Bedford PA – Martinsburg WV
Sun April 26, 2019
(~418 miles)

Approximately 1:45 after my head hit the pillow, I was up with my alarm, pulling on my gear and swigging a cup of that ever-so-functional-if-not-delicious hotel room coffee. I got the bike packed, filled the thermos from the ice machine, and headed off down the road to the gas station to officially clock out of my REST bonus just a couple minutes past the 3 hour minimum.

I picked up US-30 west in the dark wee hours of the morning, enjoying the empty road and feeling fairly well-rested. I was significantly ahead of schedule. With my GPS still showing a few miles to go to the bonus, I came suddenly upon a few rally riders parked on both sides of the road, engaged in what looked suspiciously like bonus collection. I didn’t fully register that fact, since I wasn’t expecting a bonus quite yet, but I did register that one rider had tipped his bike over on the soft shoulder and was struggling to lift it.

I immediately slowed to pull a U-ey and pulled over behind him. Together, we got the Moto Guzzi back upright on the pavement, and I made sure he was OK and the bike started fine. I asked why he was taking a photo of the nearby sign, since there was still a couple miles to go?

This kind soul, grateful for the help, suggested I read the bonus notes then and there, because the bonus photo was supposed to be of the sign AT THE ENTRANCE to the Flight 93 Memorial site. There were two such signs so he was getting both. Still befuddled from sleep, I hadn’t read this bonus in advance, since it was the first one of the day. Not trusting the new information quite fully, I thanked him but said I was going to ride the last couple miles just to see what’s what.

The GPS ended up taking me to some gated off access road leading into the memorial area and I could go no further. Returning to the entrance, I re-read the instructions very carefully and then took the necessary photo to match the one in the rally book. The fourth combo bonus was thusly captured…tricky tricky!

The fifth and final combo bonus was back in northeastern Maryland, some 200+ miles away, so I got moving briskly. The sun came up as I rode east on US-30, giving me some beautiful vistas of the western PA hills at sunrise as I moved along, and I regret not stopping for a quick photo. On I-76, I went through several thick fog banks left over from yesterdays weather before the sun finally burned them all away. I had to slow down well below speed limit a few times, just for lack of visibility though I saw very little traffic for the first couple hours.

I did come across a fawn wandering around the foggy lanes on my side of the interstate, looking for an exit up the steep banks. I slowed way down and honked a few times and he ended up scrambling over the middle barriers into the oncoming traffic lanes. I hoped he made it across safely.

I-76 to US-30 got me most of the way to Elkton MD. I fell in behind another rider as I approached the bonus location and recognized it was Jim Owen. We said hello at the bonus (a historical marker sign) as we completed our tasks, and had a laugh over a rally flag that had apparently been left behind. Per the rules, we left it there in case the rider were to come back looking for it (as I might have done last night if I hadn’t found the misplaced flag!).

Great! Now the combo was finished and I was waaaay ahead of schedule at this point. There were a couple smaller bonuses north of Baltimore that I’d penciled in to the end of my route based on timing. I knew I’d be able to snag those for sure. If anything, I was going to be coming in very early to the finish, and I wondered what I could have done differently to make that time more productive.

For now, however, I stayed in rally mode as if I was running late and got moving ASAP. The next bonus was only a few miles away and was a daylight-only shot of a covered bridge with your bike in the picture. This was an easy grab on the side of the highway.

Next up was a big-pointer on the shore of Chesapeake Bay, and was probably the bonus that most folks spent more time planning for than any other. Per the rally book, it involved a 15-minute walk EACH WAY to photograph a monument next to the Turkey Point Lighthouse. It was a pretty nice ride down into the state park, except for the slow student driver causing a back-up several cars long, including a large powerboat on a trailer directly in front of me on the nice twisty park roads. (!)

I arrived in the gravel parking lot to find it fairly busy, with several bikes and riders present alongside the cars of tourists and joggers. It was late morning and the day was getting hot and humid by now. I had pre-decided to jog the distance in to the bonus, after peeling off all my Gore-tex, exchanging boots for Keene sandals and pulling on rugby shorts over my LD comfort tights. I changed rapidly next to the bike in the stifling air.

Grabbing the flag and stuffing my phone in the pocket of my shorts, I lurched off down the well-graded dirt road, trying to get blood circulating after sitting still in the seat for most of the past 24 hours. I saw several riders walking (and some running) back after collecting the bonus and they looked HOT! And TIRED! The sandals weren’t great running shoes, but they were better than my boots. I alternated jogging with some walking to catch breath all the way in to the lighthouse. I’m glad there’s no video cuz I’m sure it wasn’t pretty. Did I actually pay for the privilege of doing this??

Having read the bonus carefully, I made sure to get the photo of the monument NEXT TO the lighthouse and not the lighthouse itself.

I wasn’t going to waste this exercise without getting a shot of the lighthouse for the IBA Lighthouse Tour that I’m still determined to finish. I’d brought that flag along too!

I passed more rally riders on their way in, and I know that now *I* was the one who looked HOT and TIRED. Jim Owen looked cool as a cucumber as he strolled past with a jaunty wave, chatting with someone on the phone. Back at the bike, I caught my breath somewhat as I donned my gear. The LD Comfort tights really do wick away the moisture well and felt better under the Gore-tex pants than bare legs. After several swigs of cold water while I emailed the bonus photo, I got moving again, eager to feel the wind cooling my face down on the way back north to the highway.

The interstates were busy, but moving quickly and I made it to the western suburbs of Baltimore without incident. The familiar bike/face of Marc Beaulac greeted me once again as we both collected the bonus in the stifling heat. He was headed for the barn, while I had plenty of time left to snatch up the two lower point bonii to the north.

I-795 to MD-30 brought me into the town of Hampstead, where another rally rider fell in behind me. I could tell from the bright yellow helmet it was rally veteran and IBR finisher Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, as we’d shared the road during part of last year’s MD2020.

After locating the war memorial on Main Street, I was jotting down the time/ODO when Kirsten’s horn blasted me  from directly behind. I figured she’d hit the button accidentally, but then heard the engine rev up and I realized she might need a bit of assistance. The steep camber of the street was making it difficult for her to properly dismount the big RT without it toppling over. She was on the right side of the bike so I got it in gear for her from the left, so it wouldn’t roll and we ensured the side stand angle was sufficient.

We then set to examining the memorial to ensure we photographed the correct section that showed the Persian Gulf War veterans section. We rode together for a few miles to the next bonus in Westminster, a historical marker about rural postal delivery.

That was the final bonus I had on my list, and I was currently due to arrive about an hour early at the finish – much earlier than I’d ever done before. I knew there were no more significant points within reach, but pulled out my laptop just to double-check and be absolutely certain. Kirsten made sure I was OK and continued on her way. After confirming the only other bonus within reach was a measly two-pointer fairly close to the finish, but 20 miles out of the way, I packed up and decided to pack it in.

The 75 miles back to the hotel passed uneventfully, and I checked in at the front door to end my rally at 13:06. I was a bit surprised to see some 20-odd bikes already in the lot. I guess perhaps other riders ended up facing the same dilemma I did, with a lack of optional bonuses available towards the end of their routes. I felt good about my route and execution, but unsettled about having had so much extra time at the end. I had heard through the grapevine that several serious riders had gone for the three good-sized bonuses in New York, which I had deemed too far to include in a doable time frame.