Goblins, Ghouls, Vampires, and other assorted nocturnal beasts? No, I’m talking about rally cars at Heart of Darkness (HoD)! Okay I suppose there could have been some nocturnal beasts inside the rally cars, I didnt vet all the cars personally for fear of my life. First in class (unlimited) and second overall, one second behind the Damms (first in historic).
Well the 2010 Trail of the GNU is over and I’ve recovered enough to think about a post (translation, I’m now only physically exhausted not both physically and mentally exhausted). As Marinus mentioned the other day (The Road to Rocky Mountain House) we ended up in Alberta because neither of us blinked. And not flinching turned out to be a pretty good approach to the rally too. Made easier by getting car #1. Usually a somewhat dubious honor, it allowed us to be unaffected by the chaos and drama on the route behind us: 6 extractions, several stuck cars (cleared by competitors), and multiple mechanical issues. On the downside there were no tracks to follow, although that means there were no ruts to deal with except when the course looped over subsections. And we got to scare off a lot of wildlife, at least 3 dozen white tailed deer during the day. Fortunately none of them attempted to run across the road to get away from the red demon bearing down on them. GNU appears to be relatively heavy on the Calc class cars. 3 of the 6 registered Unlimited cars had mechanical difficulties the week before the event (including last year’s winners Peter and Geoff Hill) leaving a small field of class competitors. Both Calculator cars, Ryan Oliver & Jack Bensley won the tie (in a vintage 1970 Volvo) edging out Shane McAssey & Mark Geusebroek. I had a ton of fun at the event, very glad we made the long haul out. I’m still a bit stunned we actually completed the trip. Will we be doing it again next year? … Perhaps. It’s a big long commitment and maybe once was enough.
It’s a nice feeling, fixing your own car. It was a mere coincidence that it failed while I was tearing apart the dash. Just. A.
We left Anchorage early Wednesday morning. We made it home today, Saturday, about 1pm. Three days of 700+ miles each day to get to Portland. Last night, we stayed at the Sumas Mountain Lodge. It’s a very nice place. There’s still all the practical jokes, radio chat and competitiveness. I think Glenn captured it best: the team boundaries broke down and it became a group of ralliers traveling together. All the cars in the driveway have a full tank of gas. Must be another rally right around the corner.
-Report from Marinus Damm 
Marilyn, outside a restaurant at Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, Alberta
“We” are Marinus and Marvin. Neither of us blinked.
