Fade to Black

Kirsten and other riders stopping the clock under the canopy of Rally HQ.

The 2018 Winner of the Cheesedick Award!

And the rider in first place for the Mason Dixon 20-20, and the winner of 3 academy awards for his productions during the rally, is Rider #45, James Alton.  Riding just over 1400 miles in 32 hours, and with 75,902 points, he also wins a free draw to the 2021 Iron Butt Rally.  Finishing in 7^th place, with 1464 miles and 71,988 points, and the winner of the academy award for the “Soylent Green Remake,” starring Miss Piggy, is Kirsten.  With 1375 miles, and finishing her first rally in 4^th place is the two-up team of Donna Attanasio and Jeff Wilson.  Winning the much anticipated Cheesedick Award, after his snarky reply to the Rallymaster before all this fun began, is Bruce Edwards!  And riding 840 miles for 35,778 points, and the prize of the “Groundhog Day” academy award (for their loop ride in Pennsylvania, re-taking the same bonus picture every two hours), are Lisa and Paul Turner.  Just before the award dinner, the skies over Rally HQ opened up with drenching rain, thunder, and strobe lighting in a midnight black sky…. 

 

[Screen fades to black as the rally blog computer is pressed into service at the finish to compile the award standings by the academy….]

[24 Hours Ago]

The fickle rally gods frustrated one rider’s finisher attempt late Saturday.  After successfully sending in several bonus photos with his flag, the photos started to come in with no flag but with the rider as stand in.  Having lost his flag, he was gamely carrying on according to protocol, when his cell phone bounced out of the holder while on the road.  He watched it fly over his shoulder, land on the road behind him, and promptly get run over.  After 2 hours spent at a Verizon store getting a new phone, he realized he’d be too late to make the wedding bonus, and decided to call it in to the Rallymaster.  As we were finishing up dinner that night, Rick was heading over to assist the rider in getting his gear out of the storage lock-up so he could head home.  To Florida.  We wish him well on his return trip.

Two other riders later caught the attention of the fickle rally gods.  Todd Lampone broke both of his tires on a block of wood on the road.  Not to let an excellent BBQ (that was already paid for) go to waste, he rode a different bike back to the finisher’s banquet where he received a hearty round of applause.  Dave Arkle, unfortunately, did not make it back for the BBQ, although his bike did have a taste of cow.  Dave apparently saw the first cow on the road, which he missed in time to slow down and hit the 2^nd cow.  When the digital rally watchers inquired, “did everyone make it back to the barn?” Dave replied, “Not quite all – I think I did it wrong.  Cow -1, Dave -0.”  For his troubles however, and for being the only actual cow boy during this rally, Dave was awarded in his absence the “Space Cowboy” academy award to a rousing cheer from the assembled BBQ eaters.

 

Winner of the "Space Cowboy" award - Rider #2, who plans to heal for a few weeks and ride the Butt Lite in July...
on a different bike.

Nearly all of the MD 20-20 riders rode over 1000 miles, despite having to stop on occasion to wring out gloves, dump out boots, and generally shake the steam out of their jackets.  There were 39 finishers, some of whom, late into the night, were still shaking their heads that there wasn’t an “Easter egg” in the rally book.  Chuckling, Rick said, “I told you there was nothing hidden unless you made it up yourself.”  To which several replied, “But you always say that!  I had to stop at the [rest area, Waffle House, my rest bonus at 1:00 a.m…..] to re-read the whole book again because I just couldn’t believe it!”  Yes my friends, the 2018 was a straight forward rally with built-in complexity from the production combos. 

Next year’s Penultimate (i.e. 2^nd to the last) rally will bring riders the leftovers, which Rick said he hopes we all enjoy.  Knowing that he has a 6” binder with every rally pack from the last 19 rallies (but without any power point slides), this rally watcher thinks 2019 could bring the best hits, or maybe all those bonus locations he STILL hasn’t had a chance to use, or even a re-do of the diner tour requiring that any leftover sausage is presented at scoring.  If you love leftovers, keep your eyes peeled to the casting call for the 2019 MD 20-20.  You might even make it past Groundhog Day and ride out of Pennsylvania.   

[Fade to black.  Roll credits.]

This production of the Mason Dixon 20-20 was brought to you by: 

Casa Shambles Productions
TWOONGSA Productions
Alan Smithee Productions
Shade Tree Productions
and 404Found Productions, a Division of Outhouse Media
with many more...