Rally Scout 2026
Last Friday, after a Tigers game with my dad and grandpa (where I somehow caught my first baseball ever), I raced back home, threw a bag in the Porsche, and hit the road.
Our destination? Grand Rapids.
Our mission? Scout the route for the 2026 Driven By Art Rally.
It was me, Jeron, Sean, and Trevor. Two 996s. My 2001 Carrera 4 and Trevor's newly purchased 2002 Carrera Cabriolet. Like anyone who buys their first Porsche, all you want to do is drive it, so there couldn't have been a better first road trip for him. Four hours behind the wheel on day one.
None of us have much of a budget, so we stayed in some questionable hotels, squeezed four people into tiny rooms, and laughed harder than we have in a while. Trevor's CPAP machine quickly became the soundtrack of the trip. I don't think any of us will ever let him live that one down.
Saturday morning started with breakfast alongside two rally participants and friends, Dwayne and Josh. We wandered around Grand Rapids looking for a place to host our opening night launch party. Every location we visited sparked another conversation about how we could make this year's event even better.
Planning your second rally is a strange feeling.
The first one proves you can do it. The second one makes you realize just how much responsibility comes with it.
Sixty people are trusting us to give them an unforgettable weekend. Every decision matters. Every stop, every road, every meal, every overlook.
People often ask if the rally is a business.
The truth is, it isn't.
Every dollar from ticket sales goes right back into creating the experience. None of us are trying to make a living from this. We simply love bringing people together around cars, good roads, and meaningful experiences. That's always been the goal.
After breakfast, we headed north.
For the next six hours we wandered through Northeast Michigan, turning down roads we'd never driven before. Tiny county highways. Forgotten backroads. Places you wouldn't find unless you were intentionally looking to get lost.
There is something incredibly special about being 24 years old and doing this with your best friends.
Two old 911s rolling through towns with maybe a hundred people. No schedule. No rush. Just following whatever road looked interesting.
At one point we stumbled across a hidden beach.
We parked the cars and forgot about rally planning for a little while. We skipped rocks, walked into the water, and simply sat there staring across Lake Michigan. It's hard to explain, but the lake has a way of making everything else feel smaller. We stayed longer than we planned because none of us wanted to leave.
That evening we ended up in Traverse City.
While grabbing a drink we met Scott and Carrel, an incredibly kind couple who, unsurprisingly, turned out to be car people too. Scott told us about his collection of eight cars, while Carrel proudly talked about her two manual Audis, including a first-generation manual R8. It's funny how often cars become the excuse for conversations that otherwise never would've happened.
That night it was back to another budget hotel.
Four grown men.
One bedroom.
Somehow it worked.
The next morning we were back on the road, continuing to discover new stops, overlooks, and hidden gems throughout Northern Michigan. Every mile made us more excited for September.
As I drove home, I kept thinking about how lucky I am.
Lucky to have friends who are willing to spend entire weekends driving aimlessly in 25-year-old Porsches.
Lucky that people believe enough in our vision to sign up for this rally.
Lucky that something which started as an idea between friends has grown into a community.
When people see the rally, they see the final product. The photos. The cars lined up. The scenic overlooks. The perfect roads.
What they don't always see are the thousands of miles driven beforehand, the cheap hotels, the wrong turns, the countless route changes, or four friends chasing an idea because they believe it can create memories for other people.
And honestly, that's my favorite part.
Because this scout wasn't just about planning a rally.
It became another adventure of its own.
One I'll remember for the rest of my life.
2026 Up North Michigan Rally Scout
Rally Scout 2026
Last Friday, after a Tigers game with my dad and grandpa (where I somehow caught my first baseball ever), I raced back home, threw a bag in the Porsche, and hit the road.
Our destination? Grand Rapids.
Our mission? Scout the route for the 2026 Driven By Art Rally.
It was me, Jeron, Sean, and Trevor. Two 996s. My 2001 Carrera 4 and Trevor's newly purchased 2002 Carrera Cabriolet. Like anyone who buys their first Porsche, all you want to do is drive it, so there couldn't have been a better first road trip for him. Four hours behind the wheel on day one.
None of us have much of a budget, so we stayed in some questionable hotels, squeezed four people into tiny rooms, and laughed harder than we have in a while. Trevor's CPAP machine quickly became the soundtrack of the trip. I don't think any of us will ever let him live that one down.
Saturday morning started with breakfast alongside two rally participants and friends, Dwayne and Josh. We wandered around Grand Rapids looking for a place to host our opening night launch party. Every location we visited sparked another conversation about how we could make this year's event even better.
Planning your second rally is a strange feeling.
The first one proves you can do it. The second one makes you realize just how much responsibility comes with it.
Sixty people are trusting us to give them an unforgettable weekend. Every decision matters. Every stop, every road, every meal, every overlook.
People often ask if the rally is a business.
The truth is, it isn't.
Every dollar from ticket sales goes right back into creating the experience. None of us are trying to make a living from this. We simply love bringing people together around cars, good roads, and meaningful experiences. That's always been the goal.
After breakfast, we headed north.
For the next six hours we wandered through Northeast Michigan, turning down roads we'd never driven before. Tiny county highways. Forgotten backroads. Places you wouldn't find unless you were intentionally looking to get lost.
There is something incredibly special about being 24 years old and doing this with your best friends.
Two old 911s rolling through towns with maybe a hundred people. No schedule. No rush. Just following whatever road looked interesting.
At one point we stumbled across a hidden beach.
We parked the cars and forgot about rally planning for a little while. We skipped rocks, walked into the water, and simply sat there staring across Lake Michigan. It's hard to explain, but the lake has a way of making everything else feel smaller. We stayed longer than we planned because none of us wanted to leave.
That evening we ended up in Traverse City.
While grabbing a drink we met Scott and Carrel, an incredibly kind couple who, unsurprisingly, turned out to be car people too. Scott told us about his collection of eight cars, while Carrel proudly talked about her two manual Audis, including a first-generation manual R8. It's funny how often cars become the excuse for conversations that otherwise never would've happened.
That night it was back to another budget hotel.
Four grown men.
One bedroom.
Somehow it worked.
The next morning we were back on the road, continuing to discover new stops, overlooks, and hidden gems throughout Northern Michigan. Every mile made us more excited for September.
As I drove home, I kept thinking about how lucky I am.
Lucky to have friends who are willing to spend entire weekends driving aimlessly in 25-year-old Porsches.
Lucky that people believe enough in our vision to sign up for this rally.
Lucky that something which started as an idea between friends has grown into a community.
When people see the rally, they see the final product. The photos. The cars lined up. The scenic overlooks. The perfect roads.
What they don't always see are the thousands of miles driven beforehand, the cheap hotels, the wrong turns, the countless route changes, or four friends chasing an idea because they believe it can create memories for other people.
And honestly, that's my favorite part.
Because this scout wasn't just about planning a rally.
It became another adventure of its own.
One I'll remember for the rest of my life.