There is pleasure to be had in anticipation of a great event.
Tomorrow before dawn, I fly from Canberra to Brisbane, then to LAX and Albuquerque to prepare for the six-day competitive rally called "Butt Lite 8". Essentially it is a Continent-wide scavenger hunt, with no prizes of value, only glory. Frankly, I cannot wait. Here in Canberra (Australia's capital city), the weather is cold, with snow forecast so there is the added attraction of heading to a north American summer - but not the raging heat of Death Valley or Arizona deserts.
This competition runs every second year, alternate to the Iron Butt Rally and starts in Denver CO in 2016. The first Check Point is in Reno NV and as they Rally-Master (in this case actually a Rally Mistress) says - Canada check points are in the book! While the theme is not yet known the fact that we will stop at "Boom Town Casino and Resort" would indicate that we are heading to the ghost towns of the USA - of which there are hundreds, mostly deserted, but up some of the more challenging roads of North America.
At a recent dinner, a long-time friend of my age asked "why do you do it, what is the attraction"? this gave me cause for thought, but it comes down to two stark things;
1. I love riding motorcycles. It is a bit like the pony express - travel the wildest parts of our country, with face and hair in the wind, feeling the acceleration, the exploration of parts unknown and the freedom.
2. To be with friends of a like mind. LDR's (Long Distance Riders) are frankly a weird bunch. They know it and like the moniker. I will catch up with some lifelong friends at the start, middle and end of the rally, tell stories and at the end, share a few beers. I have learnt one thing about this mob - despite the huge variance in their home countries, ages, background, experience and personal history, there is nothing they will not do for a fellow rider. This loyalty, particularly among men, is very rare. (Noting that there are some excellent female riders too, some of which leave the men in their dust on a regular basis, and earn our collective respect no matter what. Aussies would call them "guys" or "blokes" without fear, too).
This year I will do little to my bike. At the start one of the delights is Farkle'ing your bike (If I remember correctly this word stands for "Fancy Accessory, Really Kool, Likely Expensive". But after a few rallies, focus comes down to reducing weight and putting your mind to effective navigation. So, now my effort will go into getting enough sleep before the event, getting my laptop and GPS's up to date and giving a few hugs. See you all in Denver!
PS, most riders use a SPOT device for tracking, so you can follow them from the Team Strange web page (www.teamstrange.com) and also via the BL8 Blog - a daily missive of distracting details, silly stories and practical details.
