I'm determined to participate this year!  I live in Houston, about 8 hours east of Big Bend (yeah, Texas is big), so I'll likely truck the bike to the rally and ride from there.  If anyone want's to join me, shoot me a PM if you're willing to split gas.   I've only included info for the Desert Challenge; the Adventure Challenge is for big adventure bikes--not interested.

7th Annual Uncle’s Around the Bend rally

2nd Annual Uncle’s Desert Challenge

Inaugural Uncle’s Adventure Challenge

Dual sport and Street riding in the Big Bend
March 6 – 9, 2014
Terlingua, Texas

Download the 2014 Around the Bend registration form: http://texasadventure.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2014-Around-the-Bend-registration1.pdf

 Mark your calendars: Uncle’s annual Around the Bend motorcycle rally, Desert Challenge and the inaugural Adventure Challenge is Mar 6 – 9, 2014 in Terlingua, Texas.

This is the 7th 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 second year for Uncle’s Desert Challenge – a one day dual sport challenge that will test man and machine.

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. 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’s Desert Challenge may just be the ticket. Uncle’s challenge is a one day long-distance dirt ride designed to test your skill and stamina. On Friday morning challenge riders leave at 7 a.m. 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.
NOTE:  Desert Challenge Riders will need to purchase a pass for Big Bend National Park.  The majority of the desert challenge is held in Big Bend National Park and an entry permit is required.  I strongly recommend getting your pass before Friday morning.

Registration Check-In Pick up your registration packet 6-7 pm, Thursday evening, March 6th, at the High Sierra Bar and Grill (at the start of the Friday night fajita dinner). Registration ends Wednesday, Feb 19th to provide enough time to order the commemorative glasses and challenge award. Registrations received after Feb 19th 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 includes 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 Big Bend Resort Cafe 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 Story Telling and Tire Kicking  All riders are invited to meet Friday afternoon/evening 4-8 p.m. on the front porch (in front of the the Starlight Theater Restaurant) to visit with other rally attendees and, perhaps, an adult beverage or two.

Saturday Night Banquet and Show This year’s banquet is at the Party Barn in Study Butte. The banquet is included with your paid registration.

Commemorative T-Shirt  A specially designed commemorative t-shirt is included with your paid registration. You get one t-shirt with your registration, however you may order extras with your early registration. Only a very few extra t-shirts will be available for purchase during the event. If you wait until the event to register the odds are that you probably won’t get a t-shirt.  If you wait until the event to try and buy an extra one you probably won’t get it. Like I said, limited quantities.

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 there are 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?  As you know, Big Bend is situated at the Texas/Mexico border, which may make you wonder if it’s safe to ride this area.  Or if it’s safe to cross the border for a little riding in Mexico.  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 zero issues with that type of stuff during any previous rallies.

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).  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 add the 3 additional meals as part of the rally.
Your registration includes:
- rally attendance
- commemorative event t-shirt
- Thursday night fajita buffet
- Friday morning breakfast buffet
- Saturday morning breakfast buffet
- Saturday evening banquet meal

Refunds.  Want to attend but not sure if your schedule will permit? If you register early and then aren’t able to attend the rally let me know and I will provide a 100% refund (minus any paypal fees if you paid by paypal) until Wednesday, Feb 19th, when early registration ends. After that your registration refund will be pro-rated based on when you cancel.

Hope to see you in Terlingua.

Uncle’s Desert Challenge and Uncle’s Adventure Challenge

We had so much fun at the inaugural Texas Adventure Challenge in 2011 that some riders (Scott Ray and Izzy, in particular) suggested we have a similar type challenge in conjunction with Uncle’s rally. Those riders convinced me that a 1 day challenge event in the desert would be a lot of fun. Based on their enthusiasm, I put the wheels in motion, so to speak and came up with a proposed route that included as much dirt as I could cram into a day.  2013 was the inaugural challenge and the route, which circumnavigates the national park, turned out to be very fun but challenging.  Most were able to complete it but there were a few DNFs for various reasons.  For 2014 we have added the Adventure Challenge so riders on the larger adventure bikes could get in on the fun.

Here’s the plan:

On Friday, all Desert Challenge riders will meet in the Starlight Theater Restaurant parking lot at 7:00 am for the riders meeting. On Saturday all Adventure Challenge riders will meet in the Big Bend Resort parking lot at 7:00 am for the riders meeting.  Immediately following the meeting riders are free to depart and have 12 hours to complete the entire course. Riders will ride in small groups of 2-6 riders per group, with groups self-selected by the riders themselves (i.e. go ahead and organize your riding group now). At the riders meeting I will facilitate organizing those who still need a group to ride with – so if you are coming to the rally by yourself we will help ensure you don’t have to ride alone.

The Challenge events are NOT races. They are not timed, we are not keeping score, nor are we grading/rating riders on the order in which they finish the event. They are fun rides only. The challenge is the course itself; the mileage is long and will take all of the available daylight hours to complete. The great thing about both courses are that they are a tour de force of some of the finest roads in all of the Big Bend region.

Both the desert challenge course and the adventure challenge course are designed to take most of the day to complete – with skill, perseverance, and a bit of luck you will be able to finish. The limitations of the course are that it must be done in daylight hours. You must complete the entire course and check-in not later than 7:00 pm in order to officially be considered a finisher and get your finisher’s award. You will want to start as soon as the rider meeting is over and keep moving all day in order to complete the course in the allotted time. There are several “bail-out” points in the event that mechanical or other problems prevent you from being able to complete the entire route in daylight.

The appropriate GPS track will be emailed to all riders who register early for the challenge. Paper maps of the route will be provided to all groups at the riders meeting on Friday and Saturday morning.
There will be sweep riders on the challenge courses to assist with mechanical or other problems and/or call for additional assistance (tow truck or EMS).

Uncle is providing a truck/trailer combo on both days to tow any bikes that need to be towed. If needed, emergency medical service is via local and park EMS.

The challenge rides are in-addition to rally attendance.  You may attend the rally and not participate in the challenge.  If you want to ride in either challenge event will need to add it to your rally registration. The cost is an additional $25 per challenge event – a heck of a value.

Late registration is available on Thursday evening at rider check-in and Friday morning at the riders meeting. If you register late and you complete the challenge, you definitely get all the honor and prestige of completing the challenge but you may or may not get a finisher’s award, depending on availability. I order the awards 2 weeks before the event, ordering enough for everyone who has early registered plus 2-3 extras.  It is in your best interest to register early if you are planning on participating and would like to be guaranteed a finisher’s award.

See the full announcement at the Texas Adventure Company Website: http://texasadventure.net/?page_id=5