Dinner and a Movie

“Welcome to the 19^th running of the Mason Dixon 20-20 Rally!”  With that, Rallymaster Rick Miller kicked off the evening’s dinner for participants from across the country.  For John Frick, 2018 will be his 18^th MD 20-20 rally.  This is Craig Brooks’ 5^th, and Dan Roth’s 7^th time riding above and below the Mason Dixon.  Several hardy souls have come back this year to ride their 2^nd, including two-up team Andrew and Ashley.  And for a handful of MD 20-20 rookies, the fun is just beginning.

This year’s theme is “DirectionallyChallenged” and invites participants to, “assemble the best cast and crew around the best screenplay using the best available sets and backdrops; well, the best you can afford.   Among the bonus list, you should find everything you need: talent, locations, musical directors, writers, extras, effects and of course directors.”  This is a complex, multi-dimensional combo bonus rally.  At the finish on Sunday, participants will present their “productions” for the weekend with the awards ceremony to follow. 

  

The opening dinner of the 2018 Mason Dixon 20-20 at Rally HQ, Martinsburg, WV

Rally staff and participants completed check-in in good order, Eric Bray shepherding folks through the odo check.  Lots of “I remember when” stories flowed through the dinner hour.  Bill Wade and Jim Owen spent time trying to pair Jim’s phone to his Garmin.  Others pulled up the weather radar to take a look a hurricane brewing in FL.  “It’s just squeezing together and gonna come north and get us!” said Jim.  

The rider’s meeting was able to be moved up an hour following dinner, giving everyone more time to rest, repack, or rethink their routes before staging their bike at 4:45 a.m. tomorrow.  As is the case, there are always questions, good questions that clarify and will help keep riders safe in the coming days.  And then there are the other questions.  The questions that earn you a nomination for the annual Cheesedick Award (complete with pink feather tiara and wand).  Questions like Ron Perlik’s, “What happens if we go to the Groundhog Day bonus, and we can’t get past Saturday?”  Pause.  Rick exclaims, “This year the pool of nominees for the Cheesedick Award is very wide and very deep!”  But it’s all in good fun.  So with visions of actors and directors and production plans swimming in their heads, the riders exited stage right.  There is an early production call for the 5:15 a.m. rider’s meeting, coffee to follow!