The Official Thread for the May 2013 Boxerworks Rally
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 7:34 pm
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Hello all. I just received an inquiry as to exactly what are the dates for the May 2013 rally. My apologies. I've been remiss in keeping y'all properly informed.
The Official Dates are (drumroll) May 17, 18, and 19. That seemed to be the dates everybody prefers, including me. Of course you are welcome to arrive earlier and if you like leave later. It's just that the major activity will be on those three days.
The following is the previous (major) post I made on the rally. There's some good info there so I wanted to gather it into the now "Official Thread".
Boxerworks Spring Rally is on!
Postby Ken in Oklahoma » Thu Dec 06, 2012 2:05 pm
It’s time for a spring rally at my place. I’ve been missing you guys. (My fault because I’m the one who hasn’t hosted the rallies).
The rally is for Boxerworks guys (and the occasional gal), for Boxerworks lurkers, for people who own BMW motorcycles, for people who like BMW motorcycles (actual ownership not required), and for that matter, hell, for anybody who would like to hang out with such kinds of people.
You don’t need to bring a BMW either. You ride what puts a smile on your face. Pretty much the main requirement is that you want to be here.
This would probably be a good place to talk about when should we have the rally? I’m thinking about two different weekends. The first dates would be the 17th, 18th, and 19th of May, 2013. That’s sort of the traditional time period for the, uh, may rally
The other weekend would be 31 May and 1st and 2nd of June, 2013. I’m avoiding the weekend in between because that sort of encompasses Memorial day on the 27,th of May. That’s a long holiday weekend and I don’t think good timing for a rally, especially since many people put family before motorcycling.
As always the main theme is the universally acclaimed notion best described as “Decidedly Unorganized”. What that means is that there are no planned rides, no slow ride contests, no weenie on a string eating contests, no awards for best (or worst) of anything. You get the idea. Instead at some point somebody will say something like, “You guys gonna sit around all day? Let’s ride!”
And those who think that’s a good idea will start up their motorcycles and go for a ride.
About riding, those of you who haven’t been to a Boxerworks rally should know that where I live (which happens to be the official rally site) is 6 miles from the middle of the Talimena Scenic Drive, stretching from Talimena, OK to Mena, AR. If you don’t know this part of the country I suggest that you go on You Tube and search for, you guessed it, “Talimena Scenic Drive”. You ill see some videos that are guaranteed to get your motor running! There are other places to go and things to see, but typically most people choose the Talimena Scenic Drive.
Here’s some things you can expect when you arrive at the rally Site, or as I call it, “my place”. As you come through the gate you will see the all important porta potty, for those times when you really need one. A bit further and you will see a bunch of motorcycles, including a lot of (my personal favorites) Airheads. You will also see a bunch of people sitting around doing what we do best, BS’ing. A few of those people will interrupt those important sessions and will get up to greet you. They’ll start talking to you, forgetting that you can’t hear all that well with your helmet still on. Greetings over and motorcycle admired you find your way to the concrete pad in front of my garage (also known as Rally Central). Notice the parachute hung up like a giant parasol strung with a bunch of colorful lights–at least when it’s dark. Somebody will offer you a beer or soft drink and you will spot a lawn chair that looks good to you. You have arrived.
Here’s what you shouldn’t have to worry about. I will be laying in all the beer and soft drinks you will likely need. I will also have lots of breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods. I live out in the sticks, so to speak, and there aren’t many decent places to eat around here. You should also know that the Queen Wilhelmena lodge is closed. It is being rebuilt. Though camping is available there, there is no lodging or restaurant.
Most people will be eating here at the rally site though. For breakfast there will be things like bacon, eggs, cereals, bagels, cereals, and anything else that I can think of that might be wanted. If there’s something that you want to make sure I have on hand, say so and I will make sure it’s here. I will have a gas grill here which can be used to fry up things if that’s your pleasure. Basically you will rummage around in the ice boxes and on the table and pick whatever suits your fancy.
Lunch will be primarily sandwich fixings, but there’s nothing that says you can’t fix breakfast for lunch if you like.
For dinner there will be things like steaks, pork chops, chicken, and whatever else might sound good. Here’s where I expect to be departing a bit from what was done in the past. In the past there was a planned dinner menu, and somebody would make the meal, so to speak, cooking up a special recipe of theirs or some such. But that has kind of dwindled over the years. Last rally I was the “chef” for one meal, and it only worked out with the help of some fine ladies who rescued me. In the best of all possible worlds somebody would plan to fix one of their favorite meals and then do it. Friday night and Saturday night are the two big evening meals. Thursday, and Sunday nights there are usually only a handful of early arrivers and people left over on Sunday.
This is where I need help or ideas. As it stands now I’ll be laying in things for the evening meals, easy things that can be grilled mostly. And there will be accompanying mostly store bought things like salads, baked beans, and such. And there will also be store bought deserts. Nobody will go hungry and there will be good things to eat, but people may have to do a bit of impromptu rustling for themselves.
I would welcome somebody(s) chiming in and saying, hey I’ll do Friday night dinner and I’ll need X, Y, and Z. And I’ll make sure X, Y, and Z are here. It’ll work out, but it’s hard for me to be specific here.
Onto camping: A lot of people will be camping here. I have lots of room. Camping will be in the rough, meaning you will need to bring your camping gear. I have a few tarps, so you won’t have to load one of those bulky things on your motorcycle. I’ve got a gas powered weed eater which, if it runs, you can use to help clear out a site for yourself. I will have insect and tick repellents and you will need to use them, as you would camping anywhere. I will also have some LED flashlights to find your way to the porta potty in the dark of night.
For those less hardy folks, there is some lodging available nearby. About a half mile away from the site here there is the Big Cedar campground. They have about 3 cabins, I think, but they go fast. So you will need to hurry to get one. They also have lots of places for camper trailers and such. There is also the Talking Trees campground, about 15 miles away, up the mountain, across the Talimena Scenic Drive, then down the mountain and then hang a left towards Heavener. Then, about 5 miles away, you will see the Talking Trees campground is on the right. I don’t know what all they have to offer, but the last time I looked their website talked about “primitive” cabins, or words something like that. Also the Queen Wilhelmena lodge/campground has their campground open for RV campers, and also some tent sites.
Basically what I’m trying to do here is to have the stuff you need so you don’t have to load up your motorcycles with “stuff”. Don’t worry about lawn chairs. I’ve got plenty of ‘em.
I’ve also got a lot of wood to burn and a fire pit to burn it in. I should have done that years ago.
What about fees? There aren’t any as such. I do put out a kitty for donations. That’s worked for me in the past, and I think it works out for the rally goers as well
I would eventually like to know who all is coming. That’s so I can get an idea of how many people will be here and how much “stuff” I’ll need to lay in. If you say you’re coming and then you discover you can’t make it, that’s OK. In the same vein, if you discover that you can make it to the rally at the last minute, that’s really OK. The important thing here is to have people gathered around for a pretty damn good time. And if you have any unusual needs or wants, give me a holler and I’ll see what I can do. For example, it’s OK to arrive earlier or leave later than the scheduled dates. I’d just like to know so I can plan accordingly.
That’s all I can think of at the moment. Later, with Randy’s help we can get some maps up and such. Also Randy has tons of pics of past rallies, if they’re still in his online photo album. Randy?
Let me hear what you’re thinking, whether you think you can make it or not.
I’d like to hear some chatter about the rally, whether or not you think you can come. That’s one of the fun parts about having a rally.
The best way to contact me will probably be by PM through Boxerworks. You can also email me. I’m going to list my email in a “cute” manner hoping that you can decipher it and the mal bots can’t.
It is kenclev leave out these words dot com.
Ken
I do have spools on the swingarm, but I'm betting you don't have a rear wheel stand in your vast and varied tool collection.
