"West Coast" Rally 2011

[lw]

OK maybe it's time for a Barney Response. . . "I love you, you love me. We're just one big family. . ."

Or maybe borrow a line from Sgt Hulka in Stripes: "Lighten up, FRANCIS"

[blowndodge]

Last year I rode over 10K thank you very much!! I have over 20K now after last year you teasing me for only having 10K....

I gotcha didn't I !!!?? that was waaay too easy!

Deals Gap to the east coast (Jacksonville NC = 400miles) Custer to long beach = 1300 miles. Yep right smack dab in the middle!! hahahaha. North Carolina's border is next to Tennesse as California is to South Dakota. hahahahaha... Dang.... are you sure you don't work in Logistics? LOL!!



Your right however, Custer is much closer to the west coast. How do I know? from my hotel room in Custer I swear I could smell the Pacific Ocean. Honest .... 1300 miles away... it was very apparent. I was wrong....

[trip]

OK BD... seeing how it's your nature to be argumentative, I'm going to chalk this conversation up to the fact that this is your way of "kidding".

But, keep in mind that irregardless of the geography, Custer and Deal's Gap were chosen because of the beauty of the countryside and the great roads that surround them. I can't help it if they weren't located where you want them.

Look at a map for a second. It's 1050 miles from LA, CA. to Custer, SD (as the crow flies). It's also 1050 miles from Deal's Gap to the state of Maine, which is where several of our members are going to be coming from, as well as New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Irregardless of how you feel, I've got to give equal time to those members living in the eastern part of the US. I think they deserve a chance to attend a National Rally...don't you?

Ells may be right. Maybe they weren't t-shirts... Polo's??

[blowndodge]

Argumentative?? MEEEE??? LOL

I don't doubt the beauty of the countryside part. It's the "closer to the east coast so they can attend the National" reason.

As you can see from this thread the west coast people are planning their own national because all the way across the country is a bit much. I'd always want to attend a giant get together but 5000 mile round trip is 500 miles a day for 10 days. If you get full attendance from all the extreme east coast people then thats cool. I know very few of the extreme west coast people that didn't attend custer and that was a long ride for all of us. Hopefully all/most of the Nomad riders from Maine to south Florida show up. As you can see us extreme Westerner's are bowing out next year....

Now stay out of our West Coast Rally forum!!! LOL

[coacha]

Dang, gotta go get some more popcorn and beer to follow this one, lol.

Sorry to hear you won't be coming to the east next year BD. You will be missing out on some great roads and sites. If I get the chance to come out your way some time, would you be willing to be the tour guide? Can't make a September ride anywhere because of school.

[blowndodge]

Anytime coach..... Ya know it's not because I wouldn't want to go. It would take me 10 days traveling just to get there and back.... way over the top for me. 2 weeks worth of vacation time could be better utilized.....

Just look at your map or google scenic highway to travel and you'll see BD is not lacking for scenic riding topography. West coast has incredible vistas and roads...

[coacha]

A friend of mine just went out to your neck of the woods in May. He showed pictures of Pacific Coast Highway and some of the parks he visited. I've only been to the Bay area of the state and that was in a car.

If we didn't give you crap, who would we give it to? ;)

[cactusjack]

Lest we beat too hard on the guy...BD has a valid point in that it is a long ride to eastern TN from Long Beach. I'm 400 miles closer to the rally than BD is and I'm looking at 4 500+ mile days to get there. I have already started making tentative plans to attend.

Let's remember. not everyone has the available vacation time to make a trip of that distance, not everyone has the resources to be gone that long, and some just don't even have the cajones to attempt it. I joke, I joke!

If by some chance I can't go to the National Rally, I'll try to attend the West Coast Rally. You never know, I could be unemployed this time next year and have to go back to stripping just to keep food on the table. What a grim thought.

[blowndodge]

Bring on the Crap coach!!

I took highway 1 all the way to oregon through Big Sir and came back down through the giant Redwood Forest (trees located only in california) over the Mighty Sierra's to lake Tahoe and down through Death Valley.

The ride to Custer was fun because I hadn't ridden over the Rockies before but after that it was miles and miles of nothing until Custer. Same on the way back. Highway 80 to Lake Tahoe was boring. California has no such "empty riding zones" cept Interstate 5 in the San Joaquin Valley. You do have lots of Wineries there however! Our topography changes radically every 50 or so miles... mostly year round riding.

Highway 1 against the coast for 500 miles
Big Sir
Hearst Castle
San Francisco Bridge and Bay
Lake Shasta
Mt. Shasta
Mt. Lassen Park
Lake Tahoe
Sierra Nevadas (Mt Whitney highest point in the contiguous US)
Beachs Beachs Beachs
Death Valley
Redwood Forest
Kings Canyon
Sequoia Nat'l park (Largest trees in the world) Giant Sequoias
desolate desert dunes, Death Valley Nat'l Park
Yosemite
Pebble Beach
Monterey
Salton Sea
Palm Springs


Plus some of the most famous Biker Hangouts "Cooks Corner" "Hell's Kitchen" "The Hideout" "the Rock Store" where you can meet Leno, Costner, The Governator, and other famous people just hanging out with the crowd.

The Dragon's Tail (Deals Gap) in Tennesee would be fun but what else is there? Not knocking it but you can see why riding 5K to take that ride ranks not high on the list for people that live in California?

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Blowndodge "Darksider"

Bring on the Crap coach!!

I took highway 1 all the way to oregon through Big Sir and came back down through the giant Redwood Forest (trees located only in california) over the Mighty Sierra's to lake Tahoe and down through Death Valley.

The ride to Custer was fun because I hadn't ridden over the Rockies before but after that it was miles and miles of nothing until Custer. Same on the way back. Highway 80 to Lake Tahoe was boring. California has no such "empty riding zones" cept Interstate 5 in the San Joaquin Valley. You do have lots of Wineries there however! Our topography changes radically every 50 or so miles... mostly year round riding.

Highway 1 against the coast for 500 miles
Big Sir
Hearst Castle
San Francisco Bridge and Bay
Lake Shasta
Mt. Shasta
Mt. Lassen Park
Lake Tahoe
Sierra Nevadas (Mt Whitney highest point in the contiguous US)
Beachs Beachs Beachs
Death Valley
Redwood Forest
Kings Canyon
Sequoia Nat'l park (Largest trees in the world) Giant Sequoias
desolate desert dunes, Death Valley Nat'l Park
Yosemite
Pebble Beach
Monterey
Salton Sea
Palm Springs


Plus some of the most famous Biker Hangouts "Cooks Corner" "Hell's Kitchen" "The Hideout" "the Rock Store" where you can meet Leno, Costner, The Governator, and other famous people just hanging out with the crowd.

The Dragon's Tail (Deals Gap) in Tennesee would be fun but what else is there? Not knocking it but you can see why riding 5K to take that ride ranks not high on the list for people that live in California?

I gotta agree with BD <choke! gasp!>. We have some nice riding areas here, but they are few and far between and usually you have to ride through miles and miles of some of the most barren, hostile territory on earth to get to them.

[blowndodge]

There there Scott! Just spit it out there right on the floor!! LOL

And to add Scotts country, within 400 miles away are Grand Canyon, Zion Nat'l park, Lake Mead, Lake Mojave, Lake Powell...

Why somewhere near the west coast hasn't been considered is beyond me..... I ain't missin' much riding back east...

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Blowndodge "Darksider"

There there Scott! Just spit it out there right on the floor!! LOL

And to add Scotts country, within 400 miles away are Grand Canyon, Zion Nat'l park, Lake Mead, Lake Mojave, Lake Powell...

Why somewhere near the west coast hasn't been considered is beyond me..... I ain't missin' much riding back east...

Uh, maybe because all the locations you mentioned are miserably hot this time of year?

[tombstone]

Several years ago a group I was involved in did a tour starting from the east coast and riding west. Nearly all of the entire group of 50 bikes were from Utah or California. For those who didn't have the time off to ride to the east coast AND ride back we hired a truck to haul those bikes, while the riders and pillions flew to our starting point. It required some planning...but worked out great!

Just a thought.

[blowndodge]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Uh, maybe because all the locations you mentioned are miserably hot this time of year?

I see it's 110 at your house and that's not the high for the day either!! bummer.... It's 76 and sunny at the beach today..

Tombstone: I've already considered that with Todd....

[trip]

Funny you bring up Tombstone, BD. I've always wanted to ride there and see the town. I'm kind of a Wyatt Earp fan. I thought about planning a trip to Tombstone in the next year or so.