I double back to the correct exit and see the biggest damn sign, for this here store, on the planet. My first Utah 1088 points (can’t remember how many) and it only took me an hour and a half. – (I just checked, the store was 30 miles from Rally HQ), It’s now about 10am.
This was not a good start to the rally – not good at all. Total frigging &*^%$-up! :shout:
I know what you guys are thinking – Total loser, let’s check who finished one above Warchild and that’ll be our man – a waste of space – get yourself a Vespa, tosspot!
Ha Ha!! Well not so quick guys, all is not lost, there’s still 22 hours to go.
Ok, so it’s the GPS Bonus and things go well (that is I found it first go). Don’t ya just love those bonuses that are right there, no confusion. Bumped into another FJR at the bonus but he was a blur before I even got the photo.
Dino’s next. Red Butte Garden or something. Plugged into my little buddy, Garmin and whambo I’m there in a jiffy. $6 and the nice lady said I was about the 10th biker so far today and way behind the pack (she just didn’t get it). Anyway she points out the plastic critter I needed to shoot and I’m off, sweating like a pig, clonking through the park in my bike gear and boots. (Ok so the rest of you flower lovers are all in shorts and strolling around like you got all damn day – move along, tel’s coming through – yes fatso, it’s a Polaroid, you know, like instant, as in holding the pic in my little hand in a flash). Dino was about quarter of a mile from the entrance and I was dripping by the time I got back to the bike.
What’s next – Wendover! 2000 points, lots of miles, I need those, ‘cause I gotta do 1,088 and I’m probably averaging 30mph right now. There’s a Fire Museum on the way, easy 700 points, snarf them babies.
Nice guy at the Fire Museum, but, well, just didn’t have time to chat – ya know, Wendover’s calling, 100+ miles of FJR happiness.
The run out to Nevada was flat, straight, hot and boring. Oh and did I say hot! I sucked up gallons of H20 from my Camelbak, refilled at the gas station on the way. That’s gas and water. OK, so I need the City sign in Utah, Wendover. I go through the town one way, nope, then I go through the other way, nope – must have missed it. Slower this time, nope, nope #$%^ing nope. I getting upset now (to put it mildly) oh did I say it was hot in Wendover. Ok a cop-shop, I’ll ask the nice policeman. Helmet off, earplugs out, walk round to the door – SHUT! $%#@! Don’t these guys work? What’s the sign say? Oh, it’s not a cop-shop. @#$%! Ok, nice shop owner. Helmet off again, earplugs out. Bla, bla, bla – nope – dunno where it’s at, sorry. (No you weren’t, you bitch, you could give a rats-ass!) Think tel, think.
Phone home! – Yea! “Take a pic of the Casino, prove you’d been there” That’s it! Yep. Man I like this rally chief, not like George (just kidding George – really).
Rest Area at the Bonneville Salt Flats
Heading out of Wendover I pull into a rest area for a pit stop and a snack. Need to re-coup. Need to think. I reckoned I had 11,000 points or so and that 10,000 dirt ride would be sweet. A lot more than 17,700+ to go all the way to Vegas. But let’s consider this, I’d screwed up a lot so far, so a top half finish was going to be tough. A long dirt ride on the FJR, ouch! How fast could I go? At 20mph, that’s 2+ hours. What if I fall? What if I hole the radiator, what about a flat? D’ya get the idea I’m worrying about this? :worriedsmiley:
Whatever – gotta head in that dirction anyway, there’s some other bonuses down that way, if I chicken out.
It was long and hot and boring, oh and did I say hot back across the Salt Flats. I took a right turn on 196 (Skull Valley Rd.) hmmm… nice to be off the Freeway, but I didn’t get gas and this road is quiet, I mean quiet. Now that’s good, as in “right-wrist” good, but I need gas and the little towns (2 huts and cattle grate) don’t look very fruitful. Whambo – middle of BFE a gas station – not a sole, just a gas station. Here’s a pic.
I crossed over Johnson pass (the only twisties I rode in the day-light). Damn shame, Utah has some great roads but I need points if I want to see my name in lights. Well that road, the lack of traffic and the gas station in BFE just about put me in a perfectly relaxed mood. It was cooling down a bit, I had climbed to a higher elevation, this is what it’s about, for me this is nirvana.
Down 36 I find the turn off for the Big One. (You remember the 10,000 pt. Dirt extravaganza) By about that time I had decided to not bother with the dirt ride and risk the possibility of not finishing the rally. I’d only done one other 24 hr. rally and was a DNF because I didn’t read the instructions carefully, and one of my major goals was to be a finisher. No tickets, no accidents and a finisher was really high on my list and I had a long way to go. I’d actually never ridden right through the night before, either, having stopped at 3am in the previous rally.
I’ll take a look – ya know, see what it’s like. So I head down Lookout Pass Rd., it’s a paved, narrow track. It probably went on for 5 miles before I hit the dirt. Hmmm… pretty hard stuff, I could look a little further, eh? I mean, 10,000 points, this must give me a pretty good finish (top half at least) even with my earlier screw-ups. I’m measuring the distance. A mile or so and I’m at Lookout pass, little bit of mild switch-backs, bit loose but not too bad. I stop, check out the monument and wonder if I should continue. I had the time, it was about 5pm and I had to be back by 9pm at the latest. So, I could go really slow and still make the check point. So onwards I forge, gingerly. Hey, I ride an FJR, we ain’t woosses, right?
The dirt becomes easier and the road straightened out. Bear to the left. I count the miles from when the dirt started and was at 18 when I reach the bonus. Best speed was about 50, but mostly around 30-40. Frigging wow! Definitely a high point for me in the rally. Cooler temperatures, beautiful scenery, even has three deer cross the track about 200 yards ahead of me. This felt good, I mean great! Man I love this! :yahoo:
Here’s the bike at the bonus and a pic of the dirt heading back toward route 36.
All in all it took me an hour and a half from hwy 36. 10,000 points in the bag – I was stoked.
Gotta get back now. Screw the other bonus, south on 36, gotta get back for the big night bonuses. That’s how it works, right? Always get the big ones in the second leg. I felt good, the temp was now perfect. Let’s go and kick some butt through the night.
I arrived back at the hotel, which was the only checkpoint at about 7:30pm. Push-ups! What? Push-ups, wanna do em? Er… sure.. why not, I can do a few. 50 points each. Ok. Everybody’s watching! Huh! I’m a frigging carnival show, gotta show em, the bald, old guy can do it.
Well I did! I mean all 25 and I have to tell you guys I haven’t done 25 push-ups for 30 years. Must be the adrenaline, or maybe the crowd watching, that’s all I can think.
I handed in my pack of photos and rally sheets and received the next leg bonuses. This time I headed back to my room for some peace and quiet and a wash. Felt good. Spread the maps out on the table and got down to business. Where’s the Big One, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 damn, no big one. What’s with that Rally Man, don’t he know how this is supposed to work? Ha, ha – got you! I could see it all over his face. Shoulda gone for that extra bonus in the day-light, suckers.
Wendover - frigging Wendover. There it was again and reasonable points (can’t remember exactly how many). Hmmm… night time… critter time…. Wendover!! No critters along the Salt Flats and I needed some miles. Ok Wendover it is.
So I headed straight into the sun and rode back to Wendover. Gassed up and obtained the $1 casino chip and back toward Salt Lake City. Dark now but warm, still in my warm riding gear. One of the new bonuses was to get a photo with a police office or at least get their signature and Badge number. As I was leaving Wendover, my V1 lit up and I saw a white police car parked a little way up, Hmmm… Never done this before, but what could they say. Turns out to be the prettiest young lady cop this rider has ever seen. Damn! Now I would have loved to had taken the young lady’s picture but she was a little shy. But she reviewed the bonus sheet and signed in the right spot. Almost 2,000 points and a piece of cake. Yea baby!
Hit the cold half-way back along I80, stopped and donned the cold gear. It felt good to be warm and cozy, sort of more secure when you’re all wrapped up. Know what I mean?
Went for the Salt Lake City Airport parking bonus, it was around midnight and probably not too many people about. The lady behind the counter was content to give me a receipt for $0 even after I offered her a dollar. “How many miles you done?” 700, I said. She smiled. Good bonus.
I decide to head down I15 to route 6. There was a GPS bonus along there for decent points. It began to get real cold, I was climbing, never been along 6 before and wished it was daylight, seemed like a real fun road. Found the bonus, there was another bike, Frank on a Scooter, he’d been to Vegas on the day-run. I dunno, not my cup-of tea. Pitch black at the bonus, real hard to get a good shot, but I think it’ll do. I told Frank there was another bonus at Helper, which I was going for, he said he was headed for Golden Spike, well north of SLC. We parted company. Real nice guy. It got colder, and I kept thinking about stopping and putting my electric stuff on. But it takes me for ever to get on, I’ll go a little further. Nearly there, then it’s down hill to the valley and warmth. Route 6 is really sweet, but not so much fun in the dark at 2am. Didn’t see any critters but then I don’t have any auxiliary lights. About 10 miles from Helper the temperature must have jumped 10 degrees, I think that’s an inversion layer. Very pleasant. Found the town, but couldn’t find Big John (some fireman hero statue). Another bike, yellow BMW. We searched around together and found the 30 foot high statue, having driven passed it and not seen it at 5 mph.
Here’s a shot of Big John in Helper.
I was getting tired now. I headed for Brigham City, decided I could get that bonus, head into Salt Lake City Center and snarf the daylight shot before heading back. It was a long ride to Brigham City, almost 170 miles and I was definitely tiring. Going through Salt Lake City was very frustrating, lovely wide open, empty freeway and so tempting to twist the wrist, but didn’t want to risk a ticket. In Brigham City I bumped into my yellow BMW friend and we struggled to find the bonus, before riding back to the checkpoint together. I ditched the City Center bonus, time didn’t look good and I wanted the “six-pack” bonus.
Made it. Home safe, no tickets and no incidents. It felt good. Really good. A major high.
England was playing Ecuador in the World-Cup at 9am (yea, I’m a Brit, you mean you couldn’t tell by the witty repartee?) :warning2: I handed in my stuff and headed for the room. I reckoned I’d done ok, because of the dirt bonus. With no big bonuses in the second leg, I reckon if you did that one you were pretty good for a reasonable finish. I mean, I probably only lost a couple of thousand points wasting so much time at the start plus the slow ride 3,250 hmmm, gotta be good for top half eh?
England won 1:0, I fell asleep – hey whatdayawant?
I was greatly surprised to find out that I finished 14th overall. I was really pumped about that. Delighted in fact. It just shows you that even if you screw up a bit you can still do well. Never give up. :yahoo:
I want to thank the organizers, who put on a very professional event and were just real great guys. Everybody I met, old friends and new were just the best. It’s a special group that will welcome any newbie into the fold if you want to join in and have fun and not take it too seriously. No-one had an accident, no-one got a ticket, that’s the really great news.
Can’t wait for the next one – see you at LOE in New Mexico, I hope.
After the award banquet (the food was truly great) I downed a couple of beers and headed for some shut-eye. I think it was about 5pm. I only slept till 8pm and decided to head home through the night to try and miss some of the heat. Ouch, it was hot once I descended into the valley passed Cedar City. That big thermometer in Baker read 97 at around 3am. I hit a wall just the other side of Barstow and had to make a number of stops before splitting lanes on the 91. Home at 6:30am.
tel
The ride from Sth. CA was hot, really hot, I remember that much. – Damn I hate slabbing it!
Here's some pics from Friday afternoon and Saturday before the start.
The Rally Organizers waiting for something to happen.
The morning of the Rally
30 minutes to figure out the route. I’m standing by the bike, (which just happens to be parked in the sun, first of many mistakes) maps all over the place, glancing up and wondering where most of the rider were. (In their air-conditioned room, sitting at their desk of course, you stupid numbskull). But I need the GPS, gotta plug in some bonuses, right? No, I didn’t bring the power cord – duh!!
Let’s see – hmmm… 10,000 points, 50 miles of dirt, hmmm, dunno about that, but looks close by and I did have a KLR so I know how to ride dirt, don’t I, sure I do, yep, put that puppy down for a definite maybe.
5,000 points for photo of a plastic T-Rex in a local garden park – easy money baby, she’s in the bag! That’s what I like the easy one’s – wait, hold up there – open 10am to 3pm. Damn! Still Dirt + Dino = 15,000 points and Vegas only got you 17,700+ if I remember. Yep, 15,000 are in the bag, ……maybe!!
Ok, so what’ll I do till my date with the big Dino? I plugged in the GPS bonus, hey not too far (maybe 50 miles) and 2,000+ points! Put that down. Wendover – 2,000ish, Nevada, yep looks good.
The slow ride – what’s that all about. I’m pretty new at this game but it’s here at the hotel and 3,250 points. Gotta scoop up them gems. Time to get going. 8:10am ish.
Ya gotta ride between the two lines in 45 seconds or more. Huh! Yep over there! Oh I see. Ok, I can do that! Everybody making it? Yep, most are! Okie dokie! Line up and watch the guy ahead. He makes it. My turn. Shit!!!!!! I mean Crap, put my damn foot down. Steve said I was at 38 seconds and about 10 feet from the line. :dribble: Ok, no sweat, I get another go. “ !!“ Guess you’re not allowed to use bad language on this forum, so, well, think of a word that exclaims your total disgust of what you just screwed up and slot it in. You get the picture. – 20 minutes gone and zero points for truly. – Hey FJR’s just wern’t meant to go slow – you’all know that.
Ok, so I ain’t going to win this rally! You know I dream of stupid things like winning – Ha ha ha! That’s the nice thing about dreams, you can win, beat the bad guys, get the girl, swagger down Main St. with the crowd cheering. Gotta laugh right. Blew it in the first 20 minutes.
Right – let’s get some points – 2,000 for the GPS bonus – I’m on my way – yea baby!!
Have you ever felt really stupid? Well my little buddy Garmin said head down Bangerter Hwy. So I did, I mean he knows I’m in a hurry, right? Sure he does. After running about 20 miles, stopping and starting at the various traffic lights, I’m thinking that young Garmin here just isn’t on the same page, he’s letting me down. I’m starting to curse, you know, quietly to myself, ok really loud (that what I like about riding, I can blaspheme at the whole world at my own volume – cool huh!). Then I see a sign for Jehi and think to myself, there’s another bonus down this way, I remember reading it, so I glance down at my bonus sheet (you’re wondering how I do this while riding eh? – well, I got myself this patented see-through plastic folder, neatly attached to my tank, under my tank bag. Just yank up the tank-bag a touch and bingo, one page of bonuses, cool huh! and oh so safe!) Some store called Cabella or such in Lehi. - Did you know that they’re having a street parade in Lehi today? Bet ya didn’t. And where there’s a parade there’s cops directing one and all. I had to laugh, nope I had to cry! Kids were waving at me and I was doing 5 mph, Holy crap! I was lost! I think my head was firmly up my ass. :help: East of the freeway, I stop, and get my bearings. I ask a local in a truck at another frigging traffic light – “back at the freeway, he says” No it ain’t, so I head north on I15 (yep, that’s the way I shoulda come if Garmin had a Rally brain in his little plastic shell). Ok I’m moving now, at least 60, frigging woop-de-doo! What a Rally machine, this FJR is? Shit! I missed the turn, it was labeled wrong. Three miles on and I double back to the correct exit and see the biggest damn sign, for this here store, on the planet. My first Utah 1088 points (can’t remember how many) and it only took me an hour and a half. – (I just checked, the store was 30 miles from Rally HQ), It’s now about 10am.
This was not a good start to the rally – not good at all. Total frigging &*^%$-up! :shout:
I know what you guys are thinking – Total loser, let’s check who finished one above Warchild and that’ll be our man – a waste of space – get yourself a Vespa, tosspot!
Ha Ha!! Well not so quick guys, all is not lost, there’s still 22 hours to go.
Ok, so it’s the GPS Bonus and things go well (that is I found it first go). Don’t ya just love those bonuses that are right there, no confusion. Bumped into another FJR at the bonus but he was a blur before I even got the photo.
Dino’s next. Red Butte Garden or something. Plugged into my little buddy, Garmin and whambo I’m there in a jiffy. $6 and the nice lady said I was about the 10th biker so far today and way behind the pack (she just didn’t get it). Anyway she points out the plastic critter I needed to shoot and I’m off, sweating like a pig, clonking through the park in my bike gear and boots. (Ok so the rest of you flower lovers are all in shorts and strolling around like you got all damn day – move along, tel’s coming through – yes fatso, it’s a Polaroid, you know, like instant, as in holding the pic in my little hand in a flash). Dino was about quarter of a mile from the entrance and I was dripping by the time I got back to the bike.
What’s next – Wendover! 2000 points, lots of miles, I need those, ‘cause I gotta do 1,088 and I’m probably averaging 30mph right now. There’s a Fire Museum on the way, easy 700 points, snarf them babies.
Nice guy at the Fire Museum, but, well, just didn’t have time to chat – ya know, Wendover’s calling, 100+ miles of FJR happiness.
The run out to Nevada was flat, straight, hot and boring. Oh and did I say hot! I sucked up gallons of H20 from my Camelbak, refilled at the gas station on the way. That’s gas and water. OK, so I need the City sign in Utah, Wendover. I go through the town one way, nope, then I go through the other way, nope – must have missed it. Slower this time, nope, nope #$%^ing nope. I getting upset now (to put it mildly) oh did I say it was hot in Wendover. Ok a cop-shop, I’ll ask the nice policeman. Helmet off, earplugs out, walk round to the door – SHUT! $%#@! Don’t these guys work? What’s the sign say? Oh, it’s not a cop-shop. @#$%! Ok, nice shop owner. Helmet off again, earplugs out. Bla, bla, bla – nope – dunno where it’s at, sorry. (No you weren’t, you bitch, you could give a rats-ass!) Think tel, think.
Phone home! – Yea! “Take a pic of the Casino, prove you’d been there” That’s it! Yep. Man I like this rally chief, not like George (just kidding George – really).
Rest Area at the Bonneville Salt Flats
Heading out of Wendover I pull into a rest area for a pit stop and a snack. Need to re-coup. Need to think. I reckoned I had 11,000 points or so and that 10,000 dirt ride would be sweet. A lot more than 17,700+ to go all the way to Vegas. But let’s consider this, I’d screwed up a lot so far, so a top half finish was going to be tough. A long dirt ride on the FJR, ouch! How fast could I go? At 20mph, that’s 2+ hours. What if I fall? What if I hole the radiator, what about a flat? D’ya get the idea I’m worrying about this? :worriedsmiley:
Whatever – gotta head in that dirction anyway, there’s some other bonuses down that way, if I chicken out.
It was long and hot and boring, oh and did I say hot back across the Salt Flats. I took a right turn on 196 (Skull Valley Rd.) hmmm… nice to be off the Freeway, but I didn’t get gas and this road is quiet, I mean quiet. Now that’s good, as in “right-wrist” good, but I need gas and the little towns (2 huts and cattle grate) don’t look very fruitful. Whambo – middle of BFE a gas station – not a sole, just a gas station. Here’s a pic.
I crossed over Johnson pass (the only twisties I rode in the day-light). Damn shame, Utah has some great roads but I need points if I want to see my name in lights. Well that road, the lack of traffic and the gas station in BFE just about put me in a perfectly relaxed mood. It was cooling down a bit, I had climbed to a higher elevation, this is what it’s about, for me this is nirvana.
Down 36 I find the turn off for the Big One. (You remember the 10,000 pt. Dirt extravaganza) By about that time I had decided to not bother with the dirt ride and risk the possibility of not finishing the rally. I’d only done one other 24 hr. rally and was a DNF because I didn’t read the instructions carefully, and one of my major goals was to be a finisher. No tickets, no accidents and a finisher was really high on my list and I had a long way to go. I’d actually never ridden right through the night before, either, having stopped at 3am in the previous rally.
I’ll take a look – ya know, see what it’s like. So I head down Lookout Pass Rd., it’s a paved, narrow track. It probably went on for 5 miles before I hit the dirt. Hmmm… pretty hard stuff, I could look a little further, eh? I mean, 10,000 points, this must give me a pretty good finish (top half at least) even with my earlier screw-ups. I’m measuring the distance. A mile or so and I’m at Lookout pass, little bit of mild switch-backs, bit loose but not too bad. I stop, check out the monument and wonder if I should continue. I had the time, it was about 5pm and I had to be back by 9pm at the latest. So, I could go really slow and still make the check point. So onwards I forge, gingerly. Hey, I ride an FJR, we ain’t woosses, right?
The dirt becomes easier and the road straightened out. Bear to the left. I count the miles from when the dirt started and was at 18 when I reach the bonus. Best speed was about 50, but mostly around 30-40. Frigging wow! Definitely a high point for me in the rally. Cooler temperatures, beautiful scenery, even has three deer cross the track about 200 yards ahead of me. This felt good, I mean great! Man I love this! :yahoo:
Here’s the bike at the bonus and a pic of the dirt heading back toward route 36.
All in all it took me an hour and a half from hwy 36. 10,000 points in the bag – I was stoked.
Gotta get back now. Screw the other bonus, south on 36, gotta get back for the big night bonuses. That’s how it works, right? Always get the big ones in the second leg. I felt good, the temp was now perfect. Let’s go and kick some butt through the night.
I arrived back at the hotel, which was the only checkpoint at about 7:30pm. Push-ups! What? Push-ups, wanna do em? Er… sure.. why not, I can do a few. 50 points each. Ok. Everybody’s watching! Huh! I’m a frigging carnival show, gotta show em, the bald, old guy can do it.
Well I did! I mean all 25 and I have to tell you guys I haven’t done 25 push-ups for 30 years. Must be the adrenaline, or maybe the crowd watching, that’s all I can think.
I handed in my pack of photos and rally sheets and received the next leg bonuses. This time I headed back to my room for some peace and quiet and a wash. Felt good. Spread the maps out on the table and got down to business. Where’s the Big One, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 damn, no big one. What’s with that Rally Man, don’t he know how this is supposed to work? Ha, ha – got you! I could see it all over his face. Shoulda gone for that extra bonus in the day-light, suckers.
Wendover - frigging Wendover. There it was again and reasonable points (can’t remember exactly how many). Hmmm… night time… critter time…. Wendover!! No critters along the Salt Flats and I needed some miles. Ok Wendover it is.
So I headed straight into the sun and rode back to Wendover. Gassed up and obtained the $1 casino chip and back toward Salt Lake City. Dark now but warm, still in my warm riding gear. One of the new bonuses was to get a photo with a police office or at least get their signature and Badge number. As I was leaving Wendover, my V1 lit up and I saw a white police car parked a little way up, Hmmm… Never done this before, but what could they say. Turns out to be the prettiest young lady cop this rider has ever seen. Damn! Now I would have loved to had taken the young lady’s picture but she was a little shy. But she reviewed the bonus sheet and signed in the right spot. Almost 2,000 points and a piece of cake. Yea baby!
Hit the cold half-way back along I80, stopped and donned the cold gear. It felt good to be warm and cozy, sort of more secure when you’re all wrapped up. Know what I mean?
Went for the Salt Lake City Airport parking bonus, it was around midnight and probably not too many people about. The lady behind the counter was content to give me a receipt for $0 even after I offered her a dollar. “How many miles you done?” 700, I said. She smiled. Good bonus.
I decide to head down I15 to route 6. There was a GPS bonus along there for decent points. It began to get real cold, I was climbing, never been along 6 before and wished it was daylight, seemed like a real fun road. Found the bonus, there was another bike, Frank on a Scooter, he’d been to Vegas on the day-run. I dunno, not my cup-of tea. Pitch black at the bonus, real hard to get a good shot, but I think it’ll do. I told Frank there was another bonus at Helper, which I was going for, he said he was headed for Golden Spike, well north of SLC. We parted company. Real nice guy. It got colder, and I kept thinking about stopping and putting my electric stuff on. But it takes me for ever to get on, I’ll go a little further. Nearly there, then it’s down hill to the valley and warmth. Route 6 is really sweet, but not so much fun in the dark at 2am. Didn’t see any critters but then I don’t have any auxiliary lights. About 10 miles from Helper the temperature must have jumped 10 degrees, I think that’s an inversion layer. Very pleasant. Found the town, but couldn’t find Big John (some fireman hero statue). Another bike, yellow BMW. We searched around together and found the 30 foot high statue, having driven passed it and not seen it at 5 mph.
Here’s a shot of Big John in Helper.
I was getting tired now. I headed for Brigham City, decided I could get that bonus, head into Salt Lake City Center and snarf the daylight shot before heading back. It was a long ride to Brigham City, almost 170 miles and I was definitely tiring. Going through Salt Lake City was very frustrating, lovely wide open, empty freeway and so tempting to twist the wrist, but didn’t want to risk a ticket. In Brigham City I bumped into my yellow BMW friend and we struggled to find the bonus, before riding back to the checkpoint together. I ditched the City Center bonus, time didn’t look good and I wanted the “six-pack” bonus.
Made it. Home safe, no tickets and no incidents. It felt good. Really good. A major high.
England was playing Ecuador in the World-Cup at 9am (yea, I’m a Brit, you mean you couldn’t tell by the witty repartee?) :warning2: I handed in my stuff and headed for the room. I reckoned I’d done ok, because of the dirt bonus. With no big bonuses in the second leg, I reckon if you did that one you were pretty good for a reasonable finish. I mean, I probably only lost a couple of thousand points wasting so much time at the start plus the slow ride 3,250 hmmm, gotta be good for top half eh?
England won 1:0, I fell asleep – hey whatdayawant?
I was greatly surprised to find out that I finished 14th overall. I was really pumped about that. Delighted in fact. It just shows you that even if you screw up a bit you can still do well. Never give up. :yahoo:
I want to thank the organizers, who put on a very professional event and were just real great guys. Everybody I met, old friends and new were just the best. It’s a special group that will welcome any newbie into the fold if you want to join in and have fun and not take it too seriously. No-one had an accident, no-one got a ticket, that’s the really great news.
Can’t wait for the next one – see you at LOE in New Mexico, I hope.
After the award banquet (the food was truly great) I downed a couple of beers and headed for some shut-eye. I think it was about 5pm. I only slept till 8pm and decided to head home through the night to try and miss some of the heat. Ouch, it was hot once I descended into the valley passed Cedar City. That big thermometer in Baker read 97 at around 3am. I hit a wall just the other side of Barstow and had to make a number of stops before splitting lanes on the 91. Home at 6:30am.
tel
