2004 Falling Leaf Rally Information

When and Where

The Falling Leaf Rally is hosted by the Gateway Riders BMW Motorcycle Club, St. Louis, Missouri. We are charter club #22 in the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America (BMWMOA) organization. The Gateway Riders have sponsored the Falling Leaf Rally since 1976. We traditionally hold the rally the second full weekend in October, the weekend after the Return to Shiloh Rally in Tennessee. This year, the rally will be Friday thru Sunday, October 8, 9, and 10.

The rally is held at the Lion's Club Fairgrounds in Potosi, Missouri. Potosi is about 60 miles South Southeast of St. Louis. If you are coming from I-55, get off at 32 West to Farmington. Go to 67/32 and turn North. In about 4 miles, 32 turns East again. Then, 2 miles later, take Route 8 West to Potosi. Go through town. As you are leaving Potosi, there will be a Y intersection, with Route 8 going straight and 185 to the right. Take 185. Immediately look for the fairgrounds entrance, it will be about 1/4 mile down the road on your left.

If you are coming from I-44, get off at either Route 8 at St. James or 185 at Sullivan. If you are taking Route 8, you will see the fairgrounds on your left just before the Y intersection of 185 and Route 8. Turn left on 185 and look for the fairgrounds entrance about 1/4 mile down on the left. If you are coming down 185, you will see the fairgrounds on your right before the intersection of Route 8 and 185.

My advice, look at a map and figure it out, or program your GPS. Scenic routes you can take include Route 8 and 185. I think 185 is better. I would also recommend any road with an alphabet letter south of Potosi. Highway 21 is a bit heavily traveled north of Potosi; it is pretty good to the south. I like 32 from Salem to DD, then DD North to C, jog right on C to P North. Route 19 from Eminence North to A, then A to KK, to 32, to DD to P is also quite nice. Approaching from the North, you have fewer scenic choices that are at least semi-direct routes. H, HH, FF, WW, and Y are all nice rides. A and T are excellent.

I would advise getting yourself a large fold up map of Missouri. Your atlas probably won't have the good squiggly lines. You can also get a topographical map which will better depict the turns and angles. Computer programs might not give you the best fun routes.

Roads

Missouri roads are mostly blacktop. They will be uneven and crowned with blind corners, intersecting gravel driveways, and no shoulders. Watch it. If you aren't used to twisties, then take it easy. It is not uncommon for pickups and cars to cheat over the center line, especially in their left hand, your right hand, corners. Don't go wide. Watch for dead animals and live ones as well. There are lots of deer, mostly in the early morning and evening. Squirrels and raccoons will run across the road in front of you unpredictably. There are also dogs that may chase you. Watch for hazards and keep your speed down to stay in control.

There is quite a bit of interstate road construction going on around St. Louis. Avoid St. Louis during rush hours if you can. I-270 and I-64 are especially aggravating. I-255 on the Illinois side is pretty good. If you are coming from the East, 47 works pretty well and 50 is a good choice. The interstates clear up outside the city conglomerate, just try to avoid going through the city between 7:00 to 9:00 AM, and 4:00 to about 6:00 PM.

Dual Sport Riding

There are some great off road trails in the Mark Twain forest. A topographical map will be necessary if you want to experience some challenging off road riding. I would recommend novices not getting off of the gravel roads unless you have someone experienced to go with you. We offer a guided dual sport ride on Saturday, led by Tom Huff.

Camping

There is plenty of camping space at the fairgrounds. The Falling Leaf Rally started as primarily a camping rally and I would recommend it. Camping is included in your entry fee, so why not take advantage of it? If you camp, plan on bringing some cold weather gear. In October it often gets cold at night. Watch the weather reports and act accordingly. Keep in mind that the St. Louis weather may not be accurate 60 miles to the South. Potosi is in a rural area and you can expect nighttime temperatures to be lower than what you might find in the city. Bring a warm sleeping bag and adequate clothing. If you forget anything, there is a Wal Mart in town. We will provide firewood for campfires.

Motels

Your really ought to camp. If not, there are only two motels in town. There is a nice Super 8, and there is a locally owned motel, the Austin Inn. The Super 8 is, well, a Super 8. It fills up fast. The Austin Inn is an old strip type motel. I can't attest to the accommodations. It got pretty run down a few years ago and may changes owners frequently. Book a room there at your own risk.

Potosi Super 8, 573-438-8888, Super8.com. Call directly for best rate and waiting list, do not call 800#

Austin Inn 573-438-9002 (book at your own risk)

If you can't get a room in Potosi, I would recommend going to Bonne Terre, about 20 miles East of Potosi. There is a Super 8 there, and also a nice locally owned establishment, the Red Cedar Lodge. The ride from Potosi to Bonne Terre isn't bad, and the motels there are OK.

Bonne Terre Super 8, 573-358-5888, Super8.com

Red Cedar Lodge-800-825-7506, 573-431-0008

Another choice is Sullivan, which is on I-44 at 185, about 30 miles west. 185 goes right in front of the Lion's Club Fairgrounds and is a nice road to ride. They have a Baymont Inn and an Econonlodge.

Baymont Inn 1-866-999-1111, Baymontinns.com

Econolodge 1-877-424-6423, Econolodge.com

Potosi

Potosi has the common fast food joints, such as McDonalds, Hardees, and Sonic. The Family Steak House is a popular family run establishment. There is a Wal Mart, two grocery stores, and an auto parts store. There are no motorcycle shops. Please watch the crosswalks when going through town, the locals have the right of way and have a habit of stepping off the curb without looking. There is also a hospital which, I hope, you will not need. We have no first aid available at the rally grounds; we leave the medical services to the professionals.

Facilities at the Rally grounds

There is a heated meeting hall, the Lion's Den, which will be open throughout the event. Inside, we have registration, coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade, ice water, and ice sales. Ice is $1 per bag.

There are indoor toilets in the meeting hall and in the shower house next to the meeting hall. There will be porta potties around the campgrounds as well. There is no water service out on the rally grounds. You will have to tote it from one of the buildings if you need it at your campsite. There is also no electricity in the regular camping area. We do have some limited electric outlets in the back; but this requires special permission. Please call me if you have a special need for electricity.

We now have a brand new shower house on the grounds! For many years, the lack of on sight showers has been our only complaint with the rally grounds. Now, the rally grounds are absolutely perfect. Be sure to thank any Lion's Club member you see for their commitment to our rally.

We have food available for sale, it is not included in the rally fee. Friday night we have an old fashioned hot dog roast. We build a fire out back and you can roast the dogs on a stick to your satisfaction. We'll also put out some baked beans and chips. Saturday morning, the Lion's Club serves a good pancake and sausage breakfast for a reasonable price. They also have hamburgers for sale by order at lunch time. Saturday night they serve a barbecue dinner if you want it. We have always left food to your discretion. We don't charge you for it in advance. You can bring your own and cook at your campsite, go to a restaurant in town, or buy it from the Lion's Club.

Things to do

Friday night there is the hot dog roast. Also, most folks enjoy sitting in the Lion's Den, talking with old friends and meeting new ones.

On Saturday we have several events. You can do an observation ride if you wish. We will give you a route to ride and some questions to answer regarding the sights you see along the way. You buy the observation run form with all the money going out as prizes to the winners. The more people who participate, the more money you can win. The point of course, is to have a nice ride. The observation run will be about 150 miles long.

Also leaving Saturday morning, will be the gravel road ride catering to the dual sport crowd. Tom Huff, a Potosi native and avid motorcyclist will lead. We ask that only riders comfortable with gravel roads, stream crossings, and other such hazards go on this ride. Tom ends the ride in Belleview, Missouri, where one of the local churches serves a chicken and dumpling dinner that is absolutely wonderful.

Saturday afternoon you can sign up to ride in the field events if you wish. We have some fun, low impact, type games. Don't worry if you are not an expert rider; luck has as much to do with it as skill sometimes.

We will start and end the Saturday awards ceremony with the anvil blast. This is one of the most popular events at the rally. It is simple, an anvil is blasted high in the air with black powder, but it seems to be compellingly interesting.

After the anvil blast, we will have church service for those wishing to partake, and then have our “Thank You Pizza Party”. The pizza party is for rally volunteers and vendors only.

Awards

We give awards for the long distance rider, oldest riders, long distance side car drivers, and largest club in attendance. You have to sign up for some of the awards; read your rally packet for details.

Prizes

We have door prizes. We give you ten tickets with each full fare registration. You can put the tickets in any of the door prize jugs you wish.

We also do a 50/25/25 drawing. We sell tickets all weekend, and then give all the money away to three lucky winners, drawn at the awards ceremony on Saturday. The winner gets 50 percent of the money collected in cash, the next two tickets drawn are good for 25 percent each. We have given away some substantial cash awards in the past from this drawing.

Who can come

This is a BMW rally. It is open to BMW riders, owners, and guests. As the Rally Director, I will admit riders of other brands of motorcycles as my guest. Please keep in mind, we sponsor a family atmosphere event. We are a private club on private property and have the right to deny admittance or to ask you to leave. We have rarely felt compelled to exercise this right and don't plan on doing it in the future unless we have disruptive individuals who do not exercise good judgment or who fail to abide by the few and simple rules we ask you to follow. The Washington County Sheriffs Auxiliary provide evening security for us. We also monitor our gate from beginning to end. All registrants will be given an arm band. If you don't have one, you won't be able to get in the gate. If you aren't wearing the armband while on the grounds, we will ask you to leave. This is one of the simple rules. Riders of all brands of motorcycles are welcome, with those caveats.

What about pets?

We like pets. Pets may come if they will vouch for their owners. The owners are expected to keep their pet under their control at all times, and to clean up pet waste immediately and completely. There are areas around the perimeter fence of the grounds which are quite fine for pet walking. You are responsible for your pet. We don't like aggressive and obnoxious pets anymore than aggressive and obnoxious people. Be considerate of others and we will all get along just fine.

When can I arrive?

We start the rally on Friday. However, we will be setting up starting at about Noon on Thursday. If you come before that time, you may or may not be allowed entry. The Lion's Club owns the grounds. We rent from them from Thursday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. The Lion's Club are good folks who generally are OK with a few people who arrive a bit early, but it is entirely up to them. The Gateway Riders will not be providing any services until Friday morning, and we will pack everything by Sunday Noon.

Registration

We charge $18 for each adult admission, rider or passenger - it doesn't matter. We have lowered our entry fee for children, because we want to make it as easy as possible on families. Children from 6 to 12 now pay $2, ages 5 or under are free. We will sell a day pass for Saturday only for $9, no camping. We really like vendors, so they get in for free if they give us a door prize.

Tee shirts

Due to schedule problems this year, there will be no Tee shirt sales. We will be back next year. Thank you!

Vending at the Rally

Vendors enhance the rally experience for everyone, and we want to encourage them to attend. We charge no vendor registration fee. We ask that vendors come to the registration desk and register with us and provide us with a door prize. We then issue an armband that gives access to the grounds and all the services we provide. If Vendors want to be eligible for door prizes, they may pay the regular registration fee of $18. In order to further demonstrate our desire for vendors to attend our rally, we invite all of the on site vendors to the Saturday night appreciation pizza party.

Volunteering to Work at the Rally

Putting on a rally of this size requires a lot of help. If you want to be a part of it, we welcome your involvement. There is a Volunteer sign up desk at the registration table. All of the jobs we need done are listed there with descriptions of the duties and responsibilities. We ask for a 2 hour commitment from volunteers, ranging from guarding the gate to helping set up the hot dog roast to tabulating awards to assisting with the field events to making early morning coffee. Working at the rally is a really nice experience. You get to meet new people and have the satisfaction of contributing to everyone's fun. Also, to say thank you, all volunteers who work for 2 hours get a rally hat and are invited to the Saturday night pizza party

QUESTIONS????

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