Cal24 2008 - BARF style

[aciurczak]

I'll see if I can't get a copy of the sheets, but I don't know how secretly they keep them to themselves.

I don't think you'll be able to get them, but maybe it's worth asking. If you want to keep them long-term, one solution is to just take digital pics of them before you hand them back in, but who thinks of that during a rally. Not me.

 

[Whodat]

Did you have a hard time finding the Gerlach bonus Ray? I hooked up with Steve from Washington and it took us better than an hour to find it.

 

[Razel]

I figured you found a brothel in Reynard.

Fack! If I'd brought the rail adaptor for the bike, you'd have a good point. I didn't realize that east BFE had another name...

 

[Razel]

Did you have a hard time finding the Gerlach bonus Ray? I hooked up with Steve from Washington and it took us better than an hour to find it.

Funny, but that odd pile of stones along the roadway just didn't look "normal". Caught it on the way back from my half-way trip to Cedarville on 447.

Also kind of "funny"...got emails from a couple of folks that work at the same place I do that have ridden LD rallies. Both said that Gerlach is a common point for various rallies, and that Buckhorn road is a "popular" route for getting to California. And here I thought I was the first...

 

[Cycle61]

Both said that Gerlach is a common point for various rallies, and that Buckhorn road is a "popular" route for getting to California. And here I thought I was the first...

Is that the dirt strip you were pondering at 3am?

 

[aciurczak]

I enjoyed this rally report From Reno John. He placed third. Reading through his rally, I hadn't realized how close I was to a higher finish. If I had been confident of finding the Gerlach bonus quickly, we may have ridden the exact same 2nd leg, but he did get 6 bullets in leg 1 instead of 5. In leg 2, John skipped Susanville, but got Gerlach and Fort Bidwell (+ Tulelake & Dorris). What I really should have done was tag along with Jerry White from the checkpoint when we left together; he was heading to Yerrington and then Gerlach while I was going to tail off for Susanville after Yerrington. Live and learn...

I was inspired yesterday and tracked down all of the Cal24 plaques:

Beats bowling trophies, I guess, but not by much.

 

[aciurczak2]

Beats bowling trophies, I guess, but not by much.

Now... I watched you straighten out every item on your "ego wall" with a leveler, so I'm confused as to why every item on the ego wall looks crooked??? I guess it must be the angle of the camera.

 

[aciurczak]

I'd say your eyes are crooked, but I'm afraid I'd end up sleeping on the couch even more than usual.

 

[Razel]

Is that the dirt strip you were pondering at 3am?

Yup. Google map "Buckhorn Rd., Gerlach, NV"
You can see that eventually, you can get to 395

 

[Razel]

If I had been confident of finding the Gerlach bonus quickly, we may have ridden the exact same 2nd leg, but he did get 6 bullets in leg 1 instead of 5.

Alex, trust me...if you got there after the sun went down, and didn't know exactly where to look, I really doubt you would have found it quickly. I didn't realize I'd spent an hour looking for it, but that was in town. It's actually off the county road heading west to Alturas, just outside of town. The ones that "found" it quickly knew right were to go in the first place, so tagging along with the right guy would have made a difference as well.

 

[aciurczak]

That's why I didn't go alone, I knew it would take awhile for me to find it, while the rest of the bonuses, even Fort Bidwell, all looked like they would be a piece of cake to find very quickly. In hindsight, I should have tagged along with Jerry. But now I know exactly where it is, and I won't make the mistake of starting another rally within 1000 miles of Gerlach without knowing how to find Guru Lane...

 

[Whodat]

In retrospect I lost points by going to Gerlach. It was out of the way, hard to find, and not all that many points. I would have done better by skipping it and heading straight for Susanville and parts North. Or even sticking with the base route. After the initial low point bonuses there were some points to be had and I knew where most of them were.

Anybody up for the LOE in October?

 

[Ironbutt]

In retrospect I lost points by going to Gerlach. It was out of the way, hard to find, and not all that many points. I would have done better by skipping it and heading straight for Susanville and parts North. Or even sticking with the base route. After the initial low point bonuses there were some points to be had and I knew where most of them were.

Anybody up for the LOE in October?

I hear the base route + all the goodies by the end point was the ticket.. see.. I had t he right idea..

So.. let's loosely plan this LOE in October. It's 1k there and Back?? I need a better fairing.. I think I'll just go ahead and get that Rifle fairing and test it on on this 3k mile ride.

 

[aciurczak]

Half of the top ten did the northern route, the other half did the base route. If someone ran the base route perfectly and got pretty much everything, one of those rally professionals stated that there was a potential advantage of about 900 points. (I actually didn't even take the time to do the math, which is just another example of why these guys are so much better) 1 rider ran the base route perfectly, and he took the trophy. But if a rider only got 3/4ths of the base route points, they would end up with less than someone who only picked up 4 of the potential 6 or 7 northern route bonuses.

To win the rally, the base route was the right choice for folks who can literally collect everything. To place highly in the rally, the Northern route may have been an easier and more achievable bet.

Anybody up for the LOE in October?

Sounds like fun, but I've got a conflict that weekend.

 

[Ironbutt]

In retrospect I lost points by going to Gerlach. It was out of the way, hard to find, and not all that many points. I would have done better by skipping it and heading straight for Susanville and parts North. Or even sticking with the base route. After the initial low point bonuses there were some points to be had and I knew where most of them were.

Anybody up for the LOE in October?

Okay.. I just dropped $500 bucks on a rifle Fairing for my Z-rex.. Um.. I'm still not sure I'm going.. I still hurt pretty bad from last weekend. Let's wait until my shoulders heal up and the pain subsides.. I think I've spent $200 in massages and chiropractic visits since last Sunday. I have an IV of naproxin going right now..

 

[Ironbutt]

Half of the top ten did the northern route, the other half did the base route. If someone ran the base route perfectly and got pretty much everything, one of those rally professionals stated that there was a potential advantage of about 900 points. 1 rider ran the base route perfectly, and he took the trophy. But if a rider only got 3/4ths of the base route points, they would end up with less than someone who only picked up 4 of the potential 6 or 7 northern route bonuses.

To win the rally, the base route was the right choice for folks who can literally collect everything. To place highly in the rally, the Northern route may have been an easier and more achievable bet.



Sounds like fun, but I've got a conflict that weekend.

I think I did good for the first time.. I was pretty clueless most of the time.. well.. the whole time actually.. but I rode the least miles out of everyone and actually placed! I'm still trying to figure that out... I gave up a bunch of points too.. forgot my receipts in the room at the final check in.. passed a few points up on my way back to the hotel when I had my tail between my legs at the end..

.. I'm positive I'll do much better next year.

 

[Cycle61]

Does the Cal24 have a "Hopeless" category, like the Iron Butt rally does? Maybe I can enter that class next year...

 

[Ironbutt]

Does the Cal24 have a "Hopeless" category, like the Iron Butt rally does? Maybe I can enter that class next year...

Sure.. why not.. there was a dude riding a 250cc Honda twin.. it looked like a v35 but not.. I'm not sure what it was it was a water cooled twin.. I rode with him all Saturday morning and I was thinking to myself.. jeeze.. he's gonna be hurting by tomorrow morning.

 

[plumber]

I was just wondering if there is a published "cheat list." I've been reading your posts and it seems like some people have a big advantage if they are already familiar with certain bonuses and locations. How many of the bonuses were original to this rally?

 

[Whodat]

I was just wondering if there is a published "cheat list." I've been reading your posts and it seems like some people have a big advantage if they are already familiar with certain bonuses and locations. How many of the bonuses were original to this rally?

I'm not sure I understand the question. None of these bonuses have been used since at least 2004 when I did my 1st Cal24. Being familiar with the area certainly helped. I have been on several of the roads before and that did help me as I could visualize where I was going. To find the exact bonus locations was a different story. Of the four times I have run this rally I think this year's was the best so far.