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A first year rally is really a magical thing. What to expect and what will the event organizers get right or wrong is part of the adventure you can only get at the inaugural year. Let’s face it, we’re talking about Touratech here; the German made, industry leading, technically superior, aftermarket accessory company. What could they get wrong? The first thing they did get right with the Touratech Rally East, located in Huntingdon, PA was the cost. At $90.67 a early bird ticket for a Thursday through Sunday event (August 13th-16th) this could be some comparatively inexpensive fun. Showing up on Thursday early was good on my part - after setting up camp in the segregated motorcycle area I was able to go hit the grass track that was burned in on the 220 acre farm property, then follow up the grass track with a loop of the big bike trails in another field. After 5 laps on the grass track with only one highside, I decided that if that was all the riding I was to do this whole trip it was already worth the money. Touratech didn’t let anyone down with riding choices. Their team brought a couple laptops with connection cords for all the gps hardware systems out there and they uploaded multiple routes for everyone to do self-guided rides. They also staffed guided tours of every option for those new to the game or those that were there solo. There were a staggering number of new to the adventure motorcycling community attendees at this event, which goes to show the reach and influence the mighty Germans at Touratech have within their community. Friday and Saturday’s rides were mainly large loops around and through Bald Eagle State Forest and Rothrock State Forest with varying degrees of difficulty depending on which route you chose. With the longer loops coming in at over 100 and 150 miles for Friday and Saturday respectively, and the shorter loops ranging as little at 7 miles for barbeque and 50 miles for a half day ride. Twisting tarmac and gravel made up the intermediate loops The long loop experienced routes delivered enough challenging parts with rocky unmaintained jeep trails to keep the ride interesting. It’s a shame the team putting the route together didn’t have access to all the trails - this area is under strict supervision by DCNR and permitting is tough. Hopefully next year they’ll go through the extra paperwork to make this ride truly special. For anyone on a single cylinder dirt bike these options would have been a little underwhelming, but on the large ADV bike that Touratech convinces everyone to bring off-road these trails were plenty challenging. The one truly challenging part of this rally was the food situation. Now Touratech gave fair warning that one or two food vendors would be available and that Saturday night’s barbecue dinner by Doan’s Bones (at an optional $20) would be the only catered meal. However, there was spotty coverage by vendors at the event, and many people who hadn’t packed full cooking gear on their bikes were left wondering if they would go hungry. For the number of caterers, fire houses, etc in the area willing to get paid to do a meal, it would have been well worth the organizers time to charge more for a fully catered event. Hungry riders with no room for camp stoves on their bikes shouldn’t live off of jet-boil food the whole weekend and have trouble leaving to get food after a post ride beer. In the end everyone survived, but next year we’re crossing our fingers for a catered event……....and showers. Friday’s and Saturday’s evening field games and slow races were great to watch. Everyone gathered around to watch the Friday night Quinn Cody uphill/downhill “tight turns” challenge course. Saturday nights slow race was epically good with one on one eliminations. Making Touratech feel a bit more home grown they allowed their staff to grab a bike and compete in these events which makes for some good laughs and lets you know that these guys and girls are human just like the rest of us. On Saturday as a closer to the event raffle tickets were passed out and prizes given away. While everyone drank beer from their Touratech Rally mugs the numbers were called out. Most of the prizes were Main Line Overland or Overland journal, but a good amount were from Icon Raiden like riding jerseys, gloves and the always cool Raiden trucker hat. Going into work Monday with co workers asking “how was your adventure weekend?” I find that our stories don’t translate well with the uninformed. You spent 3 nights camping in a field with no showers, swam in a lake for a bath, rode your 20 thousand dollar motorcycle off-road and now it’s all dirty and scratched cause you dropped it? Well yes. Yes we did and it was a blast!

agree ...hope next year better food options, showers, water and coffee. Hard being a diabetic without enough food etc. They warned us but rather have had to pay more for more.

Yehaa ! Welcome and keep us up to date with your adventures.

Nice post Advgrrl ! Loved it, I think we might be buddies on FB as well.

Whole Foods Market Manager Turned Adventurer Risks Everything to Film Motorcycle Journey NEW HARTFORD, CT – August 31, 2015 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Wide Eyed Collective has unveiled its first trailer for “Get Lost,” a gripping original web series. Created by Wide Eyed Collective Founder Teague Fleury, this adventure documentary spans three months and 12,000 miles covering Fleury’s solo motorcycle journey from Connecticut to Panama and back. The series will chronicle the challenges and wonders of traveling and filming through nine countries and fourteen international border crossings. “I quit my job, sold my car and headed out into the unknown,” Fleury says. The trailer’s release couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Internet is starving for original motorcycle content. From the open plains of the Midwest to the Mayan ruins of Guatemala, every moment of this epic journey was captured in stunning detail. With a full blog and dedicated Instagram page, the supporting content for “Get Lost” is immersive and rich, granting viewers the chance to ride along on Fleury’s adventure. Although filming is complete, a Kickstarter campaign has been created to raise postproduction funds and transform “Get Lost” into a 12 episode series. The trailer was created to generate excitement for the project. “I’m thrilled to finally be able to share this with the public,” Fleury says. To see the full story and contribute to the Kickstarter campaign, click on the following link: http://kck.st/1hqiWVx About Wide Eyed Collective Wide Eyed Collective is a boutique production agency founded in 2015 that specializes in high end automotive, branded and adventure sports content. To view their first web series, "Going Places," click on the following link: If you'd like more information about "Get Lost" or to schedule an interview with Teague Fleury, please send him a tweet @wideeyedco. Wide Eyed Collective Contact: Teague Fleury Cell: 860 806 4534 Twitter: @wideeyedco

Just to generate some interest, i'll start off with some pics from Bean:

Hi all! My name is Chris and I live near the tip of the Mitt in Michigan. Currently riding a 07 1200GSA and a DRZ400. I recently sold my KTM 990 because I thought I would never be able to ride a big bike off road, especially sand. Bought the GSA more for touring, but find myself still wanting to explore the back roads on it. So outfitted it with Skid Plate, tires, bar risers, etc. There is nothing like taking a big bike where you would think it shouldn't be able to go. The more I see of these bikes on video, I now it's capabilities far exceed mine. So hopefully I will be able to continue to learn and overcome my current limitations. Found this site after watching Eric's videos, looking for a forum that caters more to actual adventure riding. Hope this is it.

Wow, it's great to finally be here. On XLADV that is! Been very fortunate to work and travel every couple of years and it has taken me coast to coast. Recently relocated from Boston about a 9 months ago and I'm stoked to meet new folks to ride with and share their adventures! We tend to be a little off camber than the rest of society and XLADV is another great way to connect! 👍 My current residence is San Jose, CA. Feel free to connect with me and let's ride!

Looks amazing! Just wish I could afford it!

The RS4 is just right. Sounds great! I want one!

There's always room for : Some sight-seeing on the way to the party: The dugway Looking out over the Valley of the Gods Day 1 on the BDR: Starting to get a little muddy Guy in Telluride said that Ophir would be easy, except for one little part: had to be talking about this one. Road was paved with rocks the size of softballs. No one died.

She's a Heroine ! Plus a great role-model for women all over the world, we better get training