It's time again for the annual Land of Enchantment 1000 mile rally. I rode it in 2009, missed 2010 and entered again for this year. This year the starting location is Belen which is about 30 miles south of Albuquerque. I have looked at the entry list and it looks like there are several very experienced rally riders on the list. This year I have reserved a room at the hotel where the event is being staged. This way when I receive my information packet I can go straight to my room and start planning the route I will take. I take care of my speedometer calibration ride and then wait for the rider's meeting. Once again the concept of safety is stressed. Ira Agins tells us to remember what is truly important in life and doing well in a rally is NOT one of the important things so we should not take risks during the event. I am in total agreement. The trophies that I risked life and limb for in my younger days have all been thrown away by this time and I am in it for the fun now. Once again I try to plan a route that will keep me on 4 lane or major roads after dark as I don't have good night vision and do not care for the risks of hitting an animal which is more likely on the small back roads. This years event will be scored on the highest points per mile. You must do a minimum of 1000 miles but every mile over that will lower your score. It seems that all of the good points paying locations are in southern New Mexico but that is also lacking in major roads. Remembering Ira's words about what is truly important I decide to stick with the northern part of the state like I did in 2009. I see where the point paying spots are and have an informal plan in my mind. I do not have to plan a specific route as I know most of these locations and can just ride there without having to do too much searching. Another thing that is in the rally this year are combination bonuses. A location may only be worth 10 points but together with 1 or 2 other specific locations may pay a combination score of 2000 points, some more, others less. As before a one hour rest stop at the hotel will also pay bonus points. I did this in 2009 and intend to do it again this year.
5:00 AM, I am up and take a shower, get dressed and go get my bike in the line. You are to be there by 6 AM for the speedometer check. At 7 they let us go, 2 riders at a time. We arrive at the freeway on ramp where some riders go south and others go north. I am a north rider while most go south. Deep inside I know I should be going south for the points but my decision has been made. I turn east on I-40 and can see hot air balloons to the north from the annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. A picture with at least 4 balloons in it is worth a few points so I stop and zoom my camera in and take some photos at high resolution. This is needed as the balloons will only be dots on the computer screen and I want the scorer to be able to zoom in and identify them. Then it's on to Santa Rosa for a picture of the car museum, continue to Tucumcari for another picture and then north to Nara Visa for a picture of the old Ira's Bar building. I think Ira Agins uses this site every year. All of these last 3 pictures are needed in conjunction with other spots for combination bonuses. At Nara Visa I head south through Clovis (lots of signals and traffic) for Portales to get another bonus by buying a bag of Portales peanut products. Everything is not scored from pictures. This was over 100 miles from Nara Visa but it should pay off if I can make the other locations in time. The next stop is Fort Sumner. On the way there I go by the turnoff to Billy the Kid's gravesite. This is worth a few points BUT it is about a 10 mile round trip. I have to calculate in my head whether that will hurt my average and I determine that it will be a detriment so I keep going. All I need from Ft. Sumner is a receipt for a purchase so I get gas and keep moving. I have one more stop that is somewhat in this area and then I go north back to I-40 and start the trip back to Albuquerque. These last 3 locations are the only ones south of I-40 so far. On the way to Albuquerque I will go up to the crest of Sandia mountain and take a picture which along with 2 others from the road up there will pay a combination bonus. From there I can take an unpaved back road down the mountain to Placitas where I need a receipt from any business. But to get back to the hotel from there is 70-80 miles counting the dirt road. And when I leave the hotel after the rest stop I will be going right by Placitas again. The danger is that in Placitas there are only a couple of businesses and they will definitely be closed by 9 and I cannot get there by 9:30. I do remember that there is a restaurant there and I am hoping that they will still be open, it is Saturday night after all. So it's back to the hotel for the rest bonus. By now it is well and truly dark. It is too early to rest so I doublecheck my plans for the remaining locations and at 9:00 I am off again. First stop is the Unser Racing Museum that will be used with the Santa Rosa museum and one other museum that I need to get for another combination. This location is the only point in the rally where I have seen another competitor. Remember that most riders went south. After the Unser museum I hurry to Placitas and the restaurant. It is almost 10 PM. As I get off of the bike the restaurant turns off it's lights. I hurry to the door hoping to reach it before they lock it. Just as I am getting to the door a lady walks out and sees me in my motorcycle gear and helmet and thinks I am an alien. I assure her that I am not and convince her to give me a receipt from the restaurant. Close call, if I had been a couple of minutes later I would have not obtained a large bonus. Now I am off to Cuba but on the way I stop at the Auto Museum in Rio Rancho for the last of 3 needed pictures. So far I have known exactly where to go for all but one location without having to consult a map or my GPS. I also knew about the problems of getting a receipt in Placitas. There is something to be said for the home court advantage. On to Cuba which is 75 miles away, get a receipt and move on another 100 miles north to Bloomfield and Aztec for a photo. I return from Aztec to Bloomfield and decide to eat something as I am finished unless I decide to go 40 miles west to Shiprock for 400 points. I decide against it as the 400 points divided by the 80 mile roundtrip will lower my score. How about that, I am finished early and can take my time returning to Albuquerque. I will not have a good score but it should be respectable. If I go north to Chama I can score big time but it is 2-3 hours there in the daylight. I would have to go there at 2 AM on strange backroads which besides being dangerous would not give me enough time to finish the rally in 24 hours and the penalties for being late are severe. So I eat my horrible microwaved burrito at the gas station and doublecheck my rally bonus sheets. And then I see it. I am not finished. One of my key combination bonuses is not complete. I still need a picture of a hotel in Gallup. The fastest way to Gallup is through Shiprock so I will get another 400 points. But the trip to Gallup is going to raise my total distance to 1200 miles. That will still be a higher score than I would get if I returned to the hotel and skipped Gallup so away I go. I know the road to Shiprock very well but I have only been on the road from there to Gallup once. It is long and lonely and the only thing out there are different Indian reservations. I am hoping that none of the younger set are out on the road after drinking and looking for some mischief. The same goes for the animals out there as it is really dark. Fortunately all I encounter is a skunk in the middle of the road. He is so surprised by my motorcycle that he just spins in circles in the middle of the road. I manage to avoid him but just barely. I really did not want to return to the rally covered in skunk juice. Finally I reach Gallup, get my picture and head for the rally hotel which is about another 160 miles. I arrive at 6:30, one half hour before the deadline. I feel fine but after I check in and they get my speedo reading I go to the room and sleep like a log for about 2 hours. I then go to the judges where they confirm my bonus locations. We all then go to a local restaurant for a meal and the awards. Everyone gets the same prize which is a water glass with this years logo on it. The overall winner gets a glass with their name etched into it. I score 21st out of 50 entrants and 39 finishers. I was quite disappointed but I had my reasons for choosing the route that I did. I will be reviewing everything to see if I could have improved on my northern route with more time planning and less time sleeping. Will I elect a competitive route next year or once again play it safe? I have to admit that the competitive urge is still alive inside me, I really would like an etched glass!
5:00 AM, I am up and take a shower, get dressed and go get my bike in the line. You are to be there by 6 AM for the speedometer check. At 7 they let us go, 2 riders at a time. We arrive at the freeway on ramp where some riders go south and others go north. I am a north rider while most go south. Deep inside I know I should be going south for the points but my decision has been made. I turn east on I-40 and can see hot air balloons to the north from the annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. A picture with at least 4 balloons in it is worth a few points so I stop and zoom my camera in and take some photos at high resolution. This is needed as the balloons will only be dots on the computer screen and I want the scorer to be able to zoom in and identify them. Then it's on to Santa Rosa for a picture of the car museum, continue to Tucumcari for another picture and then north to Nara Visa for a picture of the old Ira's Bar building. I think Ira Agins uses this site every year. All of these last 3 pictures are needed in conjunction with other spots for combination bonuses. At Nara Visa I head south through Clovis (lots of signals and traffic) for Portales to get another bonus by buying a bag of Portales peanut products. Everything is not scored from pictures. This was over 100 miles from Nara Visa but it should pay off if I can make the other locations in time. The next stop is Fort Sumner. On the way there I go by the turnoff to Billy the Kid's gravesite. This is worth a few points BUT it is about a 10 mile round trip. I have to calculate in my head whether that will hurt my average and I determine that it will be a detriment so I keep going. All I need from Ft. Sumner is a receipt for a purchase so I get gas and keep moving. I have one more stop that is somewhat in this area and then I go north back to I-40 and start the trip back to Albuquerque. These last 3 locations are the only ones south of I-40 so far. On the way to Albuquerque I will go up to the crest of Sandia mountain and take a picture which along with 2 others from the road up there will pay a combination bonus. From there I can take an unpaved back road down the mountain to Placitas where I need a receipt from any business. But to get back to the hotel from there is 70-80 miles counting the dirt road. And when I leave the hotel after the rest stop I will be going right by Placitas again. The danger is that in Placitas there are only a couple of businesses and they will definitely be closed by 9 and I cannot get there by 9:30. I do remember that there is a restaurant there and I am hoping that they will still be open, it is Saturday night after all. So it's back to the hotel for the rest bonus. By now it is well and truly dark. It is too early to rest so I doublecheck my plans for the remaining locations and at 9:00 I am off again. First stop is the Unser Racing Museum that will be used with the Santa Rosa museum and one other museum that I need to get for another combination. This location is the only point in the rally where I have seen another competitor. Remember that most riders went south. After the Unser museum I hurry to Placitas and the restaurant. It is almost 10 PM. As I get off of the bike the restaurant turns off it's lights. I hurry to the door hoping to reach it before they lock it. Just as I am getting to the door a lady walks out and sees me in my motorcycle gear and helmet and thinks I am an alien. I assure her that I am not and convince her to give me a receipt from the restaurant. Close call, if I had been a couple of minutes later I would have not obtained a large bonus. Now I am off to Cuba but on the way I stop at the Auto Museum in Rio Rancho for the last of 3 needed pictures. So far I have known exactly where to go for all but one location without having to consult a map or my GPS. I also knew about the problems of getting a receipt in Placitas. There is something to be said for the home court advantage. On to Cuba which is 75 miles away, get a receipt and move on another 100 miles north to Bloomfield and Aztec for a photo. I return from Aztec to Bloomfield and decide to eat something as I am finished unless I decide to go 40 miles west to Shiprock for 400 points. I decide against it as the 400 points divided by the 80 mile roundtrip will lower my score. How about that, I am finished early and can take my time returning to Albuquerque. I will not have a good score but it should be respectable. If I go north to Chama I can score big time but it is 2-3 hours there in the daylight. I would have to go there at 2 AM on strange backroads which besides being dangerous would not give me enough time to finish the rally in 24 hours and the penalties for being late are severe. So I eat my horrible microwaved burrito at the gas station and doublecheck my rally bonus sheets. And then I see it. I am not finished. One of my key combination bonuses is not complete. I still need a picture of a hotel in Gallup. The fastest way to Gallup is through Shiprock so I will get another 400 points. But the trip to Gallup is going to raise my total distance to 1200 miles. That will still be a higher score than I would get if I returned to the hotel and skipped Gallup so away I go. I know the road to Shiprock very well but I have only been on the road from there to Gallup once. It is long and lonely and the only thing out there are different Indian reservations. I am hoping that none of the younger set are out on the road after drinking and looking for some mischief. The same goes for the animals out there as it is really dark. Fortunately all I encounter is a skunk in the middle of the road. He is so surprised by my motorcycle that he just spins in circles in the middle of the road. I manage to avoid him but just barely. I really did not want to return to the rally covered in skunk juice. Finally I reach Gallup, get my picture and head for the rally hotel which is about another 160 miles. I arrive at 6:30, one half hour before the deadline. I feel fine but after I check in and they get my speedo reading I go to the room and sleep like a log for about 2 hours. I then go to the judges where they confirm my bonus locations. We all then go to a local restaurant for a meal and the awards. Everyone gets the same prize which is a water glass with this years logo on it. The overall winner gets a glass with their name etched into it. I score 21st out of 50 entrants and 39 finishers. I was quite disappointed but I had my reasons for choosing the route that I did. I will be reviewing everything to see if I could have improved on my northern route with more time planning and less time sleeping. Will I elect a competitive route next year or once again play it safe? I have to admit that the competitive urge is still alive inside me, I really would like an etched glass!
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