This rally sounds interesting, although it's about 120 miles east of Dallas..
 
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http://www.refugeinternational.com/localevents.htm
 
 
But I had an idea..... maybe it could be made into a three-day ~500K event, riding out there and back -- complete with winery stop!  George Evans's "Rowlett to Texarkana" route fits almost perfectly, which I did on my TGiving jaunt!!!  And a pal of mine lives in Gilmer, who could possibly put a few of us up... Hmmm....   A 200K on Friday, the 100K rally on Saturday, a 200K on Sunday back...

Anybody interested????????  I'm intrigued....  Departure from my house, natch!!!
 
April 18, 2009
Registration: 7 AM
Ride Begins: 8 AM
Yamboree Park
1300 Highway 271
North Gilmer, Texas
 
Enjoy a picturesque bicycle ride through East Texas with its towering pine trees and rolling hills. There are rides for everyone of every ability! The longest ride includes a short detour to a local winery for those interested. SAG wagons will be provided for those who decide not to ride home! The ride is fully supported with rest stops every 10 miles. Enjoy one of the best kept secrets in cycling…scenic East Texas!
 
Start at Yamboree Park, 1300 US Hwy 271, North Gilmer, Texas, 75644. Registration starts at 7:00. Ride starts at 8:00 am. T-shirts available for first 100 registrees, with others to be mailed at a later date. SAG wagons available. Riders should be prepared to do their own tire changes and repairs.  
 
 
100 K Ride with a Side Trip to Los Pinos Winery
 
Enjoy a gorgeous ride through Upshur and Camp Counties! This is a great ride! There is a side trip to Los Pinos Winery with good roads except the last mile or so, where the road is a little bumpy. If you decide that you can’t make it home after relaxing at the Winery, you can catch a ride home on one of the SAG wagons! Rest stops can be found at about 10 mile intervals along the way.
 

I also posted this idea to the LSR board -- and Dan D pointed out something I had forgotten -- that Rando people (aka, "K hounds") typically only want to do rides they get "credit" for...   And a back and forth 400K over the weekend is outside the time limits, so they would have to be separate 200K routes.  So for potential LSR purposes, Geo Evans or somebody will have to create one outbound route and one return route, somewhat different.  We'll see what develops.
 
Regardless of "credit," I'm still very interested in doing this jaunt -- weather dependent, of course!!!
 

I gotta save myself for April 25th 600k woot! .. If it wasn't so close it sounds like a neat trip.