The Overcrest Rally trip report, life changing Options

[Optimusglen]

I wanted to share with you all my experience at the Overcrest Rally for 2021
This was, beyond a doubt, the best automotive event I've ever been to. Even now looking back it's hard to take it all in and unpack, so I'll just start from the beginning. 2 years before the event. Get comfy, grab some popcorn, because this is a doozy.


Prelude:
A couple of friends of mine, Kris and Jake, run a podcast called Overcrest. It's an automotive-based podcast and generally has automotive topics. Both of them have long hood 911's so Porsche comes up frequently. I've known Kris forever, we were in each other's weddings, etc. We've also been doing fall drives together for quite some time, so it was no surprise when they wanted to plan a rally for the podcast and their listeners. It was 2019 and I helped a bit with some of the graphics.

The 2019 rally was a great local rally, it picked up several nice roads on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. This was the last year I had my 914 at the rally, and it was the year I overcooked my brakes and had a little "off" that sent me home with my tail between my legs but more or less unscathed.

In 2020 they wanted to do a national rally, but they knew they weren't there yet. The two pulled in another friend, Jeff, to help them along. The year was thought of as a stepping stone to get to the point where a national audience would take them seriously. So it was a 2-day rally, planned and plotted out. Cool swag, and really thought out. I attended, but at this time my 4-cyl was dead and my 6 was yet to be built, so I drove an Audi TT that I rented using Turo. Again, it was immensely great for a local rally. It drew some audience from outside the midwest, but not much.

[Optimusglen]

Monday, September 27th & Tuesday, September 28th

In the morning I set out North to meet Jeff in Casper, Wyoming. He got an early start and had a business call to do while waiting for me there. Once we left Casper we went north again to I-90. We crossed the border into South Dakota and once we hit Sturgis we jumped onto 34 which took us in a more direct and more barren route to Pierre, South Dakota where we spent the night and prepared for the final leg home to Minnesota. 

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-19709-1633031516.1.jpg)

I pulled into my driveway around 3:15pm and immediately the void hit me in the gut.


The trip was finished.


The thing I had been working like a crazy man for, for months, done. The vacuum that was there was pretty substantial. Of course, I was so excited to see my wife and daughter, but I was sad that the adventure was over. In the month before the trip the stress of the build, paired with work deadlines looming for both my day job and my night job, had become so high. The drive, itself, was a remarkable payoff for the hard work in the most monumental way. But now I was just depressed.


It took the rest of the day to get out of the funk. Even now, 2 days later, it's bittersweet to think about. It was a high that I may never be able to match, purely because of the juxtaposition of the stress and worry I had in the weeks and months leading up to it. All the miles, alone in my car, gave me so much to think about, to self-diagnose, and stories to remember.

This adventure was the most important and impactful trip I've ever made. It was over 3400 miles on a new engine, through rain, sweat, dust, and tears. Hot 91 degree temps to cold mornings with all of my sweatshirts on. $30 steaks to gas station veggie cups. Lonely highways and parties bursting with camaraderie. 

And I can't wait until next year.