Two quails with shields that create an "H" for Hoehn. I never knew these two quails would represent so much. I have had the opportunity to read so many beautifully written accounts of individual Rebelle Rally experiences. I have been thinking a lot this week about my own adventure with the Rebelle, and so I decided to join the ranks of storytellers.
The Prologue:
My story starts with three women . First, Jo Hannah Hoehn, then Emily Miller, and lastly, but never least, Sabrina Howells. These three all knew each other, yet only one of them knew me, but that was about to change.
To make her dream of the Rebelle Rally, the first-ever all female off-road rally raid in the United States, into a reality, Emily Miller would surround herself with the best of the best; enter Jo Hannah Hoehn.
Hoehn Motors' Adventure Brand, Hoehn Adventures, stepped up to be the Premiere Sponsor to the Rebelle. Jo Hannah saw an opportunity to support an event that advocated for women's empowerment and took the leap! Jo and Emily know one another via their involvement and participation in the Rally-Aicha-Des-Gazelles, in Morocco.
The Invitation:
One day, while I was speaking with my boss, Bob Hoehn, he asked me if I was interested in "this rally thing"? I wasn't sure what he was talking about, so he filled me in. I said YES, I would be interested in participating. He asked me who my partner should be, and the list of people I mentioned were unable to compete, or already had a partner. I was told the vehicle would be a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. Bob asked me to attend the first training and, if it seemed like something I wanted to do, I was in. Meanwhile at the other stores...
The First Training:
Jo Hannah wrangled up some adventure-minded women and introduced us all to Emily. My first impression of Emily energized me. Emily directed a Navigation training for our rag-tag group on a lovely day in July. I had committed to join on, with just one question asked...who would be my partner? I didn't know at this point if I would be a Driver or a Navigator so I soaked up as much training as I could. With everyone paired up for training exercises, we learned about headings, distance, maps, metric measurements, coordinates, vocabulary, safety, compass anatomy, declination and true North vs. Magnetic North. I was hooked right there, in that room, on that summers day, but still without a partner.
At the end of the training Jo Hannah said she thought she had the perfect partner for me. She promised to keep me posted. Over the next few days, I studied my practice maps and tried to imagine what an adventure of this magnitude would look like in real. Then, I got the word...
That week I learned that I had been matched with a partner, a Navigator. Enter stage right, Sabrina Howells. I knew her name. I knew she was a Gazelle, like Jo and Emily. I also knew she had recently finished 5th in the world during the latest Gazelle Rallye, which had ended in April, just three short months before. I was so thankful that this woman, who had never met me, agreed to take on this challenge alongside me. I trust Jo Hannah implicitly, and I knew she would choose the best fit for me, and she hit the mark for sure! I am not certain if Jo told Sabrina that I had NEVER done anything like this before or if she left that bit out, but I was grateful nevertheless, that if she HAD said anything, Sabrina didn't mind.
The Meet Cute:
Jo Hannah introduced Sabs and I via the interwebs in a funny photo which we later used as our Team Profile. We were to meet in person in August. I was so nervous to meet her, and I think about that now and giggle! I spent the whole day before our training driving the Ridgeline because I didn't want to drive for the very first time in the truck with her, having never been in the driver's seat before! We all met at the JLR dealership, in Carlsbad the morning of our first Driving training. We had a trip planned to a local HOV trail park. Sabrina drove down from LA to join our training. When she arrived I had the goofiest smile on my face, but to my relief, it matched her own! I knew that very moment that we would make a great team. It amazes me how energy feels that way!
The Trainings:
We trained three times total, before the start of the Rebelle; once at the HOV trails, and two weekend long trainings in the desert. We practiced maneuvers, changed tires, drove in the elements, feasted our eyes on the dunes, climbed our vehicles over obstacles, learned about the unique functions of our individual vehicles, met other future Rebelles, tested our strengths, discovered our weaknesses, and built friendships over laughter and tears, struggles and triumphs. All of this, designed to prepare us for the upcoming escapade.
Hoehn Rebelles:
We took our training very seriously! Our small group met weekly, at lunch, and even on weekends, after football, to drill. We covered everything we could in those precious hours. We studied in the Mercedes Benz conference room, the sidewalks in front of the dealership, the balcony off the side, by phone, and email and everywhere we could. We helped each other to learn and grow, and it involved our minds, as well as our hearts. We were sisters united by adventure and we were proud to represent a company that we all love!
I felt blessed to have such a distinctive group of women to support and in return, I myself was lifted up. We worked hard and at a furious pace because the start of the Rebelle was just around the corner.
On the Road to Rebelle:
Our vehicles were wrapped in a California State Symbols theme. Our Ridgeline got "California State Bird", the California Quail. A bright yellow truck with 88 whole and partial quails is hardly what I would call a wallflower! Sabrina and I named her Goldie and she became our baby.
The Hoehn teams, six in all, caravanned up to Lake Tahoe for Technical Inspections, Rally school and the beginning of the Rebelle. On the drive up, I made our first mistake. In training, Emily talked about having grace. She said someone would be the first to make a mistake and that we needed to be kind about it, because the person who had NOT YET MADE a mistake, was also bound to make one. Our first was the speeding ticket I received on what I later learned was a speed trapped stretch of highway. Instead of being upset, we had a good laugh about our fortune for getting our "first" out of the way BEFORE the Rally began! Grace was abounding!
We made it to Tahoe and the excitement was palpable. I saw trucks and jeeps and more trucks and more jeeps, all filled with women who were ready to rally! In the morning we had technical inspections and there I would meet other "Rebelles" who had taken the chance on being first! Next morning, Rally school, and then transporting to our first basecamp! Jaimy and I had many discussions about what we thought 'basecamp' would be like. It was everything we thought and more!
BC1-BC4
Our Rally had begun. Basecamp One was up a running when Goldie landed! We unloaded, like everyone else, and set up camp. When we would wake, we would be in the midst of our adventure! Every Basecamp had it's own flavor and feel. The crew worked hard to create an atmosphere of support and caring and it showed in the details; the tables were round which felt homey and inclusive, the lighting produced a subtle relaxed vibe. The photographers who captured each sweet memory forever in print. Your vision made an impact on me. Your styles are so different, yet you each caught special moments in time. When we were on the course the tent cities were protected, as the windstorms arose, by the faithful guards of camp. The food! Drew and his crew fabricated for us, the most delectable menus imaginable and they hardly slept to make it so. The water wagon, the fuel truck, the shower/toilet trailer, they all had their individual flair and were kept clean and performing smoothly because of the crew! The scoring team, the start and finish team, the safety team, the planning, plotting and route team, they each made us feel respected, trusted and safe. So thankful for all of you! The experience would have been much different had they not shown the level of care they gave. Though they are too many to name, if you are reading this as a crew member of the rally, please know that I recognize your sacrifice, dedication and desire for us to have had the grandest adventure possible, and I did just that.
The Competition:
The Rebelle Rally was a tough competition filled with resilient women. The schedule was rigorous. The terrain was sometimes unforgiving, and it was hard work. Each day provided a different vista, and along with that, a new set of challenges. At dawn, it was dark. As the sun was setting, it was bright. It was not easy. It was intense. It was an unreal adventure. It was an absolute blast. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
My Rebelle in a Nutshell:
Wake up, focus, focus, drive, drive, drive, laugh, smile until your face hurts, dig, dig, dig some more, drive wherever Sabs tells me, record the coordinates, dig and drive and laugh and smile and focus. Every. Single. Day. For. Seven. Straight. Days. We ate, slept, and breathed the experience! And I slept like a sleepy baby. I never even heard Jo Marie's snoring! My internal clock reset and during the rally, I had the most restful nights that I have ever been aware of.
A Love Story:
In between all the focusing and the driving, magic happened. I fell in love. I fell in love with my truck, Goldie; the smell of the newness, the quirks, that 7.0 cubic feet of in-bed trunk that held our necessities so lovingly, the way she responded to my driving, the way I responded to her power and capability, and I fell in love with the comfort she gave us as the curve of her seats cradled us daily. I feel blessed to have had over 100 hours of seat time in Goldie. I also fell in love with the views I was seeing each day; each mountain, each road, each double track, each dirt path, each wash, each canyon, every cloud, every sun dappled rock, every cluster of grass, every critter, every hill, and the sand! I TOTALLY fell in love with the sand! This was the first time in a long time that I had an office with a window, and it most certainly did not disappoint! I fell in love with the camaraderie. Never in my life have I witnessed a group of women this diverse and large who all were raising each other up, challenging one another and genuinely supportive of each other. We were all traveling the same road, so to speak, but every single one of us had an original and distinct experience that we were excited to share and also to hear about each night. We were united in our adventures! I fell in love with each boot-full of dirt, each dust cloud wafting off of my clothing, each lavender filled breath I inhaled as I lie down to sleep each night, every little one of the eleventeen million itty bitty stars I saw twinkling in the pitch black sky as I stretched my back at my tent. I fell in love with the gigantic moon cresting the dunes on night three. I even loved the tortoises, for they provided an extra special adventure by appearing in our rally! They allowed us a much deserved break from focus, to relax, unwind and enjoy the company of those Rebelles favored enough to be caught in their wake. I fell in love with adventure. And then there is my partner, my Navigator, my friend...
Sabs:
I am most thankful to her. My rally was made possible because of her. My experience was positive because of her. Her trust in me propelled me to be my best. Her faith in my driving eased my nerves. She never waivered in her support. She never yelled, disrespected, or balked at me if I made an error in judgement. She problem solved with me. We ate our meals together. We found our way together. She worked so hard to be the Navigator I knew she could be. She let me be the driver she knew I could be, in return. She carried our gear next to me. While I loaded the truck, she started our plotting. While I grabbed us breakfast, she translated Roadbooks. When I dug, she dug. She let me remind her of the time, and keep us on track. She directed me to our goals, checkpoint after checkpoint, and so on. She sang songs with me. She replaced tires with me. She laughed with me. Together, we built a friendship; she in the right seat and I, in the left. We enhanced our skills together. She never was frustrated. She never was cross. She never was unkind. She always remained calm, even when we were in a ditch ON DAY ONE, with practically our entire rally still ahead of us! We worked hand in hand through every day, every course, every kilometer. Sabs was a dream teammate, and because of all the things she is, and was, and did, we earned a first place finish, in our class. The first prize that either of us has ever won, a Big-Door prize, if you will. Even though we had never met until our rally training commenced, today, I cannot imagine my life PS (Pre-Sabs). Since the completion of the Rebelle, I have not had the opportunity to see my friend, but NOT a solitary day has gone by that I have not been inspired by her verve, her passion, her kindness and warmth, her talent, her humor, her skillset, her ability to turn a situation around to see the bright side, her willingness to trust a complete stranger that one time when we were unmet, and her love she afforded me while we grew as teammates, and from unfamiliar to lifelong friends. I love you, and I am so very grateful for our friendship and I couldn't have hand selected a person who would have made a better, more compatible partner.
In Summation:
I was invited to take a chance to be first. I jumped at the occasion. I practiced, trained and studied everything rally related. I bonded with my co-workers. I met some crazy cool people. I was inspired by a tough woman with a big dream. I drove a lot. I drove even further. I ate to my heart's content. I sawed some serious logs in the wilderness. I became one with my vehicle. I trusted. I was, in turn, trusted. I adventured. I lived. I smiled until my face hurt. I never laughed so much. I literally had the time of my life.
Epilogue:
The sweetness at the core of being a Rebelle is that you are STILL a Rebelle once the rally ends! In fact, you are FOREVER a Rebelle. You are forever changed. Right now, in the world, there are only 72 of us in existence! That is special. We are a secret sorority of first women! A group of the kindest, bravest, smartest, most beautiful, most adventurous women I have ever met, and I am proud to be one of you! I came. I saw. I rallied. I have kept some memories for myself and it is these will sustain me until my next adventure! See you in the dirt.
Signing off-
Left Seat Quail aka Meli
day zero
day seven...we did it!
