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Cal24 2008 - BARF style

Good luck to both! This is the kind of stuff I would love to get into! Later in life I think? Best riding and come home to that wonderful looking kid of yours...That is what drives me home each day!:thumbup

Cheers Hapamoto
 
aciurczak said:
Reading through the thread, I realized I hadn't fully completed the rally geek equipment discussion. As I get the new worksheets at the checkpoints, I will be working to get the key points into the GPS units. Sometimes it's more effective to just put in the town as a waypoint rather than struggling to get an exact point; it's a rare bonus that will actually have a street address that can be plugged in easily. To program the GPS's in the morning, we will have a couple laptops in the room. Once I leave on the bike though, I'll still have one laptop (a tiny Dell X300) stashed in the topcase. At the checkpoints, that laptop can be used for mapping software, GPS loading, but also electronic communication back to home base of any new information. The laptop has a high-speed Verizon card that has reasonably decent coverage here in California, I was able to connect at all of the checkpoints last year. But if I find myself in a zone where that data card doesn't work, I can also hook the laptop up to my Blackberry for a bit slower access, and that works just about anywhere there is cell service. This connectivity allows for home base to send updated GPS files as well, in case Annie finds something that I wasn't able to and she has a good bead on the location. The advantage of home base is a much faster internet connection, a comfy couch, and air conditioning while searching for bonus locations. As comfy as the BMW is, it doesn't compare. :) And all of this communication will make it easy for Annie to post up to this thread to keep BARF up-to-date. I should be able to get pictures out of the checkpoints, at least, while the rally is still going on.

Some of the Iron Butt Rally folks network all of this capability into a touchscreen on their dash so they can do much of this en route, but mine is a bit lower tech and just stashed in the topcase. While this tech helps, it's not fool-proof. There isn't enough time to sit and wait for all of the communication that you'd want to have, and by the time I get a file sent to the bike, I may be well past the area where that bonus would have been anyway. But, there may be a few large-point bonuses late in the game where knowing exactly where they are will be a significant advantage. Last year, while I was chasing a large bonus up over Mt. Hamilton, I was out of cell range up until Patterson. In the time it took me to get up and over the mountain, to the Junction, and out to Patterson, Annie was able to come up with quite a few of the bonus locations for that leg, get it into a GPS file, and send it over the air. But when I stopped for gas in Patterson and started to see how long it was going to take me to get to Lone Pine, I realized that I had completely screwed myself and I wasn't able to take advantage of a single one of the points she sent. I needed to go straight to Lone Pine as quickly as possible, and I still only made it within a few minutes. Sucked. :laughing But it was bad routing on my part thinking I could do Mt. Hamilton fast enough and still get back on the main route with enough time left. 2 years ago, someone getting us the GPS coordinates remotely helped immensely with 2 large bonuses, one at Lighthouse Beach, and another at the Rancho Seco nuclear plant, so it certainly can come in handy...

What's interesting is that there are top-notch rally folks, multiple 24-hr rally winners, that find little value in this. They have such a great knowledge of the area (area defined as west of Oklahoma, evidently), that they intuitively know how long it takes to get anywhere, what it will cost them in time for various bonuses, and how they are going to maximize their points. Up until a year or two ago, even basic GPS's were on half the bikes or less, and the top-ranked bikes were no more or less likely to have one. But in 2008, I'd be surprised if there was a single bike without at least 1 GPS mounted, they are just too useful. But even with them mounted, it's possible that some of the top-ranked bikes will use the tech less than some folks may expect.
Click to expand...

This all sounds good except for the part about Annie sitting at home helping find bonuses and communicating them to you. I suggest you go back and read this line in the rally pack again,
Outside routing help is considered not in the spirit of LD rallying and will result in disqualification.

See you Friday, good luck.
 
Well, I just read all rally packs from 2005 through 2007, and that line doesn't exist, the phrase was just added for the 2008 version.

Rules for 2005:
Rules
It is understood that riders must ride to the scoring locations themselves to
receive points. Riders cannot ride as teams and share answers, pictures etc. to
increase their scores. Riders will be required to log time and mileage figures at
each scoring opportunity. If it is determined by the Rally that a rider has not gone
to the scoring locations, the rider will be disqualified.
No behavior that is determined to be unsafe, or not in the best interest of
the rally and riders will be tolerated. This is meant to be a fun event, and any
individual’s behavior that undermines this will result in disqualification.
Click to expand...

Rules for 2006:
Rules
It is understood that riders must ride to the scoring locations themselves to
receive points. Riders cannot ride as teams and share answers, pictures etc. to
increase their scores. Riders will be required to log time and mileage figures at
each scoring opportunity. If it is determined by the Rally that a rider has not gone
to the scoring locations, the rider will be disqualified.
No behavior that is determined to be unsafe, or not in the best interest of
the rally and riders will be tolerated. This is meant to be a fun event, and any
individual’s behavior that undermines this will result in disqualification.
Click to expand...

Rules for 2007:
Rules
It is understood that riders must ride to the scoring locations themselves to
receive points. Riders cannot ride as teams and share answers, pictures etc. to
increase their scores. Riders will be required to log time and mileage figures at
each scoring opportunity. If it is determined by the Rally that a rider has not gone
to the scoring locations, the rider will be disqualified.
Rally personal are NOT there to help you get bonus points. They will help
with information related to safety on the route, road conditions etc. They will
NOT help you with route planning or locating bonus locations. Everyone is given
the same set of written instructions.
In the case that you cannot a bonus location with the written instructions
you must document by photo or time/date stamped receipt that you were in the
location. If all riders attempting to the get the bonus find the same thing, (i.e.
your looking for a sign or plaque that is not there.) All riders that document they
were there will be given credit for the bonus. However, if one or more riders do
find the bonus, no riders who did not find it will be credited.
No behavior that is determined to be unsafe, or not in the best interest of
the rally and riders will be tolerated. This is meant to be a fun event, and any
individual’s behavior that undermines this will result in disqualification.
Click to expand...

and finally, rules for 2008: (bolding is mine)
Rules
It is understood that riders must ride to the scoring locations themselves to receive points. Riders cannot ride as teams and share answers, pictures etc. to increase their scores. Riders will be required to log time and mileage figures at each scoring opportunity. If it is determined by the Rally that a rider has not gone to the scoring locations, the rider will be disqualified. Outside routing help is considered not in the spirit of LD rallying and will result in disqualification. Rally personal are NOT there to help you get bonus points. They will help with information related to safety on the route, road conditions etc. They will NOT help you with route planning or locating bonus locations. Everyone is given the same set of written instructions. In the case that you cannot locate a bonus location with the written instructions you must
document by photo or time/date stamped receipt that you were in the location. If all riders attempting to the get the bonus find the same thing, (i.e. you’re looking for a sign or plaque that is not there.) All riders that document they were there will be given credit for the bonus. However, if any other riders do find the bonus, riders who did not find it will not be credited the points. No behavior that is determined to be unsafe, or not in the best interest of the rally and riders will be tolerated. This is meant to be a fun event, and any individual’s behavior that undermines this will result in disqualification. As previously mentioned, this in NOT a race. The rules of the track do NOT apply. If you think you can go out and pass other riders in corners or commit other acts of stupidity, you need to think again.
Click to expand...

That certainly changes things for us this year, and means Annie will likely get a little more sleep. Though Kyle will do his best to prevent that, I'm sure. It's an interesting addition, it became a bit of a controversy in the 2007 Iron Butt last year, when the vast majority of the competitors had significant outside help in planning their routes around the country. (Full story here on the IronButt site). I'm a bit disappointed, but considering I placed highest in all of my Cal24's when I had none of the communication gear, it will just make it a little less fun for me rather than making me much less competitive. The Iron Butt folks says they are thinking of clearer rules in 2009 to lay out what folks should be doing in terms of any outside help in that 09 rally, but there are many questions about how they will work to enforce that. In the Cal24 rally, which is just a fun rally, enforcement is easy, it's up to the rider to follow the rules to keep his reputation intact; in the 11-day Iron Butt, perhaps there is more incentive to get closer to the line.
 
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SPOT coverage

Picked up the SPOT "messenger" this morning from Budman. Got the thing registered and I'm pretty sure the batteries are installed correctly (otherwise, doing the CAL24 would probably be too much of a challenge).

Getting the GT serviced today and asked for a "Endurance Rally" inspection. Service manager was :wtf

Ok, so BMW doesn't offer that...but they'll look it over a bit more.

Rally pack that is given out discusses what you should bring. AAA maps, flashlight, tools, tire repair kit, and a flag.

Alex, you didn't mention the flag...why is that? :teeth :teeth :teeth ...and where did you end up getting yours :wow

A flag is basically a means to photograph that you were at a bonus point. Little flag, stuck on the ground, with your rally number so you can take a picture of it and the bonus point, pretty much proving you were actually there.

This year, it's different. After reading the rally pack, I contacted a good friend of mine for help shopping at Wal-Mart. Good sport that she is, she agreed. Got the right size...44D.

Has to be worn for some bonus check points. Trust me, you don't want to be seen in any store trying these things on for fit. Got one that connects in front, making "assembly" much easier.

Got a GPS (Garmin 276c) and will be bringing the laptop just in case some re-mapping is needed. The laptop also provides a much bigger screen for viewing an area while keeping details (like small roads) in the picture, so when planning the next leg, you can see what might be a good opportunity, as well as finding sucker bonus points to avoid (I hope...).

Radar detector for insurance. Don't plan on needing that, but it is good to have so you can be sure to wave at the appropriate time.

Two-way radio that's probably good for, oh, say a mile or two. Don't really know if there's a FRS channel assigned, but since the rally is pretty much an individual effort, may not be used much. If there's no rally channel, I'll leave it on the last channel (15/22). Not that there's much chance of anyone else being along the rally route outside the participants.

The rest is just gear. Leather gloves and winter gloves. Heated jacket, padded bicycle shorts, and a long-sleeved lycra shirt (I think it's lycra, it's the same material as the bicycle shorts) for when it's warm, and some phase-change undergarments for cooler weather. I remember from 5 years ago where the temps on one of the paths (through Death Valley) was 100ºF at 1:00AM. Then, coming up the backside of Yosemite, thermometer said 35ºF at 5:00 AM. I'd rather carry the heated jacket and not need it. The bike has heated grips and a heated seat, but the jacket was what was needed on that road outside of Yosemite.

SPOT link. Track me with the password of CAL24 (unlike Alex, mine is ALL CAPS). Maybe the powers that be can link both on the same page, I don't know. Hopefully, no one notices the icon on my map going around in circles from time to time.:nerd
 
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Sweet Ray!!

Go get em! and have a blast :thumbup

:smoking
 
Razel said:
Alex, you didn't mention the flag...why is that? :teeth :teeth :teeth ...and where did you end up getting yours :wow
Click to expand...

Uh, slipped my mind. :laughing I ended up getting two of them. A friend picked up a couple and made some modifications with velcro. Turns out it wasn't quite right, so I picked up another one last weekend and made similar modifications (thanks Annie!). It's quite stylish, and even matches my jacket. :cool A friend coming down from Oregon for the rally found one with tassels. Showoff. :rofl
 
Razel said:
SPOT link. Track me with the password of CAL24 (unlike Alex, mine is ALL CAPS).
Click to expand...

My SPoT can be tracked right here, with the password cal24 (lowercase). Tried to change it to uppercase so we'd match, but no way to do so after the page has been created.

Figured I'd get them both in one post to ease things for folks quickly browsing the thread.
 
Replaced my front tire today and am starting to load the bike. GPS, radar detector, Gerbring vest, winter and summer gloves, aux fuel tank, HID driving lights, 100oz Camelback, 3 flashlights, paper maps, highlighters, grease pencils, cameras, stapler, envelope for receipts, 1st aid kit, tire repair stuff, Cliff Bars and beef jerkey. Got a rally flag from a friend and then went and bought a bigger one at Walmart. Want to be sure I can get it on over the Aerostich in the middle of the night.

Should be a fun rally...again :ride:ride

This will be my 4th in the past 5 years. So far I have been a finisher in all of them. Trying to keep my streak alive..
 
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AndyM said:
This all sounds good except for the part about Annie sitting at home helping find bonuses and communicating them to you. I suggest you go back and read this line in the rally pack again,

Outside routing help is considered not in the spirit of LD rallying and will result in disqualification.

See you Friday, good luck.
Click to expand...

Well, bummer! :( I was looking forward to experiencing CAL24 remotely. It's going to be a while before I'll be able to do it 2-up again, so this was our way of making a family event out of it since baby Kyle, the dog, and I were all going to be in Dunnigan at the hotel this weekend. I guess this just means more time to hang out in beautiful Dunnigan, "spotting" Alex to see where he is, talking with Alex via cell phone to make sure all is well, and posting updates here so folks can "watch" the action semi-live.
 
AndyM said:
Replaced my front tire today and am starting to load the bike. GPS, radar detector, Gerbring vest, winter and summer gloves, aux fuel tank, HID driving lights, 100oz Camelback, 3 flashlights, paper maps, highlighters, grease pencils, cameras, stapler, envelope for receipts, 1st aid kit, tire repair stuff, Cliff Bars and beef jerkey. Got a rally flag from a friend and then went and bought a bigger one at Walmart. Want to be sure I can get it on over the Aerostich in the middle of the night.

Should be a fun rally...again :ride:ride

This will be my 4th in the past 5 years. So far I have been a finisher in all of them. Trying to keep my streak alive..
Click to expand...

Good luck, Andy! :thumbup
 
aciurczak2 said:
Well, bummer! :( I was looking forward to experiencing CAL24 remotely. It's going to be a while before I'll be able to do it 2-up again, so this was our way of making a family event out of it since baby Kyle, the dog, and I were all going to be in Dunnigan at the hotel this weekend. I guess this just means more time to hang out in beautiful Dunnigan, "spotting" Alex to see where he is, talking with Alex via cell phone to make sure all is well, and posting updates here so folks can "watch" the action semi-live.
Click to expand...

You know, Annie...you might be the "contact" person for all the BARF participants. It may (or may not...the rally gods can be fickle) be ok with the folks calling the shots that you get calls from time to time for posting info on BARF. Might be in the form of voicemail messages instead of two-way communciations to avoid the "appearance" of assisting. And, since you have your son to take care of, voicemail might be a good compromise. Just tossing it out as an idea.
 
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So totally frickin bummed that work got in the way of this for me (and cost me my $200 entry fee).

The FJR isn't even talking to me right now :(

Alex and Ray make us proud!
 
I can't wait to follow aciurczak and Razel's trek online and in postings from aciurczak's "incredibly patient wife" It sounds like an incredibly arduous and exciting odyssey!

I see AndyM has a camera on his list, what of the others? Pictures or it didn't happen! :teeth

I saw the SPOT units at HRO (Ham Radio Outlet) and considered getting one. Now I'm sure I want one. I've checked both pages but there's nothing there yet I guess? Are y'all transmitting data yet? It would be keen to see it working before you go on the journey.

Best wishes for a great :ride!
 
egrep said:
I see AndyM has a camera on his list, what of the others? Pictures or it didn't happen! :teeth
Click to expand...


Actually I'll be taking at least two cameras (three if you count my cell phone). Some of he bonuses are picture bonuses where you are required to take a pic of something to get the points. Usually you, your bike, your rally flag, or a combination.
 
D'oh! Sorry about that, I searched the thread for 'camera' but I should have searched 'photo' as well. Will you be taking more than just the bonus and qual photos? Like with the camera on a cord on your neck or a bike mount? You could use your track log to geotag them later too I suppose. I'm sorry, I'm a geek and a rider. I geotagged my track day photos to the turns they were on. :teeth

I think what you're doing is something lots of us (certainly I) wish we had the ways or the means to attempt. It takes great ability and dedication. Go get 'em and do it for us! :thumbup
AndyM said:
Actually I'll be taking at least two cameras (three if you count my cell phone). Some of he bonuses are picture bonuses where you are required to take a pic of something to get the points. Usually you, your bike, your rally flag, or a combination.
Click to expand...
 
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