2014 IBA International Meet - Winding Down - August 23-24, 2014

Oh, say it isn't so....last day of the Iron Butt Association International Meet.  No, it can't be the last day, butt, it was :-(

We were all excited about today's events, seminars and just hanging out in the parking lot.  I managed to capture a moment with John Cooper and Greg having a bit of chit chat.

Well here we go, Glen Copeland, Mike Cox and Jesse Lucas all hanging out together checking out the bike farkles!

 The lovely Ms. Reagan Walters checking out my overly farkled bike.  I think it fits her quite nicely!

 Yeppers, from both sides, I think it fits her well.  Is there a new bike in Reagan's future????

 Oh my heck, then she decides to give the WeeStrom a check.  Dang, maybe she'll end up on a Suzuki??

 Woohoo, here is Bucky in a kilt.  I LOVE a man in a kilt :-)  It was so wonderful to meet Bucky's wife Rhonda.  Hope we have more time together in the future!

 Robert Bolger with Steve Aikens and Bucky.  Wonder what in the heck they are discussing.  

 Two of my most favorite folks, Tom and Mona Loftus in front of their Honda ST 1300 in the Atrium.  They have pretty much traveled the world.  And...Tom is doing the 2015 IBR, his tenth!!!! Wow!

 I sneaked in a pic with the lovely Loftus couple :-)

 Kevin Smart is checking out the bikes in the Atrium.

 We attended the Rally Master 101 Seminar put on by David E.B. Smith. It was fantastic!  Good job David!!

 David E.B. Smith telling us how it's done.  This was probably the best seminar I attended (well, but for the Chick Chat by Heidi Still and maybe the Scorer's Certification class by Tom Austin).

 So, back in the Atrium I took photos of the '81 Goldwing belonging to Gary Moore.  Here is a pic of his timekeeping device :-)

 Then, we all gathered for the group photo.  How many cats can you herd?  Ellen and Howard seem to be having a good time :-)

 Random pics of the attendees waiting for the group shot.  I most certainly see Chris Purney here :-)

Oh, it looks like everyone is having a good time!

Back out in the parking lot I spy Marc and Dee Beaulac dressed in twinsie fashion.  How fun is this?

And then, on the curb who do I spy?  Miss Kitty with our lovely friend, Sarah from LD Comfort.  Yes, folks, we're having a good time at Denver!!!

Warchild giving his typical salute :-)

Erik Lipps and Justin Phillipson were found hanging out in the parking lot.

Just can't get enough of Miss Kitty.

One of our Aussie LD peeps, Brooke Hornsby

We all gathered for one last time at the closing banquet.  Following a very fine meal we heard from Paul Pelland.  Sorry, no pics, but let me tell you, Paul was freaking hilarious as he regaled us of his 2001 Iron Butt Rally antics on a Ural.  Amazingly, he finished the rally and wasn't last.  Paul should video that presentation as it is guaranteed to get you laughing with disbelief and amazement.

The next morning I slept until I woke up.  No alarms, no meetings, just pack, load the bike and head home.  By the time we made it outside, the parking lot had pretty much emptied.

Ira Agins was just about to leave when I snapped his pic.

Mike Riley was one of the last to leave.

Eric loads up his bike.  Hahahaha, he only has a small top case and a Linda Tanner tankbag and tank panniers for luggage on the Wee Strom.  Needless to say, he didn't have much to pack.

I think only two bikes remained in the parking lot as we pulled out.  We pretty much slabbed I-70 towards home.  We made a quick rest break at Rifle, CO.

We made it as far as Green River, UT where we decided to call it a day.  I'm not a fan of big box hotels so we cruised down the main drag and found the Sleepy Hollow Motel.  A cute little Mom & Pop place.  This motel was super clean, even the parking lot was clean.  The furniture and carpet were dated but squeaky clean.  We got a king bed room for $36.  Yes, you read that right, $36!  No continental breakfast but who cares at that rate?

We were able to park right outside our room which made unloading a breeze.

The next morning we debated on taking a more scenic route but in the end decided to stick to the interstates and get home to our own comfy bed.  We stopped in Salina, UT for brekkie at Mom's Cafe which was delish.  Then another quick break in Beaver, UT before our arrival at home.  The house hadn't burned down and all was in order.  It was good to be home.

A great big THANK YOU to Michael Kneebone and Lisa Landry for putting on such a terrific event.  All the volunteers and presenters and vendors also get a big shout of thanks.  And, to all the attendees, thank you for participating and making this an event to be remembered.  I so enjoyed seeing old friends, meeting new friends and generally having a fine, fun time.

I would also like to thank all of you who have followed my blog.  I'm so tickled that you give your precious time to read my entries.  I hope I can keep you entertained for a long time to come :-)

Cheers (and hugs)
Cletha

2014 IBA International Meet - The Fun Continues - August 22, 2014

Saturday morning and it appears pretty much everyone is up early and ready for seminars, classes, demonstrations, food and socializing.  I caught a photo of Barb Smith and Chris Comley after breakfast.

As well as Lynne Carey and Rick Martin.

And, Bob Scott with Chris Purney.  No, it's not Christmas despite the evergreen trees covered in lights.  Chris has his new Harley on display in the atrium.  It's not really a 2007, this is his new bike and I think it's a 2014.  Sweet ride, Chris :-)

I managed to get a few moments with Dave McQueeney where I learned all about his new bike.  What?  New bike you say?  Yeppers, Mr. McQueeney has a brand, spankin' new BMW.  How in the world am I going to recognize him on the road anymore if he's not riding that cool, vintage Dakar?  Betcha he puts around 400,000 miles on the new ride before he gets another :-)

The Boge family, Michael, Aanvel and Laura fresh from mountain climbing and para-sailing in the French Alps.

Some of the Ladies of Gerlach.  Oops, Ladies of Denver, Lisa Hart Stevens and Lorraine Hickey.  Looks like they are behaving today.  Let's see what tomorrow brings :-)

Awwwwwww......Tobie and Lisa Stevens........awwwwwwww!

A big part of any convention, meeting, gathering, etc. is FOOD and we had plenty.  This is a shot of the Lunch with Legends buffet.

We were honored to sit at the same table as Legend Nancy "Miss Kitty" Oswald.  John Cheney is barely visible behind the sign.

Jeff "Augie" Augustine and Bill "Moose" Watt also dined with Miss Kitty.

Bill Thweat in his usual flashy attire with Joel Rappaport.  These two fine gents road to Prudhoe Bay and back together.  Joel's WeeStrom was featured in the atrium.

I attended Linda Lahman's seminar on "The Winner's Mind."  It was very, very good.  As a matter of fact, later in the day while chatting with folks, I caught myself using some of the techniques she talked about.  Good job, Lynda and thanks for all the great tips.

Hahahaha, I love this picture!  Erik Lipps and Jerry White look like they just swallowed the canary.  Wonder what they were BSing about before I caught them, lol.

Lynda Lahman and Bob Mutchler at the book signing table.  Lynda wrote "From Iron Lung to Iron Butt, Riding Polio Into History", a book based on Bob's struggle and life with polio.  I haven't read it yet but I'm sure it's going to be a great story.  After all, Bob is a great guy!

Here are some random shots of the Atrium and vendors.  Oh yes, we dropped a bit of cash here.  New Held waterproof gloves for me and a new Sena 20 comm system for Eric and me.  Vendors were giving a 20% discount to attendees and I think we all benefited from that.  I spied lots folks carrying out new gear and farkles.

Time for the big entertainment event of the day, Cop Cones!!  Here, Laura Boge is pacing off the course.  At the 2012 meet she rode her razor scooter into a top finishing position and she is determined to do well this year on her brand, spanking new dirt bike!

Some random pictures of the cop cones course and spectators.

And here comes the first competitor.  Each rider had two attempts on the course.  Points were deducted for hitting a cone or putting a foot down.  Instant elimination for dropping the bike.

Sorry, but I'm not sure who all the riders were.  There were three Harleys.

Gary Moore is shown here riding is ancient Goldwing.  He rocked the course.  This GW has been around the world and has an impressive history.  It was also in an early Iron Butt Rally (along with Gary).  Sorry I don't have the details but it will probably come out in the next Iron Butt Magazine.

Rider on a Honda ST1300 impressing all the spectators.

One of two BMS GS's

Hehehehehe, Jerry White shows us how to ride the cop cones on a Honda GL1800.

And here comes Laura Boge (10 or 11 yrs. old) on her new bike.  She was AWESOME!!  Of course, the crowd was cheering wildly but little Laura was all focus and smoked the course.

Another Goldwing 1800, this was Marc Beaulac.

Bob Scott shows us how to ride a Harley through the Cop Cone course!

Jerry White's second round.

Laura smoking dead man's curve on her second round.

Marc Beaulac on his second attempt.

The crowd was loving the cop cone entertainment!

Bob St. George secretly walks the cop cone course behind the real riders!  LOL

Robert Reil rocking the course would be the eventual winner!  Way to go Robert!!!!!  Little Laura Boge came in 3rd :-)

I felt a little tap on my shoulder and turned around to find.......drum roll please..... Kate Johnston!!!!  Only the first woman to complete an ultimate UCC - Key West to Prudhoe Bay, AK and back again.

Mark Crane had a bit of an issue while riding the cop cone course!

After cop cones, Kate and I found a quiet corner to have some girl talk.  Well, we did talk about motorcycles, gear, rides, challenges, get-off's, motorcycle traveling and, well, you get the gist :-)

Eric, Steve Aikens and Rod Schween shooting the bull.

And that about wraps it up for today.  We had a great banquet dinner and Tim Masterson gave a fantastic talk about George Wyman.  Keep tuned for more on this.  George Wyman was an original Iron Butt Rider back in 1903.  Tim and a few other folks have come up with a new George Wyman challenge, an extreme coast to coast the hardway from San Francisco to New York and a George Wyman Grand Tour.  We'll be seeing more information about these two rides soon.  It really got me thinking about a possible ride for me!

Tomorrow will be our last day.  The schedule is chalk full of meetings, seminars and food sessions.  Check back later for an update on the blog and hey folks, thanks so much for following along!

Cheers,
Cletha