This past weekend I did something I've never done before. I participated the UpperCan 400 Motorcycle Rally. I've done a metric pile of charity rides, but a rally is different. Even though this is officially a charity rally, raising funds and awareness for Spinal Cord injuries. Entry fee was by donation only to your choice of charities eligible.
So what's the difference? Well a charity ride finds you and a bunch of other riders and you ride from point A-B and pay money for the privelege. A rally is has a bunch of different locations, each one with a point value attached. The idea is to choose a route that sees you collect as many points as possible, all the while following a rather devious description of the locations and, in some cases, the task at hand. You also must complete it and 'check in' back the finish line before a certain time, else you start losing points for every minute your late.
In the UpperCan 400, riders were given the rally pack, that contains the rules, and point values for each location 30 minutes before the start.
I rode down from Sudbury to Burlington on Friday afternoon. It was sweltering hot in Sudbury but surpisingly, got cooler the (relatively) the farther south I got. For some reason, I picked up my cold weather gear instead of my mesh stuff. By the time I got into Burlington I felt something akin to a twice baked potato. After a quick shower I hit up Tim Hortons for a bowl of chilli, which ensured my room at the Motel 6 would be rendered uninhabitable for decades, I ended up passing out on the bed watching the Simpsons around 10pm.
I woke up at 6, on the bike for 6:30am and ran over to Timmies for a Sausage (I think) breakfast dealie and a cup of coffee. Filled the bike up and headed for Waterdown to the rally start. I pulled into the lot NEXT to the start line in full view of everybody because I thought the entrance was a driveway, not a parking lot. Great start Magellan!
Matt even had a rally mascot. I didn't catch her name, and she seemed to be awefully busy doing something that required pylons. Not much of a looker either. Hey, what can you expect from a free range turtle laying eggs in the parking lot.
The rally packs were handed out at exactly T minus 30 minutes. Right, I didn't print out the map that Matt sent out the day before. Kinna hard to plan a route that way. Matt was prepared and handed me a map. Right. Pick out the locations with the highest point values, choose the route with most points along the way, and, leave some for the end in case you have time, else, you can blow past them to beat the deadline.
It pays to take the time to read the rally pack in full, turns out their was all kinds of extra bonuses available. This year it was water-towers. 150points for each one. I must've passed 50 of them. DOH!.
I pulled out 8:45am, Matt informed me I had exactly 8hrs and had to back by 4:45 else I'd start losing points. If I wasn't back by 5:30pm, you forfiet ALL your points.
First stop was in the bustling metropolis if Kilbride, where you had to find a sheer limestone 'cliff' in the middle of nowhere, on a tree was a sign showing the GPS coordinates. In order to get points for any location, you had to photograph your 'can' (Upper CAN 400 .. get it) with your rally number showing. When I signed in they handed me this can of Doctor Pepper. I thought it was a complementry dealie. If it hadn't been so early in the morning I would have drank it. Turns out you got bonus points if you finished with it unopened and unharmed. PHEW that was close! Bumped into a GS1200 rider named Steve there. After a brief discussion, we were going to be riding together for a bit.
Next stop, the Kelso conservation area. Right. Ever search for a 'park' on your GPS? Their not in there. After driving around for what felt like an hour, I actually stumbled across it!
Onward to Milton, aw crap! Not another park!! Worse, this one had a summer Solstice fair or something going on and was bumper to bumper everywhere. DAMN YOU RALLY MASTER! I finally found this one, the Chris Hadfield Park that paid tribute to the first Canadian to walk in space and who flew on two shuttle missions. Being Canadian his first words on the space walk were no doubt "HEY! I can see my igloo from here!" This one not only required a photo, but you had to answer a question written on the monument.
All aboard for Acton, find the "Old Hide House" and take your picture with the Welcome Bikers banner in the background. This one was so easy to find it was laughable. Their were big signs on the highway that you had to be blind to miss it. So I just followed the signs. And promptly rode right passed it. Twice.
Time to regroup, I'm getting in the general area but I'm having a hard time finding the actual locations. I bet I've wasted at least an hour in the first few stops because of this.
Examining my route sheet had me going to AW CRAP-DIDDLY-APP! Another conservation area! The Terra Cotta park had me going down a gravel road for a few kilometers. Managed to find it without to much problem though. Snap the pic and went and got a park map from the officer - a requirement to get the points.
Onto the World War 1 flying musuem on Mclaughlin Road in Brampton. A bit of ride for this one. A punched in the street and picked an address and went for it. Steve and I ran down Mclaughlin for about 10km. This is a long road and not an airport to be found. Steve passes me while sitting at a light to ask some guy on an HD where the airport was. We KNOW it's on Mclaughlin. HD rider points 'over yonder'. Okay, I'll follow. We ran down some side road for another 10km. I'm getting a little pissed, we KNOW it's on the other road. So we head back to the right street and just as we get to it, we see plane taking off. How lucky is that! Let this be a lesson. Never ask for directions from somebody stupid enough to buy a 1950 technology motorcycle. I have to go back to this museum though, I wanted to visit it. Apparently they have 2 working Lancaster bombers on display.
Next stop was Nobleton to see a castle on Loc Enes Cresc. I've lost Steve by this point. He was behind me, but there he was, gone. I find the 'castle'. Pretty neat!
Further north still, we need to find some stumps that look like people outside of some Flower Child Photography Shop. This one had an intersection to enter into the GPS for directions. Found it no problem. I was getting hungry by this point as it was near noon.
Onward to the Muddy Water Motel in Beeton. This is where my day started to unravel. He gave an actual address and I rode to it. No hotel there. It says clear as day, 25 Main St W. I'm standing there, and the street numbers go 23, then 29. 26 is directly across the road. Except where 25 should be is basically half an empty lot. WTH. I call Matt. I describe where I am, and swear up and down that my GPS says I'm at 25 Main St W. Turns out I was FACING west, but on Main Street East. The actual hotel was about 500 feet down the road. DOH. Cool place though, the sign says "Muddy Waters Hotel and Home for Wayward Girls". I'm gonna have to pay a visit here on a Saturday night. I was still hungry though. I stopped and got gas (bonus points - keep that receipt!) and grabbed a sammich and big bottle of water. It was getting hot again.
This was my turnaround point to head south and bag some more points close to the rally start if I had time. Then Steve pulls up and tells me that Flesherton has the biggest bonus of the Rally. 5000 points! I've got lots of time. I go for it.
Thats the last time I saw Steve until the finish. He said he was going to Wiarton which was a sucker bonus if ever there was one. NO WAY would he make it back in time. Even taking his big GS in a straightline through farm fields! On the way to Flesherton I rounded a corner and came upon an accident scene with a flatbed blocking both lanes. CRAP! I almost turned around and then realized.. it's a flat bed.. they pick up bikes with flat beds. SHIT! I hope that's not Steve in the weeds. So I snuck on up close and could see 4 wheels pointing in the air. Okay, good. Not him! Pull a UTurn and got about 10km out of my way to get around it.
I finally pull into Flesherton and stop at the "Bakery" and buy a giant Cinammon bun for $2.50. The girl behind the counter said that only a few rallists had shown up. Swweet! There was a special bonus here. I asked for it and got the bonus location. 10km away in Markdon was a mural you were supposed to take a picture of. Before going I checked my GPS back to the start line. If I left NOW I'd make it with 15 minutes to spare. To close. No special bonus for me.
I made tracks all the back to the start line only to hit EVERY red light possible. I pulled in with about 10 minutes to spare (and this is with me flat out hauling ass on some concession roads trying to widen my buffer).
But I made it back with my license, insurance and ownership still in the sealed envelope. No Police penalties here.
After Matt tallied up everybodies points he announce the winners for both the team and solo riders. I leave it for him to post up the final results. I ended up placing 4th with 16051 points in the solo category. Pretty good considering my route planning consisted of eyeballing the area of the map with the highest concentration of locations!
I spent the night at Mr. & Mrs Mooseheads and spent the night drinking beers and swapping stories on their back deck. Also got the full skinny on Mooseheads asphalt surfing episode coming back from Wheatnesses camp out. Huge thanks to them both!
I hope he does it again next year because I really had a blast doing it! I saw a pile of stuff I didn't know was out there, made some friends and even got to visit my dad's grave for Father's Day.
Good weekend!
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