Open Iris

It is 6:12am, Pacific time, and the start of the Alcan 5000 is in less then two hours. I have spent the last four days running around, both physically and mentally, getting various things done to get ready.

Some bad news, Skip Faulkner, who also ran the 2002 event and was to be my transit partner, had a last minute job commitment and could not made it. Skip, if you are reading this, we will miss you.

What you are looking at above is the LXE-Wallace Rally computer. It is the first of it's kind to be used on a motorcycle. The hardware is a MX3-CE rugged industrial computer made by LXE. It usually finds itself on a forklift or such equipment. I chose it because of it's extreme ruggedness, big screen, water resistance rating (IP-67) and it's operating system, Windows CE. The software is written by Seattle area car rallyist Glenn Wallace.

Glenn and I have been exchanging emails for about a year and half, and I started messing with his software about that time. I had found the LXE and as busy getting he software ready to run on it. Glenn, in the meantime, had announced that he was going to run the winer 2004 Alcan 5000 with Greg Hightower. I convinced him to take a look at the computer, and long story short, they use it to win the difficult Thunderbird Rally this past january, and place fourth in the winter Alcan event. They made some great improvements to the software to better take advantage of the MX3-CE, so I feel very lucky to have this amazing rally computer on the bike. Thanks so much Glenn for writing this software, and working with me to get it ready for the bike!

That is all for now, I need to fuel up, sync my clock to the rally computer, etc. Next stop, Quinsel, BC!