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Registration for the 2013 Around the Bend rally is open. Download the registration form here.
Mark your calendars: The 6th Annual Uncle's Around the Bend motorcycle rally and the first Uncle's Desert Challenge is Mar 7 - 10, 2013 in Terlingua, Texas.
This is the 6th year of Uncle's rally and, as always, this event is open to everyone. It doesn't matter if you are a street-only or a dual sport rider, there is plenty of great riding for all.
This is also the first year for Uncle's Desert Challenge - a one day dual sport challenge that will test man and machine.
What kind of rally is this? It's a motorcycle rally 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 on out early. Or stay a few days late. The main point is to have fun.
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 go play in the dirt at Big Bend but just haven't made it yet, this is a wonderful opportunity to do so. If you want something a little tougher then consider registering for Uncle's Desert Challenge.
Uncle's Desert Challenge For any dual sport riders wanting an extra dose of adventure, Uncle is pleased to announce the addition of Uncle's Desert Challenge to this year's rally. Uncle's challenge is a one day long-distance dirt ride designed to test your skill and stamina. On Friday challenge riders leave early to ride a specially designed timed loop course consisting of 95% class 1, 2, and 3 roads. The course is long and difficult and will take most or all of the day to complete. Those riders who complete the entire course in the allotted time will receive a finisher's award.
Registration Check-In Pick up your registration packet 6-7 pm, Thursday evening, March 7th, at the High Sierra Bar and Grill (at the start of the Friday night fajita dinner). Registration ends Wednesday, Feb 20th to provide enough time to order the commemorative glasses and challenge award. Registrations received after Feb 20th will be handled as late registrations.
Late Registration Got commitment issues? You can register late at the rider check-in table on Thursday evening, 6-7pm, at the High Sierra Bar and Grill. Late registration gets you rally attendance, two breakfast buffets and the Saturday night banquet and show.
Thursday Night Meet and Greet Fajita Dinner The High Sierra Grill is hosting us on Thursday night, 6-8 pm, with a Fajita Dinner on their upstairs deck. This dinner is included with your paid rally registration.
Breakfast Buffet and Rider Meeting: The Starlight Theater Restaurant is providing a breakfast buffet on Friday and Saturday morning from 6:00 - 8 am. The buffets on both days are included with your rally registration.
Friday Night Rider Rally Friday evening 6-8 p.m. the Starlight Theater will have a bar set up just for us on their back courtyard area.
Friday Night Dinner and Entertainment The Starlight Theater Restaurant is bringing in some special entertainment on Friday night.
Saturday Night Banquet and Show This year's banquet is at the Party Barn in Study Butte. Sandy, the Fire Twirler, who was the featured performer at the 2012 rally is performing an encore show for us this year that you don't want to miss. The banquet and show are included with your paid registration.
Commemorative Drinking Glass A commemorative engraved drinking glass is included with your paid registration. You get one glass with your registration, however extras are available for order with your registration. Only a very few extras will be available for purchase during the event. If you wait until the event to late register the odds are that you probably won't get one. If you wait until the event to try and buy an extra one you probably won't get it. Like I said, limited quantities.
Texas Adventure Rider t-shirts? A time or two each year I have a new batch of limited edition Texas Adventure Rider t-shirts printed up. This is one of those times. If you don't have one of the new ones, now is your opportunity. Order one with your registration.
Texas Adventure Riders stickers You can order stickers with your registration. Medium stickers are $2 each, Small stickers are $1 each.
Hanging Out at Uncle's Place: Uncle's got a nice place in Terlingua. Please feel free to stop by and say hello. The grid coordinates to Uncle's
place are 29°18'49.32"N 103°36'33.39"W.
Sleeping: Need a place to sleep? The El Dorado hotel in Terlingua is "hotel central". Their phone number is 432-371-2111. Call early, ask for Deena, and let her know you are with Uncle's group to get the group rate. They always get booked, so make your reservations now. For other motel options in the area, see the Big Bend ride guide or Google.
Want to camp? Free camping is available at Gareth Park (across the street from the El Dorado Hotel). The land is private property but the owner allows us to use the land during this event. It's just raw land so no hook-ups or anything like that but it did have an outhouse the last time I was there. In the past, most campers end up at Gareth Park, which can be good and bad (good = lots of folks to hang out & visit with; bad = might be a little too close to snoring campers; the good probably outweighs the bad). There are also several pay camp sites where you can pitch a tent for a few dollars. See the Big Bend ride guide or Google for a list of all the motels & camping places.
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; just cross the border and head south, you can't miss it. Bring your passport or passcard though, because you will need it to get back into the United States.
Is it safe? Mexico sure is close. 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.
About the $85 registration fee
Some of you may have noted that the cost of registration is quite a bit higher than my other rallies ($85 for this rally vs. about $45 for my other rallies). I realize $85 is a lot so please let me explain. At my other rallies your registration fee covers the commemorative item (t-shirt or mug), banquet meal costs, banquet hall rental costs, and money to pay those working at the rally. Well, at Uncle's Rally you get all that and more. Uncle's rally includes 3 additional meals (Thursday night dinner and 2 breakfast meals) plus paid entertainment at Saturday night's banquet. My past rallies have shown that most riders do indeed eat breakfast and supper, and considering the limited resources available in the area to serve large groups I thought it reasonable to include the additional items with your registration.
Your registration includes:
- rally attendance
- commemorative engraved event drinking glass
- Thursday night fajita buffet
- Friday morning breakfast buffet
- Saturday morning breakfast buffet
- Saturday evening banquet meal
- Saturday evening show
The parking lot of the Starlight Theater Restaurant is ideal for a rider's meeting, but the Starlight Theater Restaurant is not open for breakfast. I thought it made the most sense to have coffee and breakfast available at our rider's meeting location and have arranged for them to open exclusively for us. A buffet is more time efficient so that all riders will have an opportunity to eat in a reasonable amount of time.
Refunds Want to attend but not sure if your schedule will permit? If you early register and then aren't able to make the rally let me know and I will provide a 100% refund (minus any paypal fees if you paid by paypal) until Wednesday, Feb 20th, when early registration ends. After that your registration refund will be pro-rated based on when you cancel.
Hope to see you in Terlingua.
Download the registration form here.
Mark your calendars: The 6th Annual Uncle's Around the Bend motorcycle rally and the first Uncle's Desert Challenge is Mar 7 - 10, 2013 in Terlingua, Texas.
This is the 6th year of Uncle's rally and, as always, this event is open to everyone. It doesn't matter if you are a street-only or a dual sport rider, there is plenty of great riding for all.
This is also the first year for Uncle's Desert Challenge - a one day dual sport challenge that will test man and machine.
What kind of rally is this? It's a motorcycle rally 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 on out early. Or stay a few days late. The main point is to have fun.
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 go play in the dirt at Big Bend but just haven't made it yet, this is a wonderful opportunity to do so. If you want something a little tougher then consider registering for Uncle's Desert Challenge.
Uncle's Desert Challenge For any dual sport riders wanting an extra dose of adventure, Uncle is pleased to announce the addition of Uncle's Desert Challenge to this year's rally. Uncle's challenge is a one day long-distance dirt ride designed to test your skill and stamina. On Friday challenge riders leave early to ride a specially designed timed loop course consisting of 95% class 1, 2, and 3 roads. The course is long and difficult and will take most or all of the day to complete. Those riders who complete the entire course in the allotted time will receive a finisher's award.
Registration Check-In Pick up your registration packet 6-7 pm, Thursday evening, March 7th, at the High Sierra Bar and Grill (at the start of the Friday night fajita dinner). Registration ends Wednesday, Feb 20th to provide enough time to order the commemorative glasses and challenge award. Registrations received after Feb 20th will be handled as late registrations.
Late Registration Got commitment issues? You can register late at the rider check-in table on Thursday evening, 6-7pm, at the High Sierra Bar and Grill. Late registration gets you rally attendance, two breakfast buffets and the Saturday night banquet and show.
Thursday Night Meet and Greet Fajita Dinner The High Sierra Grill is hosting us on Thursday night, 6-8 pm, with a Fajita Dinner on their upstairs deck. This dinner is included with your paid rally registration.
Breakfast Buffet and Rider Meeting: The Starlight Theater Restaurant is providing a breakfast buffet on Friday and Saturday morning from 6:00 - 8 am. The buffets on both days are included with your rally registration.
Friday Night Rider Rally Friday evening 6-8 p.m. the Starlight Theater will have a bar set up just for us on their back courtyard area.
Friday Night Dinner and Entertainment The Starlight Theater Restaurant is bringing in some special entertainment on Friday night.
Saturday Night Banquet and Show This year's banquet is at the Party Barn in Study Butte. Sandy, the Fire Twirler, who was the featured performer at the 2012 rally is performing an encore show for us this year that you don't want to miss. The banquet and show are included with your paid registration.
Commemorative Drinking Glass A commemorative engraved drinking glass is included with your paid registration. You get one glass with your registration, however extras are available for order with your registration. Only a very few extras will be available for purchase during the event. If you wait until the event to late register the odds are that you probably won't get one. If you wait until the event to try and buy an extra one you probably won't get it. Like I said, limited quantities.
Texas Adventure Rider t-shirts? A time or two each year I have a new batch of limited edition Texas Adventure Rider t-shirts printed up. This is one of those times. If you don't have one of the new ones, now is your opportunity. Order one with your registration.
Texas Adventure Riders stickers You can order stickers with your registration. Medium stickers are $2 each, Small stickers are $1 each.
Hanging Out at Uncle's Place: Uncle's got a nice place in Terlingua. Please feel free to stop by and say hello. The grid coordinates to Uncle's
place are 29°18'49.32"N 103°36'33.39"W.
Sleeping: Need a place to sleep? The El Dorado hotel in Terlingua is "hotel central". Their phone number is 432-371-2111. Call early, ask for Deena, and let her know you are with Uncle's group to get the group rate. They always get booked, so make your reservations now. For other motel options in the area, see the Big Bend ride guide or Google.
Want to camp? Free camping is available at Gareth Park (across the street from the El Dorado Hotel). The land is private property but the owner allows us to use the land during this event. It's just raw land so no hook-ups or anything like that but it did have an outhouse the last time I was there. In the past, most campers end up at Gareth Park, which can be good and bad (good = lots of folks to hang out & visit with; bad = might be a little too close to snoring campers; the good probably outweighs the bad). There are also several pay camp sites where you can pitch a tent for a few dollars. See the Big Bend ride guide or Google for a list of all the motels & camping places.
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; just cross the border and head south, you can't miss it. Bring your passport or passcard though, because you will need it to get back into the United States.
Is it safe? Mexico sure is close. 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.
About the $85 registration fee
Some of you may have noted that the cost of registration is quite a bit higher than my other rallies ($85 for this rally vs. about $45 for my other rallies). I realize $85 is a lot so please let me explain. At my other rallies your registration fee covers the commemorative item (t-shirt or mug), banquet meal costs, banquet hall rental costs, and money to pay those working at the rally. Well, at Uncle's Rally you get all that and more. Uncle's rally includes 3 additional meals (Thursday night dinner and 2 breakfast meals) plus paid entertainment at Saturday night's banquet. My past rallies have shown that most riders do indeed eat breakfast and supper, and considering the limited resources available in the area to serve large groups I thought it reasonable to include the additional items with your registration.
Your registration includes:
- rally attendance
- commemorative engraved event drinking glass
- Thursday night fajita buffet
- Friday morning breakfast buffet
- Saturday morning breakfast buffet
- Saturday evening banquet meal
- Saturday evening show
The parking lot of the Starlight Theater Restaurant is ideal for a rider's meeting, but the Starlight Theater Restaurant is not open for breakfast. I thought it made the most sense to have coffee and breakfast available at our rider's meeting location and have arranged for them to open exclusively for us. A buffet is more time efficient so that all riders will have an opportunity to eat in a reasonable amount of time.
Refunds Want to attend but not sure if your schedule will permit? If you early register and then aren't able to make the rally let me know and I will provide a 100% refund (minus any paypal fees if you paid by paypal) until Wednesday, Feb 20th, when early registration ends. After that your registration refund will be pro-rated based on when you cancel.
Hope to see you in Terlingua.
Download the registration form here.
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