THE 2023 BMW MOA NATIONAL RALLY
Thursday • June 8, 2023. After a spectacular meal last night (See the previous post) and a great night’s sleep I am off today to the BMW MOA National Rally in Doswell, Virginia. Upon arising I was hopeful that the dreadful smoke conditions, caused by Canadian wildfires some 600+ miles north, would have subsided. No such luck. Dense smoke was still filling the air out here on The Northern Neck of Virginia.
The MOA (Motorcycle Owners of America) rally site is a mere 78 miles away, as the Google Maps crow flies. I had a much more interesting ride in mind. Using my favorite trip planning app I had mapped out a course that would take me along some 220 miles of shoreline roads alongside The Chesapeake Bay, The Rappahannock River, Mobjack Bay, The York River and countless smaller tidal estuaries.
Leaving The Northern Neck
I once again crossed over The Rappahannock River via the Robert O. Norris bridge. I have no early morning river views to share with you; thanks again to the smoky conditions. Here’s a simple snapshot of my bike parked alongside the bridge. No…that’s not fog or haze. That’s wildfire smoke from 600 miles off!
This middle peninsula of the three that jut out into the Chesapeake… the one that I just landed on…is simply known as The Middle Peninsula. There seems to be a great economy of words down here in these parts. The middle peninsula is simply called “The Middle Peninsula”. Imagine that. Just yesterday I had been schooled on the difference between The Little Wicomico River and The Great Wicomico River. It was explained to me that The Little Wicomico River is “Little”, while The Great Wicomico River is…wait for it…
You guessed it: “It’s Great”.
Following the approximate route illustrated above I toured through all the little waterfront hamlets to be found on The Middle Peninsula. What I could see through the deplorable smoke conditions looked quite scenic and quaint. Like The Northern Neck, The Middle Peninsula is refreshingly rural and undeveloped. I will definitely be returning to this Chesapeake region again soon.
The BMW MOA National Rally Site
After making a quick stop at my hotel and unloading my personal gear from the bike, I rode over to the BMW MOA National Rally Site. The rally was being hosted on the Virginia State Fairgrounds complex. The site covers over 360 acres and features a 75,000 square foot exhibit hall, a 10,000 square foot pavilion, and is equipped with modern amenities, including restroom facilities, seating areas, and substantial space for those oh-so-important food trucks and concessions.
Arriving at the 2023 BMW MOA National Rally
The check-in process was absolutely flawless. I had loaded my “digital ticket” into the “wallet” on my iPhone weeks earlier. A quick bar code scan confirmed my reservation and earned me a small bag full of rally information and assorted swag. The hardest part of the whole process was finding a parking spot for my motorcycle in the sea of Beemers that were arriving for the event.
The (smoky) drone image above shows just the main parking area where registration and check-in was taking place. I haven’t gotten the official count yet, but it is my understanding that somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 BMW motorcycle enthusiasts attended the event.
ADV Life
Fitting with the adventure lifestyle of many BMW riders, a great number of the attendees at the BMW MOA National Rally camped right on the fairgrounds. There was a large section of camping area set aside just for sanctioned, affiliate clubs. A number of my colleagues from the Long Island BMW Riders Club carved out their temporary homestead there. I visited with them every day and enjoyed their hospitality and camaraderie under the club’s canopy. Then I would make a rapid retreat back to my nearby modern hotel room with its king sized bed, Wi-Fi, private bath and hot shower. Sorry…my moto-camping days ended a long time ago.
There’s no sense talking about the ADV life without a shout out to the riders that used this event to hone their off-road riding skills. Adventure skills training was offered daily at the “Thrill Pit”. Watching these riders with their mad skills was a real treat. The rider below is making 10 foot diameter standing U-Turns in the dirt on his GS.
After coasting through the tight maneuvers pictured above the riders could attack a number of other challenges. How about riding through a string of half-buried old truck tires just for fun?
Still in the saddle? No worries. You still have the mud pit, a see-saw and some healthy piles of logs to contend with. Props to these truly accomplished riders.
Friday • June 9, 2023
Friday didn’t start off on the highest note. BMW Motorrad showed up at the BMW MOA National Rally with two tractor-trailer loads of motorcycles for demo rides. I was pre-registered for this perk and showed up bright and early to confirm a time slot to ride. At 8:30AM the line of hopeful participants was already wrapped around the entire area set aside for this attraction. I waited “patiently” for about 15 minutes while the line moved forward not one single step.
I couldn’t wait any longer as I wanted to get into the Pavilion and grab a good seat for Jack Riepe’s program. If you don’t know who Jack Riepe is you need to crawl out from under your rock. Jack is a BRILLIANT writer, humorist, author, humorist, columnist, humorist, social media icon and humorist. Did I mention that he is funny? I’ve been “chatting” with this guy online for quite some time. It was a pleasure to finally meet him in person. Rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. Only the good die young. Jack will be entertaining us for many years to come. It’s what he’s on this planet to do and he does it like no one else.
Some of the many faces of Jack Riepe
You can find links to purchase his books on the “Roadcraft Bookshelf Page” on this site. Anyone…and I mean anyone…who went through a “coming of age” -or- “falling in love” phase of life that involved motorcycles will find themselves emotionally touched by his work. Did I mention that he is funny?
Taking Care Of Business
The BMW MOA National Rally featured an incredible trade show! It is far beyond the scope of this post to list every vendor who showcased their wares at the show. Suffice it to say that if you wanted or needed anything to enhance your BMW Motorcycle or lifestyle you could find it here. If you couldn’t find it here, you don’t need it.
A view inside the main exhibit hall
It was an absolute pleasure to meet some of the folks that represent brands that advertise right here on the Roadcraft USA website. I truly appreciate your continued support as we collaborate to bring this online resource to the BMW community.
Part of the outdoor section of vendor exhibits
More Exhibits
In addition to the trade show the BMW MOA National Rally featured a display of some of the finest examples of vintage BMW motorcycles ever assembled. 2023 marked the 100th anniversary of BMW Motorrad and the 50th anniversary of the MOA. One of the standout pieces in this on-site “museum” is pictured below. It belongs to one of my Long Island BMW Riders Club colleagues, James Wonder. It was one of two bikes he was proud to display at the show.
The People You Meet
I’ve often written about the experience of meeting and greeting people out on the road. Some are very dear old friends. Some are people that I’ve interacted with online and am meeting in person for the first time. Some are complete strangers that are destined to become friends for life. I’ve had all three of those experiences on this trip and I haven’t even been out for four days yet.
Along around 1:00PM today I realized that I hadn’t had anything to eat in almost 24 hours. It’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun. It’s also amazing how your stomach will remind you of your oversight. There was a national fast food chain restaurant about a mile from the rally site and I’m embarrassed to admit that I sought my satisfaction there.
There was a BMW GS already parked in the lot when I arrived, and there was a fully outfitted ATGATT (All The Gear, All The Time) rider (like myself) waiting by the counter for his order. We struck up a conversation and wound up sitting and talking for more than an hour. Fast food…long conversation.
Turns out we had a lot in common beyond our affection for BMW motorcycles. Among other things, he is a “semi-retired” part time professional photographer. He takes photographs of motorcyclists riding on “The Back of the Dragon” between Marion and Tazewell, Virginia. I would be riding “The Back of the Dragon” in a few days time. Long story short…look for some of his images of yours truly in a soon-to-be-published blog post.
My new friend, Bryan, capturing images of motorcyclists on “The Back of the Dragon” near Marion, VA
It was great to finally meet…in person…some of the “personalities” I’ve known online for awhile. You all know who you are. The list is too long to publish here. It was a pleasure to meet all of you. There was also one person (you know who you are) that I tried like crazy to catch up with at the BMW MOA National Rally. Seems I was always five minutes behind him in my quest to find him. No worries. There will be other rallies and other opportunities.
Dinner Time
Friday evening the crew from the Long Island BMW Riders Club got together for a club dinner. Folks are always asking me for recommendations on good local eateries that I encounter out on the road. The choice for dinner was a place called Casa Herradura in Ashland, VA…a few miles from the rally site.
The Long Island BMW Riders Club Friday evening dinner
I’ve got to tell you that I’m not the biggest fan of Mexican food, so I didn’t partake of any of the restaurants entreés or combos. The decision for Mexican food was “decision by committee” and I was the only dissenting voice. The guys in the club said the food was quite good. I’ll certainly vouch for the restaurant’s delicious guacamole, which was made fresh and served as quite the substantial portion.
Back In The Saddle
Tomorrow morning I’ll throw a leg over the bike and get back to the business of riding. The plan is to traverse the entire 470 mile length of The Blue Ridge Parkway, and explore some of its adjacent byways, over the next two days. Once again I find myself with a time constraint. You know how much I hate that. But I’m scheduled to be in Knoxville, Tennessee Sunday evening for the MSTA (Motorcycle Sport Touring Association) national rally.
The weather wizards are calling for the winds to be picking up. I hope it blows some of this wildfire smoke out of the atmosphere. It would be totally ironic if I were not able to view The Great Smoky Mountains tomorrow because they are too smoky. Stay tuned.
Saying goodbye to the BMW MOA National Rally and to “Chopper”, a happy road dog
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I lived on Long Island for 40 years, but never ran into this club. I got interested in BMWs from my chiropractor on LI, who was a MOA member for years and used to belong to a group called the Cross Island Motorcycle Club. I wonder if any of these guys knew Stan Botway. Anyway, it looks like you had a good time.