We had an excellent time at the rally, once again... attendance was down a bit from last year, but the weather was PERFECT, the riding was fun, and it was good meeting other 'bent (and MTB) enthusiasts, both new attendees and returns from last year.  Terrie and I stayed at Randy's house, along with a few other guests.   We drove up to Wichita on Thursday night, then the rest of the way in on Friday, arriving around noon.
 
It was hot on Friday afternoon for the Ice Cream Ride, which was good... we rode a Seavo tandem for the first time for this jaunt.  It was interestingly different than the Screamer we had tried last year -- a bit faster and more stable.  We spent a couple hours by the pool in the afternoon, then went to dinner at Gella's that night (and I got some more Lemon Beer -- Mmmmmmmmm)    
 
The weather front came through that evening, and cooled the temps nicely for Saturday's Cathedral loop ride, with just a touch of rain (which missed us) -- we rode a Screamer for the 34-mile loop, which is the longest ride Terrie has done in 3 years, and she enjoyed it a lot -- and did it like a champ, with only one rest stop!
 
That afternoon I played around with an Alterra on the MTB trail course behind the factory (not being a MTB rider), and competed in the 'time trial' race. I didn't win, but posted a respectable time, and most importantly, didn't wreck!!!  I practiced on the Alterra CF, riding around the course three times to get used to it, then raced twice, not winning anything, but at least not crashing!!!    It was only 1/3 of a mile, but it was TOUGH...   and the north winds were HOWLING at that time of the afternoon, which made it especially challenging for both riders and spectators alike.  
 
Saturday's dinner was hot dogs and burgers, etc., at the factory, and the talk was primarily about the prizes for the attendees and a presentation on the new website. There was no real "new products" show, as such, like last year -- they're just continuing on with the existing lineup for now, as the economy continues to attempt to recover.
 
Sunday morning's Lake Wilson ride was VERY nice, with north winds and cool temps (but no jackets really required). I rode my Xstream for this one. This ride was followed by lunch at the Midland Railroad Hotel and a tour of the renovations and "ghost tour" -- a pretty cool place, there in Wilson!!!
 
Thanks to Randy and all for hosting another enjoyable Rally, and for giving Terrie and I the opportunity to do some tandem riding together on the factory Seavo/Screamer. I'll have my pictures posted online in another few days -- there are a LOT of them...