The first rally package came in the mail including the log sheet,
a nice sticker for the bike, and the necessary rally flag. Rider 421. It that a rider number or the odds of me finishing (or not finishing).The journey will begin in Lake Placid, Florida and finish 28 hours later in Wilmington, NC. I expect to cover a bit over 1000 miles as I collect bonus points all throughout the Southeastern U.S.
The preparation is well under way. I have new riding gear including the florescent yellow jacket which hopefully will keep me visible to the car drivers who seem to pay more attention to their cell phone than the road. I'll be carrying the heated gear and hoping that I will not have to use it!
The bike is in good shape and a complete wash job should be all that is needed. All of the lights are in working order and the tires are good for another 3000-4000 miles.
The next piece of the puzzle to address will be the route planning. Can't even begin that until the bonus locations are emailed on Wednesday evening. I will have some of the evening and part of Thursday to enter and review the points, distances, and time requirements in order to come up with a route than maximizes points.
The camera and GPS are both ready for their part in this exercise. I do need to get another SD card and fresh batteries. I'll also replace the Spot batteries so that those who wish can follow this little adventure.
This will be my second rally and the first of 24 hours or longer. My first experience illustrated just how easy it is to screw up! I had accumulated enough points to win the rally however a small but critical mistake on route timing made it all moot. Arrival at the finish 18 minutes late resulted in a Did Not Finish (DNF). A rookie mistake.
My goals are to finish safely. In fact, a safe ride takes precedence over finishing. There will be more rallies to participate in as long as I follow the safety first principle. The other goal is to minimize error. I'm quite sure that I will not eliminate them but keeping major mistakes out of the process will be an asset if I intent to finish!
More later.....
