LeftBase
Active member
Saturday morning, early, nobody stirring but the 20 or so of us involved in the rally.
Everybody’s got a different strategy, everybody has different strengths to rely on and weakness (I refuse to use human potential babble and call weaknesses “opportunities”) to avoid.
Me, I’ve seen myself burn way too many minutes at bonus stops in other rallies fumbling with tankbags, cameras, and notepads while the pros slide in behind me, take a photo and vanish over the horizon. Same with fuel stops. So, if I’m going to win this, and I can, it’ll have to be with a few stops at high point bonii.
The Five State Tour at 165,000 points looks like the way to go. Take a photo of your bike with the rally flag at the state border of each of the five states that border on Nevada. There’ll be time for a couple of bonii, but I’m planning to ride right past most of them.
I decide to start by heading East on I80 and US50, then South on US95. Hawthorne will be the first fuel stop. It’s only 130 miles or so from the start, but there’s not another station until Tonopah. That’d be 233 miles. At the rate I’m burning fuel keeping the speed up, there’s no way. And, I have to keep the speed up. The tour’ll be well over 1600 miles.
One of the reasons I headed South first was to get to these small towns during regular business hours in daylight. Gas stations are more likely to be open. Later tonight I’ll be returning along I 80 where fuel is more easily available.
The other reasons are that I’m less likely to get lost on these small roads during the day, and that the daylight will give me a little better chance to spot the inevitable wildlife in time to avoid it. In the Northern part of the state, I’ll be running back to Sparks on well traveled roads that I’ve been on in the last year or so.
Flying down 95, the Valentine starts to wake up. I can’t see anything up the road. But, she was right, a couple of miles along, there’re flashing lights visible. And, someone else gets the ticket.
After a second fuel stop in Tonopah, it’s East on US6, then South on NV375, the Extraterrestrial Highway. There’s not much at the junction, just a boarded up gasoilgroceriesbaitbeerandammo that had the name of Warm Springs. This is the kind of place I just might have missed if I was there in darkness.
The road got narrower, and a buzzard flew out of some bushes along the road. We scared the hell out of each other, he banked into a sharp right and I ducked behind the windscreen. We missed each other, but not before he dropped the food he was scavenging out of his mouth. Something told me it’d still be there if he went back for it.
This is a part of the state where cattle roam free. A couple of calves by the side of the road were startled by the bike, and ran away. Then I noticed that there were no fences along the road at all. So, it wasn’t going to hurt to be cautious.
The first bonus point was Rachel, NV. Home to the Alieinn, a bar that’s probably the closest place to drink to Area 51. I stepped inside, took the photo of my head between the ET mannequins on the wall. Boy, this place looks interesting, I thought as I left. A local kid outside was trying to sell a horned toad to a couple of Harley riders. I white sedan came right up on my butt as I pulled back on the road.
OK, now fuel was a concern. Ash Springs was 45 miles away. Now on US 93, I made the 40 miles or so to NV168, where I could cut behind the Moapa River Indian Reservation and pick up I 15 at Glendale. Fuel was still OK, so I passed a planned fuel stop in Mesquite, pulled off the road at the Arizona border and took my first state line photo. One down, four to go.
I crossed into Utah, and got off on UT18 in St. George. I remembered that this was polygamist country, still to this day. I headed into the picturesque mountains, then made my way west to the Nevada border. I took a photo of the bike in front of the welcome sign. It was almost three oclock. I was pretty fat on fuel, so I made my way into Panaca on NV319.
Next stop was the mandatory checkpoint at Elgin, NV. When I got into Caliente, I thought I had plenty of time before the checkpoint opened. I picked up the bonus at the Caliente train station.
The road to Elgin turned out to be a little more challenging than I expected. Lots of dirt and gravel, two water hazards. Holes in the pavement. Pavement fallen away. I made it to the checkpoint, I was the second rider there. Left at 4:25, and had 40 min to make it back to Caliente and get a receipt timestamped for more bonus points. It was very close. The road was that bad. It was only 21 miles.
Next bonus was the Idaho border at Jackpot, NV. It would take two fuel stops, one in Ely and the other in Wells to get there. No time to waste. It was 365 miles to Jackpot and it would take a little over five and a half hours including stops for fuel, a couple of cheese stix and time to put warm clothes on and plug in the electric vest. . I’m going to have to learn to cut some time out of those stops, though.
Between Caliente and Ely, it was mostly wide open country. Speed was limited by the laws of physics and not those of man. Well, you also had to look for wild antelope, elk and burros. Cattle, too. But though the scenery didn’t seem to change for hours, it passed by quickly.
It was getting cold and dark very quickly. The highway between Ely and Wells was uncrowded, two lanes, and accommodated high speeds just fine. But, it was really getting colder and darker.
Got into Wells not a moment to soon. I needed fuel and a few minutes to get out the warm clothes. It turned into half an hour.
The road from Wells to Jackpot is good two lane highway with a 70 mph speed limit. I had a sense of renewed energy with my newfound warmth.
A photo at the border, and a quick turn around. Back to Wells for more fuel. Next stop, Winnemucca. I’d been looking forward to just getting out and opening it up on I 80, but there were many one lane construction zones with 55 mph speed limits, and too many responsible, obedient motorists in front of me.
Fuel in Winnemucca, and North on US95 to McDermitt, NV and the Oregon border. There’s an additional bonus just off the road there, but it’s dark and I’m not going to waste time looking for it. I pass one vehicle, and follow a second. Boy, he’s pretty quick I think. It’s 73 miles to the border, and I manage to overtake the other guy slowly. The Valentine sqwaks a couple of times, but I don’t see anything. I get closer to the other driver. He pulled off the road to let me by, then swung on behind me with his lights flashing. “Do you know why I stopped you?” he asked. I mumbled something about a momentary lapse of attention to speed on my part. The deputy was a really nice guy. We could have turned it into a ticket but neither of us wanted to. I took the lecture.
Pulling back on the road, I saw him turn around and go the other way. He gave me a blast of instant on radar. Must have like seeing me get startled when the V1 went off. Cops are more aware of peoples reactions than a lot of other folks. Must have been fun. The *******.
I went on in to McDermitt, there’re just a couple of seedy stateline casinos at that hour, took my photo of the Oregon state line and headed back to Winnemucca. OK, the only cop for miles was long gone, we saw him leave. So, I take it up to 80. It gets boring, and I’ve go places to go. 95 and 100 is more like it. I don’t pay a lot of attention to the headlights coming from the other direction. Until the V1 screams again. Damn, same cop. But, he must have had something more important. I never saw him again.
I make it back into Winnemucca at about 345 am. Fuel, and head West. I’m pondering another fuel stop. I still have to go to Bordertown, NV about 180 miles away. A fuel stop could eat up too much time. So, I decide to back off on the speed, cruise at 90. Maybe I can hit the CA border and make the 18 miles or so back into Sparks without any more fuel.
In the gathering daylight, I take my fifth and final state line photo. It’s about ten to six in the morning, just a few minutes under 24 hours since we started. Putting sunglasses on for the final few miles into the sun, I head back to the hotel and check in. I’d put on 1640 miles that day.
I knew that at least one other rider was trying to do the same thing, only even more ambitiously. I didn’t know what anyone else was doing. It turned out that I was the only one who finished the five state tour.
I go in and turn in my paperwork. I forget to fill in the five thousand point satisfaction survey. I didn’t bring a swimsuit for the 10,000 point polar bear swim. Blew that off, too.
In my haste to get on the road the day before, and to get the paperwork turned in under the wire, I missed some important bonii in the instructions that would have won the rally. So, I’d been right, I COULD have won. But I didn’t . I came in fourth.
It sure was fun. Can’t wait til next time.
Everybody’s got a different strategy, everybody has different strengths to rely on and weakness (I refuse to use human potential babble and call weaknesses “opportunities”) to avoid.
Me, I’ve seen myself burn way too many minutes at bonus stops in other rallies fumbling with tankbags, cameras, and notepads while the pros slide in behind me, take a photo and vanish over the horizon. Same with fuel stops. So, if I’m going to win this, and I can, it’ll have to be with a few stops at high point bonii.
The Five State Tour at 165,000 points looks like the way to go. Take a photo of your bike with the rally flag at the state border of each of the five states that border on Nevada. There’ll be time for a couple of bonii, but I’m planning to ride right past most of them.
I decide to start by heading East on I80 and US50, then South on US95. Hawthorne will be the first fuel stop. It’s only 130 miles or so from the start, but there’s not another station until Tonopah. That’d be 233 miles. At the rate I’m burning fuel keeping the speed up, there’s no way. And, I have to keep the speed up. The tour’ll be well over 1600 miles.
One of the reasons I headed South first was to get to these small towns during regular business hours in daylight. Gas stations are more likely to be open. Later tonight I’ll be returning along I 80 where fuel is more easily available.
The other reasons are that I’m less likely to get lost on these small roads during the day, and that the daylight will give me a little better chance to spot the inevitable wildlife in time to avoid it. In the Northern part of the state, I’ll be running back to Sparks on well traveled roads that I’ve been on in the last year or so.
Flying down 95, the Valentine starts to wake up. I can’t see anything up the road. But, she was right, a couple of miles along, there’re flashing lights visible. And, someone else gets the ticket.
After a second fuel stop in Tonopah, it’s East on US6, then South on NV375, the Extraterrestrial Highway. There’s not much at the junction, just a boarded up gasoilgroceriesbaitbeerandammo that had the name of Warm Springs. This is the kind of place I just might have missed if I was there in darkness.
The road got narrower, and a buzzard flew out of some bushes along the road. We scared the hell out of each other, he banked into a sharp right and I ducked behind the windscreen. We missed each other, but not before he dropped the food he was scavenging out of his mouth. Something told me it’d still be there if he went back for it.
This is a part of the state where cattle roam free. A couple of calves by the side of the road were startled by the bike, and ran away. Then I noticed that there were no fences along the road at all. So, it wasn’t going to hurt to be cautious.
The first bonus point was Rachel, NV. Home to the Alieinn, a bar that’s probably the closest place to drink to Area 51. I stepped inside, took the photo of my head between the ET mannequins on the wall. Boy, this place looks interesting, I thought as I left. A local kid outside was trying to sell a horned toad to a couple of Harley riders. I white sedan came right up on my butt as I pulled back on the road.
OK, now fuel was a concern. Ash Springs was 45 miles away. Now on US 93, I made the 40 miles or so to NV168, where I could cut behind the Moapa River Indian Reservation and pick up I 15 at Glendale. Fuel was still OK, so I passed a planned fuel stop in Mesquite, pulled off the road at the Arizona border and took my first state line photo. One down, four to go.
I crossed into Utah, and got off on UT18 in St. George. I remembered that this was polygamist country, still to this day. I headed into the picturesque mountains, then made my way west to the Nevada border. I took a photo of the bike in front of the welcome sign. It was almost three oclock. I was pretty fat on fuel, so I made my way into Panaca on NV319.
Next stop was the mandatory checkpoint at Elgin, NV. When I got into Caliente, I thought I had plenty of time before the checkpoint opened. I picked up the bonus at the Caliente train station.
The road to Elgin turned out to be a little more challenging than I expected. Lots of dirt and gravel, two water hazards. Holes in the pavement. Pavement fallen away. I made it to the checkpoint, I was the second rider there. Left at 4:25, and had 40 min to make it back to Caliente and get a receipt timestamped for more bonus points. It was very close. The road was that bad. It was only 21 miles.
Next bonus was the Idaho border at Jackpot, NV. It would take two fuel stops, one in Ely and the other in Wells to get there. No time to waste. It was 365 miles to Jackpot and it would take a little over five and a half hours including stops for fuel, a couple of cheese stix and time to put warm clothes on and plug in the electric vest. . I’m going to have to learn to cut some time out of those stops, though.
Between Caliente and Ely, it was mostly wide open country. Speed was limited by the laws of physics and not those of man. Well, you also had to look for wild antelope, elk and burros. Cattle, too. But though the scenery didn’t seem to change for hours, it passed by quickly.
It was getting cold and dark very quickly. The highway between Ely and Wells was uncrowded, two lanes, and accommodated high speeds just fine. But, it was really getting colder and darker.
Got into Wells not a moment to soon. I needed fuel and a few minutes to get out the warm clothes. It turned into half an hour.
The road from Wells to Jackpot is good two lane highway with a 70 mph speed limit. I had a sense of renewed energy with my newfound warmth.
A photo at the border, and a quick turn around. Back to Wells for more fuel. Next stop, Winnemucca. I’d been looking forward to just getting out and opening it up on I 80, but there were many one lane construction zones with 55 mph speed limits, and too many responsible, obedient motorists in front of me.
Fuel in Winnemucca, and North on US95 to McDermitt, NV and the Oregon border. There’s an additional bonus just off the road there, but it’s dark and I’m not going to waste time looking for it. I pass one vehicle, and follow a second. Boy, he’s pretty quick I think. It’s 73 miles to the border, and I manage to overtake the other guy slowly. The Valentine sqwaks a couple of times, but I don’t see anything. I get closer to the other driver. He pulled off the road to let me by, then swung on behind me with his lights flashing. “Do you know why I stopped you?” he asked. I mumbled something about a momentary lapse of attention to speed on my part. The deputy was a really nice guy. We could have turned it into a ticket but neither of us wanted to. I took the lecture.
Pulling back on the road, I saw him turn around and go the other way. He gave me a blast of instant on radar. Must have like seeing me get startled when the V1 went off. Cops are more aware of peoples reactions than a lot of other folks. Must have been fun. The *******.
I went on in to McDermitt, there’re just a couple of seedy stateline casinos at that hour, took my photo of the Oregon state line and headed back to Winnemucca. OK, the only cop for miles was long gone, we saw him leave. So, I take it up to 80. It gets boring, and I’ve go places to go. 95 and 100 is more like it. I don’t pay a lot of attention to the headlights coming from the other direction. Until the V1 screams again. Damn, same cop. But, he must have had something more important. I never saw him again.
I make it back into Winnemucca at about 345 am. Fuel, and head West. I’m pondering another fuel stop. I still have to go to Bordertown, NV about 180 miles away. A fuel stop could eat up too much time. So, I decide to back off on the speed, cruise at 90. Maybe I can hit the CA border and make the 18 miles or so back into Sparks without any more fuel.
In the gathering daylight, I take my fifth and final state line photo. It’s about ten to six in the morning, just a few minutes under 24 hours since we started. Putting sunglasses on for the final few miles into the sun, I head back to the hotel and check in. I’d put on 1640 miles that day.
I knew that at least one other rider was trying to do the same thing, only even more ambitiously. I didn’t know what anyone else was doing. It turned out that I was the only one who finished the five state tour.
I go in and turn in my paperwork. I forget to fill in the five thousand point satisfaction survey. I didn’t bring a swimsuit for the 10,000 point polar bear swim. Blew that off, too.
In my haste to get on the road the day before, and to get the paperwork turned in under the wire, I missed some important bonii in the instructions that would have won the rally. So, I’d been right, I COULD have won. But I didn’t . I came in fourth.
It sure was fun. Can’t wait til next time.
