2026 Square Route Rally

The 51st BMW Motorrad Club Washington DC's Square Route Rally was at the YMCA Camp West in the beautiful Catoctin Mountains. This area and the adjacent South Mountain have some of the prettiest scenery in the country. The roads are tight and twisty. Read more

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Trip start
June 4, 2026
2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Arrival at YMCA Camp West Mar
Jun 4–7 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F
It's the day before the Square Route Rally in the Catoctin mountains of Maryland. I arrived at the rally site the evening before it begins. As one of the volunteers I get will help set up the rally for the rally goers who will arrive at noon tomorrow. Got my tent all set up and ready for good night's sleep. We all ordered pizza.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Planning
June 4 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F
Volunteers are making the final plans for organizing registration for the Square Route Rally.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Rally Master
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
Mike Seay is the 2026 rally master. He has worked super hard to make sure we're all going to have a great time. Here he is overseeing his minions.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Setting Up Registration
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Gene and Kathy were working hard to set up the registration table. Check-In is completely automated with mobile apps and a web page for the RegFox system.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Prepping Friday's Dinner
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Lynn. Cindy, and Tom chopping.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Mortons BMW
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
Morton's BMW is the vendor at the rally. He brought his mobile service trailer and an R1300Rt.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
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Test Riding an R1300RT
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F
James Carlisle, Dealer Principal of Morton's BMW, brought a 2026 R1300RT to the Square Route Rally. He offered me a test ride and I could not resist.
This is the automatic model so I got to experience BMW's version of an automatic transmission motorcycle. When in auto mode, the shifting is a little clunky while accelerating and it likes to get into high gear very early. When you put it in manual mode, you use the shift leather for your left foot and there is no clutch lever. Shifting this way is super slick and easy.
The bike was absolutely amazing and I dearly want one but there is no way I can spend $34 Grand on a motorcycle. Is there?Read more
Traveler It looks good on you Bruce!
6/5/26Reply
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Signing Up For Rides
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F
We offer three rides this year. The first one is our traditional South Mountain Ice Cream Run. Of course I'll leave that because I love ice cream.
The Saturday rides will be a trip to the Antietam in South mountain battlefields and a ride up to Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Routes trail into Pennsylvania.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
South Mountain Creamery
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F
While some DC club members started Friday night’s dinner, I encouraged a large group of rally goers to enjoy dessert first and led them to the South Mountain Creamery. The best ice cream in Maryland is South Mountain Creamery. All the roads between YMCA Camp West Mar and the creamery are good. Just choose between winding narrow roads through thick woods or ridge top lanes along farms with mountains in the distance.
When you smell cows, you have arrived at South Mountain Creamery. They make ice cream from milk collected from their own cows. Fresh milk makes fresh ice cream. If you like peanut butter, try their Snallygaster flavor. Their grasshopper flavor is mint work Oreo cookie chucks. Eighteen motorcyclists wound their way to the creamery and to satisfy their sweet teeth.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
SkyMed Presentation
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Donna from SkyMed told us about the costs of medical evacuation by air and how their insurance pays for this essential service that my medical insurance does not cover.
She had her arm in a sling because she crashed her adventure bike and broke her collarbone. She explained how her product helped her pay for the helicopter evacuation.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Adventure Tales
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Jim Coates led a “round robin” discussion about Adventure Tales, overseas trips that we had taken. He talked about a trip to Cuba in November 2025 and the people they met and the scenery. Ten DC club members rode 895 miles through Cuba in 8 days. Ileana added her stories of interactions with people.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
My Trip to France
June 5 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
I talked about my 20-day trip to France in 2024. I recounted my preparation and packing for my first fly & ride. I decided to pack all my riding gear in a large suitcase and carry my helmet on the plane. I explained some challenges with adjusting to a foreign culture and why the locals will treat you better if you do. Some things on the trip surprised me but everything was wonderful. Of course, I talked about the food and how surprised I was that a good French restaurant costs the same as a mediocre American one.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Riding South of the border
June 5 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 77 °F
Lynn talked about her two month trip to Central America. She spent $14,000 for a two month trip. The price included purchasing a motorcycle. There is fabulous riding south of the border. Cool mountain roads and fabulous food.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Peaceful Saturday Morning
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
I got up early before most of the rally goers. The morning was cool and clear.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Mount Airy Mocha
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
A food truck sold coffee and breakfast food. I ate a breakfast burrito with a latte. Delicious.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
The Rally Wakes Up
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
People wake up and start to plan their day. There are two guided tours, a pavement ride to the battlefield and a gravel ride along the MABDR.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
South Mountain Battlefield
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
About 16 bikes went off for the Battlefields Tour. It was a large group but we stayed together well.

The Battle of South Mountain took place at these three gaps as the Yankees pushed back the Confederates over South Mountain and towards Antietam. The group was too large to stop at Fox Gap and walk over to General Reno's memorial, so we slowed down to view the memorial spire. We stopped at the War Correspondence Memorial Arch at Crampton Gap. They have monuments to generals and soldiers, why not a monument to newspaper men?Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Lunch at Bonnie's at the Red Byrd
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
This restaurant has a funny name, but the food is good and they can handle a big crowd. Surprisingly, there are not many restaurants in Sharpsburg, Maryland.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Antietam Battlefield
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F
After a brief stop at the Park Headquarters, we rode through the Antietam Battlefield. We followed the audio tour route and saw The Cornfield where more men died than at Omaha Beach on D-Day. At The Cornfield, the Bloody Lane, and Burnside's Bridge, there were docents to explain what happened on that part of the battlefield. They were expert historians and they brought history to life with stories of valor and horror.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Nutter's Ice Cream
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F
When I lead a ride, you know we will stop for ice cream. Nutter's Ice Cream shop in Sharpsburg, MD has the air of a business that has been around forever. The interior decor is of a general store, and I suspect that is what it was before its present incarnation as a sweet’s dispensary. As always, there was a long line we had to wait in. This is for two reasons. Their ice cream is excellent and the flavors are creative. Their prices are an incredible bargain. I ordered a medium sized cup of ice cream and got four scoops that totaled almost a quart. They only charged me $3.20 for this belly busting amount.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Back At Camp
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F
We returned early from the battlefield tour and had time to rest at camp and talk with friends before dinner.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Bollinger's Barbeque
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
Bollinger's Barbeque was our caterer again this year. We keep inviting them back because their brisket and pulled pork are the best around. The Uncle Dirty's barbecue sauces are also outstanding.
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Presentation
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
Angelette was our Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening. She was joined by a club president Lynn and Rally Master. Mike.

James Carlisle, Dealer Principal of Morton's BMW gets an award for outstanding service to the rally. He worked on seven bikes at the rally.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Superlative Awards
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
We had the standard collection plus one that we made up on the spot, the Close Call Award. Chris Hansen had a deer jump over him while he was riding on the MABDR. Luckily the deer jumped high enough to clear his head.Read more
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2026 Square Route Rally Bruce Dimon
Grand Prizes
June 6 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
Gift certificate, a pair of helmet communicators, and a new pair of tires were the grand prizes. There were too many regular door prizes to list here.
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