A half day at the BMW MOA National Rally

I attended one other BMW MOA National Rally, West Bend, Wisconsin, in 2007. It seems to me that the BMW rallies are more family oriented than other manufacturers. Although, I may get some rebuttal on this, and thatโ€™s okay. Iโ€™d love to hear about your family outings at motorcycle rallies and events.

My brother was planning on attending, and this event was very near the start of the Oregon Trail. So, I decided to spend a half day with Brian, perusing the vendors and talking with others.

BMW_rally-11

It was a hot, scorching day with temps approaching 100 degrees. I lucked out by not pre-registering. The pre-registered line was massive, and I was about 10 people back in the not-registered line. Something seems amiss with this fact. You pre-register so you donโ€™t have to stand in line, right?

BMW_rally-2

BMW_rally

Everyone seemed to be headed to the air-conditioned buildings, me included. The variety of vendors was substantial, and there was plenty to look at even for a non-BMW owner. Lots of accessories. I also met a number of folks, including a face to face visit with Tom Lowdermilk, producer and host of SideStandUp. Iโ€™ve been on his program a couple of times as guest and correspondent and a chat-room visitor for a couple of years.

Finally, the time arrived. The Oregon Trail beckoned, and I departed Sedalia, Missouri, for the start of the trail in Independence, Missouri, on the Missouri River.

See you on the highway.

Brent

My States Visited by Motorcycle Map

I am home and writing. There are quite a few stories to tell. One of the goals of this adventure was to fill in a big chunk of geography on my States Visited by Motorcycle Map.

Here is the before, last updated in September 2010:

And the after, accomplished on July 31 when I entered Minnesota:

States_visited_July-31-2012

Riding 19 days and 5,979 miles, about 2,200 miles of it on The Oregon Trail. That story is coming soon.

What does your States Visited Map look like?

See you on the highway.

Brent

 

Stay tuned

Iโ€™ve been on the road. I am working on several stories.

OrTrail-64

See you on the highway.

Brent