2010 New Ulm Rally by Bill Bath

This years’ rally was one most of us will never forget. We had two bouts of really hard rain and we still managed to have a wonderful rally. Admittedly, the all-day rain in Houston on Saturday greatly reduced (almost eliminated) our Day Pass visitors. On the other hand, we had nearly as many participants in the field games as we have ever had. Overall, I think everyone who waited out the rain was rewarded with a good time and a great visit with old and new friends.

For those who didn’t make it out to New Ulm, here’s a short recap. Friday morning had the usual bunch of early arrivers setting up camp in their favorite spots. The sky was overcast but it didn’t start raining until about 3 P.M. The great, twisty roads around the rally site were clear and dry and everyone who took a bike out for a run that morning had a marvelous ride. The rain kept everyone under cover for several hours until the weather cleared in the late evening. After the rain stopped there was plenty of loud music, racing engines, and burnout exhibitions to satisfy everyone’s appetite. The sky was very clear Friday night and we all thought the rain was behind us. But we were wrong.

Sometime about 5 A.M. the rain started up again and this time there was plenty of wind and lighting to go with it. Saturday dawned with gray light and an annoying, continuous light rain. As the morning went on the sky gave only the slightest hint that the rain would stop. A common negative thought began to circulate throughout the park that it would rain all day. Those of us who have lived in Houston for any length of time have certainly seen plenty of days like this. However, the weather in New Ulm is seldom like the weather in Houston and many of the rally veterans kept the faith and stood by for better weather ahead.

Everyone was smiling when the rain finally stopped about 11 A.M. The expected mud pit at the rally site never developed because the ground at Fireman’s Park is so sandy that it just sucked up all the water. By noon you could hardly find a puddle. By the time the field games started at 3 P.M. the ground was completely dry and hard enough for all our usual events. What little moisture left in the soil only acted to prevent blowing dust from the spinning tires. The field games were a huge success with the largest number of participants coming out for the barrel roll.

Sunday was a beautiful day and the bike show went off without a hitch. The number of bikes was about half of our best turnout but the ones that did make the show were certainly quality entries. As the saying goes, a good biker may be down but he’s never out. We may have gotten wet but we still had a great rally and we can hardly wait for next year.

Bill

For more 2010 New Ulm Rally pics by Jaimie Farquhar click here.

Daves Newsomes Great Adventure

Concan 2010 Pics Here