Minnesota 1000

I cannot express just how happy I am to have finished. After my DNF in Niobrara a few years ago, my main goal was to finish. Secondary was to ride 1,000 miles, third to visit some interesting places, and last to win.

In 2007 I decided to dip my toe in the waters of amateur rally riding by signing up for the Minnesota 1000 Rally. This is a Team Strange event with the hub of activity centering around Leo's South (N44 42.733 W93 16.916) just south of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As a footnote, in September I tried a 12 hour rally. That rally was called The Unplugged Rally, no GPS, no radar detector, no electronics except for heated clothing. About three hours before the end I had a choice, to make the finish line in time with just a few points, or go for the final bonus of a group bonus. Well, I went for the points and came up 20 minutes short of finishing. I got a DNF, but enjoyed the ride, the scenery, and the people.

I get visitors from all over the world and I like to hear comments. Please drop me a note on my Feedback Page if you find any of this helpful or interesting.

	Chatty Belle Neillsville, Wisconsin The world's largest talking cow. Listen to what Chatty Belle had to say by clicking the link here. Chatty Belle speaks!		(fill in title here) blah blah blah, Wisconsin
	Post Office Bonus Gilmanton, Wisconsin This is the first picture, taken at about 10 am in the morning. Notice how nicely my rally flag is secured to the railing?		Post Office Bonus Gilmanton, Wisconsin This is my second visit to Gilmanton, taken at about 8:30 pm. That's over 10 hours later and the rally flag is still neatly secured to the railing. My hat's off to the other participants for leaving it alone.
	Visitors Center / Train Museum Ladysmith, Wisconsin East side		Visitors Center / Train Museum Ladysmith, Wisconsin West side. This bonus location required the rider to write down the number on the west side of the caboose. I can see why the side was specified. Two different numbers!

Audio Clips Along The Way



Pre-Rally Confidence At the start of the rally I was in awe and full of questions.	Audio Link
First Bonus Psychology The over thinking begins....s	Audio Link
A Few Miles Out At the start of the rally I was in awe and full of questions.	Audio Link
The Reason To Ride... The Sights An hour into the rally I come across the City of Red Wing, Minnesota. Between the Mississippi River and the local bluffs, Red Wing is beautiful and a place I vow to return to.	Audio Link
First Bonus Done Prairie Moon Park. One of the strangest places I have seen. But, the first bonus location on my first rally.	Audio Link
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Lost Wallet on Interstate On I-xx, just outside of Zumbrota, Minnesota I lost my wallet. The Trifecta of Rookie mistakes.	Audio Link

04/22/09

My First MN1k