ok so….. I’m not the best at keeping my blog up to date. A little over a year ago a friend and I hosted a motorcycle rally. In 9 days we host the second annual 2 The Border motorcycle rally.
This all started in the fall of 2022. I mentioned to a friend that it would be cool to host a motorcycle rally and that it could probably be done from my property for a couple years while it’s still small. What I forgot to account for was that my friend, Troy, is an extreme achiever. Troy just does things……once he gets an idea he makes it real. So within a few hours of casually mentioning my idea, Troy had formed the basic plan for the event and had even secured a venue! Next thing I know it’s March of 2023, we’ve been planning since January, and it’s time to start advertising cause this rally is happening whether I’m ready or not.
The first year was actually much more successful than expected. We had 38 attendees and received so much great feedback. It was really encouraging. So much so that we decided to do it again…..with some changes. The biggest issue I had with the first year was that most people viewed it as a day ride and I want it to be a rally. A 3-4 day event that people travel to with the expectation to be there all weekend and have multiple adventures while there. We also had some issues with the venue….it was just too far from civilization. We used Jakes Landing in Porthill and it is literally AT the border. People needed more options for food. The previous venue was also a little disorganized. The property itself was beautiful and has so much potential but it was just not the right fit for a smaller event. Maybe in the future, we can return, but for now, our home is at North Haven Campground in Bonners Ferry.
I’m not really writing this to explain or promote the rally though. I just wanted to talk about how much I’ve learned from this experience and what I hope the event will become in the future. I have learned little bits about event planning, managing groups of people, route planning, vendor outreach, product promotion, advertising, social media management, fundraising, people management, inventory management, and so so much more. I’ve made connections with industry leaders to get our event sponsored and local businesses to get our event advertised. I’ve even landed myself an ambassador position with Backcountry Discovery Routes. I don’t really know if any of these things will be useful for my career, but they sure are fun things to know.
the future
I don’t know for sure what the future will hold for 2 The Border, but I know what I WANT 2 The Border to be. I want this event to always be open to all bikes. That was the very first thing I came up with when I first started this crazy idea…..2 The Border is for EVERYONE. I want this event to always benefit BDR in some form or another. I want this event to become a big name in the motorcycle scene. I want to draw so many people that other rallies have to plan around US instead. I want to outgrow our current venue and have to rent out the fairgrounds every year. I want to bring 1000 bikes into Bonners Ferry every summer just to show the PNW that north Idaho loves bikes too. I want to have a vendor city every year filled with the top names in the industry that reach out to ME asking to join us. I want our tickets to be a great value even at $300+. And most of all I want to provide attendees with a rally that is focused on RIDING first and selling second. 2 The Border is for everyone and is about the RIDE!
