The Pops66 Mini Rally was a motorcycle Rally held in Oklahoma, on Saturday 26th November 2011.
It was a "shotgun" start, that is, Riders could start anywhere in the State, and finished at the Pops Soda Ranch in Arcadia, OK.
For those unfamiliar with these events ... you need to read more of my Diaries!
Briefly, Riders have a list of locations they must visit to collect bonus points. In this Rally there was an eight hour time-limit, and a maximum and minimum mileage required to be considered a finisher. The maximum was 475 miles, and 350 miles was the minimum. The winner would be the Rider to finish with the highest points per mile.
Routing is critical in these events. Bonuses that are easily achieved should be passed up unless they improve the overall points-per-mile score. Additionally, there are usually quite a lot of points available for static items. That might be the supplying of a Route upfront, providing emergency contact information, carrying a tracking device, etc. With this in mind it can be the shorter routes, closer to the minimum than maximum, that score highest.
I live deep in north east Oklahoma, so a route starting close to home was going to be easiest to accomplish. This was only my second Rally so I am all in favour of not making it any more difficult than it need be.
With the Rally pack in hand I set about planning a Route using the Garmin BaseCamp software. This is a new program, and a bit rough around the edges, but works well for this purpose. I used it in my only previous Rally attempt, with some success.
To plan an "efficiency" ride involves loading all the Bonus locations, giving them icons based upon their points value, then staring hard at the screen looking for "patterns" that might form the basis of a Route. That done, I start entering Bonuses and "playing" with them until my Route has a decent score, and the lowest mileage for that score yet can still be ridden in the time allowed.
To cut a long story into a tiny fraction of the time it took, I settled on a Route starting in Vinita, OK. This was the best I could do given the other constraints. Originally, my eldest daughter was riding with me, but the horrible weather forecast put paid to that so it was on with the auxiliary gas tank, and that was two less gas stops needed.
When I plan these Routes I use only the points available for actually riding to the bonuses. This Route, if ridden as planned, would have achieved a score of about 2.6 points per mile. I did find a much more efficient Route that would have earned 4.25 points per mile, but it required starting 250 miles from home. That would have been doable except I had to work until midnight the night before, and the weather was truly appalling. With the Rally starting at 6.00am, I settled for the lower scoring "Eastern" ride, with no regrets. I knew it had little chance of winning, but this was about learning, perfecting technique, taking part.
The map shows only the bonuses I had planned to get, and a few alternates. The others have been removed.
It rained all night, and at 4.30am, as I left to get to my start location, it was 42F and still raining. It was still raining when I warmed up in McDonalds, and still raining when I left there with my Start Receipt intact.
Forgive my face in all the pictures, it was a requirement. Rally Masters have little feeling for the sensibilities of those who might view the photographs later ...
Still warm from breakfast I headed to the first bonus, the Veterans Memorial in Vinita, OK. It was still pitch black and I had to line up the motorcycle, with all lights on to take the picture:
Then I was heading south and east for the Oklahoma/Arkansas border, and a picture of the Post Office in Watts, OK.
This was not a fun ride. It rained most of the way and was dark for the first hour. The lights on the bike are decent, for normal riding, but this was not normal riding. Even by Rally standards these conditions were fairly extreme. Sure, in long Rallies it is not uncommon to be riding in the rain. Nor even in the dark, but rain, dark, 40F and 35mph winds are pretty "out there", and for these conditions my lights are just not good enough.
The only option was to slow down. I kept looking for a "rabbit", a car I could follow using their lights to help. Apparently they all just wanted to follow me! Witless gits! I just rode slowly and hoped I wasn't going to encounter any deer as dumb smart as those drivers.
As the darkness turned to gloom, then the first real rays of light, I could make better progress, but not much better. I was well behind my plan by now, but there was little I could do about it. The roads were slick and I was determined to get there in one piece. At one traffic light I pulled gingerly away on green, and the back of the bike fish-tailed with no apparent regard for my peace of mind.
Watts Post Office was easy to find, and the photo duly snapped and texted to Michael Hickman, the Rally Master.
I pulled off my gloves in Watts. Those winter gloves that were supposed to be 100% waterproof. I think someone in a Marketing Department added two wholly unnecessary zeros to that percentage, my hands were soaking wet and black from the dye. This was going to be a cold day. The rest of me was okay for now, and I headed off towards Talequah, OK and the old Fort Gibson. I was also concerned that I had no phone reception for many miles, and that I might be losing points due to texts not sending, and a missed Call-In bonus. I stopped, eventually, for a bathroom break and sent the texts. It was my earliest opportunity, and they were counted.
Today Fort Gibson was just a Bonus. On another day it is a wonderful relic and well worth exploring at leisure. That's the beauty of these events ... you find things and places you wouldn't have found otherwise, and I plan to return.
I will return when the weather is somewhat improved. Today it was miserable. Still raining, off and on, still cold and the wind was increasing. My next stop was Okmulgee. Talaquah to Okmulgee is a magnificent ride, under any conditions but these. Today I wanted straight, fast roads that the State is so well known for. Instead I got the kind of twisties that, during summer, we die for!
The weather was supposed to be clearing from the West. I was heading West and expected it to be warming a little, and drying out. That's what the weather man said as late as 10pm last night. He was economical with the actuality. The front had stalled and the net result was that as I rode through it, it became colder, wetter, windier. The wind was becoming dangerous and I had to slow down. To ride at regular pace was to invite being blown clear off the highway. It's a strange and unsettling feeling. You ride on the side of the road that gives the most space to be blown around a bit and still remain in your lane. Once you get to the "wrong" side, it's hard to steer back. A hefty "counter" shove on the bars is needed and should the wind die just as you do it, lookout!
Okmulgee is the home of much of my extended "American" family. It would be so easy to pop into Mother-In-Law's for coffee. Don't have time. Grab picture, add sweatshirt and go. The Flag Circle at the Creek Nation Memorial was the prize here:
Not entirely sure why I am smiling. Probably a manic grin frozen in place.
Next stop gas, then the Jenks War Memorial close to Tulsa:
This was a "point of no return. It was around 11.15am and the family were just about to leave home to meet me at Pops, in Arcadia. A drive of about 90 miles. If I were not going to finish, now was the time to call them and head home. I was very cold, and while not tired I was not looking forward to the rest of the ride.
I didn't call, and headed West. We carry License Plate Backers declaring that we represent the "World's Toughest Riders". As I understand it, when the going gets tough, the tough get going! Well I am really not so tough, ask the kids, but get going I did, West and onwards.
I am now short of time. One of the GPS units I carry has the entire planned route. It is telling me that time is short so I press on towards Davenport, and an old Route 66 Gas Station.
Apparently those old pumps still show a gas price of 53 cents a gallon. Didn't stop to check, didn't have time.
When I get back on the road the GPS is telling me I will arrive at Pops at 1.58pm. That is two minutes before penalties begin. I will need to get to my final bonus without delay, then have two minutes to get the photograph before returning to Pops and the finish. Pops is a bonus too, and I need time to get a picture and send a text before stopping the clock. I make the decision to miss the SILKWOOD Bonus.
That annoyed me, and not just a little. The plutonium plant there (now closed) is where Karen Silkwood exposed the dangerous practises, and was exposed to radiation in the process. I really wanted that bonus. The other problem was that I could not ride directly to the finish either. To do so would disqualify me for lack of miles. I had to ride to a point just short of Silkwood, then turn around for the finish. The irony burned, and it was the only thing that was burning at that time. It was still raining!
Made it home with ten minutes to spare, it was the right call. Grabbed the final Bonus and checked in:
First thing I saw when I turned around was the three kids waiting with my Mum, complete with posters they had made, and looking very windswept:
We all crowded round two cramped tables in the retaurant while Michael totaled the scores and my daughter entertained his. Then he refused to release the result until he had time to check it.
I didn't care much. Five started, four finished and on that day, in those conditions, we were all winners. I found out today that I came in third, with a very respectable score. I am pleased about that. I knew from the start that my route probably couldn't win. The alternate route, starting out West would have won, had I ridden it. The bonus I get from that is that it does confirm for me that I have the ability to plan routes that are effective, and that I can ride them .... We all learned that.
There is a postscript:
On the way home, the Ford Windstar carrying my family ate it's transmission about eighty miles from home. Michael Hickman came to the rescue, calling the fire department to take care of the flames, and AMA to move the van. He then drove my wife back to Tulsa while the others had an alternate ride.
My thanks an appreciation go to a Rally Master who goes the extra mile, and many more. It was the act of a good friend.