2021 Brown County Indiana GS Thang - June 10-13 - SAVE THE DATE!

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Norm, thanks for the offer. Some year I’d like to travel that far on a bike to go to the rally. Not this year. Would be nice if it was a bit closer to home.

Jedz knows he’s welcome at my home anytime on his travels through PA. I’ll extend that offer to other members, as well.

[Burque73]

Your planning to come to IN? Now I have no excuse not to make it. Maybe I'll follow you back so I can visit my best friend out in Burque'.

Oh, heck yeah! Maybe you'll have your sidecar rig setup and Zola can come along.

Suffer for just a bit, take I-40 to Tucumcari. Get on US54. Follow it to Jefferson City, MO, where you will catch US50. When you get to Bedford, IN, US50 will take an exit to the right, then fly to the left over the road you are on, which is Business Route 50. The motel is 2.3 miles on your left.

The roads themselves are not all that exciting, certainly not before you get to Missouri, but there is a lot of historical stuff, if that interests you at all.

.

Thank you for that route suggestion. We've mapped it out and are looking at it. It appears that there's no way around the flat plains areas, but that's fine. We'll still enjoy the ride. The historical stuff does interest my wife and I. My 23 year old son, not so much. He's not into old gas stations and souvenir shops, he says. haha

Good to hear that plans are progressing.

I too was going to suggest that you consider US50.
That was my major route on my ride-the-RT-home-from-SanDiego in 2019, US50 From central Utah to Western Indiania was the plan (but plans changed in Missouri, and from there involved a rented pickup truck).
I chose US50 because it was not Interstate type for the most part, and not many large citys, but was interstate type thru what major citys there were, and had the added attraction of going right to Bedford. Other added benifit for me is that it was the ONE road that went most of the way across, which was convienent to me since I didnt plot a turn-by-turn gps route. Other benifit is that were a few places where could swap over to I40 for a distance if any benifit to that.
US 50 would bypass around most small towns in the flat farm lands, but could also go into-thru the town on local road if wanted a change or needed to stop for something. Some places were two lane (thin red line), other places was divided (but not limited access, thicker yellow-red line). But, overall, like Steve said, wasnt anything that was a great attaction along that route you would take. THe best part was Utah and western Colorado. Biggest adavantage to you is that it is not interstate (except for KansasCity, StLouis).

Monarch Pass (contential divide) was quite an expereince, something like 11thousand feet to something like 4thousand feet in something like 10 miles. Was seeing snow and skiiers and moose in first week of June. That is between Montrose and Salida CO, so probably too far west for you.

If Salida CO, itself, is not too far west for you, when you go east from there, US50 follows the Arkansas river for about 30 miles, And I mean it follows along theside of the river, like right next to it, like edge of road, shoulder, and rocks, then flowing water. River running fast and high, with snow melting at higer elevation. Good riding expereince. ALthough when I was there 1st week of June (2019), the motel said the next two-three weeks was the busiest part of the year, booked solid, with some annaul national canoe race-rally on the river.

(Maybe have a seperate thread for this discussion.)
(hee hee. You got a guy from Ohio, and a guy from Michigan, telling you about riding from NewMexico to Indiana.)

Yeah, maybe another thread would be better. Still on topic for the most part though, I suppose. I really don't like relying on GPS for turn-by-turn directions either, so good point there. Yes, Salida is way out of the way. This trip, unlike returning from Vegas via Idaho, has to be somewhat of a more direct route. You guys that have ridden these routes have a wealth of knowledge so who better to ask?

That's fewer roads that it takes me to go to work!

It's really looking like it's shaping up to be a great rally!

Jedz, or anyone else (Rich). You're more than welcome to stay at my pad. I have beds and shower.

Maybe we can meet up at Steve's house like past rallies. I always liked seeing what Steve is working on.

Indy Bob moving to Colorado! That has to be exciting! What part of Colorado?

Roger, buy a expensive Rain Suit. The more expensive, the less chance you'll need it! 

Good call on the rain suit. My current one is from WalMart and I have to duct tape it around my ankles haha. It hardly rains around here. I used it once in Utah several years ago, otherwise my riding jacket does a fair job with short spot showers. I just keep the cellphone in a ziplock bag.

If Indy Bob's move is complete and happens to be the Pueblo area, or nearabouts, mayb we could meet up near Dodge City, KS and ride the rest of the way.

My son was asking if you all have a poker night or anything?

I wonder how Covid will impact the rally. Wearing masks all the time? Just indoors or where we can't keep distance? We're all registered to get the vaccine so Lord willing we'll have it by then. Like Brian said, there's still a lot of what if's.

[cowboyup3371]

The parking lot is where we meet up at so there's plenty of open space especially since it is a pretty small (read cozy) hotel. I really like my Frog Toggs for rain gear and am halfheartedly looking forward to trying out the new jacket I received for Christmas (would rather not ride in the rain you know?). But I also know there are a lot of other good/great brands so check out what works best for you

[Jedz123]

Norm I'll take you up on that, last time I came through that was allot of fun! I'm going to start planning now! Youngstown is a great break after the I-90 run across NY, hate that road but it allows you to cover some distance quickly.

My buddy that would be coming with me is fully vaccinated as he's in school for nursing. Our governor has promised that all Vermonters that want to be vaccinated can be in 6 weeks. So Norm, my buddy (might) be with me.

Too far out to tell what bike / rig I'll be on. Need me a cross country trip, I'd be happy to point the Monkey west and go at this point.

Best,

[Wingsconsin]

Reservation made at Holiday Inn Express
I have frequent points over there
Looking forward to seeing everyone again -

I am eligible for the Vaccine starting March 29th so I will be done before the rally -

[Steve]

(hee hee. You got a guy from Ohio, and a guy from Michigan, telling you about riding from NewMexico to Indiana.)

Well, Dave, 60 years ago, I lived just a few miles from where Roger lives. (About 11 miles in a straight line, but almost 20 miles to drive.) 45 years ago, I was a cross-country truck driver and drove major portions of the route I suggested several times. I would still willingly take that route tomorrow.

Maybe we can meet up at Steve's house like past rallies. I always liked seeing what Steve is working on.

Mostly working on the house this year, Norm. Not much exciting happening in the shop. All the farkles have been added to Mrs. Steve's Spyder, now adding some to my "nold" (new/old) van. Since she is REALLY liking her Spyder, we will likely do the "light version" of our traveling road show and not take the canopies.

My son was asking if you all have a poker night or anything?

We haven't had one yet, but that does not mean we won't.

I wonder how Covid will impact the rally. Wearing masks all the time? Just indoors or where we can't keep distance?

I am not going to speak for any others, but mask wearing might be an individual choice or it might be "majority rules". For an idea of what to expect from the motel, take a good look at some of the older motels you see in Tucumcari as you pass through. Actually, the ones I am thinking of are on the east side of town, while US54 heads north on the west side. The Rosemount Inn is a small courtyard-style place with about 20 rooms. Jay (our host) has a few regulars that stay there for the summer while they are working on construction projects in the area. He kicks them out for the weekend so we have the entire place to ourselves. Because it's all ours, we set up chairs in the parking lot for our social activities. There is no indoor area to gather, unless someone opens up their room.

Too far out to tell what bike / rig I'll be on. Need me a cross country trip, I'd be happy to point the Monkey west and go at this point.

Justin, have you checked with New York about their toll policy? The hack should not cost any more than a bike, but Illinois tried that many (MANY) years ago, claiming that the two wheels at the rear (bike and hack) did not have a common axle line, so they charged tolls for a three-axle rig, similar to a car with U-Haul trailer or even a three-axle semi. The AMA fought that, also arguing that a motorcycle with a trailer took no more room and weighed less than a car. Illinois relented a bit on sidecars, but held firm on a bike/trailer rig being charged for three axles.

.

[Jedz123]

I'm going to meet up with my college buddies in NM so I'll likely take a 2 wheeler for this one.

[Steve]

"Fly" the hack, you'll be on two wheels.

Not sure how Z will feel about that.

.

[bwringer]

I wonder how Covid will impact the rally. Wearing masks all the time? Just indoors or where we can't keep distance? We're all registered to get the vaccine so Lord willing we'll have it by then. Like Brian said, there's still a lot of what if's.

Last year, things COVID-wise were worse, and information about the virus was still in its infancy, but we still had a pretty COVID-safe "mini" version of the rally with fewer people.


Please understand that no around one here is organized enough to have anything like "rules". But there were some thoughts I and others shared beforehand last year, and things seemed to go well.

- I tracked Indiana's numbers on hospital availability, and if there had been a spike reducing availability below about 30%, I would not have attended and would have encouraged others to stay home as well. If someone's ride had gone badly, we did not want to strain the medical system or take on added risks.

https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/2393.htm

- I asked people to not room with people they don't live with, or who aren't already in each others' COVID "bubbles". So we had fewer people, and several were staying solo in double bed rooms.

- Jay, the manager of the Rosemount, is taking COVID-19 sanitation and distancing quite seriously (many hotels and other businesses are not). I asked them not to do housekeeping in my room; even through that's a small risk, might as well avoid it.

- Fortunately, our usual socialization is all outdoors in the parking lot, so that wasn't much different. We didn't wear masks, but we did keep distance and avoided touching, and didn't go into each other's rooms. Keep your hands clean, don't touch your face, etc. And no nose-picking is just polite no matter what the status of the pandemic might be.

- At that time and right now, masks are required indoors in Indiana at stores and restaurants, and restaurant capacity is limited. We complied with this, and ordered food for delivery when possible. We also had meals at a few local restaurants but ate outside and masked up if we needed to go in.

What Indiana's rules will be in June, I don't know.

However, rural Indiana is heavily "red" country, and masks, distancing, etc. are fairly rare in many areas. To be blunt, quite a few places you'll see and visit have been mostly acting as if there's no such thing as a pandemic all along. Some restaurants in Bedford last year were stuffing everyone in at full capacity with only slight evidence of masks, some were doing a pretty good job of keeping distance, masks, etc. The further you get from civilization, the less likely you'll see any attempt at safety measures.

So from the beginning of this pandemic mess, I've avoided entering stores, gas stations and restaurants as much as possible. With a small cooler for snacks and drinks, a "whiz in the woods" policy, hand sanitizer before and after pumping gas, and a bit of care, you can ride all day and avoid getting anywhere near another human. And if I do need to go inside, I mask up and sanitize even if I'm the only one in ten miles wearing a mask. So far, I've encountered zero rudeness or comments. Then again, I am unsmall and wearing armor...

As I said, I don't know what Indiana's rules will be in June. On the plus side, we are WAAAY ahead of most states with vaccinations and the numbers are looking optimistic -- there's a huge amount of biotech in Indiana, and so we were a lot more organized than most when vaccines became available. I'm 52, and I'm getting my first shot in two days, Thursday March 18. I should be pretty safe by May 1.

I strongly suspect the mask mandate will be rescinded by June, and restaurants will likely be at full capacity by then as well (not that most places in rural areas ever paid much attention). I suppose masks will be your choice.

For my part, I'll still keep my hands super-clean (this is habit by now anyway) and avoid getting close to people. We socialize outside anyway, so that's no different. I'll also avoid crowded restaurants for quite a while longer, I think, and get delivery, carry-out, or eat outside whenever possible.

And I'd still encourage people to only room with people in their "bubble", or to only room together if you're both vaccinated and healthy.

[Burque73]

We haven't had one yet, but that does not mean we won't.

Gotcha. Poker may be more of a rainy day activity in our motel room or something.

I am not going to speak for any others, but mask wearing might be an individual choice or it might be "majority rules". For an idea of what to expect from the motel, take a good look at some of the older motels you see in Tucumcari as you pass through. Actually, the ones I am thinking of are on the east side of town, while US54 heads north on the west side. The Rosemount Inn is a small courtyard-style place with about 20 rooms. ..........

The Rosemount look like a nice place, really. Good reviews too. I'm guessing this may be a year or two before you guys started meeting there.

Looks the same today.....but different.

[Baatfam]

Here is a few from the parking lot side. 2019.

[ddaniels]

Really going to try and make it this year. I am going to ask the missus if she wants to come but not holding much hope for that.

[Spyder]

Miss me ? ? ? yeah, I didn't think so...

SO, every year I set aside the money for this trip. Every year SOMETHING comes up and I can't pull it off. I have amounted quite a stash of "rally" money. I have every intention of USING some of it this year. Looks like it's going to be a great turnout too, so I will expect I will need to make "other" lodging arrangements. If there should be a vacancy at the glorious Rosemount, I would love to stay there. If not, I get it, as I am usually a no show... Hoping for the best this year...

[bwringer]

This rally is always lady-friendly and even kid-friendly, but it does take a certain type of lady.


Anyhoo, I stopped by the Rosemount last Saturday and had a nice chat with our host, Jay. The whole Patel family is looking forward to welcoming the GSR family once again. As always, he was working on improvement projects.

Jay is working on finalizing the list of rooms that will be available, and once I have that, I'll be emailing past attendees sometime in the next few weeks to start sorting out all the lodgings. I'll go through this thread and make sure I have accounted for everyone. In general, I'll start with the 2019 list and go from there.

As ever, if I have to make a decision, preference goes to folks who have attended most recently. We usually get everyone in, but I can't promise anything, especially if we have a higher turnout than usual.

Last year, we discouraged rooming with folks you don't live with or who aren't in your "bubble"; it was the only way to manage that risk. It's your decision this year, but I would STRONGLY encourage people who are thinking about rooming together to make sure both will be vaccinated by June.

[cowboyup3371]

As of right now I'm in Brian as I don't think I'll get to make the trip I want since I may not have enough vacation time built up before September. It will just be me as Charmayne won't be able to travel until after October (full disclosure to come later this year)