Maggie Valley NC – Sharon MA
July 11-12, 2018
(~1016 miles)

In my notes for this day’s entry, I dubbed this “the day that should not have been”. I really wanted a do-over. Starting off on a high note from my placing in Leg 1, my mood deteriorated over the course of long miles, few bonuses, and a chain of mistakes.

After wolfing some tasty breakfast buffet back down in the hotel restaurant, rally packets were delivered at 06:00 to all early arrivals at the checkpoint, as promised. We were told to be back down at 08:00 for the mandatory riders meeting and we skeedaddled back to our rooms to see what Leg 2 had in store for us.

As I’d suspected, the field had moved to the northeast US, with two major routing options that I could see. Either northwest to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Minnesota, or northeast to Lubec, Maine. There were no combination bonuses on this leg. Once I had processed all the data into Basecamp, I saw more high point locations available in New England and began exploring that option first.

Before I knew it, 08:00 was here and I went downstairs for the riders’ meeting. The rallymasters expressed concern about the number of reports they’d received about riders ending up waaaay off the pavement in places where they never intended the rally to go. Some of these excursions resulted in tip-overs and other difficulties for the riders far from help. They made it clear that the way they run their rally is to expressly mention gravel/dirt roads needed to reach any bonus, and riders should stop blinding trusting where Garmin was telling them to go. Sage advice!

We also received a pretty stern talking-to about obeying the ban on social media participation during the rally time frame. Then the post-midnight arrivals were allowed to open their rally packs at this point, and we covered a few miscellaneous items for Leg 2, including a special bonus for stopping 30 minutes at Rick Miller’s house in West Virginia for some nice points. The current top ten standings (only) were read aloud and I was surprised to hear that I was currently in ninth place overall. It improved my mood even more and I was excited for what lay ahead.

We were released maybe 08:15 and were now back on the clock. I felt the pressure immediately upon getting back to my room to GET MOVING. Looking over the route I’d sketched to Maine so far, I decided that I wouldn’t have time to do a comparison with the northwest route. I needed to start making tracks to cover all those miles to Lubec, so I picked out a few decent-size bonuses along the primary route for the first day. I figured I’d take my full eight hour rest bonus tonight and plan out the rest of the leg from there. My home state of Massachusetts looked like it would present a well-timed stopping point, and there was a nice mid-size bonus in Dedham MA that I could start off with tomorrow.

I felt that this kind of quick decision making and routing on the fly was a necessary skill I needed to hone for multi-day rallies, so there is no time like the present. Two of today’s bonuses I chose were limited time bonuses so I really needed to get on the road to be able to get them  on the way. There were a couple high-pointers in the NYC area, but it appeared I’d only be able to get the one in Manhattan on my way through, due to time restrictions. That’ll have to do. I quickly jotted just FOUR (!) bonuses down on my cheat sheet for the day and gathered my shit together. I got everything out to the bike and was KSU at 09:00.

In a few miles, I was back on I-40 headed east, with a big 280 mile stretch ahead of me to my first big bonus, the Appomattox Courthouse National Park in Virginia. Having just ridden through that park on the MD 20-20 rally, I had some vague notion that it was just east of I-81 a bit north of Roanoke, and had no reason to suspect I was headed anywhere but the correct location. With more time to think now on the bike, I began to realize that I’d mixed up the time restrictions on my first two bonuses. I’d been thinking the second bonus (Gettysburg) had the 17:00 deadline, which I would make with only minutes to spare, but I remembered from the bonus description that it was Appomattox with that timeline. I realized then that Gettysburg was actually the second bonus and would be available until 22:00 that evening, so I didn’t have such a time crunch after all.

So now feeling like I maybe should have looked harder for more bonuses to add along the way, I proceeded to dig myself into deeper trouble. As I droned up I-81, I played with my 595 GPS, discovering the ability to show me all nearby waypoints on the map screen (unlike my Zumo 350 units). I did a few what-if scenarios and added a bonus just north of the Appomattox waypoint close to I-81, as well as another in Winchester VA. I also added the New Jersey bonus back in, either forgetting or not seeing that it was daylight-only.

Just past Roanoke, I exited on US-220ALT to US-221, and followed the magenta GPS line under a one-way railroad overpass and into some windy residential roads. Didn’t seem like what I remembered of Appomattox, but maybe this was a “local” route in. I finally reached the end of the pavement, at a sign reading “State Maintenance Ends Here”. Another rider had just arrived and we dismounted, shut off the bikes and looked around and at each other, puzzled. We were definitely at the given coordinates per the GPS, but there were just a couple small houses nearby, with woods and small fields. I punched Appomattox NP into Waze and it told me I had over an hour’s ride to get there. OK, what gives? I put in a call to the rally phone and spoke to one of the rallymasters who didn’t seem surprised when I told him where we were.

“Yeah, the coordinates are off by one degree longitude…instead of -78 it should be -79.”

“The coordinates are wrong?” I asked, trying to process.

“Yes, the rally book has them right, but it’s about 60 miles east of where you are. Just substitute a 9 for the 8 and it will get you there.”

Apparently, there was a typo in the electronic files we’d been given in the rally pack. Since this new intel appeared to agree with Waze and no other solutions were being offered, I thanked the voice on the phone and hung up. I told the other rider the situation, and he decided immediately to drop the bonus from his route. I was still trying to process that I might lose a 500+ point bonus from my route, and quickly started thinking of how to try to salvage the situation. I looked on the GPS map and could see that going to the correct coordinates would add quite a bit of time. I then focused on adding the mid-value bonus just north of here into the equation and decided to go there first and then see if Appomattox looked doable from there.

I rode back to US-221 for a mile and turned left on Goose Creek Valley Road. I saw immediately what a fun road this was as it started twisting and turning through Virginia farmland, but right now I wanted straight and fast! I had a long way to go today and needed to make up these lost points. Feeling committed, I continued on this gem of a road as it gradually began climbing and soon dumped me out way up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, somewhere I had NOT expected to be today.

I now realized the bonus was actually ON the BRP – I would not have attempted it if I’d known that since the lower speed limit and limted access made it a time suck. I tried to make the best of it and enjoyed the parkway’s sweepers for the next few miles until Peaks of Otter, when a line of cars including two park ranger SUVs pulled out in front of me and proceeded up the road at about 35mph. Arrrgh, kill me now! I was now stuck on a great motorcycling road, in the middle of a rally with hundreds of miles to go, and I can’t even ENJOY the curves!

Finally, I arrived at the Apple Orchard Mountain overlook and pulled to the side for my bonus photo.

After getting the photo, I pulled into some shade to think for a few minutes. Appomattox was out of the question at this point, too much time had already been wasted. I needed to get back on I-81 ASAP and ensured the next stop in Winchester was input to both GPS units and Waze. Garmin found me Petites Gap Road just a mile or so away so I continued north.

About to make the turn, I noted gravel and came to a stop. This squiggly line dropping down off the ridgeline on my map looked to be no more than a fire road back where I come from. No way, Garmin! I knew continuing north would eventually take me to a real paved cross road off the BRP and several miles later I exited on US-501.

Instead of routing me a few miles through Glasgow to catch I-81 via US-11, Garmin screwed me again, keeping me on the 501 several more miles, passing slowly through the town of Buena Vista before finally being allowed back on the interstate to start making time again. I estimated about two hours lost obtaining that single medium-points bonus on the BRP, so my frustration levels were extremely high. So many miles and hours and just one bonus to show for it so far.

I buckled down for the interstate slog through Virginia with no radar detector enabled (illegal in that state), keeping close watch on my speed and on Waze. The truck traffic was cruel and unusual punishment on this highway. I exited in Winchester just before rush hour, to find this cool statue of that city’s native son, polar explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his faithful dog Igloo.

I continued north on I-81 through West Virginia and Maryland, exiting on US-30 in Pennsylvania and forced into a more restrained pace into Gettysburg National Park. This was my first time passing through the park by bike — someday I hope to really have some time to spend there. The vast tracts of open space have a solemnity to them that calls for more reflection. I located the Eternal Light Peace Memorial without much trouble, and then tried to take in as much of the scenery and old cannons as I could as I motored my way out of the park and east to pick up US-15.

I had over 200 miles to go to the next bonus, following I-76 to skirt Philly, then I-95 up towards New York City. I still had it in my head at that point, that I’d be picking up the bonus in Metuchen NJ. As I’d been doing each day of the rally, I passed some of the time talking to my wife and buddy Ken by phone, keeping them apprised of how this disaster of a day was turning out. With just a few miles to the exit in NJ, something suddenly clicked about visiting a cemetery after dark, and I quickly verified that I was headed for a daylight only bonus and it was already 21:30 (not daylight by any definition). If only I hadn’t gone on the BRP, I could have nabbed this one right off the highway for slightly more points and less miles/time wasted.

No matter, I was still on the fastest route to Manhattan from Gettysburg, and I focused myself mentally for the ordeal to come getting into and out of the madhouse that is NYC. I took the Lincoln Tunnel over to the island and was very careful to follow Waze precisely. Oh look, I’m going right through Times Square…joy! 🙁  Somehow avoiding the crazy taxicabs and suicidal pedestrians, I patiently maneuvered my way through the grid of one way streets and temporary closures until I pulled up on the corner of 40th and 6th, to get a picture of the Nikola Tesla Corner sign.

I pulled over in a no parking bus zone or something, but nobody seemed to notice or care. With flashers on, I took several pictures, trying to get the exposure to show both the rally flag and the lit street sign with Tesla’s name. People looked on in amusement and just walked around me as I knelt in the gutter to get my shot.

I begged Waze to get me out of here, and it took me out to the Hudson River Parkway, to the Cross County and Hutchinson Parkways. From thence it decided to put me on the Merritt Parkway across western Connecticut. I was so glad to be out of the city, I didn’t think to question it and in retrospect wish I’d headed up I-684 to I-84 when the chance presented itself to enjoy the wide open freeways in my tired state after dark.

Instead I was stuck on the less familiar and curvier Merritt, dodging hooligans in sports cars after what had already been a long day in the saddle.  It was over 250 miles to the next bonus from Manhattan, and I focused on simply staying alert, hydrating and snacking when necessary. I’d quaffed a Five Hour Energy back in New Jersey, so that helped keep me on point during the long haul through Connecticut.

I’d end up close to  home tonight, but wasn’t going to fall prey to the well-documented rally trap of staying at my own house, so I still needed to book my hotel somewhere close to Dedham MA, so I could nab the bonus there that would be available at 08:00. I pulled off the parkway for a few minutes and went online using my phone to book the EconoLodge in Sharon MA.

In Hartford, I chose the HOV lane out of habit and got stuck behind a car doing the speed limit with a very impatient Mega-Bus behind it. The bus kept drifting into the median area between the HOV and rest of the highway, spraying gravel and other junk back onto me. I’d finally had enough and was about to slow down and cut over to the regular highway when the bus pulled fully into that median and sped up around the car, using it as a passing lane…WTF! That forced me to slow waaaay down to avoid the rooster tail of rocks and garbage tossed behind him, so I cut over at that point and zoomed on past the both of them, shaking my head in amazement. Gotta stay alert no matter what time of night.

I was back on home turf and quickly finished the distance to Auburn MA on I-90, arriving at the rustic 9-hole Pakachoag Golf Course around 02:00, where Dr. Robert Goddard, “father of modern rocketry” as he is proudly known locally, launched and landed the first successful liquid-fueled rocket. The pitch black of this small hilltop residential area was broken only by a few floodlights on the shack-like clubhouse in the gravel parking lot. I re-read the rally book a few times and searched all around with my flashlight for the “upright granite marker”.

After several minutes of searching and feeling self-conscious, as if I was somehow disturbing the entire neighborhood with my nocturnal activity, I called the rally phone but got voicemail and hung up. I then thought to check my GPS again and sure enough it was showing the waypoint flag just a short walk back in front of the clubhouse. I spotted this plaque on a slanted rock of granite right by the road and saw it was about Robert Goddard. Success! I laid out my flag and got the photo.

Just then my phone rang – it was the rallymaster calling back. I told him which bonus I was at but that I had found the marker and was all set, so we hung up. I would wish later on that we’d talked a bit longer.

OK, just 40 miles or so to the hotel on familiar roads in the dead of night. I was intending this to be my full rest bonus, so I made sure to get fuel at a nearby station just up the road from the hotel on US-1.

When I pulled into the hotel lot and up to the office, my foot made the familiar motion of putting the kickstand down, but I missed it even as I started to lean the bike over to dismount in one familiar motion. Too late, it tipped over and I couldn’t hold it up! Damn it! This time, I put my back to the bike and easily levered it up using my leg muscles, no problem.

My fold-out highway blade forward foot peg was bent and broke off in my hand (double damn it!) but no other damage to the bike thanks once more to my MCL tip-over bars. Right then, a cop cruised slowly by through the parking lot, checking things out. I was too tired to care except to wonder what kind of trouble they usually turned up at this place?

I checked in a little before 03:00 at the older grubby-looking Econo Lodge. It appeared not to have undergone any major renovations since the 70’s, with faux wooden floors that felt a bit slimy to walk on, etc. Whatever, it was a bed. As I unpacked and set up my computer to look at my route for later that day, I ran scenarios through my head about going to my house in the morning to replace the broken highway peg (I have spares) since I have plenty more highway miles to ride for this rally.

Then the real zinger struck me to top off this marvelous day – my rally flag was missing! Without my flag I could still continue the rally, but I would lose a lot of points and would have to ensure my face was in every bonus photo going forward – something I strongly preferred not to have to deal with I could help it! I double and triple-checked all my bags and pockets, but the flag was gone and my mind immediately began working the problem.

I had either dropped it at the gas station, or it was still lying across that Goddard monument 40 miles back west in Auburn! I didn’t specifically remember putting it away because the phone call from the RM came through at that moment. I would not be able to take my full rest here after all – maybe three hours or so and then I’d need to make two unexpected stops: fix the broken peg quickly at my nearby house, then backtrack 40 miles to retrieve my flag, which was hopefully still there in Auburn.

I spent 45 minutes or so working on my route for the next day (actually today at this point). This didn’t take too long since there weren’t really a lot of options to consider: I was headed for Lubec and would collect all nearby bonuses along the way there and try to set myself up for a chance at Mt. Washington the following morning. I booked a hotel for the following night in Waterville ME (a Best Western, so hopefully more comfortable than this roach trap), where I would take my full rest bonus. I sketched out my routing sheet, packed everything for a quick departure, and finally laid down for a 90 minute nap.