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2009 Rally in the Gorge
It’s the home stretch. We’re just days away from the
2009 Rally in the Gorge and things are shaping up for a grand event.
If you haven’t registered yet you can do so online
until July 25th for $109. After that you can walk up and register
when you get there for $119
I go to a number of rallies. Usually as a vendor , but
sometimes I just pay my way and enjoy a few days off riding. There are a few
things we do at our rally that may be different from some you’ve been to.
- First off the entire schedule is posted online in advance so you can
plan ahead of time what it is you want to do. Much nicer than showing up and
figuring it out on the fly after you arrive.
- We’ve got maps and plenty of them. We will have maps for no less than 5
paved rides in the area and 5 dual sport rides as well. Couple those
together with the trip to Maryhill Loops Road on Friday and the Saturday
Poker Run and you’ll have more rides than you have time for. That’s the
idea. It’s a great location with great roads and you can’t come to the rally
just once!
- You like evening entertainment? We don’t have live music at our rally.
Some people like it, some don’t – depends on your taste and who got booked.
Instead we’ve got guest presenters going until the sun goes down and then
you’ll have 2-3 movies to choose from each night.
- We put an emphasis on riding skills. As a result we have no less than
five riding skills presenters this year and are running rolling clinics for
the first time so you can go out and work on the skills you’re learning in
the seminars.
- You don’t get a chance to do demo rides that often at rallies in the
Northwest. For the fourth year in a row we will have them, this time from
KTM and Ducati. Over the years we’ve sold a lot of bikes from these rides.
If you buy one as a result we’d like to get an email from you about it. Of
course we encourage you to buy from the dealers who support the event with
demos (this year that will be Gresham KTM, Skagit Powersports and Eastside
Motorsports. If for some reason you can’t make a deal with one of the three
drop me a note and let me know why. These are all well run dealerships here
in the Northwest.
- We don’t do a walking poker run like some others do to entice you to
visit with the vendors. You’ve got five days to visit with the vendors.
Instead we run a 200 mile poker run with live checkpoints along the route.
For the fourth year in a row we will run a paved route and a dual sport
route. Different routes – same checkpoints. That means if you’re a paved
route rider and you see a dual sport rider taking off in a different
direction, relay on your route sheet for directions. You may not want to
follow that rider onto a gravel road! These are new routes. In the seven
years of doing the rally we have repeated a route yet!
- There will be a number of staff photographers on site this year. If you
see them out on the road
,
you’re encouraged to keep both hands on the grips. You look better that way.
Our silent auction runs Wednesday through Saturday night. Go ahead and
bid on the bid sheets provided on the table in the exhibit hall. Then be
sure to check back again and again to make sure you don’t get outbid by
someone else. If you do you can bid at the next level up. You may walk away
with a great deal and you’ll be supporting our Gorge Kids Explorer education
fund at the same time.
We’ve got trains. Wherever you go in the Gorge there are trains all
hours of the day. Pack some foam earplugs and you’ll be just fine.
Haven’t booked a room yet? We know accommodations are gonna get tight.
We’ve have arranged to rent camping gear to those who want it, but we’d like
to know by July 10th if you plan to do that so we can have enough
gear on hand. Its nice stuff and all water tight.
I’m really excited to share this rally with those of
you coming this year. Whether you ride a sport bike, sport touring bike, dual
sport or maxi scooter you’re gonna have a great time. The routes are stunning as
always, the lineup of speakers is robust, the new rolling clinics are going to
be useful for those who get in on them and the poker runs are awesome.
TM/Summer 09
More rally info is available at:
www.sportbikenorthwest.com
www.sporttouringnw.com
www.dsnwrally.com/
www.maxiscootnw.com/
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