Ronald James Dunlop was an extraordinary guy, and I admired so much about him. He was very competitive. It didn’t matter if it was road rallies or geocaching or flying small aircraft, bowling, bass fishing, or rodeo riding; he wanted to be the best he could be. When we were running rallies together, I always felt like a winner, even when we didn’t.
I loved to visit him in his engine rebuilding shop — the smell of the solvents and grease, the intricate machining operations, the unusual engines, and the latest jokes. It was always fun at R&D Machine. Sometimes, we would plan rallies there, and I would be impressed by his knowledge of roads and intersections. Other times we would have lunch, and he would tell stories about his trips to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. One of his best stories was the day when he was the Engineer on the Inyo, an 1875 Baldwin Locomotive. It was used in the movie Back to the Future Part II and is a historically significant part of US railroading. The museum only brings it out on the 4th of July. After years of working at the museum, he was very honored to be the Engineer, driving it all day.
Ron would ask you if you know what the key to a steam locomotive looks like? Does anybody know? It looks like a kitchen match!
I learned a lot from Ron. He explained how to rope steers, and he was a real rodeo champion! Did I mention that he loved trains? After a car rally, we would go out of our way to find a railway tunnel or some historical railroad feature. Sometimes, we would locate a GeoCache. You never got bored when you were with Ron.
Ron and I were rally partners for 14 years. When running a Monte Carlo rally and getting to a checkpoint early, you can slow way down and creep into the checkpoint. These were perfect times for Ron to launch into a story or a joke. And then, I would forget all about the rally until the clock started beeping. That meant that we had 5 seconds to cross the checkpoint hose. I often would have to fly down the road with the engine screaming to make it in time. And Ron would laugh so hard!
Ron Dunlop was an exceptional human being. He was not perfect, but he was the kind of guy who made me try to be a better person. In my 74 years, there have only been a few people who have made me feel that way. And that’s why I miss him so much. I propose that we hold a rally every January to celebrate his Birthday. We love you, ol’ buddy!
RReNews note: Indeed, they did hold a Ron Dunlop Memorial Rally this year! Yes, we acknowledge Mr. Dunlop passed six years ago (JANUARY 15, 1954 – SEPTEMBER 19, 2016). We choose to add him to our Last Checkpoint tributes with the Memorial Rally this March 19th.
