taldric
Guest
You mean during the rally dates? If so, then heck ya. Filling in another state is always a good use of a day.
2nd Nat'l NT Rally - Jul 12-15, 2012 - Spearfish, SD
- Thread starter Mellow
- Start date
You mean during the rally dates? If so, then heck ya. Filling in another state is always a good use of a day.
Phil Tarman
Site Supporter
Larry, I haven't done all the states on the NT. I did 29 and two Canadian provinces on my two Kawasaki Concours, and I've done 11 states and one province on the NT. I haven't been able to figure out how to put two maps in my signature like Katherine and others have.
I go through ND every year on my way from Spokane to Oshkosh WI. Lets see....what positive things can I say about it? It has nice rest areas....
it has real gasoline for sale....and Jamestown has a great chineese buffet.....and it has some good badlands too. There.
Personally, if I had time to burn, I would ride west to the Bighorns and do the Bighorn loop. Some of the best motorcycling in the country...and uncrouded....
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Phil Tarman
Site Supporter
Chris, is Hawkins and Powers still in the fire-bomber business? Joanne and I spent an afternoon there back in '02. They were restoring a PBY-5A Catalina and had the last flying Kaman helicopter in the country. I was talking to Mr. Hawkins and said something about having seen one of his planes in California in '79. He asked me what I'd seen and when I said a B-17, he got very indignant and informed me that he'd never owned a B-17 and never would. He was PB4Y Privateer man and said that the B-17 was a "hunk a junk."
I apologized for the mistake and got him calmed down. He had a magnificent Douglas B-26, with the right side of the airplane painted a beautiful maroon color and the left side painted in USAF Korean War livery. There was a KC-97, a bunch of C-123s, C-117s and C-119s. It was a fun time. Back then he charged $5 for you to walk around the ramp.
BTW, if you haven't ridden in the Black Hills, you're missing something. They're a special place and there are some great roads there.
I apologized for the mistake and got him calmed down. He had a magnificent Douglas B-26, with the right side of the airplane painted a beautiful maroon color and the left side painted in USAF Korean War livery. There was a KC-97, a bunch of C-123s, C-117s and C-119s. It was a fun time. Back then he charged $5 for you to walk around the ramp.
BTW, if you haven't ridden in the Black Hills, you're missing something. They're a special place and there are some great roads there.
Oh yes, I have ridden the black hills.....
H and P went out of business when the government thought it best to ban old timey firebombers...(remember the PB4Y that shed its wings?) there are still some that freelance but your government uses very few....I think they are down to 11 heavies....the Super PBY that they had on contract here is gone...now they use a crop duster....
H and P was one of my favorite stops when I toured....many of the planes were auctioned off...dont know about the boneyard....guess I will find out in a month or two....
OP
OP
Mellow
Admin
Just called the campground to confirm pricing:
$3.50 per person per night - say you're with the NT Rally/Group.
You don't need to call and reserve a spot unless you need an actual camp site which has a drive thru/elect/water. We are getting a group primitive rate but that section is about as far from primitive as I've ever seen.
If you have called to make a reservation, you don't need to cancel, just tell them you're with the NT Rally/Group and you'll get the special rate as long as you're in the primitive section. Once you get there and they charge you, there are no refunds so that's your last chance at the discount. The ST group has been there for the past 3 years and they appreciate our business so if they don't recognize 'NT' just say 'ST', whatever it takes to get the discount.
$3.50 per person per night - say you're with the NT Rally/Group.
You don't need to call and reserve a spot unless you need an actual camp site which has a drive thru/elect/water. We are getting a group primitive rate but that section is about as far from primitive as I've ever seen.
If you have called to make a reservation, you don't need to cancel, just tell them you're with the NT Rally/Group and you'll get the special rate as long as you're in the primitive section. Once you get there and they charge you, there are no refunds so that's your last chance at the discount. The ST group has been there for the past 3 years and they appreciate our business so if they don't recognize 'NT' just say 'ST', whatever it takes to get the discount.
Wow...that's really reasonable.....great!
OP
OP
Mellow
Admin
There's lots of reasons why we keep coming back to this location, that's just one.
Phil Tarman
Site Supporter
1TRAK, his friends from Michigan spent $20 a tent in Rocky Mountain National Park last night. Being an old guy with a Senior Pass to the National Park System, I got my tent site for $10. We had a picnic table (which I used while packing my stuff away this morning, a firepit (which we didn't use), individual parking places, and a sand/gravel mix tent site. Water wasn't too far away, but I just used what I had in my CamelBack bladder.
Oh, we did get a cow elk about 45 feet from my tent this morning.
Oh, we did get a cow elk about 45 feet from my tent this morning.
Nicole
Guest
That is an amazing rate! Thanks!
OP
OP
Mellow
Admin
I will say this, not because I have to but because I want to keep things on a positive note. They really like us there and we have a great reputation with them - sport touring motorcyclists - so please treat the grounds like you would your own back yard and pick up any trash you see and make sure we keep the place as tidy as possibly. You can imagine some of the stuff they have to deal with a few weeks after this so the better the impression we make the nicer they are to us.. it's a win win situation.
Again, it's not like I really have to say any of that, we've never had anyone fall asleep in the stream naked .. they always have their clothes on.. LOL
Again, it's not like I really have to say any of that, we've never had anyone fall asleep in the stream naked .. they always have their clothes on.. LOL
You are so right that good behavior and manners are good things. Dont think it doesnt matter cause it does in a huge way. I was going into Yellowstone (after Sturgis let out) last year and the guy at the booth thanked me for not having loud mufflers on my bike (my Connie.) Some park booth attendants had to go home as they couldnt deal with all that noise continually from inconsiderate Harley riders. He asked me if I was 62, and I said why, yes, I just turned 62. He sold me my senior pass and I made enough money then and there that day to pay for it. He didnt have to do that. If we are ever banned or restricted from an area, it wont be cause NT riders are rude, ill mannered, law breaking outlaws.....dont think it can happen? Look at how many motels wont take pets....there is a reason for that.....trash pet owners....I plan to smile at the people, pick up any trash I see, and thank the help.
Phil Tarman
Site Supporter
Life is very complicated for you rich guys with more than one bike, isn't it?
I got the same problem. ST1300 or ST700 (NT) which one to bring. Maybe I will just ride my Wee to the ST/NT rally.Can't decide to ride the NT to the ST Rally or ride the ST to the NT Rally.
Think I will put the NT in the Tacoma bed and go to both Rallies!
Old Dave C :cool1:
OP
OP
Mellow
Admin
Thanks Kevin!.. You beat me to it, was just going to say something.
A huge thanks for supporting the members of the site and this event and hope everyone at the very least takes a look at www.TwistedThrottle.com, if they don't have something you need then you must not be riding at all.. LOL
A huge thanks for supporting the members of the site and this event and hope everyone at the very least takes a look at www.TwistedThrottle.com, if they don't have something you need then you must not be riding at all.. LOL
Phil Tarman
Site Supporter
Kevin, now that I've used my Dry-Spec bags to carry all my camping gear, I will give testimony that they are a great addition to my gear. They're going to be just what I need on my Epic Ride to everywhere next summer.
Thanks for supporting our Rally!
Thanks for supporting our Rally!
I'm really starting to get bummed out that I can't make it to Spearfish.... So when and where is the 2013 Rally? 
OP
OP
Mellow
Admin
I'm really starting to get bummed out that I can't make it to Spearfish.... So when and where is the 2013 Rally?
We haven't started discussing that yet...
The ST (NatSTOC) event will stay in Spearfish for now and always be the weekend after the 4th of July, to give the folks that are vacationing due to that holiday time to head home.. LOL and well enough before Sturgis to allow us to ride and not deal with too many crowds. Also, the city of Spearfish and the campground appreciate us and treat us nicely, they like our business.
We could continue to make this a combined event as there are a lot of things that can be leveraged as part of the ST event but I also understand it would be nice to have a more NT-focused event.
I don't know about the RICH part of it, but complicated, yes it is hard to decide which bike to ride and which gear to wear, several times I have thought of just riding the VLX with it's 65 mpg capibility and moteling it, also considered adding a hitch to HD and towing Kwik Kamp , well that decision is easy now, Tent trailer went bye bye ten days ago, so back to NT and loading accordingly for tenting.
Phil Tarman
Site Supporter
When I was riding my Connies, Concours Owners Group National Rallies were a moveable feast. Volunteers would propose to host the next year's rally and the COG Board would choose the site and announce at the current year's site. Usually they chose from a whole host of options numbering in the low (very low) single digits.
The hosts would arrange for a host hotel/motel with a preferential rate, the hosts would beg for swag from industry sponsors, the hosts would outline rides and activities, the hosts would handle registration, T-shirts and other rally-specific stuff, they'd arrange for and stuff Rally tote bags.
It was more work than I ever want to do again. I'm liking the low-stress, show-up kind of rally that had last year and this year.
There are some advantages to a big, well-organized rally, but I'm not sure what they are given the low numbers of NTs out there.
I also watched COG's organizational structure become politicized and fractious, and think that something as organized as what we've got here -- a Forum with a (relatively :rolleyes1: ) benevolent dictator like Mellow works very well.
I "organized" the 2011 NT National Rally by naming a place. We didn't get very many of us there (was it seven or eight?), but we had fun.
The hosts would arrange for a host hotel/motel with a preferential rate, the hosts would beg for swag from industry sponsors, the hosts would outline rides and activities, the hosts would handle registration, T-shirts and other rally-specific stuff, they'd arrange for and stuff Rally tote bags.
It was more work than I ever want to do again. I'm liking the low-stress, show-up kind of rally that had last year and this year.
There are some advantages to a big, well-organized rally, but I'm not sure what they are given the low numbers of NTs out there.
I also watched COG's organizational structure become politicized and fractious, and think that something as organized as what we've got here -- a Forum with a (relatively :rolleyes1: ) benevolent dictator like Mellow works very well.
I "organized" the 2011 NT National Rally by naming a place. We didn't get very many of us there (was it seven or eight?), but we had fun.