It’s 11:42 p.m. and a lot has happened today. Riders meeting at 2:30 p.m., banquet at 5:00 p.m., handed our packets at about 6:30 p.m……..and I’ve been crunching routes with Doug since then. 5 hours worth and we have a plan.

We’re going to Canada! Perce Quebec….and I totally butchered French by leaving off various accents. It’s #10 below and worth 33,000 points! It’s the meat of this leg worth half of the leg’s points for us. We have a critical bonus to get (#7) Hopewell Rocks worth 6,012 points, but it relies on us getting to that point when the tide is out.  Getting to this one really sets the tone for Doug and I on this leg.

If we execute this route we’ll be at 66914 points for the leg with this plan…..midway between the guidelines of Bronze and Silver. We’re aware it’s not Gold, but this route is an area of the country we have never been and we’re trying to be conservative and arrive at the first checkpoint with reserves to spare.  Also, we want to ride it for the fun of it.  Strategically, we’re cautiously optimistic that the second leg of the rally will be west coast biased (not one single bonus on this leg is west of Kansas City), leg #2 will be worth more points, and be our back yard.

Watch us on the Star Trax and if we make #7 by no later than 2 or 3 p.m. Tuesday (Atlantic Time)….we’ll be sitting pretty to change the route up after that point.  If it doesn’t look good we may have to change strategies.  The swing could be 10,000 or 20,000 points in this calculation.

Hopefully, earlier than that we’ll have a pretty good clue at about #3 if we’re ahead of our projected pace (which is good), at our pace (which means we have to push ourselves and stress), or behind pace (in which we go to Plan B….#10).

I can only imagine what Owen or some of the other top dogs are doing. Assuming they’re looking at the same route area…they’re trying to squeeze in some stuff around Halifax, coordinating ferries, and probably pulling their hair out how to plan to 5 minute schedules 3 days in advance.  Tough stuff!

Oh, and the theme seems to be around “Americana”…or maybe more accurately “Northamericana”.

I’m going to bed. Up at 7 a.m. to pack and then rider’s meeting at 8:30.

The Buffet Plant for Leg #1 - 66914 Point

#2 St. Louis Arch - 3565

#3 Hoagy Carmichael (IBA Mile Eater Mural), Moundsville, WV- 5099

#6 Reynolds Powersports (Perennial IBR Bonus/Checkpoint), Buxton, Maine - 5300

#7 Hopewell Rocks (Flowerpots with 18 foot tidal changes), Hopewell, New Brunswick - 6012

#8 Green Gables National Historic Site, Cavendish, Prince Edward Island - 8014

#9 Giant Salmon, Cambellton, NB 3014

#10 Perce Rock (more tidal stuff), Perce, Quebec - 33,000

#11 Skylon Tower, Niagara Falls, Ontario - 2910