38th Annual Square Route Rally - Maryland June 1-3, 2012

June 1 ÔÇô 3 2012 // MD
38th Annual Square Route Rally

BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington #40

Join BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington at Camp WestMar located 7 miles west of US 15 at Thurmont MD in the beautiful Catoctin Mountains for a fun-filled weekend of riding, seminars, tech sessions & camaraderie with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts! We have entertainment & several tech sessions planned for Saturday. However, if youÔÇÖre in the mood for riding, revel in some of the best sport-touring riding in the mid-Atlantic, either on well-maintained asphalt and/or challenging dual-sport routes thru the foothills of the Blue Ridge of MD, PA, WV & VA. We have a group GS ride as well as route sheets to help you to enjoy the miles of curvy paved roads in the Blue Ridge. Civil War historic sites - Antietam, Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, The Wilderness & others ÔÇô are readily day-toured from our rally site using provided route sheets. A group ride to Sharpsburg will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Antietam campaign. Or, stretch your legs on the Appalachian Trail, just half a mile from the rally. If you are in the market for parts & accessories or maybe a new bike, we have three notable BMW dealerships in the area.

Our rally is renowned for GREAT door prizes, interesting activities/speakers, and loads of fun! Registration includes 2 nights of camping, Friday evening chili, Saturday multi-entr?®e dinner, continuous coffee, communal campfire, scads of door prizes including multiple grand prizes (preregistration provides an extra chance for a grand prize), rally pin & mug, flea market, and entertainment on Friday & Saturday evenings. Breakfast & lunch available on site or nearby at several high value restaurants. Large bathhouses with private showers. Wooded campsites are available for tent camping or take advantage of 60 first-come/first-serve bunkhouse beds in cabins; motels are in nearby Thurmont, Hagerstown, or Frederick.

14509 Brown Rd, Sabillasville, MD 21780-8728 GPS: N39o 37.244ÔÇÖ, W77o 31.910ÔÇÖ

A great deal of additional, updated information and registration forms are available on the clubÔÇÖs website [url]www.bmwbmw.org[/url] or contact Scott Keimig [email]vp@bmwbmw.org[/email].

Located less than 5 miles from the rally, right down MD Route 77, CFSP offers hiking, sightseeing, and swimming among other activities. The Houck area of the park has the falls itself, as well as lake for swimming (including a sandy beach!) Affordable for an entire day or for a quick dip in the lake.

ÔÇóDay Use Service Charge: Memorial Day-Labor Day, weekdays $3/person; Memorial Day-Labor Day, weekends and holidays $4/person; all other times $3/vehicle. Out-of-state residents add $1 to all day use service charges.
ÔÇóHours of Operation: 8 a.m. to Sunset, April through October; Lifeguards are on duty at the lake between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., Memorial Day to Labor Day. Lifeguard coverage may be adjusted during periods of inclement weather.

All roads into the main areas and parking are paved.

More info here:
[url]http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/cunningham.asp[/url]

Catoctin Mountain Park, managed by the National Park Service, is just on the other side of MD 77 from Cunningham Falls State Park. (in fact, CFSP was created in 1954 when the original Catoctin park donated 5,000 acres to Maryland)

Began in 1935 as a project by both the Work Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, the park was originally planned to provide recreational camps for federal employees. One of the camps eventually became Camp David, the U.S. Presidential retreat. That area of the park is closed to the public, but you will notice a section with No Parking signs as well as gates with surveillance cameras. The Secret Service sometimes closes the access roads going by the camp if the president is in town. :wave

Admission to the park is free, hours are Monday - Thursday 10am-430pm; Friday 10am-5pm; Sat-Sunday 830am-5pm.

More info here:
[url]http://www.nps.gov/cato/index.htm[/url]

For those of you who use a rally as your FOB (Forward Operating Base), there are plenty of great rides to choose from. Find your own way with our route sheets that take you over covered bridges, through Burkittsville, or along the Catoctin ridges. Guided rides include GS rides, a Civil War theme ride, and a ride from the rally site to Bob's BMW for a guided tour of his extensive museum collection.

[IMG]http://www.mdcoveredbridges.com/loys.jpg[/IMG]

I haven't been to a SRR since 1989 but I remember them being a good time and a good crowd.

We'd love to have you back. :nod

Registration is open! Save money and get an extra door prize ticket AND an extra grand prize ticket by pre-registering before May 20th!

[url]http://www.bmwbmw.org/srr[/url]

ÔÇó Admission to the rally including organized rides
ÔÇó Tech seminars, rides and featured speakers
ÔÇó Tickets for general door prize and grand prize drawings IF YOU PRE-REGISTER, YOU RECEIVE AN EXTRA TICKET FOR EACH DRAWING!
ÔÇó FOOD! Your full weekend registration includes the following on-site:
- Chili on Friday night - hard to gauge how many folks will be on site for dinner so it is first-come, first-served. I don't recall any fights breaking out
due to running out prematurely, so don't fret.
- Dinner on Saturday - the menu includes grilled or baked chicken, hot roast beef with gravy, tomato-free veggie pasta, taters, green beans, salad, desserts and fixins.
Your fee also includes sodas provided by the club.

Note that the caterer remains on-site all weekend. She offers a breakfast buffet on Saturday morning , and you won't walk away hungry. She also serves up made to order sandwiches, snacks, and sodas for additional cost. Nothing like a late-night burger to soak up some of that beer you're drinking. She also stays around until Sunday morning, offering breakfast sandwiches made to order.

ÔÇó A weekend of great fun with old and new friends, surrounded by great roads!

There is a wide array of accommodations, both on-site and off-site. Here is a sample

ON-SITE BUNKHOUSES: Available on a first-come, first-served basis. The bunkhouses have about 12-14 bunk beds each. If you choose to stay in one, be sure to bring along your sleeping bag and earplugs. A top sheet for the mattress is a good suggestion also.

ON-SITE TENT CAMPING: The site offers a large field which is close to the action plus a more secluded area around the pond (which is designated as quiet camping).

OFF-SITE, THURMONT MD: The town offers a few options for you:
ÔÇó Super 8- 300 Tippin Drive, Thurmont - (301) 271-7888
ÔÇó Cozy Country Inn- 103 Frederick Road, Thurmont - (301) 271-4301
ÔÇó Rambler Motel - 426 North Church Street, Thurmont - (301) 271-2424
ÔÇó Ole Mink Farm Recreation Resort - 12806 Mink Farm Road, Thurmont, MD‎ - (301) 271-7012‎

OFF-SITE, surrounding areas: Emmitsburg MD, Hagerstown MD, Frederick MD and Gettysburg PA are nearby and offer many choices, this is a sample:
ÔÇó Sleep Inn & Suites 501 Silo Hill Parkway, Emmitsburg
ÔÇó Eisenhower Hotel 2634 Emmittsburg Road Gettysburg, PA 17325
ÔÇó Red Carpet Inn 2450 Emmitsburg Road Gettysburg, PA 17325
ÔÇó Quality Inn Gettysburg 380 Steinwehr Avenue Gettysburg, PA 17325
ÔÇó Courtyard by Marriott 115 Presidential Circle Gettysburg, PA 17325
ÔÇó Comfort Inn 871 York Road Gettysburg, PA 17325

There were too many choices to list; check out the web or directory assistance for additional information.

Just about ready to finalize the SRR program.
We have speakers for tech seminars and touring reports as well as a bunch of guided rides of both GS and sport-touring variety. Food available on site from our long-tenure caterer. Band on Friday - back by popular demand.

Save some bucks and pre-register.:brad

Hi Guys,

Thinking about headings south for this rally. Quick question- is the campground wooded enough for hammock camping or should I lug me tent instead?

Thanks,

Rob

Some of the non-camping areas are wooded, and there are some trees close to the rally happenings. We have had hammocks in the past, so I think you will have good luck with that plan. Be sure to say hi and introduce yourself!

There are lots of ways to occupy your time at the SRR. We have musical entertainment & several tech sessions planned for Saturday. However, if youÔÇÖre in the mood for riding, revel in some of the best sport-touring riding in the mid-Atlantic, either on well-maintained asphalt and/or dual-sport routes.

Our organized rides have always been a highlight for those SRR rallists who want to tour the area. This year we have kept the popular rides from previous years and have added several NEW RIDES based on the favorable feedback of previous SRR attendees.

One especially popular ride has been GARYÔÇÖS GUIDED GS RIDE. This ÔÇ£gentleÔÇØ GS ride is about 50% on unpaved roads with the entire ride taking about 5 hours and will include a lunch stop.

Not only are we are keeping that on the agenda, but we are adding a NOT-QUITE-AS-LONG GUIDED GS RIDE led by Dawn & Paul, who were our featured speakers at the SRR last year. This ride is over similar terrain as GaryÔÇÖs GS Ride, but is calibrated to require about half of the riding time to allow one to return to West-Mar and partake of tech sessions and entertainment prior to the evenings celebrations.

New this year is a GUIDED GROUP TRIBUTE RIDE TO SHARPSBURG. This sport-touring ride is on twisty paved roads thru the ridges and valleys of Catoctin and South mountains and commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Antietam campaign. Riders can access the paved roads thru the battlefield and visit the museum and souvenir shop. Lunch can be had in the nearby town of Sharpsburg or you can use a guide sheet to ride into Frederick to grab lunch there and then see the fascinating National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Also new this year are two opportunities to ride the Piedmont east of West-Mar and participate in a Vintage Museum Tour at BobÔÇÖs BMW. The first opportunity occurs Friday, June 1st at 12:00 noon ÔÇô we call it the FRIDAY GUIDED RIDE FROM BOBÔÇÖS MUSEUM. It features Bob Henig providing expert critiques of some very historic BMW bikes and beemer paraphernalia in not only the main museum at the dealership but also the rarely seen items at the nearby BobÔÇÖs BMW Annex. This tour is intended to capture people on their way to the rally from surrounding areas. Following the box lunch and museum visit, Bob will personally lead an exuberant but sanely paced ride to WestMar that will be predominately on two lane secondary roads. Advance sign-up for this tour is made electronically thru [url]http://www.bobsbmw.com[/url].

If your rally travel schedule doesnÔÇÖt allow you to take advantage of the Friday museum visit & ride, you have another opportunity on Saturday morning, when Bob Henig will lead a SATURDAY GUIDED RIDE TO BOBÔÇÖS MUSEUM for lunch and a museum tour including all of the above. A great food vendor, called The Wild Dog Cart, will be at the dealership so people can purchase lunch. After the museum tour the dealership will have a one-hour tech session and then riders are on their own to travel back to West-Mar. The Saturday ride to BobÔÇÖs is limited to 20 participants, all of whom would need to be decent (sorry no beginners) riders with at least some group riding experience.

So youÔÇÖve learned that we have five guided rides this rally, but it happens that youÔÇÖre just not interested in group rides. Well, we can help you with that ÔÇô all of our rides will have paper route sheets available for independent rides. Plus, we have route sheets for our ever popular Dave Keuch Memorial Loop, which is an 85-mile jaunt north of West-Mar, and the Burkittsville Wander, which is a 78-mile loop south of West-Mar into West Virginia.

So many rides, so little time