- Joined
- Jan 1, 2005
- Messages
- 4,454
- Reaction score
- 1,175
- Location
- Buda, TX
- First Name
- Rich
- Last Name
- Gibbens
Around the Bend rally
Feb 27 - Mar 1, 2020
Around the Bend rally: an annual 4 day motorcycle rally in the Big Bend region of Texas. For 2020 the rally is scheduled Thursday - Sunday, Feb 27- Mar 3, 2020. 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.
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: Big Bend offers some of the longest public dirt roads in Texas and is unlike anything else in the state. 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.
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, 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 Friday 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.
There is also some good dirt on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande for the dual sport adventure riders.
If you do decide to ride in Mexico be sure to bring your passport or passcard because US Customs will need to see it before they let you back into the United States.
Is it safe? The number one question I get asked is whether the much publicized Mexico drug war is taking place in the Big Bend area. Is it safe to ride in and around Big Bend? 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. There have been annual motorcycle rallies in Big Bend going back for more than a dozen years and in all that time I have not heard of a single rally incident related to the drug war.
Rally format:
Thursday, Feb 27th: 5:30 pm - 8 pm, Fajita dinner, High Sierra Bar & Grill, Terlingua
- rally check-in
- rider meet & greet
- fajita buffet
Friday, Feb 28th
7:00 am, breakfast at the Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe, Study Butte
7:30 - 8:00 am, late arrival check in, Motor Inn Cafe
8:00 am, riders meeting, Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe parking lot
8:00 - 5 pm, organize a group and ride wherever you want
5 pm - 9 pm, meet on the porch in Terlingua, dinner at the Starlight Theater
Saturday, Feb 29th
7:00 am, breakfast at the Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe,Study Butte
8:00 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
Sunday, March 1st End of rally
Ride HQ: The El Dorado Hotel, located in Terlingua, is ride HQ for this year's rally and features several choices for lodging.
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 and will be sleeping on the ground somewhere out in the desert.
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. If you register by Feb 6th you will receive a free custom designed t-shirt and a rally sticker for your motorcycle or automobile.
Early registration: now - Feb 6th.
Late registration: Feb 7th - start of rally
How to register:
You can register in one of two ways. You can send payment to me electronically via paypal using the family/friends option or you can mail a check or money order to me at the address below. No matter which registration method you choose please include the following information:
- Your name (first and last)
- Your t-shirt size
- Your email address
When I receive your registration I will send an email confirmation to you. If you have registered and did not receive a confirmation email then it means either a) I have not received your registration or b) I have made a mistake (I didn't register you or I forgot to send you a confirmation). In any case, if you don't get a confirmation email from me, please let me know so you and I can solve the issue.
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 6th, contact me and I will refund 100% of your registration fee. If you cancel at some point after Feb 6th, you will receive a partial refund (for example, if I've already paid for the Thursday dinner 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 25th and posted here.
Feb 27 - Mar 1, 2020
Around the Bend rally: an annual 4 day motorcycle rally in the Big Bend region of Texas. For 2020 the rally is scheduled Thursday - Sunday, Feb 27- Mar 3, 2020. 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.
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: Big Bend offers some of the longest public dirt roads in Texas and is unlike anything else in the state. 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.
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, 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 Friday 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.
There is also some good dirt on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande for the dual sport adventure riders.
If you do decide to ride in Mexico be sure to bring your passport or passcard because US Customs will need to see it before they let you back into the United States.
Is it safe? The number one question I get asked is whether the much publicized Mexico drug war is taking place in the Big Bend area. Is it safe to ride in and around Big Bend? 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. There have been annual motorcycle rallies in Big Bend going back for more than a dozen years and in all that time I have not heard of a single rally incident related to the drug war.
Rally format:
Thursday, Feb 27th: 5:30 pm - 8 pm, Fajita dinner, High Sierra Bar & Grill, Terlingua
- rally check-in
- rider meet & greet
- fajita buffet
Friday, Feb 28th
7:00 am, breakfast at the Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe, Study Butte
7:30 - 8:00 am, late arrival check in, Motor Inn Cafe
8:00 am, riders meeting, Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe parking lot
8:00 - 5 pm, organize a group and ride wherever you want
5 pm - 9 pm, meet on the porch in Terlingua, dinner at the Starlight Theater
Saturday, Feb 29th
7:00 am, breakfast at the Big Bend Motor Inn Cafe,Study Butte
8:00 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
Sunday, March 1st End of rally
Ride HQ: The El Dorado Hotel, located in Terlingua, is ride HQ for this year's rally and features several choices for lodging.
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 and will be sleeping on the ground somewhere out in the desert.
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. If you register by Feb 6th you will receive a free custom designed t-shirt and a rally sticker for your motorcycle or automobile.
Early registration: now - Feb 6th.
Late registration: Feb 7th - start of rally
How to register:
You can register in one of two ways. You can send payment to me electronically via paypal using the family/friends option or you can mail a check or money order to me at the address below. No matter which registration method you choose please include the following information:
- Your name (first and last)
- Your t-shirt size
- Your email address
When I receive your registration I will send an email confirmation to you. If you have registered and did not receive a confirmation email then it means either a) I have not received your registration or b) I have made a mistake (I didn't register you or I forgot to send you a confirmation). In any case, if you don't get a confirmation email from me, please let me know so you and I can solve the issue.
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 6th, contact me and I will refund 100% of your registration fee. If you cancel at some point after Feb 6th, you will receive a partial refund (for example, if I've already paid for the Thursday dinner 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 25th and posted here.
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