What is Rock Lobster?
Rock Lobster is the 2021 edition of the GS Giants annual GO BIG Rally coming up on August 5-8. GS Giants love to laugh, meet up with our friends and ride our adventure motorcycles to the middle of nowhere... just about anywhere. We're men and women, young and old, Asians and Africans, Americans and Europeans and more. We speak English, Japanese, Pakistani, French, Spanish, Portuguese... a long list.
A signature event at our rallies are the bike games. Rock Lobster will be no different and we have two of the best track builders in the United States, Jim Bean and Dennis Godwin, coming to build a very challenging course utilizing natural and man made obstacles..
Is this a BMW only event?
Nonsense! We don’t care what you ride, just that you ride. In fact, the local area is a hotbed of big bore KTM riders who will be joining us and helping with routes!
What is the venue like?
Rock Lobster will be held at Camp Bobriwka in Colebrook, Connecticut. Bobriwka consists of 350 acres of woods with a swimming pond, dining hall, bathhouse, bunkhouse and miles of trails. It is at the foot of the Berkshire mountains, close to Great Barrington, Massachusetts as well the Green Mountains of Vermont.
What is the local riding like?
It is wonderful. It is New England at its best with twisty pavement leading to historic towns and villages. You’ll see places that were part of the original Colonies and have the opportunity to have lunch in taverns that served George Washington.
Fine, how about dirt?
They say if you grew up skiing in New England you can ski anywhere and to a large degree the same is true of riding a motorcycle, on and off road. There are miles of legal forest roads, historic roads and marked trails in the area. In some New England states the roads are listed by class; in Vermont a class IV road (VI in NH) is a historic wagon path that is not maintained. Some of these are reasonably easy in August while others can give you a brief taste of our version of the Darien Gap. The surface is often rocks, roots, dirt, mud and water crossings. Sand is rare. Loose surface climbs and descents are not. Come to a complete stop and shut down the engine when you encounter a person on a horse.
Rides and Routes?
Absolutely! Thanks to some fantastic local talent we will be offering rides of varied difficulty that depart from the campsite. These will be self-guided rides with .GPX files provided. There are also trails on site. We will offer short loops that are on site and are rated the same as the GPX rides regarding degree of difficulty. This is to give riders a chance to discover that if you complete a Hero IV ride on a big GS the organizers would be most impressed.
How about the new Northeast Back Road Discovery Route?
The new route from the good folks at Back Road Discovery will be released in February. Rumor has it the route will come pretty close to the rally site; we suggest riders plan on making Rock Lobster a mid point stop on this route. There is also the Puppy Dog (Mass to Canada via dirt) and other regional routes.
Can I come early or stay late?
The rally site is a private facility that we have contracted for a specific time period. We are working with MAX BMW Motorcycles to provide secure parking for your trucks and trailers should you want to come early or stay later. There is so much to do in New England, your host suggests planning on taking a week to explore.
What is the camping like?
The camping is fantastic! Directly adjacent to Rally Central, i.e. the dining hall are a few acres of flat, green grass; even some spots with shade from the afternoon sun! It is also waking distance to the bathhouse. This area will be 100% tents and bikes only.
There is also dispersed camping throughout the property including spots down by the swimming pond and another near the marsh.
What about campers, 5th wheels and RV?
If this site has any drawback is that it is not big rig friendly. There will be a designated field for dry camping however it does have a slight slope. If your tow vehicle is not 4wd you may have some issues. Unfortunately, it will be very difficult to accommodate 5th wheel trailers. This field is close to the action; if you look at an overhead photo of the site it is directly to the right as you enter. Class A Coaches will not fit at this venue.
Quiet time for generators will be 8pm to 8am.
I need to run a CPAP machine, will there be power available?
Of course but it may be a challenge. The bigger the footprint the further from electricity you’ll be. If you’re coming with a big trailer, chances are you’ll be far from power and generators go off at 8pm. If you’re in a tent it will be easy to get you power. There also may be indoor accommodations for those with such needs, please contact the host for details.
Food?
So glad you asked! It’s not called Rock Lobster for nothing and we are delighted to share the best of New England over the course of three days.
Thursday night is “Federal Hill” featuring what the locals call Sunday Gravy over pasta and meatballs and sausage with salad, rolls and a welcome to town sheet cake.
Friday breakfast will be pancakes, French toast with bacon and sausage; assorted muffins. Fresh fruit and yogurt will also be available. Real Vermont Maple Syrup.
Friday night we’re going to dine like the Pilgrims over roasted turkey breast or roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn on the cob, salad, rolls with cookies and pies for dessert. There will also be a salmon choice available.
Saturday breakfast will be egg casserole with meat and cheese, veggie egg casserole, assorted rolls, bagels and soft flour tortillas to make breakfast burritos. There will also be fresh fruit and yogurt.
Saturday night It's (Rock) Lobster as part of a traditional New England Clambake. This will feature whole lobster in the shell, clam chowder, potatoes, corn on the cob, bread and dessert. For folks like your host who don’t eat lobster there will be filet mignon.
Sunday morning breakfast is grab n go; breakfast sandwiches, pastries, energy bars, fruit and yogurt.
With limited restaurants and markets in the surrounding area there will be food available for purchase on site during the day.
Registration?
Registration will be opening soon, just as soon as we resolve a few minor technical issues. There is a good chance registration will open first to Giants who have renewed their membership (or simply joined) for 2021. To do so is only ten bucks, takes but a minute and you get a nifty sticker. Join the GS Giants!
Is there a cap on registration?
Yes. By contract with the site we are limited to 300. Last year’s GO BIG rally did sell out and we expect this one will too.
Do you have an aerial photo of the camping area?
Yes we do! North is up. To the left of the driveway is tents and bikes only, to the right is vehicle camping. There is some great tent camping by the pond as well which is down a slight hill.
Questions? Contact the host.
MEMBER ONLY REGISTRATION
Registration will open on March 1 for registered GS Giants in good standing for 2020, at a discounted cost of $175.00.
After March 15 registration is open to all at a cost of $190.00
If you are a member in good standing and cannot register, please contact the webmaster at webmaster@gsgiants.com
