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Around the Bend & Lone Star Reunion Feb 28 - Mar 3, 2019

Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Messages
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Location
Buda, TX
First Name
Rich
Last Name
Gibbens
Around the Bend rally & Lone Star BMW/Triumph Reunion

Feb 28 - Mar 3, 2019

Around the Bend rally: an annual 4 day motorcycle rally in the Big Bend region of Texas. For 2019 the rally is scheduled Thursday - Sunday, Feb 28- Mar 3, 2019. All riders are invited to attend on their street legal motorcycles.



What kind of rally is this? This motorcycle rally is open to one and all. Street-only, adventure, and dual sport riders are all invited to attend. Come by yourself or bring some friends. Ride when you want and where you want. Have an adventure. Got a few extra days off? Then come out early. Or stay a few days late. The main point is to have fun. Please note that there is no legal, public off-road riding in the Big Bend area so all motorcycles have to be properly tagged and registered.

Lone Star BMW/Triumph Reunion: Were you a customer or friend of the original Lone Star BMW/Triumph motorcycle store in Austin - back when Lone Star was located on Lamar blvd, prior to it being sold to Wood’s Fun Center? If so, you likely recall what an exceptional dealership they were. Remember the great Christmas party those guys used to throw every year for their customers? In addition to being really fun, those parties gave the motorcycle community an annual opportunity to gather to see old friends, make new ones, and let the folks at Lone Star BMW how much we appreciated their support of our community. Well, with the two owners (Robert and Peter) now retired and the business sold to Wood’s Fun Center those parties are a thing of the past. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t get together one more time and reminisce about Lone Star BMW “back in the day”. As such, we are hosting a Lone Star BMW/Triumph reunion in conjunction with the Around the Bend rally so that former customers and friends of the store can come together just like we did at those wonderful Christmas parties. Robert, and his lovely wife Carla Cay, have retired to the Terlingua area and are hosting a hot dog social on Friday evening. They have extending invitations to all their former store customers and friends to join them at their home in Big Bend on Friday night.

What is the riding like in the Big Bend region? There is both paved and unpaved riding all around the Big Bend area.
-
Street riders​
There are some awesome paved roads in the Big Bend area that really shouldn't be missed, especially if you are a Texas motorcyclist. In fact, Hwy 170, aka "River Road" is one of the top 5 motorcycling roads in Texas.

-
Dual Sport and Adventure Riders​
Lots of dual sport riders show up to ride the Big Bend boonies, so if you've always wanted to play in the dirt at Big Bend but just haven't made it yet, this is a wonderful opportunity to do so.


Where can we ride?
-
Street riders:​
You can ride in Big Bend National Park (BBNP) and various other roads in the area. Some popular riding destinations for street-only riders are BBNP, Presidio, Fort Davis, Marfa, and Mexico (yes, Mexico).

-
Dual sport riders​
: There are a number of primitive dirt roads in both BBNP and Big Bend Ranch State Park (The Ranch). BBNP is the most popular riding choice for most because the dirt riding there is superb but The Ranch has some good stuff too. Note that riding larger adventure bikes bit in The Ranch can be quite challenging due to the ruggedness of the roads. There is also some excellent dirt riding across the border in Mexico too for those who want a bit more adventure.



If you've never been to Big Bend and would like a guide, I sell a Big Bend ride guide with planned routes & GPS tracks. The guide includes pavement-only routes and dual sport/adventure routes. Ordering information can be found on my website, www.texasadventure.net.

Is someone leading a ride one or both days? This year's event is a rally, not a ride. Which means there is no planned route that everyone will be riding. Instead, riders will self-organize into groups each morning and select where they want to ride that day.

That being said, there is a planned ride on Friday morning for Big Bend dual sport newbies. If this is your first time at Big Bend and you don’t know where to ride, or don’t have any riding partners yet, or don’t have a lot of dirt riding experience, then this is the ride for you. Friday’s course will be led by an experienced rider and will consist of both dirt and pavement. It will be a “no drop” ride, meaning the group will ride together and no one will be left behind. The route will be suitable for all dual sport adventure bikes and riders of all skill levels (i.e. not a lot of sand or challenging riding sections).

I’ve never been to a rally before. If you have never attended a rally and you don't know anyone, come on out anyway. We are a really friendly bunch of people and welcome new riders. You will easily be able to find a group to ride with or you can join the newbie ride on Friday. If you are an experienced dirt rider and need a group to ride with, just ask around - you will quickly find a suitable group to join. For those needing a group to ride with, we will be organizing riding groups immediately following the morning riders meeting.

Can we ride in Mexico? Absolutely. There is a really awesome canyon (Peguis Canyon) about 25 miles south of Ojinaga, Mexico that is well worth a visit. You don't need to do any paperwork to visit it either but you will need your vehicle registration to ride into Mexico. On the Mexico side of the international bridge Mexican officials will stop you and compare the VIN of your motorcycle with the VIN on your vehicle registration to ensure they match. Once they have done so, they will wave you through. From there head south through Ojinaga on the main road and about 25 paved miles later you will arrive at the canyon overlook.

Bring your passport or passcard because US Customs will need to see it before they let you back into the United States.

There is also some good dirt on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande for the dual sport adventure riders.

Is it safe? Mexico sure is close, is the Big Bend area safe?. As of this writing all the border drug stuff you've been hearing about on the news hasn't been an issue in the Big Bend region.

The rally format consists of:

Thursday, Feb 28th: 5:30 pm - 8 pm, Fajita dinner, High Sierra Bar & Grill, Terlingua
rally check-in
rider meet & greet
fajita buffet

Friday, March 1st
6:30 am, breakfast at the Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe, Study Butte
7:00 - 7:30 am, late arrival check in, Motor Inn Cafe
7:30 am, riders meeting, Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe parking lot
8:00 - 5 pm, organize a group and ride wherever you want
8:00 - 5 pm, Newbie dual sport ride, Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe parking lot
5 pm - 9 pm, meet on the porch in Terlingua, dinner at the Starlight Theater
5:30 pm - 8 pm, Lone Star BMW/Triumph Reunion hot dog social, Robert and CC Krull’s home (directions to their home will be provided at Thursday’s rider check in)


Saturday, March 2nd
6:30 am, breakfast at the Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe,Study Butte
7:30 am, riders meeting, Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe parking lot
8:00 am - 5 pm, organize a group and ride wherever you want
5:30 pm - 8 pm, catered dinner at the Big Bend Resort Party Barn, Study Butte


Sunday, March 3rd End of rally

Ride HQ: Big Bend Resort, located in Study Butte and just minutes from the west entrance to Big Bend National Park, is ride HQ for this year's rally and features two choices for lodging,.

The Motor Inn has a total of 51 non-smoking rooms spread across seven buildings. Lodging options vary from a small house to traditional motel rooms.

The Mission Lodge, located across the street from the Motor Inn has 35 non-smoking motel rooms spread across two buildings. There is also one small apartment.

Wi-Fi is available in the Conference Center, Café, and Lobby area. Guests staying in western facing rooms can enjoy spectacular sunset views over Bee Mountain.

There are multiple other motel and cabin rentals available in the Study Butte / Terlingua area. A google search will help you locate them. The Chisos Mining Company motel and the El Dorado motel have been very popular with riders at past rallies.


Where ever you decide to stay, make your reservations now - every motel in the Terlingua area will be completely booked during the rally. If you wait you won't find a room in the area and will have to make other arrangements.

Can I camp? Yes, you can. Camping is available at the Big Bend resort and other pay-to-camp places in the area (a google search will help you locate them).

Registration: $80 per participant
Your registration includes rally attendance, Thursday evening fajita dinner, Saturday evening dinner and banquet, a Texas Adventure Rider baseball cap, and a custom moto screen for your motorcycle or automobile.

How to register:
Click on this link to register.

Pay via paypal by sending payment to me at rgibbens@austin.rr.com.

Pay via the postal service by sending your payment to:
Richard Gibbens
12609 Red Bud Trail
Buda, TX 78610

Cancelation: If you need to cancel your rally registration prior to Feb 7th, contact me and I will refund 100% of your registration fee. If you cancel at some point after Feb 7th, you will receive a partial refund (for example, if I've already paid for the Thursday fajita meal and can't get that money refunded from the restaurant then your refund will be minus the cost of the meal).

Weather decision: There is always a (remote) possibility of bad weather. If bad weather is forecasted a weather decision will be made on Tuesday, Feb 26th and posted here.[/SIZE]
 
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Four!


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Motel reservation made. I can only make the Saturday rides, won’t get there till late Friday. Hope I can still get the cap and sticker!

Also, Trailboss check your rally end date. March 25 ??!!! Hehehe [emoji3]
 
Big Bend Resorts Hotel shows completely booked other than one ADA room. Is this correct or do you have a block of rooms reserved?
 
Weather decision: There is always a (remote) possibility of bad weather. If bad weather is forecasted a weather decision will be made on Tuesday, Feb 26th and posted here.[/SIZE]

Just a heads up for you hotel folks, there's a 72 hour cancellation policy so you'll want to make your decision a bit earlier.
 
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In!!! Going to head down the weekend prior and do some hiking prior to the mayhem.
 
Riders,

Please note that I have added link to the registration form in the first post in this thread. If you are attending the rally, please click on the link and complete the registration form.

Thank you. :)
 
Got my place - staying at a place I found on AirBnB right across the highway from the ghost town. Dawn and I are getting there on the 24th so if anyone wants to do some hiking with us gimme a holla.
 
Sounds like a Ride ! I'm in. Im going to do some dutch oven meals this trip if anyone wants in on it.....Zeke, Marc ?
 
Got my place - staying at a place I found on AirBnB right across the highway from the ghost town. Dawn and I are getting there on the 24th so if anyone wants to do some hiking with us gimme a holla.

ABB has some awesome properties around BB. I stayed at one a few months ago...beats the one room hotels
 
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