Ghouls Gambol 2025

Twenty teams entered Cascade Sports Car Club’s 59th Ghouls Gambol Rally held on October 25. Rallymasters David and JoAnn Gattman titled this event The Battle of Evermore. Ghouls Gambol is a fun drive on scenic country roads, through autumn-colored countryside.

The rally started in northwest Portland and ended in Woodland, Washington The route was about 100 miles long and took about three and a half hours to complete, including a break at the Lucia Falls Park.

This traditional Halloween-themed event started with a decorated car contest. Rally participants voted for their favorites, with winners receiving award plaques and candy.

The first major rain and wind storm was forecast for the rally weekend, so the original plan to end at The Patch was replaced by an ending at the local Pizza Factory, providing a warm dry location for the planned end of season awards presentation.

The odometer calibration transit traveled north on Interstate 5, across the Columbia River, toured the Fort Vancouver area, then headed east on Hwy 14, ending at the Fisher Cemetery. Rally participants were met by the Rallymasters who provided treats and optional questions to be answered along the rally route. Correct answers were worth more treats at the end.

The route continued, through Camas, and then headed through the rural areas of Fern Prairie, Ireland,
Hockinson, Venersborg, Heisson, Yacolt, and Amboy, and then toward Fargher Lake, eventually arriving in Woodland. The scenery was beautiful, if just a bit damp, and the roads were fun to drive. Autumn color was in full display along the rally route.

Challenges

Trick or treat! What is a Ghouls Gambol Rally without some tricks to go with the treats?

The first challenge was a note which was in effect throughout the timed portion of the rally. It added a speed change at every speed control sign along the route. These speed changes did not appear in the route instructions and were in addition to speed changes specified in the route instructions. For those who like to pre-calculate perfect time at each route instruction, this presented a challenge. The note was used to change average speed 15 times during the rally.

The route instructions indicated the presence of some, but not all, of the checkpoints in this rally. Nine checkpoints were “hidden”; they were not indicated in the route instructions. Not knowing the approximate location of some checkpoints has more of a psychological effect. Is it at that sign? Over the crest of that hill? At the end of that fence?

Cascade’s 2025 rally season could be considered the Season of the T. We have taken almost every opportunity to reinforce the LEFTMOST Main Road Determinant. In most cases, in a Cascade TSD road rally, if you encounter a T intersection, the main road most likely goes left. (Remember this: L at T)

So, if the active numbered route instruction directs:

42, L at T PAUSE 15 seconds ITIS

At the T where the main road goes left, the correct action is to follow the main road to the left and continue looking for place to execute the ITIS instruction. However, if the next NRI is encountered before you can do the ITIS, then skip the ITIS NRI including its 15-second pause. In this rally, there were eight ITIS NRIs which were correctly skipped.

Since deviations referenced by an OM may be executed to follow the main road, an ITIS NRI with OM must be executed at that mileage, including the pause. This Ghouls Gambol Rally included one such instruction. Do not assume that all ITIS instructions can be skipped.

Congratulate the top rally teams

First overall and first in the Equipped category –Bob Morseburg and Cheri Eddy
Second overall and second in Equipped – Paul Eklund and Yulia Smolyansky
Third overall and first in SOP – Marcus Gattman and Brandon Harer
Fourth overall and third in Equipped –Robert Paxman and Kathy Sacry
Fifth overall and second in SOP –Bill and Kelly Ferber
Sixth overall and third in SOP – Andrew Brewer and Kat Iverson
First in the Novice class – Karen and David James (first-time in Cascade rally)
Second in the Novice class – Scott and Teresa Fry
Third in the Novice class – Keith and Lori Bowdish

The winning team of Bob Morseburg and Cheri Eddy had a total score of 19 points over 20 scored legs. They got a perfect score of zero on 8 legs and single-digit scores on the other 12 legs. It’s hard to do much better than this team. No wonder they are Cascade Rally Champions for the sixth year in a row. Congratulations!

Karen and David James finished First in the Novice class with a very respectable score. They zeroed two legs and had less than half-minute scores on an additional 14 legs. This Ghouls Gambol Rally was their first Cascade event. They’ve run a couple Friday Nighters put on by the Northwest Rally Council (Seattle area). Please welcome Karen and David to Cascade road rally!

Decorated Car Winners

Car 3 – Bill and Kelly Ferber – Newlywed hearse “Just barried”
Car 9 – Attis Tran and Abigail Partlow – Racer X caution
Car 6 – Karen and David James -- Spiders

Thank you!

Thank you to our Ghouls Gambol Rallymasters, David and JoAnn Gattman. It takes a lot of time and effort to put together an event like this. In addition, they stood in for the absent Geargrinders Chair to make sure all the prizes and awards were presented. Thank you also to Robert Paxman for delivering the season awards to the finish. Please join us in thanking them all for their contribution to Cascade’s rally program.

Photographs

View pics of winners and other scenes from the rally here