4th Nat'l NT Rally-Jul 9-12, 2014 - Spearfish, SD

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. . . I stayed at the Days Inn last year . . . . However, I found that a lot of the cameraderie was missing if you didn't stay at the campground.
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Yep - I'm sure that's the case, but I have no camping gear at all.

However - I noticed the Bell's Motor Inn is less than a mile away. That means that if I consume a little fire water while sitting around the old camp fire, I could walk back to the motel. (I don't even go near a bike when I've had a drink.)
 
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(I don't even go near a bike when I've had a drink.)
You're a smart man.

Yes Bell's is very close. I usually call the Days Inn to get a discounted rate there - still in the 80+ range - so I'll try to do that next week.
 
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Rick,

You are so right and It wouldn't have to be a LEO !
 

junglejim

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Thanks for the post Rick and for using discretion on the details in a forum not intended for such discussions. But it is a great example of how situational awareness can save us. It doesn't matter whether the threat is from a nuisance campground bear, your teenager, or a dope texting while driving, situational awareness is important to us. It is so easy to become complacent and overlook things we should notice.

For me complacency happens late in the day while riding long distances. I become focused on my destination for the day instead of my riding. I want to "get there". My senses and awareness are best early in the day when I begin riding. Late afternoon poses the worst threat for me when drivers are heading home from work, texting, or leaving from happy hour at the tavern, and my awareness is at a low. Then I get better into the evening when I'm looking for wildlife wandering out onto the road before dark. By then I've slowed way down from my usual not-so-blistering pace.

Hopefully awareness will help us all arrive at the Spearfish Rally safely and put this discussion back on the subject of the thread. But I enjoyed the deviation. Thanks!
 

Warren

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I have not gone to Spearfish but I used to go to Vintage Bike Days on Mid Ohio and camp with the XS650 club. We had a great time and those that stayed in local hotels did miss out on some of the activities. On the other hand one year when it rained continuiously for a whole day they were in their hotel room drinking beer and watching TV and they had a warm dinner while we got soaked and had beer and cold hot dogs. Each has advantages and disadvantages. For me I have pretty much given up on camping and now stay at local mom and pop motels when motorcycle traveling.
 

junglejim

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Motels vs Camping - I think the best of both is best. I always have my camping gear along on all my trips. And I enjoy a motel, hot shower, and warm bed in crappy weather. Also I've used my camping gear when I found all the motels full or stumbled onto a nice area where I wanted to camp (un-planned). When you're on the road you take what you get. There is a big difference between cold rain and warm rain, and between a shower and an all day soaker. A sudden violent thunderstorm in the open country of the western US can send you running for shelter with your tail between your legs. But i've ridden through many "garden variety" thunderstorms without much concern. When traveling it is hard to anticipate conditions 600 miles down the road, in a place you've never been, when you make your plans in the AM. Some campgrounds are quite comfortable (like Spearfish) with hot showers and flush toilets, but others lack even a flat place to put your tent, no water, and smelly pit toilets. Certainly a lot of riders make better use of GPS, trip planners and smartphones than I do.

The freedom to adjust on the run, change your plans at will, and "go with the flow" or go somewhere else is one of the things I enjoy most about motorcycle travel. Committing to a destination can turn a ride into a mileage count-down to some degree which detracts from the enjoyment of the trip. I admit to making such commitments sometimes because it is the right thing to do in the circumstances, but it changes the ride for me. You have probably concluded by now that most of my rides are solo. Riding with a group changes everything.
 

Phil Tarman

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I'm a go-with-the-flow guy, too. Some of the most stressful rides I've had were when I needed to be at a destination more than a day away and made reservations so I "had" to get to a certain place to stop. I did that a few times and quit it. Going with the flow did bite me a few years ago when I'd "sorta'" planned on staying at one town in Oklahoma, got there late in the day and everything was full. I ended up having to ride another 100 miles before I could find a motel room. It was also one of the few trips I've taken when I didn't have my camping gear along with me.

Most of the time, I carry the camping gear even if I don't plan on camping.

BTW, Jim and I proved that two go-with-the-flow guys can get along even if they flow on a different schedule.
 
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I'm planning on doing a combination of "daily planning" and "go with the flow" on this trip.

I'll have things fairly well mapped out for the trip up to Spearfish, and no day will be longer than 400 miles. But once I leave Spearfish, I hope to do some "go with the flow" riding. The only problem with doing that out in the west is the lack of available (cheap) lodging. Going up into Saskatchewan and Manitoba, then back down into Montana and Wyoming, towns with motels are few and far between. Once I get back to Colorado (where I'll spend a few nights with my brother), I'm very familiar with the area in southern Colorado and New Mexico and can easily "go-flow." I'll just keep a simple list of cheap motels along the way and see what happens.

By the way - once I leave Spearfish, I plan on going back to Murdo on the slab, then north to the border on US 83. I want to say I rode US 83 from border to border. Then up into Canada, across to Estevan and back into the US. I am open for suggestions as to some good routes. At first, I planned on going by Devil's Tower, but if a bunch of us go there on a day ride, no sense in coming that way again. Perhaps someone can suggest some nice scenic north-south routes through central Montana and Wyoming.
 

Warren

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I think one of the differences that come into play is if you are on a road trip free-styling it or if you are going to be at an event for a few days. If you are going to be at an event you will probably have to make your decision on where you are staying in advance and it will probably be far enough in advance that you will not know what the weather will be like so once you commit you are probably stuck with the decision unless it's a really small event and the accommodations are not full.
 
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Newb question here -

The dates for the rally are listed as July 9-12. Okay - I'll pull in mid-day on July 9th.

When will we leave? Is the 12th the day when folks leave, or is the 12th another day of the rally, and we split on the 13th?
 
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People kind of come and go as their schedules dictate... There's a get together with pizza on Sat night but some people will be gone by then. Kind of divides between retired and employed
 

Phil Tarman

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I think nearly everybody is gone by noon on Sunday. I don't really know for sure because I've always left by 10 or earlier on Sunday.
 
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Anybody have a link to some past NT rally pictures for the first timers. This will give them an idea of what to expect. All mine are on my computer instead of a picture host site.

PS. Again those that go this coming year, please don't segregate your self from the ST guys. We are are all ST (Sport Touring) riders and our NT is just a smaller scale version of the ST1300. Bike types don't matter. Last year I rode my Wee650. If I can make it this year (some riding conflicts) who knows I might just ride my DR650.
 
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Last year I rode in on Wed with Phil and Ken (Redbird) and we got there just about suppertime. My original plan was to leave on Sat and get home Sunday night. Sadly, I went riding alone that Thursday instead of going with others. Even though that day was memorable, I decided at lunch that my fun-o-meter had pegged and I wanted to go home. (I had already been on the road 7 days at the time, my first ever long trip)
So I left on Friday morning and did 625 miles to Concordia, KS and the remaining 500 on Sat into Dallas
So you see, everyone will come and go at differing times, according to schedules, obligations AND attitude changes midtrip
 

junglejim

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Most everyone stays around for the pizza and door prizes on Saturday night. Then it thins out pretty quickly. And, unbelievably, some even leave before the pizza and door prizes.

Lots of riders are up early Sunday to leave and gone before some people (possibly Phil) are out of bed. But last year Phil broke a record and got up about 7:00 AM as it was the first day of his epic ride. Due to complications (it is a long story to be shared around the campfire) however, we didn't leave till about 10:00 AM.

There are some great day rides and some folks just kick back and do some verbal motorcycling with fellow campers all day.
 
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