The Grand Rally

[HogWild]

Originally Posted by BigBearJoe

Getting lost, coming across unexpected obstacles, locked gates, no trespassing signs, deteriorating weather, etc. etc. all IMPROVE the experience, not lesson it! Geez don't you get that!

That's true in some cases, but when those issues prevent you from ever getting to what you know is REALLY cool stuff on the other side, then adventure turns to disappointment. This time we ended up missing some great stuff because the route was blocked. Another time, when we were stuck on a lava flow for hours, lost, in the dark, almost out of gas, with no road out, it was super cool when we found a cow trail through the brush and got out around 10pm.

[RenoMoto]

Originally Posted by HogWild

Another time, when we were stuck on a lava flow for hours, lost, in the dark, almost out of gas, with no road out, it was super cool when we found a cow trail through the brush and got out around 10pm.

...and awesome! Can't wait to do it again.

[BAZZER450]

I really cant wait for this ! As well i am holding my breath and Hoping that Scott does the road books for the m1k again this year ! It was the main reason I decide to do it ....so if there are other guys doing the m1k and hoping to use the road book lets make sure that Scott really feels the Love !!!!

[HogWild]

To Jimmy Stocker, the roadbook on this trip is dedicated to you!

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We just completed our 8th prerun trip, finishing up some incomplete sections on Stage 16 and 23, plus we rode all of Stage 24. That totaled nearly 450 miles of dirt.

I think these 3 stages have more HP (roadless, follow your compass) miles than all previous stages combined. That resulted in much tougher and slower riding than usual. Some of the HP was 5 mph and push your bike over rocks stuff that whooped our butts pretty well!

LKN4DRT, BicyclePhil, and DaveRMS joined in the fun. Dave had camera duties, so unfortunatley only his bike made it into these photos.

The Grand Gang, left to right LKN4DRT, HogWild, BicyclePhil, DaveRMS dash only:


Cow trail:


World record cow pie in an HP section provides a rare bit of shade:


More HP:


HP to the windmill in the distance:


At last, an actual trail to follow:


We had to turn back in this sandwash because it led to a tall waterfall we couldn't climb:


I got back in that wash above the waterfall, but it wasn't working there either.
Good luck to you all getting through that area!
I just put a compass heading in the roadbook and said "go that way and watch out for rock cliffs!".


Eventually we found an actual road. Lots of sand in this region:


The RMS Honda beauty up on a mesa. Want to rent this bike for Dakar with full service support from RMS?:




This wash got too narrow for the bikes:


Some cool terrain we found our way through.
At several places the roadbook says something along the lines of "go down into the wash then go right in the wash".
The problem is there's a 20ft cliff between you and the bottom of the wash.
So, one again it's "find your own way down into there".
The navigation on this trip was the toughest yet:


The rock forest:


LKN4DRT found dirt, but didn't know which way to go:


This was one of the more visible roads.
Lots of them are being reclaimed by nature, and it takes a real keen eye to stay on them and not get lost.


This was one of the more memorable spots on this trip.
This plateau had undercut cliffs on both sides, with a crazy big drop to the desert floor.
At one point it was only a couple of feet wide.
We all chickened out and turned around before the really narrow point.

[Stagehand]

pretty awesome, man, needless to say.

[Scotty Breauxman]

unreal

[hilslamer]

I'm on the wrong side of the world right now, but someday I will follow this route...epic stuff, HogWild!

[SFMCjohn]

Originally Posted by HogWild

The Grand Gang, left to right LKN4DRT, HogWild, BicyclePhil, DaveRMS dash only:

Wow! We heard about this adventure pre-run last week ... so cool to see some photos ...

Thanks for posting 'em!

-- SFMCjohn

[DaveRMS]

Originally Posted by HogWild

LKN4DRT, BicyclePhil, and DaveRMS joined in the fun. Dave had camera duties, so unfortunatley only his bike made it into these photos.

Thanks for another great set of routes Scott. And for including us in the pre-run fun!

Dave

[drc42]

Those pick show that I chose the wrong side of the country to live in.

[wrk2surf]

looks fun.. guess trucks,cars or buggies runnning this rally are out !

[HogWild]

Originally Posted by wrk2surf

looks fun.. guess trucks,cars or buggies runnning this rally are out !

Some stages could be car friendly with a few tweaks to the route, but the best stuff is usually off in the bike only sections.

[Motorfiets]

estimated "race" date?

[HogWild]

Originally Posted by Motorfiets

estimated "race" date?

It's not a race. It's more of a hardcore roadbook dual-sport ride. Read the first post and a few after that to get an idea what this is about.

We still have more prerunning to do, so it won't be available for others to enjoy for a while. If this kind of stuff interests you, sign up for a rally navigation class with Dave at RMS or Jimmy Lewis. There are tons of this type of roadbook ride in California/Nevada that will become available to you once you do a school (i.e. "DVR"). And now that Rally Navigator is available, there may be something coming in your area too?

[Motorfiets]

Originally Posted by HogWild

It's not a race. It's more of a hardcore roadbook dual-sport ride. Read the first post and a few after that to get an idea what this is about.

We still have more prerunning to do, so it won't be available for others to enjoy for a while. If this kind of stuff interests you, sign up for a rally navigation class with Dave at RMS or Jimmy Lewis. There are tons of this type of roadbook ride in California/Nevada that will become available to you once you do a school (i.e. "DVR"). And now that Rally Navigator is available, there may be something coming in your area too?

do I need to first do a school before I would be allowed to do these sorts of rides?

why I added the """" 's