2026 Heartland Rally 8/29-9/5, 2026 Official Thread

[Redbird]

Do to a new commitment I'm cutting short my time there. I'm checking out the morning of September 2nd. Also at this point I'm unsure whether I'm towing a bike or taking my Corvette. I had heart work done early May and the doctors put me back on Eliquis (a blood thinner) I may be off it early August, we shall see. If I'm still on it I will for sure take the Vette. Getting scraped up due to a motorcycle misadventure, while unlikely, is not something I want to deal with while my clotting ability is impaired. Either way I shall be there for a few days and I'm looking forward to it!

[emptysea]

Hello!

I sent PMs/Emails to every attendee, requesting contact information, emergency information, and t-shirt size. Here's who has responded:
rhlezo
rdprdp01
SneakyFast
The A-Man
rickcb
The Ferret
Lunchbag
Mtneers
InhouseBob
Redbird

If your name isn't up here or if you know someone who is coming whose name isn't up here, I need the following information as soon as possible.
Real Name:
Home Address:
Email Address:
Cell #:
T-shirt Size:

Emergency contact information:
- Name:
- Relationship to you:
- Cell #:
- Email Address (optional):

Send this to me through the forum or email to emptysea43@yahoo.com

[deltamark]

Mark (Deltamark) and Hank (Hank) are now registered at the Redbarn Lodge. Arriving Sunday and departing Thursday. Looking forward to it!

[emptysea]

Hi. Need some feedback from attendees.

I use Scenic for my routes. Some of you do too, but most do not. How do you want your routes presented? I can print out turn by turn, maybe provide a link to Google Maps, or share them in Scenic. Or we can have a route meeting the night before to go over it so you can use whatever means you’d like. I’d love to hear from everyone. And kinda soon. We’re only a couple weeks away! Thanks!

[rickcb]

Hi.  Need some feedback from attendees. 

I use Scenic for my routes.  Some of you do too, but most do not.  How do you want your routes presented?  I can print out turn by turn, maybe provide a link to Google Maps, or share them in Scenic.  Or we can have a route meeting the night before to go over it so you can use whatever means you’d like.    I’d love to hear from everyone.  And kinda soon.  We’re only a couple weeks away!    Thanks!

A Google Maps link would be good enough for me.

[The A-man]

Google or paper work for me.

[the Ferret]

I'm going to follow you Sea!

[LucienLeFranc]

Apologies if I'm butting in here from the pacific coast, but, just in the off chance folks are unaware of Scenic's ability to export a .gpx file:

   

Email or otherwise make the .gpx file available to attendees, and each attendee who likes can import the .gpx file into their nav app.

[emptysea]

Apologies if I'm butting in here from the pacific coast, but, just in the off chance folks are unaware of Scenic's ability to export a .gpx file:



Email or otherwise make the .gpx file available to attendees, and each attendee who likes can import the .gpx file into their nav app.

Thank you for "butting in" (which you didn't really do).   Thank you for this information.  I did know that I can export the .gpx file , but I was concerned about the possibility that not everyone would know what to do with the fil once they got it.  I should have included this as one of the options.   

Once I have the routes plotted (I have two done already), I will post the .gpx files. I will also post the link to route in Scenic.  It's a bit of a pain, but let me know if you need me to post a link to the google maps file in addition.   Let me know if that works.

Second question is about ride distance.   I have a route I could do, and it would be pretty interesting, but it's loop of about 300 miles.   Seems like a lot, but there are some payoffs or I wouldn't by contemplating it.   The question for attendees is this:   What is a good distance for a rally group ride?

If it makes a difference, almost all if not all routes will have a lunch stop and many will have a POI stop as well.   All distances are total "loop" distances from Round Barn and returning to Round Barn 

a) 50-150 miles

b) 150-200 miles

c) 200-250 miles

d) 250-300 miles

e) 300 + miles 

f) a morning ride that returns to the hotel before lunch, leaving riders to plot their own afternoon rides.  

I'm happy to mix up a combination of all of these, but I don't want to plan a long day (d or e) if no one wants to go that distance.

[rickcb]

Apologies if I'm butting in here from the pacific coast, but, just in the off chance folks are unaware of Scenic's ability to export a .gpx file:



Email or otherwise make the .gpx file available to attendees, and each attendee who likes can import the .gpx file into their nav app.

Thank you for "butting in" (which you didn't really do).   Thank you for this information.  I did know that I can export the .gpx file , but I was concerned about the possibility that not everyone would know what to do with the fil once they got it.  I should have included this as one of the options.   

Once I have the routes plotted (I have two done already), I will post the .gpx files. I will also post the link to route in Scenic.  It's a bit of a pain, but let me know if you need me to post a link to the google maps file in addition.   Let me know if that works.

Second question is about ride distance.   I have a route I could do, and it would be pretty interesting, but it's loop of about 300 miles.   Seems like a lot, but there are some payoffs or I wouldn't by contemplating it.   The question for attendees is this:   What is a good distance for a rally group ride?

If it makes a difference, almost all if not all routes will have a lunch stop and many will have a POI stop as well.   All distances are total "loop" distances from Round Barn and returning to Round Barn 

a) 50-150 miles

b) 150-200 miles

c) 200-250 miles

d) 250-300 miles

e) 300 + miles 

f) a morning ride that returns to the hotel before lunch, leaving riders to plot their own afternoon rides.  

I'm happy to mix up a combination of all of these, but I don't want to plan a long day (d or e) if no one wants to go that distance.

I like 150-200 mile rides. 250 is my max and is definitely a Tylenol day.