puttcharlie wrote:I am absolutely all about doing a Rocky Mountain Breakdown some year, and I was going to attempt it this year until I changed jobs and reality set in.
My own reality is that I have to look long and hard at the economics of doing each rally. On my end, I can be somewhat flexible with time, but work not done during the rally is put off until after, where I have catching up to do, not to mention catching up on everything at home. The pre-rally/road trip chores at home also eat into available work time. (This rally's timing is particularly bad because I'm in the middle of a large project that should have launched a couple weeks from now...but rally > project when it comes to going Out West™.)
So, that's mostly why I don't put much into a theme for the cars. I have to look at the cost of gas and hotels to get to and from the rally. RMB for me is about 52-54 gallons of gas each way (I'm 1,200 miles from Casper), and one overnight hotel stay each way, along with overnights before/after the rally. (I don't go "seedy" so they're usually $100+/night.) Plus, tacos. Dude's gotta eat. This is all on top of the rally entrance fee. It's also why I don't pay the entry fee until the last day.
On a long trip like this one, I include a couple of stops for work-related reasons (stopping at the "home office" in Boulder, and a manufacturer/retailer/studio in Salina KS on the way home), so with a schedule to keep pre/post rally, no, I'm not driving a beater and no, I'm not dumping all sorts of decoration all over my daily driver (or spare car) unless it can be quickly made, and easily removed. (Tip: vinyl graphics on top of a ceramic coating work out well, since they can be blasted off at the DIY car wash.)
I'd love to drive something questionable, but it's another money and time sink that's not in the budget. I'll never win one of these rallies anyway, so why bust my buns to come out on top? The rally organizers pick some of the most interesting destinations and side roads I've ever been on--that alone makes the rallies worth doing. The friends made along the way? Icing on the cake.
My personal goal is to hit all the checkpoints, and get the "mystery" location each day--if I'm in the middle of the pack, that's plenty good enough for me. Going solo, that's about all I can squeeze into a day and leave enough time for dinner and some prep back in the room for the next day's checkpoints.
I can get a little more involved with RBR due to it launching 20 minutes from my casa. But again, we'll have to see if I can get said "questionable choice" ride safely on the road. If not, kiddo's car is black and I have a killer theme that she and I are both into, and the gold vinyl graphics would really pop on it. Plan C, of course, is Earl Burner, provided I can trace down that annoying clunk in the front end and replace the cat...
--Rudy
Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
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