Palmetto Ramble, March 2002

I entered my first-ever endurance motorcycle rally in March, the Palmetto Ramble starting in Columbia, S.C.  It was a great entry-level rally, with an 11-hour and 600 mile cap.  Here's the tale:

The rally really started for me on Sunday, when the Rally Master's released the locations of the bonus points, complete with GPS coordinates.  My wife and I spent most of Sunday afternoon plotting out the locations on a big map.  She surprised me by returning from a Girl Scout function later that night with a Garmin GPS V, which helped considerably with the planning and actually riding to the various locations.

Paul Wilson rode down from DC on Thursday night prior to the rally, arriving about 10 p.m., just as I was finishing up wiring the GPS power to the bike's auxiliary power supply and getting the RAM mount set up on the handle bar.  It's a way cool setup that I am very happy with.  I had also added the BMW touring screen to the bike a few days earlier and it also was a very good choice.  We talked routes for a bit and turned in.

On Friday we met up with Rick Bloxom and Jack Hornbeck for the ride down to Columbia and the four of us headed west on Rt. 58, picking up Rt. 258 down through North Carolina and then running south on I-95.  We ran at about 100 mile increments, stopping for restroom breaks and a gas/lunch stop.  We arrived at the hotel about 4:30 or so, having met up with another rider in N.C., so we were five heading into Columbia.

After a Pizza Party/Riders Meeting, Paul and I headed back to the room to revisit our routes.  We ended up leaning toward a westerly route to the mountains, although I had some misgivings about riding in the hill country in the rain and cooler temperatures.  However, that route had the same points value as the easterly route I favored, so that became the plan.  I ran into some trouble trying to configure the GPS to the new route (I had my top choices pre-loaded), but had all the waypoints in and figured I could just navigate from waypoint to waypoint.  This worked well in theory, but was less successful in practice, as I later realized I need to rely more on paper maps in addition to the GPS -- more on that in a bit.

We were up early -- about 4:30 or so thanks to an over-eager rally rider in the next room who couldn't seem to get the squeaky shower knobs adjusted just right, despite 15 minutes of trying.  We finally gave in, got the bikes set up and went down for the breakfast meeting.  There were a few last-minute details and then it was back for the final bike prep and gear donning before lining up in the parking lot in the dark and getting our initial odo checks.  A little before 6 the parade started to the first checkpoint -- an Odometer check 17.1 miles away.  Fortunately the weather was fairly warm, however, a drizzle started as we were pulling out of the lot.

Paul and I were near the back of the pack, which was actually a comfortable place to be.  We pulled off at the checkpoint, got our rally books signed and headed toward the Interstate.  We headed north on I-26 back toward Columbia where I thought we would pick up 20 South/West where we could keep up the speeds, although it was a bit longer in distance.  Paul had other plans, however, and we peeled off onto US1 to Batesburg-Leesburg.  By now it was raining with purpose and the dark night was fading to gray skies.  We soon turned on Rt. 178 West on our way to Saluda and the first two bonus locations (other than the Odo check).  What we soon found was that the GPS coordinates for the school in Saluda were square in the middle of a road, surrounded by a few houses.  No school in sight.  We searched a few nearby areas before deciding to blow the location off and move on to the next one, a mural along a wall in downtown Saluda.  We found that with no problem and huddled in a doorway to write down the answer to the bonus question (what year was some treaty signed) out of the rain.

As we packed away the rally books, Paul decided his discomfort had reached an extreme level and after a few minutes of discussion, we decided to split our team up, and he headed back toward the hotel while I pressed on alone. I was a bit miffed that we would have a penalty for breaking up the team and that Paul knew this route much better than I, but I was having a blast and certainly didn't want Paul riding if he was feeling uncomfortable.  As the rally masters said repeatedly, "it's only a $45 trophy."

Fortunately for me, the GPS V has auto-routing, so I just called up the next bonus location and let it plot a course to Honea Path, 51 miles away (we were already 50 or so miles into the rally).  As I was pulling away a cool looking BMW GS pulled up with another bike (maybe a Connie?).  They caught up with me about 15 miles down the road and they were hauling ass!  They blew by me (in the pouring rain) and figuring they were running a radar detector, I tucked in behind them.  We soon came to Greenwood and I followed them onto the bypass.  A few miles later they had pulled a half mile or so ahead of me, but as I caught up to them at a stoplight, the GPS told me to turn right, so I did.  They kept going straight.

As I was approaching Honea Path, they came up behind me again, so I guess I made the right turn :-).  They pulled off into a gas station and I found the town hall, which was suspiciously disguised as a police station.  I saw another rider there (the guy in the blue 'stich) and we confirmed we both got the same answer.  He headed out of town and I looked for a gas station where I could gas up, take a leak and warm up.  By now my gloves were getting pretty soaked and I figured a 15 minute stop was in order.

After a nice chat with the store attendant I headed out and two u-turns later was on the way to my next bonus location in Anderson.  Once again the GPS led me right to the spot and within five minutes I was back on the road again.  As I pulled off the rider I saw in Honea Path rode up.  He must have either gotten lost or already snagged another bonus, since I had taken that extended break.

Now here's where looking at the map would have helped, but unfortunately it was in my tank bag, under the rain cover.  For some reason I picked the Clemson bonus location that was farthest away and made the least amount of sense, but by just looking at the GPS screen, it's easy to see how I did it.  At any rate, I ended up riding up to the northern end of Rt. 123, riding within 4 miles or so of another bonus location that I came back to get within an hour or so. Doh!  A good lesson learned in hind-sight.

Anyway, stopped along Rt. 123 to get some info off a historic marker, wondering how nuts I must look standing by a motorcycle in the pouring rain writing in a little folder.  I quickly mounted back up and headed to the Old Stone Church.  I did a lap around the church without seeing the cornerstone marker, then rode down to another church that was just over the hill.  I finally turned around and went back up, where I met up with another Rally rider on a Gold Wing.  We chatted for a few minutes -- he was on his third set of gloves and had just come up from Crossroads, GA., a bonus I was avoiding.  He was heading into the mountains and I was at my decision point.

For the past hour or so my hands had become extremely cold and wet.  In fact, I could feel the water on my palms as I twisted the throttle and pulled in the clutch.  I wasn't sure what to do next, but needed to find a bathroom, so I headed to a nearby gas station to warm up, call my wife, get the call-in bonus (it was about 11:15) and think things through.  With my hands being so cold and wet, I didn't want to press on to Walhalla the mountains and ride in even colder weather, so I made an executive decision -- new gloves.

I bought a lottery ticket at the gas station (another bonus -- the ticket, not the station) and fired up the GPS.  Before I had headed out on Friday I had loaded the GPS with the coordinates for all the BMW dealers in Va., Ga., NC and SC, in case I needed them on the way.  I decided to hit the first of the Greenville bonuses (4 miles from where I had passed earlier, DOH!) and then ride into Greenville to the dealer and buy some new gloves -- Widder electrics if they had them.  I snagged the J&S Small Engine Repair bonus and followed the GPS into Greenville to Sport Touring BMW, with a much-needed warm-up and lunch break at a McDonalds along the way.  It was about 1:30 p.m. by the time I got to the dealer, and I admit, I took my time while I was there.  There was something about putting my soaking wet, cold helmet back on that made it tough to get moving again.

I left the BMW shop with about three hours to get some bonuses and ride the 100 or so miles back to Columbia.  By now it was REALLY pouring, so I figured it would take at least two hours to get back to Columbia.  Here's where relying totally on the GPS was a mistake.  I spent about 15 minutes riding in circles... first it put me on I-85 heading north, then made me exit at the next exit... where I soon found I was re-tracing my steps.  After a few more confusing minutes, I finally decided to skip the other Greenville bonus, despite the high point value, and head to Blair... an out of the way location, but it was roughly between me and Columbia.

I was soon on the Interstate heading East and making good time.  I got to the exit for Blair about 3:30 and had a decision to make.  Blair was 20 minutes from the interstate, worth 260 or so points.  I figured it was at least a 40, and maybe 50 minute detour, and I still had more than 30 miles to go to Columbia, plus I needed to get my 6-pack bonus (600 points).  I decided to pass on Blair, not wanting to ride all this way and then get time barred, and figuring if it came to a jam or some heavy rains that slowed me down, the 6-pack was worth more than the Blair bonus.  In looking back, I think I would have made both just fine, but I was playing it safe. 

I made it into Columbia around 4 p.m., stopped for gas and a 6-pack and decided to bag the best Columbia bonus at a local Quarry.  However, I had a bit of trouble finding it, and finally bagged it, arriving at the hotel with 15 minutes to spare.  I got dried off and turned in my rally book -- finding out I netted 6,301 points, good for 31st place out of 36 finishers.  Uggg.  Should have gone for the two Walhalla bonuses and tracked down the other Greenville bonus -- those three alone would have given me more than 3,000 more points.  Oh well, such is the fate of a rally rookie.

All in all I had a fantastic time, despite riding nearly 400 miles in the cold and wet.  It became noticeably warmer as I headed east on the tail end of the route, and in hind sight, I should have pushed harder to ride the easterly route I was most familiar with.  I think I would have been better suited to balance what the GPS told me with what I knew from studying the map as well.  But here again is something I learned -- be prepared for the unexpected and make the most of it.

Heck, I'm proud of the fact I was able to get new gloves in Greenville -- I consider that a bonus of sorts -- I made a decision, went for it, and was much more comfortable and safe as a result.  I will also make a cheat-sheet of the bonuses I'm looking for next time, so as I pull up at a location I know exactly what I'm looking for and don't have to hunt through the rally book for the question.  A note card with the "extra" bonuses -- lottery ticket, state park stamps, etc., will also get affixed to a prominent location on the bike, so it's an easy reference, as will detailed location descriptions, in addition to the GPS coordinates.  I think I'll also study my alternate routes a bit more, so I'll be able to better balance what the GPS tells me with what I know to be true.  However, since I just got the GPS on the Sunday before the ride, I think I really used it well, all things considered.

At any rate, thanks to the rally masters and everyone who participated.  Paul and I had a good ride north on Sunday, splitting around Rocky Mount, NC where I headed east to Chesapeake and Paul moved on toward DC.