Friday, April 27, 2012

2012 Cape Fear 1000


Cape Fear 1000


April 20-21, 2012


Another one is in the books. This was the 6th consecutive Cape Fear rally that we have completed and of course each one is different in so many ways. From the very first one that we completed where we lost half our points for not following the very clear instructions, to this last one where everything fell into place seamlessly, each has been an adventure all it’s own.

WHAT IS THIS RALLY THING?


A competitive endurance rally is part scavenger hunt, part trivia quiz, part poker run, part marathon, and all done on a motorcycle. The goal is to have the most points at the end of the event. Points are acquired by visiting Bonus Locations and properly satisfying their requirements. Every Bonus Location gets an assigned point value; complete the requirements, get the points; Sounds easy, eh?

Bonus Locations and their assigned points values are determined by the Rallymasters; who then relay this information to the riders. Rallymasters often have a “theme” or some underlying connection among all of the Bonus Locations. For instance, in the 2008 Void the bulk of the Bonus Locations were golf themed and in 2007 it was a red-neck theme. Bonus Locations are sometimes selected because they are sentimental like the grave of a friend or relative, or purposeful like making a purchase from a rally sponsor. Other times, the location is selected because of where it is: a breathtaking overlook; down a long twisty section of mountain road; or a crowded beachfront boardwalk.

Not all Bonus Locations are created equally and it would be considered unusual if they all had the same value. A Location’s point assignment is based upon any one of several factors. Some of the variables that play into a bonus’ value could include its proximity to other bonii, condition/type of road access, and “ease of acquisition”. Rallymasters are not “normal” by any stretch; so you can count on twists and turns along the way.



The above description was shamelessly borrowed from The Void Rally!

ABOUT OUR MACHINE AND GEAR. 

If you are familiar with our exploits, you may want to skip the few paragraphs as it simply describes what these “rally things” are all about. In it’s simplest terms, a motorcycle endurance rally is a scavenger hunt on steroids that is run against the clock over distances that friends call insane. First there is the machine! We ride a 2004 Honda Goldwing that just turned over 133,000 miles. Farkeling is the term used to describe all the extras that we add to our trusty steeds. Ours has been farkled with everything the endurance motorcyclist needs for a long safe ride. Lighting is key to being able to run through the darkness on roads that often are not optimal. Our bike is outfitted with a set of High Intensity Discharge auxiliary lights that really do turn night into day. They will illuminate a road sign over 1 mile ahead of us. For those inconsiderate drivers who fail to dim their headlights, getting flashed by these immediately gets their lights dimmed - it has yet to fail! We also have 2 additional sets of lights for both close in illumination and for daytime visibility.


Comfort is important since we are often in the saddle for 18-24 hours at a time.  Our seat is custom made to our measurements and lets us sit in comfort without squirming for hours on end.  We both have insulated cups to stay hydrated.  Additional footpegs allow seating positions to vary letting you stretch your legs.  Heated jackets and gloves mean that the temperature isn’t a factor.  If it gets cold, we simply turn up the thermostat and stay toasty warm.  We are advocates of the term ATGATT which translates to “all the gear, all the time”.  Full face coverage helmets, jackets and pants with armor in the critical places which additionally are waterproof which negates the need to carry rain gear.  Gloves that will protect the hands in the event of a spill and boots with additional ankle and shin protection round out the gear.  When it is hot, we open the vents on the jackets to allow cooling airflow and of course when cold we just zip up and turn up the thermostat.  

Additional refinements include an auxiliary fuel cell that allows us to carry 4 extra gallons of gas extending our non-stop range to a bit over 350 miles.  Suspension work done by the leader in motorcycle suspensions - Traxxion Dynamics - smooth out the bumps and dramatically improve the handling characteristics of the motorcycle.  

Navigation is handled by 3 separate GPS systems, one of which is piped into the audio system so you can hear the voice commands.  The primary GPS also displays NEXRAD radar so you can have weather information at your fingertips.  The secondary GPS handles statistics for us - miles traveled, average speeds both moving and overall, and serves as a backup for navigation.  The third system is operated by the passenger and is the sanity check when the primary seems to want to take you around the world to get to a point just ahead!  Rarely do all three agree on which way to go, so we just follow the majority rule system.  

XM satellite radio rounds out the entertainment so we are never without a station to listen to.  A radar detector is also piped into the audio system to alert us to those small town cops that run speed traps.  We do not speed excessively since that just isn’t safe, but in 133,000 miles that detector has saved our bacon many times from the cop who sits just past the speed limit sign going into small towns!  A satellite tracking system keeps a bread crumb trail for us so we can see where we have been, allows others to follow along on the trip, and is tied into the GEOS Search and Rescue Center so if there is an unfortunate incident, emergency responders know exactly where we are at the touch of a single button.  Roadside breakdowns are also handled with the push of a single button, getting a tow on the way in the event of flat tires or other mechanical issues.

It is often joked that the purchase of the motorcycle is the smallest expense.  I agree with this theory and have never really tried to total the cost of gear and farkles since we really don’t want to know.

ON TO THE DETAILS OF THE RALLY!

The start this year was in Paris, TN.   Other groups were starting from Jamestown, NY and Arcadia, FL all converging on Wilmington, NC.  Rally books were to be delivered at 5:00 PM CST Wednesday April 18th and the process of inputting bonus locations should have begun.  After a quick look at the rally book, it was immediately apparent that something was amiss since there were so many high point bonus locations near the start.  Further investigation revealed other bonus locations that just didn’t make sense - ie, The Everglades in Florida - from Paris, TN????.  It was determined that somehow our rally book had gotten mixed up so we now had to wait until a corrected version could be sent.  Finally around 8:00 PM the corrected version arrived.   After inputting all bonus locations, reading all the possible options, Barbara and I selected a fairly conservative route that would take us across Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and back into North Carolina.  We planned to take full advantage of an extended rest bonus - 6 hours this year - and some high point time restricted bonus locations near the end of the rally.  Our planned route looked like this:



We left headed to Paris early Thursday morning stopping in Jackson, TN for lunch with an old friend from almost 30 years ago. After arrival in Paris, we chatted with old friends and had supper and adult beverages at a nearby eatery.  

Start time was from 9:50 to 10:10 EST with a deadline to the finish 29 hours later.  We made a couple of stops early that morning and finally found a gas station with receipts that met the starting criteria.  Receipts have to show the location (Paris, TN) and have an accurate time stamp.  Shortly after 10:00 EST we were on our way.  It was over 200 miles to the first bonus location so we settled in for the ride.  It was a game of leapfrog with other riders who were headed the same way.  Glorious weather that would stay with us for the duration!

Hodgenville, KY was the first stop to take a photo of a statute of Abraham Lincoln.  We arrived at 13:09 221 miles from the start.  We are still bunched up so lots of other activity. 

Bonus location # 2 was in Harrodsburg, KY for a photo of the monument commemorating the Bataan Death March.  The 192nd Tank Battalion was comprised of mostly men from the Harrodsburg area.  They were captured in the Battle of the Bataan Peninsula and were part of the Battan Death March.  The monument honors both the survivors and those who did not survive the march.  Arrival time is 14:20 298 miles total so far.  Probably 10 or so folks all trying to take a picture at the same time made this stop interesting. 

Bonus # 3 was the grave of LT Carl Dodd in Lily, KY.  LT Dodd was a a Medal of Honor winner from the Korean War.  Arrival time 14:53 381 miles total.   The crowd has thinnned now.  Only 2 other couples at this one.  Barbara had to roll around on the ground in order to get the grave marker, our rally flag, and her smiling face in the picture.   

Off to Bonus # 4 in Pound, KY!  We had to find a Highway Historical Marker honoring Gary Powers, the U-2 spy plane pilot shot down over Russia in 1960.  These sometimes are hard to see so we had to do a little backtracking to finally locate the monument.  Time is now 18:20 and we are at 504 miles.  We are all alone now!

Now the fun really begins.  Darkness has started to settle in, we are winding our way through western Virginia headed for Rugby and the Rugby Baptist Church.  There isn’t much level ground in this part of the state and the church parking lot was no exception.  We had a hard time figuring out how to park the bike!  Problem was finally resolved, a photo of the nicely illuminated sign was captured and it’s off again.  Time is 20:44 total mileage to this point is 625 miles.  Nobody out here right now but us!

On to the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of the Jumpinoff Rock Overlook.  If you have ever been on the Blue Ridge you know that it is nothing but ups and downs, curve after curve, and lots of wildlife!  It’s dark but luckily this time of night traffic is almost non-existent so the big lights stayed on!  We found the overlook at 21:25, took a photo, and off again.  Mileage is now at 653.  Another couple of riders pulled in as we were leaving.  

The plan was to stay on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the next bonus - the Blue Ridge Chapel.  We soon encountered a detour sign and had to leave the parkway and pick our way towards the next bonus.  Let’s just say roads were not optimal for night time motorcycle riding.  It may have been a bit of selective sight….but I didn’t see a single deer the whole night.  Others had much different experiences!  


We’ve been weaving in and out of Virginia and NC for a while finally getting back on the Blue Ridge in search of the Blue Ridge Chapel.  The GPS has taken us down a couple of short dirt roads - certainly not our favorite in the dark!  We snag the bonus at 22:40 total miles 690.  It took us over 1 hour and 35 minutes to travel the 37 miles between bonuses so that should give you an idea of the fun roads we were traveling in the dark.  Another not so level parking lot had to be dealt with and as we were pulling out, another couple of riders were arriving.  At least we weren’t alone out there - not the same riders who were at Jumpinoff Point.  

Now it’s time to head towards Greensboro, NC where we planned to stop for the night and take that long rest bonus.  First, we had to get down the dirt road that took us to the goat trail down off the mountain.  Loads of fun and luckily the interstate wasn’t far off.  

We pulled into Greensboro right after midnight and started to search for a room.  There was some event happening in town and most hotels were full.  We snagged a room at a Red Roof Inn for the exorbitantly high price of $80.00.  We cruised through the drive-through at McDonalds to get a receipt to start our rest period.  Rest bonus started at 00:14 and at a little after 6am we enjoyed a tasty McDonald’s breakfast to end our rest bonus at 06:28.  This was big points!  We are at 791 miles.  

The next bonus is a timed odometer check that didn’t start until 9:00 AM.  We got off at the exit and somehow missed the rest area sitting between lanes of the interstate.  Turning around we got checked in for the odometer check.  The rules were to obey all traffic laws, signals, speed limits, etc while negotiating the 19 mile odometer check.  All riders times were averaged and if you were within a certain window you scored the maximum points.  The rider had to be standing beside the bike with helmet and gloves off to start.    Since we were 2-up, Barbara was already seated and ready to roll.  Somehow I fumbled around getting my helmet on which probably was a good thing since it took just a little extra time.  We did score the maximum points for this bonus!

The next bonus we had planned wasn’t available until 12:00.  We got to Woogie’s (what a name for a seafood restaurant) in Chocowinty, NC about 30 minutes early so we shared some fries and killed time until the clock struck 12.  The parking lot had lots of folks staring at watches waiting for the magic time to arrive.  Then it was bedlam on the way out!  Time is 12:01 mileage at this point is now at 1069 miles.

One more bonus stop in Kinston, NC honoring the CSS Neusse, a confederate Ironclad ship that ran aground on it‘s first mission and was soon scuttled to prevent capture by Union forces.    Time is 12:54 mileage 1116.  Again, everyone is headed to the finish so it was busy at this spot.  

Nothing to do now but head to the finish line.  We had plenty of time so it was a fairly uneventful ride.  Our last bonus was to bring a cold six pack of your favorite beverage to the finish line and have the receipt for the purchase at scoring.  We stopped, I ran in grabbed a six pack, jumped back on the bike and headed in.  About 2 miles down the road I realized I had failed to get a receipt.  Much profanity in the helmet!!!!  We stopped again about 2 miles from the finish for another six pack, making sure I had the receipt this time.  

We rolled across the finish line at 2:33 with a whole 28 minutes to spare.  Total mileage by odometer was 1206.  The next step is scoring!

Scoring can be stressful!  After making sure everything is recorded, and all documents in hand you sit with the scorer who scrutinizes everything that you have done to ensure that the instructions were followed EXACTLY.  For example….if the bonus requirements are to take a picture of the front of a statue with a certain portion of the statue visible in the photo and your rally flag with rider number showing, then that’s what you have to do.  Even though a photo will clearly show that you are at the right spot, if the instructions aren’t followed exactly, you will not get credit for that bonus.  When you sit in front of the score, you better be sure you have everything because once scoring starts, you are scored with what you have with you.    We rarely lose points at the scoring table and this time everything went perfectly.  No lost points, full credit for each bonus, all requirements were met.  

We finished with 39,001 points which put us 10th  place!  In the shoulda, woulda, coulda category, we did bypass one bonus that would have changed our standing from 10th to 3rd.  We could have used up those extra minutes at the finish and while having fries!

We woke up Sunday morning to a pouring rain!  We slowly got packed and headed out which was fortunate since we only hit a couple of small bands of rain on the way home.  Riders leaving to the north endured torrential rain and storms……thank goodness we were headed south.  Barbara got to experience Pedro’s North of the Border at the South Carolina line for the first time.  This is the ultimate tourist trap! 

Our travels looked like this.  I didn't turn SPOT on for the ride up to Paris so you can fill in the blanks. 



My apologies for the lack of pictures.  We failed to copy our pictures before turning in our photo card at scoring.  We'll do better next time.  

The next adventure on the horizon kicks of May 8th when we head west to Nevada.  More on that one in the next installment!  And lots and lots of pictures are promised.  

Rick and Barbara