White Stag Rally

Oh boy, the first rally of 2011, The White Stag Rally (some might call it the White Stagger Rally). White Stag is held in Beatty, NV the last weekend of January. The 2010 White Stag was my first rally ever and I learned a LOT. However, the 2011 White Stag was to be a lounge rally with different participation events. Okay, sounds like a good time to me. I packed up the F650GS and headed toward Beatty on Friday. The weather was beautiful and traffic light. I cruised down Old Hiway 91 to I-15. Then through North Las Vegas to hit Hiway 95 which is then a straight shot to Beatty.

I made a quick stop at Yucca Mountain Truck Stop and spotted this:

I don't know how I managed to miss this Museum considering all the times I've been by here. Located next door to the Cherry Patch II Brothel. I didn't go in but maybe next time.

After a pleasant 250 mile ride, I arrived at the Stagecoach Motel in Beatty and found several riders had already started kicking tires and telling lies.

Patrick F. and Chris P. telling stories with a rider whose name I forgot (sorry).

Doug B., Chris O. and Andy M. show up for White Stag fun.

The parking lot starts to fill up with bikes of all makes and models. But most definitely, all set up for long distance riding!

My sweetie, Eric V. finally gets to Beatty. I think he needs to wash his windscreen!

Eric and John L. preparing for the White Stagger. Unlike riding rallies, at a lounge rally, riders are encouraged to imbibe prior to, during and after the riders meeting. We tried our best to follow the rules.

More riders show up, tell lies and boast about having the best rally bike and LD set -up.

Much to my surprise, Gary D. showed up. Braving cold and snow from Idaho.

This is a motley looking group. Ray B., Steve H. and John L. along with another rider that I can't name (sorry again).

Fashionable footwear modeled by Doug B. I saw plenty of LD Comfort attire as well as interesting footwear in the parking lot.

Gathering for the riders meeting. The rules were very simple. First checkpoint at Panamint Springs where the rider was to put at least 3 gallons of fuel in the tank, check the air pressure in both tires, get a receipt (no pay at the pump here - had to go inside the store). This was a timed event and open for riders from 8 to 11 am. I didn't get to the checkpoint in time so it didn't matter how long it took me :-) I did get 3.25 gallons of gas. Eric offered to time me but I declined.

Well, we missed the first event, damn. To console ourselves, we took a Twizzler break at Stovepipe Wells.

The next event, shoot the condom, didn't start until 1:00 pm. So having lots of time, we headed to Scotty's Castle where I finally got my Death Valley Scotty's Castle National Park Passport Stamp. I tried 3 times last year and each time I went there, the stamp was either broken or missing. Hooray! I now have all three Death Valley stamps. Well, until John L. told me of the secret Beatty, Death Valley stamp. So, next time I'm in Death Valley, I'll have to find that one. Just so you all know, there are 4 Death Valley Stamps - Scotty's Castle, Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells and Beatty. The Beatty stamp is hidden and you have to request it. Apparently there was a Visitor's Center for Death Valley in Beatty which closed. The stamp is now located at Furnace Creek but behind the counter. You have to specifically ask for it.

We met a number of rally riders at Scotty's Castle so took some time to kick tires and tell more lies. Then we were off again headed back to Beatty and on to Titus Canyon Road for some rifle action.

This was my first ride on gravel roads with the F650GS and boy, my BMW rocks on the rocks! Huge, grinning fun!!!!!

We arrive at the specified location to find a large group of riders lining up to shoot. Another timed event - blow up your condom and hang it on the target pole. Shoot the condom first and then go for the balloons. Five shots total and three targets.

Riders at the shooting range. If you shot the condom, you got a special sticker!

Doug B., Dennis Y. and Chris P. swapping stories on Titus Canyon Road.

Eric V. sights in on the balloons after popping the condom.

Note for future reference - get non-lubricated XXL condoms for target shooting.

Yes, we were having a lot of fun! I finally got the condom blown up, tied off and ready to be hung on the target pole.

Tom gives me some instruction on shooting the AR-15 (I think that's what it was). Problem here - I'm left handed and have a dominant right eye. I tried shooting left handed but couldn't see down the sight. So switched to right handed. Forget being timed. This took forever!!!! Hahahaha.

Yeah, baby. Sighting in, squeezing the trigger, POP goes the condom with my 3rd shot. I missed both balloons but was overjoyed at actually shooting the condom.

I win a sticker saying "I put a hole in my condom at the White Stag." Oh the joy!

The third component of the White Stag Lounge Rally was to complete a number of questions regarding the Iron Butt Rally and previous White Stag events. I answered some and others I just made up silly answers. It was good fun.

Prior to the banquet, riders enjoyed some lounge time. Heidi S. shows us how to blow up a condom. I think she is an expert!

Heidi wins a door prize. Looks like she and Eric are having a fantastic time!

Riders impatiently waiting for the prime rib and baked potato rally dinner. It was delish.

There were special mentions for some of the participants who performed well on the events. Pretty much everyone won some sort of door prize. I scored with a set of precision tools. Sweet!

Following dinner, we adjourned to the lounge where we had plenty of libations, dancing, telling yet more lies and having way too much fun.

The following morning I got up and almost everyone was gone! Wow....I spied Bob & Sylvie (the V-Twins) in the parking lot and they sat with me through breakfast. I slowly got my gear together, loaded the bike and headed out with Bob & Sylvie and their friend Jim. They turned off Hiway 95 toward Pahrump so I was on my own the rest of the journey home. Fortunately, it was clear and sunny (although I kept my heated jacked on low most of the time).

The wind picked up and a few times I thought it would pull my helmet right off my head. The F650GS was awesome in the wind (especially compared to the Goldwing) and I had no problems. Toward Mesquite, NV I could see lots of rain clouds but I got lucky and by the time I turned on Old Hiway 91, the wind had blown the rain away and it was sunshine all the way home.

In conclusion, White Stag was great fun. Tom and Jeff put together a terrific event and it was wonderful to hang out with everyone and play games. The best part of LD Riding and Rallies - you get to have good, silly, laugh out loud fun with the best people ever.

Cletha

Embarking on an Epic Journey

I have been so fortunate in life and have had many incredible adventures. However, probably the biggest adventure of my life is about to begin. Wait, you ask, how can it get any better? Maybe South America? Maybe Africa? Heck, maybe around the world?

Well, you'll have to keep guessing for a little bit longer before I spill the beans! Just know that it is going to be huge, wonderful and awesome.

More to come.....
Cletha

Zion Boot Run

Moving from the Goldwing to the BMW F650GS I found my feet not at all happy. They got wet and cold, very, very cold. With all the protection along with the venting of engine heat to the feet, I was totally comfortable with my old riding boots on the Goldwing. Never got wet or cold even in the worst conditions. Not so on the BMW. No foot protection equals very cold feet. So, I purchased new boots. Oh yeah baby, some really hot, smoking Italian boots. Officially, Dainese Women's Grace D - Waterproof Boot. Oh boy, waterproof and insulated and very fashionable too! Bitchin boots.
I put them on as soon as they arrived and danced around the house the rest of the afternoon. Occasionally, going out to the garage to sit on the bike and make motorcycle noises. Gee, this was big fun. New boots!

Well, the next day was brilliant. Sunny and warm and I was headed out to meet my motorcycle gang, the Drifters, for lunch. [side note: I'll blog about the Drifters some day - suffice it to say, we're all old but still love to ride and especially love to eat] Since it was so beautiful out and I had new boots, I decided to ride to lunch. I got all geared up and headed out. Right away I noticed that feeling for the shifter was entirely different with new boots. The Dainese boots are much heavier and thicker than what I had been wearing. Okay, this is going to take a bit of getting used to.

Lunch was fun. I think about 20 folks showed up and we all had a good time. Some of the Drifters hadn't seen the new BMW so it was show-off time. New bike, new boots, it doesn't really get much better :-)

After lunch, I decided it was much too nice outside to go to work, so I aimed the BMW toward Zion National Park. A very pleasant ride, virtually no traffic and nothing but sun. When I arrived at the park entrance, I had a nice chat with the Ranger as we both watch a big doe walk across the road right behind my bike. Hmmmmm......

I took the lower canyon which is open to traffic from November until the end of March or thereabouts. I ride here alot so was cautious as I entered areas I knew to be deer fields. Imagine my surprise when I had to stop for this - a turkey crossing. Heck, darn, there were probably 40 big, dumb turkeys!!!


Okay, no problem. Plenty of time to stop and watch the silly birds. After they finally all got across the road, I proceeded with caution. Maybe 30 - 35 mph and constantly sweeping my eyes from side to side to catch any movement. Yup, sure enough, there they were. About a BAZILLION of the little suckers.

Yikes! Several were on the road, so close I could have touched them. On high alert, I proceed down the canyon to the end. Oh, so incredibly beautiful. Zion, at any time of year, is a wonderland. The next few photos are at the end of the lower canyon. This is an area where the rare California Condors nest. I've seen them here a few times and it is simply spectacular. Not today though. Pretty much had the park to myself. A few visitors and surprisingly, no other motorcycles.

Heading back out of the canyon, I stopped to take some scenic shots. Too bad I'm not a great photographer with a good camera. But these will have to do :-)

Zion is simply fabulous anytime of year. I'm very fortunate to live so close.

I simply refer to it as "The Park." There are still many places in the Park that I have yet to discover. One day, I'll actually get off the motorcycle and walk around, maybe even......heaven forbid.....take a real hike into some of the Park's wonders.

On the ride out of the lower canyon I spied even MORE forest rats. Ten Bazillion more. That old wives tale about deer coming out in the morning and late afternoon is just that...an old wives tale. They are everywhere, all the time. And boy, are they STUPID. I wish I had a wide angle to show you just how many deer there were. Just about every turn revealed another bazillion deer in a field, oh, and on the road. Dumb animals.

Blurry picture, but between the trees is a pretty big buck. Nice rack. (See girls can say that too).

Exiting the park, I snapped a few more photos. What an incredible place. I hope everyone gets an opportunity to visit Zion.

So, to wrap up, the new boots are awesome. I've had them on all day both riding and walking (and sitting during lunch) and not a complaint. They fit well and kept my tootsies warm. Well, it wasn't really COLD out so I guess the cold test will have to wait. And, I have no idea if they are really waterproof. Again, that test will have to wait. I have high hopes though. They are very comfortable not to mention stylish and hot. They go well with my silver/black gear. Duh, they are black. LOL.

I only rode about 120 miles but every mile was a huge smile. I'm loving the new F650GS and the new boots.

Stay turned - next blog will probably be Farkle Fest I.

Cheers,

Cletha