Three weeks in advance, I received the rally packet with a few notable exceptions the bonus locations spanned from the west coast to the Mississippi River. Altogether there were over 100 bonus opportunities, including every US State, lots of named National Parks, and unique locations throughout the west, plus Hyder Alaska.
The notable exception was in Buffalo, NY. Another well-known rally moved their traditional late summer event to coincide with the Utah 1088. So it just seemed polite for the rally master to encourage riders to visit their checkpoint and say Hi! It was a valuable bonus, but well over my skill level.
The Plan(s)
Having three weeks to pick a route makes for way too much thinking, and at one time I had six different choices. By the week before, it was down to two: A loop of the Pacific Northwest, or a loop of the upper Midwest. We were required to submit our bonus list at check in, and no additions would be allowed. I eventually chose the Northwest route, as I haven't been there, and it looked like more fun. No turning back now.
The Riders Meeting
At the riders meeting, the rally master dropped a bombshell; The New York bonus value was more than tripled in value. You could add it, but not change any other bonus on the route. Still to rich for me, but not for about eight others.
The Start
One of the bonuses was a photo with a Law Enforcement Officer. One participant arranged for a friendly motor cop to arrive at the stop, for all to get their picture. One bonus taken care of. Next was a stop at a local shooting range, for some pistol competition. My score was embarrassing, but that bonus was in the books, and now the real rally began.
I took off into the Nevada desert, in search of Great Basin National Park. This took me out onto Highway 50 - America's loneliest highway. It wasn't that lonely, but I guess that's because its summer. I arrived slightly ahead of schedule and got my first bonus of the trip
The desert got lonelier, but was very pretty.
Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, It was very important to lay down fresh oil and gravel on the road, so there was a 25 minute wait. Nice flagman though.
The museum closed at 5PM. I arrived at 4. One other rider was just leaving.
Next stop: Crater Lake National Park. I crossed the upper corner of CA and got a receipt, and headed on through Oregon. The bugs had pretty much slimed my face shield, and riding into the setting sun wasn't fun. I stopped for water and fuel in a small store, and asked if I could by a small bottle of Windex. Instead, the cashier gave me her Windex, and paper towels. There are lots of good people out there.
I arrived at the south entrance at about 10PM, well after dark. It is harder to find a place above ground that is darker than an Oregon forest with no moon. It was a bit unnerving. I could hear things moving in the woods, and couldn't see anything. I was glad to be back on the road and avoid becoming a bear snack.
With about 1100 miles done, it was time for rest. I stopped into a motel in Crescent City for the night and a bonus.
The next bonus was in Eugene, at Knight Arena.
Another rider supplied the coordinates of his house in WA for a bonus location. When I arrived, I was greeted with a smile and photo opportunity - getting double points for the shot with the family.
Next, it was off to Cannon Beach, OR for some Salt Water Taffy. Seems Steve's lovely wife has a sweet tooth. A beautiful ride through the forest to a nice little seaside town.
From here, I took my biggest rally gamble. Olympic National Park. The main entrance is at the extreme north side of the park, way around the park. However, I spotted a small access road on the map that entered the south side, some 150 miles closer. My research showed no confirmation of a sign, but I had to try it, I wound through the forest and deep into the woods. The road got smaller and more obscure. I was getting worried that I'd outsmarted myself, when around the corner..
The park service is so thorough.
Now off to Pike Market, to the original Starbucks. Great fun - Seattle evening traffic, rain, Friday night, no lane-splitting allowed :( I got there, and in addition to the bonus, I became a patron of the arts.
I did this in two ways. I tipped the street musician to hold my rally flag for the photo, and he had to stop playing to do it.
Off to Mt Rainier National Park. Did I mention that it was raining. It was raining. A large angry storm cell was parked right on top of the mountain, It pounded me and the mountain all the way to the park sign.
From here, I was going on through to the next bonus, on the way to Spokane. Things got uglier, the bike was slipping and sliding, and as the road climbed higher, I got into snow! Time to turn back down the mountain.
Back in Enumclaw, WA, I found out that not all of the slipping was from the rain. Somewhere between Seattle and Mt Rainier, I cut the rear tire. The Ride-On Sealant in the tire kept it from blowing out, but I now had a steady leak.
I did a quick inflation at the gas station, and headed for a motel. On the way, I spotted a Yamaha dealer! Open at 9:00. Checked in and got a good nights rest.
In the morning, it was flat again. Pumped it up and headed over to the dealer. The tire was cut too close to the sidewall to repair. They had one tire that would fit- a Pilot Power 2CT. Not the ideal touring tire, but it works. I was back on the road at 11:30.
The significant loss of time and backtracking eliminated my master plan of going on to Custer Battlefield, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Instead, it was off into Idaho for a run back to the finish before it closed. I would have to run all night to make it.
I got over the setback, and calculated I could get one more bonus in at a different Starbuck, in Washington. The roads in and out of this little town are awesome.
Just over the Utah border, I encountered one more nasty storm cell. Intense gusty winds and rain blasted me one more time. I arrived in Salt Lake City around 2:20 AM, about 250 mikes short of the minimum finish mileage of 3000. So it was off to Wendover, about 110 miles away. I kept careful watch on the mileage and time on the GPS, calculating the mileage needed, and ETA back to the start. When I was sure I had enough miles, and could get back in time, I headed back to the hotel. I checked in at 6:24 AM.
In the end, my corrected mileage was 3001 miles. Cutting it a little too close I think.
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| The final route, as captured by SPOT |
I finished 22nd in a field of 40+ with 15 DNFs. Not bad considering. It turns out that there were a hardy few that made it to Buffalo, NY and back, securing their place in history, and top finishes.
MERA puts on a great rally, and I'd recommend it to anyone with a desire to see cool places, and amazing roads in a very short time.
