1st Nat'l NT Rally - Jun 27-Jul 1, 2011 - Hill City, SD

[Phil Tarman]

Love to come out and meet people in the flesh, but we plan to be on a motorcycle travel adventure in Europe at that time.

What a tragedy! See you in '12! I rode 21 days and about 3800 miles in Europe in 2008 on a borrowed Kawasaki GTR1000 (= Concours 1000). It was a great experience! You will have an unforgettable experience!

 

[rikkijustmike]

I will be asking the wife this evening. We were wanting to take a motorcycle vacation this year (read: I finally got her to cave). We were looking at going east, but I can do that any time. We were going to combine cycling with the food network and do a food adventure. Surely there are some epicurean (sp?) delights on the way. Wish me luck!

 

[Chucksklrst]

Is this a camping event or a motel event?

 

[Phil Tarman]

Yes. There will be both options. I think the hotel will be the Golden Spike Inn and if that falls into place their parking lot will be "Rally Central." There is a really good campground just a few miles south of town that was very motorcycle freindly during the COG rally a few years ago. I'll be getting all that cleared up in the next couple of weeks. I hope.

 

[bodgerbloke52]

Rally

I will be there from Spokane with bells on.

Roger

 

[Phil Tarman]

I will be there from Spokane with bells on.

Great! I guess I'd better get on the phone and make arrangements.

 

[Igo]

Ahh. I've got a backpacking trip in April and a cruise to Mexico in October. My two weeks are spent. I'm circling the western US on the NT during that time frame next year.

 

[Gandalf]

I have all permissions and have alloted time to go!!! Lord willing I will there. I plan on riding in. It is 888 miles one way so it will be a nice run. I may go on from there to San Diego after the rally to visit some relatives. I'm very excited!

When this even gets closer, I think that all that are registered should have a "sticky" on the forum stating our location, time of departure, planned route and whether we would meet up with others and ride in together!!! It is safer and in many instances a lot more fun to ride in small groups.

Sam

 

[taldric]

I'll see what I can do. Will be a nearly 1200 mile jaunt for me, but might be doable. I haven't done any distance on my bike yet but I hope to get some break in time soon. That's breaking ME in, not the bike.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Tim,

You can do it! I rode to my first national rally in 2000. I'd had my Concours a bit over a year. I left here, rode to Brian Head, UT (spending nights with my son in Montrose, and my folks in Grand Junction), then left Brian Head, rode to Vegas to put a Swedish friend's wife on a plane heading for Stockholm, then came across country to Mountain Home, Arkansas, in four days. When I left Mountain Home, I spent a night with friends in Bella Vista, AR, then went on to visit an aunt and uncle in Kansas and made it home after two great weeks.

I've found that I can do 500 mile days easily in the summer. I eat breakfast and try to be riding by 8:30 to 9:00, then ride till 6:30-7:00, which gives me plenty of time to rest, eat, sleep.

Expand your horizons! Like the Iron Butt Association says, when you realize you can ride 1000 miles in a day, it makes the country a lot smaller!

 

[taldric]

Alright - I'm in for sure. Got it approved at work and by the wife - . I'll be there.

Now, I'm a planner. I need to know things in advance most of the time. So... when are people planning to arrive? Sunday or Monday? I'm thinking of coming down in two 600 mile day rides on Saturday and Sunday (so arriving late in the afternoon or early evening) - but if others aren't going to arrive until Monday evening I'll arrive Monday evening as well.

What hotel should I make reservations at? Want to be in the same hotel with everyone else. Is there a group rate I can still get - or are we just too small a group?

And who all is coming? How many "for-sure" are there?

 

[Phil Tarman]

Tim,

It ain't gonna' be a huge rally: there are 3-4 "Definitelies" and 5-6 "Maybes." The hotel is the Golden Spike Inn in Hill City. Go to the "Home" page on this Forum and you'll find a link to the hotel for booking on the left side of the page.

I don't know what other people will do, but I plan on riding up after church on Sunday. That'll probably put me there sometime around 7:30-8:00.

I hope we can get the group rate still. We aren't very many of us and hotels in the Black Hills ain't cheap -- even a month before the BIG rally up the street at Sturgis

I look forward meeting you and riding with you!

 

[Phil Tarman]

Rick,

I'm going to call them again about the Group Rate. She quoted me $170/night for the group rate. I just got $153/night through Expedia. I'm going to see if I can talk her down to $140. If I can I'll cancel my Expedia reservations.

I don't think it would hurt to go ahead and book -- you can cancel w/ no penalty up to 15 days ahead of arrival. I plan on leaving on Friday morning, BTW. I also plan on sharing a room with a (shudder) BMW-ridin' buddy from here in FM.

 

[Chucksklrst]

I will be on my way home from the annual WESTOC gathering(a week before NTOC) in Nelson BC, Canada. Don't know when I will get to the NTOC but I will stop in for a couple of days. I hope you all will let me, as I plan on riding the ST for this trip, with the NT in reserve in case the ST is not ready by then.

 

[cyclemikey]

I checked and I think I can probably make this; would be a good midsummer ride, and finally get to meet some other NT owners.. It's about 1500 miles from here, more or less. I like back roads, interstates are kind of boring, so it may be a little farther in time and miles. I see that a couple of you are coming from WA state, maybe meet up in Missoula or ??

I just went to BestWestern.com and booked a room at rate of $153+tax for four nights Mon-Thu for a double queen with frig and micro. Cancellation is day before, so that's no sweat. Sharing would be $332 each if anyone who doesn't snore is interested.:smile:

 

[Phil Tarman]

Great! That's the rate I got, too. Less than the "special group rate" of $170 that I was promised if we registered by mid-March. We (COG friends and I) have frequently had three and a couple of times 4 in a room, if there are folks who don't mind sleeping on the floor. I did that a few times early in my riding career, but now that I've had all these artificial knees, I have to wake people up to help me get my weary old body up to make it to the bathroom.

 

[taldric]

I checked and I think I can probably make this; would be a good midsummer ride, and finally get to meet some other NT owners.. It's about 1500 miles from here, more or less. I like back roads, interstates are kind of boring, so it may be a little farther in time and miles. I see that a couple of you are coming from WA state, maybe meet up in Missoula or ??

I just went to BestWestern.com and booked a room at rate of $153+tax for four nights Mon-Thu for a double queen with frig and micro. Cancellation is day before, so that's no sweat. Sharing would be $332 each if anyone who doesn't snore is interested.:smile:

i had to ask my wife - she says I snore a little, but I never hear it . I am looking for someone to split a room with though. I am coming in from Washington, so meeting up in-route would be fun.

Anyone else want to split the room?

 

[Bear]

I would love to make it, but my wife and I are caring for her 88 year old father. He is one of those guys who landed in Normandy and went on to the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately he can't be left alone and I really could not have her be the only caregiver. He's a really nice guy. Besides, I am also a Vet.(Vietnam), and we take care of our own.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I would love to make it, but my wife and I are caring for her 88 year old father. He is one of those guys who landed in Normandy and went on to the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately he can't be left alone and I really could not have her be the only caregiver. He's a really nice guy. Besides, I am also a Vet.(Vietnam), and we take care of our own.

Glad you've got your priorities straight! Those guys don't have many more years left and deserve all the care we can give them while they're with us. We owe them ... well, the WORLD!

Hopefully, the First-Ever NT-Owners Club National Rally wont' be the last!

 

[schwartz]

Why does any route from Indiana to SD have to be so bleeding boring!