JACT at 2022 Touratech Rally
Welcome to part 2 of our week-long moto camping trip in June 2022. If you missed part 1, it explains how & why we traded in our street motorcycles for our new dual sport bikes. Click the button below to return to part 1. Then come back here where our adventures continues on Wed, June 22nd, in Leavenworth, WA… the night before gates open for the Touratech Rally in Plain, WA.
After camping & biking in the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest the previous 4 days, we cleaned up at the Der Ritterhof Inn. Refreshed, we walked thru Leavenworth, stopping for a beer at Visconti’s. We overheard two men behind us talking about riding, so I asked if they were here for the rally & yes, they were. Bud rode over from Minnesota & Marcus rode up from Baja California Sur, Mexico. They entertained us with stories of their adventures, each living the retired life on a bike. We left to go find some dinner & hoped to see them again at the rally.
Definitions of RALLY:
(noun) - a competition for motor vehicles in which they are driven a long distance over public roads or rough terrain… or a mass meeting of people making a political protest or showing support for a cause.
(verb) - recover in health, spirits, or poise… or come together again & continue fighting after a defeat.
We arrived to the rally shortly after the gates opened on Thur, & after getting our wrist bands & bike tags, we chose our spot to set up camp. The big open field quickly filled with adventure bike enthusiasts & we discovered our new friends Bud & Marcus, were only about 20 yards away. Everyone loved to hang out with these two so it was always a fun time at their campsite.
HD released the Pan America Special for the first time in 2021, delivering 4,000 bikes by early July & earning the title of the top-selling adventure bike of the year. However, few are on the road as production continues to catch up with demand. As we finished setting up camp, the reps from Harley Davidson showed up to welcome us & ask a few questions. They listened to our adventure, then shared we were the first couple they'd met with his & her bikes!
I'm too much of a control freak to ride 2-up with James on these adventures... it's best for our marriage to ride my own bike vs. telling him what I think he should be doing on his, LOL. I have a lot to learn & prefer my own pace. I was nervous about attending this rally because I lack experience. My stomach churned, & my heart raced before our group beginner ride Thurs morning; I actually contemplated not going.
It's hard stepping entirely out of your comfort zone. I feared the trail but stressed more about all these cool people potentially criticizing me as an idiot. James sensed something was wrong, but it's hard to explain how nerves were shutting my body & mind down... that I secretly wanted to crawl back into the tent & hide. It took a while, but I finally realized I had no choice but to "cowgirl up."
We joined about 20 other riders in the meet-up area & learned how the leaders would assign a rider at each turn to guide the group until the last rider passed. We learned hand codes to communicate how many riders were behind us, & we heard dirt road lingo, like single track, stay to the right & keep your line. Then we set out for our level one beginner trail!
Trail ratings can change daily due to weather conditions & ORV usage, & our beginner trail jumped a level due to deep ruts. Bikers went down like dominoes, including James, but thankfully he warned me thru our headset. I couldn't help, so I zig-zagged by him & around a few others, revving, braking & cussing my way thru the most challenging 50 yards of my dirt road life thus far.
I stopped to recoup at the first flat area & checked back in with James. His bike was fine & upright again, but he had strained his hamstring. He stretched it out when the group took a break at a viewpoint, & then the rest of the ride went smoothly. I was proud to have not dropped my bike. Of course, the weekend wasn't over yet.
Back at camp with our dirty bikes, I felt immensely better after that ride. Various speakers were giving presentations all weekend & I connected with other women riders who all inspired me. Some ride solo all over the country! Other presenters we enjoyed included Ride the Kootenays, Dork in the Road, & The Pearsons.
Fri afternoon, we geared up to ride on our own thru the Wenatchee Ntl Forest, stopping at the river to dip our feet. Time to go watch the ADV Challenge races! We picked up some cold beer to drink back to camp & joined everyone, cheering on the super-skilled riders. They made the obstacle course look easy, but the tight corners, logs & deep sand were beyond my comprehension. I would soon be learning a lesson about sand the next day.
Saturday morning James mapped out a loop on his Oynx GPS app of forest service roads & trails we had heard of at the rally. I argued a little when he mentioned Tyee Lookout because I'd heard it was an advanced trail, but James assured me we'd turn around if I needed to. We headed out early to beat the heat, me following James's lead.
We rode slow enough for other riders to pass us, which my husband didn't like, but he accepted that I needed to set the pace to increase my confidence. The trails were fun, but I was getting tired when we started going up to the lookout. The terrain changed & we were riding on larger loose rocks that threw my bike around, but James kept me calm by talking me thru the obstacles.
I saw him hot doggin' up ahead & I scolded him, but he retorted he wasn't doing it on purpose, that he hit some sand. Then I hit the sand & suddenly I was going off the road's edge! I laid it down & jumped off - thankfully, neither my bike nor I went over the mountain. James parked, & came down to hug me. We lifted my 600# bike & he rode it up to his, while I walked off my adrenaline-filled tears.
We were almost to the lookout, but I was spent, so I encouraged James to finish. He refused to leave me & we rested, drank water & enjoyed the view from where we were at. Many riders passed us going up & coming down, but I was so happy to start heading back. We rode to Leavenworth to eat a late lunch with a cold beer.
We returned to watch more competitions at the rally, cheering on the single Pan AM contestant, vastly outnumbered by KTM, Yamaha, Triumph & Ducati riders. I bet you'll see more of us HD riders next year!
Touratech wrapped up the rally with some major prize drawings from the vendors & I was excited to have my ticket win a prize pack from SimpleShower!
Saturday night was fun, although my ankle had swelled up from my crash earlier. I visited the medical tent & they wrapped it in ice. We then we filled our rally cups from the various tapped vendor kegs & we hung out at the bonfire eating sausages.
We slept in Sunday morning, then walked around with our coffee saying goodbye to friends we'd made over the weekend. The adventure bike community was more welcoming & caring than I had ever imagined & I am so glad I didn't hide all weekend in the tent!
Now that you've read about our first rally experience, you can watch our Youtube video recapping the adventure, including each of our mishaps!
Thanks for reading all the way to the end. If you are interested in learning more about Touratech rallies, I'll include a link below. I'll also include links to our favorite adventure bike Youtube channels. We are living life to the fullest & hope you are too. Plan your own adventure today, then GO DO IT! #JACTventures