Cletha's Adventures

Cletha's 2011 Iron Butt Rally

2011-12-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

When I submitted my application for the 2011 Iron Butt Rally I thought I had a clue as to what I was getting into. After all, I had completed a number of rallies including the ten day MERA10n10. So, I was feeling a bit cocky. Butt, when I received the "Congratulations" letter from Lisa Landry my heart sped up and my palms got sweaty. The thought entered my mind, "What have I gotten myself into now?" YIKES, I'm going to ride the IBR!
So, in preparation of the IBR, I purchased a new BMW F650GS because I wanted something lighter and more manoeuvrable than the Gold Wing. I spent months prepping the GS, adding a custom seat, aux lighting, fuel cell and a host of other farkles and ergonomics. I didn't dare add up the cost of the bike preparation. Heck, it was the IBR and frankly, I didn't care. I wanted my bike set up as best as I could for this event. I then entered every rally I could before the IBR. Unfortunately, because of the timing of the IBR for 2011, I only had a few rallies before the Big Dance. But...those practice rallies really paid off.

In addition to getting the bike ready, I obtained the E-Z Pass for speeding up the toll booth process in the East and the Oklahoma Pike Pass. I purchased new waterproof boots and a Schuberth C3W flip face helmet.

The June start date was rapidly approaching. I made arrangements to have a service and to have my tires changed when we arrived in Seattle for the start. Eric and I had decided to have a flower sniffin ride to Seattle and take a few days to get there. We were scheduled to leave Ivins, UT on Wednesday, June 15. However on the Sunday before, we received an emergency phone call from our local Emergency Services and were told to stand by to evacuate. What???? Wildfires were closing in on the neighborhood. We could see the flames not too far from the house. Ack! We immediately sprung into action and packed the bikes. I suggested to Eric that he turn the bikes around so they were headed out of the garage in case we had to make a sprint for it. Damn the house....I did not want to miss my opportunity to ride the IBR!

With the fire scare we decided to just go ahead and leave early. In retrospect, this was a very good decision. Our house came through the incident unscathed and we had a marvelous, relaxing, sight seeing, flower sniffing ride up through Nevada, Oregon and Washington to Seattle.

Upon our arrival, you could just feel the buzz of excitement. The IBR staff was already there as well as a number of riders. The parking lot was starting to fill up. It was lots of fun to see old friends and meet new ones. It's always cool to put a face to a name you've read on the LDRider List or one of the forums. The accommodations were really nice except there was no flat parking, it was all sloped.

On Friday the 17th of June, we rode down to South Sound BMW in Fife, WA for the new tires and service. A couple other IBR riders were there was well, Dean McCurdy and Wayne Boynter. So we all hung out and had lunch. When I went to pick up my bike, the service department pointed out a potential issue with the water pump and some seepage. I panicked and immediately asked if they could just switch out one from a new bike. Well, after discussing the issue with the service manager, we decided to do nothing. Best decision I think. While there, I bought a pair of waterproof gloves and boy, oh boy, I'm sure glad I did!

Back to Rally Central and another evening of socializing and speculating on what this IBR would have in store for all of us. Saturday was tech check and odo check. I managed to get through both with no issue. Before I knew it, it was time for the newbie meeting which was mandatory. Jeff Earls gave a presentation that mainly focused on being safe, being smart and coming home. It was somber and serious and I believe most of the riders took it that way.

Sunday was more tech check and odo check for those who hadn't completed this task on Saturday. After filling up the main and aux fuel tanks, I mostly just hung out and watched the proceedings. Walking past all the bikes, looking at farkles, kicking tires, telling lies and feeling the nervous tension build.

That evening was the start banquet and riders meeting.

Here I am with Wendy Crockett at the start banquet. Wow, we look so fresh and eager. I think this was the last time I looked so fresh during the entire rally!

We enjoyed a nice meal but I know most of us were anticipating getting our rally packs. I was delighted, no thrilled, when Mike Kneebone announced the ride would be a 48 state plus format. Whoohoo!!!!! I was pretty sure I could manage a 48 state ride. As other reports have stated, the minimum to finish was a receipt from each of the lower 48 states. Additional bonus points could be gathered by taking a photograph of a state capital, hitting all four corners of the lower 48, snagging Hyder, AK, rest bonii and call-in bonii. Rally packs were handed out and again I was delighted at the pack. A beautifully bound "Passport" that had a page for each state and places to write in the mileage and date of the bonus you were claiming. Nice...

When my name was called and I received my rally pack, it hit me....I was really going to ride the Iron Butt Rally. Yup, little old me, all by myself. Yup, that's a BIG DEAL! Following the meeting, I hurried to my room to begin planning. I'd had the foresight to bring paper maps and that was really helpful to me. I plotted my route basically on the paper map first then loaded the GPS with the places I wanted to go for receipts or capital photos. It only took a few hours to get the first leg planned. I decided to not plan the entire ride and overwhelm myself so I was satisfied and ready for bed. Of course, I was pretty wound up and sleep wasn't going to be easy. After all, tomorrow at 10:00 would be the official start. YIKES!!!!

Monday morning dawned and I was up and ready to go long before I needed to be. I made last minute preparations such as filling my hydration bottle, stashing tank bag food and checking over all the gear and bike one more time. The parking lot was full of riders and spectators and the tension was palpable.

The tech inspection folks made a last sweep of all the bikes and wrote down starting mileage and gave us a sticker to prove we'd been through the last check before start.

Here you can see Warchild making a final walk-through.

Here is a fantastic Steven Hobart photo of riders and bikes minutes before the start.

A final kiss goodbye with a good luck, have fun and be safe thrown in!

Warchild preparing to do his thing. A very brief rider's meeting was held in the parking lot where Dale reminded us to be smart, be safe and come home. Just look at that face! If you've never had the opportunity of a Warchild start, you don't know what you're missing. He focuses those beady black eyes directly on you, points a forefinger at you and waves you out authoritatively with the other hand. You had better be ready to move and move quickly or he'll stop you and make you last to leave. People quake in fear of this moment! I was no exception.

John Young on his Triumph was the first to leave the parking lot. John and I would play leap-frog a number of times during the rally.

Only a dozen or so bikes had left the start when I was given the go by Warchild and go I did.

First a speed bump.....

This was an incredible experience. People were cheering, clapping and calling out, "Go Cletha, Go!" I felt like a rock star :-)

Then a sharp right turn. I can't really begin to describe the feelings of the start. I was excited, focused, determined and HAPPY!

I felt rested, well-prepared, eager and on my game. I felt like one with the bike.

I had a plan and knew where I was going. I grew up in the Seattle area and knew of some shortcuts and quick roads thus missing all of the I-5 and I-405 traffic mess.

I had my Bambi Voodoo Mascot Doll tucked in a pocket on the aux fuel cell cover. Bambi's job is to keep critters out of my way. It worked :-) (Thanks Joe Zulaski!)

I was on my way. I had just started the 2011 Iron Butt Rally. Wow! I decided to not attempt Hyder or the Four Corners. My goal was to finish and collect whatever additional bonii I could along the way. Finishing was my target. If time allowed, I would gather a state capital. I also determined to get all the freebie bonii such as rest breaks and phone ins.

I headed south on I-15 to State Hiway 18 that flows directly into I-90 which I picked up and headed east.  Moving along nicely I was surprised at the sudden stop on the freeway. Heck, only an hour or so into my IBR and I'm delayed. Imagine my surprise when fellow rider John Young pulls up beside me and asks if its okay to split lanes. I said no, only in California. He asked what the fine was and I replied that I really didn't know but didn't want to find out either. He just laughed and said if he got stopped he would plead ignorance and lay on the British accent and he tootled away, splitting lanes.   Hahahahahaha. I was amazed and amused. Good for John. Me, being the obedient thing I am, stuck it out until the traffic cleared the road construction zone. John got a head start on me but I had a feeling I'd be seeing more of him.

I rode across Washington and into Oregon for a fuel receipt at Umatilla where I spy Steve Aikens but don't have time to visit. Turn around, cross the bridge back over the Columbia River and hop on Hiway 395 to I-90 and through Spokane. Just shy of the Idaho border, I grab a Washington state receipt. Sticking to I-90 I rode through Idaho, stopping again for a receipt and into Montana. My goal for the first night was Helena, the state capital of Montana.

Everything was going fine except it was starting to get dark. The weather had been fine, a bit cool but I had my electric jacket on so I was comfortable. I followed Dave McQueeny for about 100 miles. What are the chances of that happening? But, I needed fuel and that was the last time I saw him. Side note - I had to stop twice to clean the bugs off my visor, windscreen and headlight. The bugs were unbelievable! Yippee for Plexus. It was long after dark by the time I got to the Hiway 12 turn-off to Helena. I'm deer and critter paranoid and I thought to myself, here I am in the middle of Montana, known for its big critter population, it's pitch black and I still have 90 miles to go.....aarrgghhhh. But I pushed on. I had only planned about 650 miles for the first day since we didn't start until 10am. I wanted to have a fairly regular schedule and planned on a motel by 11 or 12 every night.

I pulled into Helena but was too tired to find the capital. However, I could score capital points if it was after dark and I simply got a receipt. I found a motel and walked over to the Albertson's grocery across the street, got my receipt and high tailed it back to the motel for a nice warm bed. While I was collecting my receipt, Greg and Pat Blewett pulled up in the motel parking lot on their Gold Wing. Nice! I wasn't completely off track if another rider was showing up at the same place. Little did I know, but they had scored both Washington and Oregon capitals before showing up in Helena!

I felt fairly good about my first day on the IBR. I'd collected receipts from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and a capital receipt in Montana. But, I'd only gone about 650 miles. I knew I'd have to get up early and scoot on. I got up the next morning feeling fresh and ready to go. The Blewett's were packing up about the same time as I. I headed off on I-15 to pick up I-90 east again. Montana is a BIG BIG state. It seemed to go on forever. I made a stop about 10 am for some coffee and a break. Turned out that I did this almost every day. I'd get up early, slam a coffee and head out only to get sleepy about 10 or 11 and need a break. I learned to listen to my body and took the needed break.

Somewhere in the long stretch of Eastern Montana, I stopped at a rest-stop for a sorely needed break. As I was puttering around, stretching, eating, smoking, another IBR rider pulled up and ran for the restroom. You can spot an IBR rider almost a mile away. When he came back out we introduced ourselves and I was pleased to meet Wallace French! What a treat to meet another IBR rider. This is a solitary event and every time I met up with another rider was a highlight in my day. Thanks, Wallace!

At Billings, Montana I stayed on I-90 to Wyoming. As soon as I crossed the Wyoming border, I began looking for a place to get a receipt. I passed numerous IBR riders going the other way so I knew they had the same plan as I did, just dip in and back out of Wyoming. When I came to the first opportunity for a receipt, I pulled in, gassed up and had to go inside for a receipt. As I approached the counter, the woman was already holding the receipt out for me. I laughed and asked her if a few other riders had been through. She laughed and said yes and she knew by the look of my bike and gear that I would want one too! Sweet :-) That was quick. Back on the bike and return to Montana to catch I-94 east to North Dakota.

I entered North Dakota with a goal of Bismarck, the capital. Shortly after entering North Dakota, it started to rain. I donned my Frogg Toggs and chugged on. I was happy about purchasing the waterproof gloves in Fife, WA. They worked. They still work. I love them :-) I finally arrived at Bismarck after dark. It was raining and everything was flooded. I wanted to get a room there but was told all the rooms were taken by flood victims. Nice...not. I grabbed a Bismarck capital receipt and headed east on I-94 in the rain. Wait, it got worse. It was pitch black, the roads were flooded, the wind was whipping and it was flipping freezing. Are we having fun yet? The next available lodging might be in Jamestown or might not be, about 100 miles. After a miserable ride, (you know, the kind of ride you have to crack your visor to see and the wind drives the rain into your helmet and hurts like hell? And...you still can't see and semi's are blowing spray all over you and it's pitch black and there is no place to stop? - Yea - that kind of miserable). I pulled into Jamestown around midnight - still raining. No rooms to be had except in a flea bag motel. Fine. I rode to the flea bag and got a room. Yes, it was truly a flea bag. Ick......but it was dry and warm. Note I didn't say clean. I have to laugh, the towels in the bathroom were like used Goodwill kitchen towels, all mis-matched. Oh well, I had a room. And, the manager let me park in a non-space right in front of my room. Thanks! Later I found out that Brian Bray stayed at the same motel and he thought it was a crack house motel. Yup, that bad. I also learned that Kirsten Talken-Spaulding stayed at the first hotel I stopped at. She ended up sleeping on a sofa in the lobby. The good thing about the stop in Jamestown, I got my freebie rest bonus. Full points for 4 or more hours of rest.

Up before dawn and ready to roll. Still raining. On with the gear and on the bike. Off to Minnesota! Sticking to I-94 heading east I roll through North Dakota where it rains cats and dogs the entire time and enter Minnesota. Yippee! Another state. Slogging along I finally get to St. Paul but forgo the state capital. I'm a bit behind schedule and need to make up some miles. I grab a receipt for gas, make my call in bonus and head on toward Wisconsin. About a mile into Wisconsin, I make a stop at McDonald's for food and a receipt and spy Brian Bray. I also spotted Steve Aikens at the gas station next door. At this point the weather had cleared up and the sun was shining. I shucked some clothes and headed back to Minnesota. Through St. Paul for a second time and still not copping the capital, I headed south on I-35 to South Dakota.

Of course the rain started again. Heavy rain with some nice bits of hail thrown in. Oh yes, some thunder and lightening as well. I also had some pretty strong side winds blowing me all over the road. Great weather, I was getting wet. Hey, my hands stayed dry and so did I for the most part. I was a bit smarter today and put the pin-lock visor on so I could see and not fog up. My gear worked. My bike though, was not so lucky. The GS has very little weather protection, especially compared to a Gold Wing. I think it was somewhere in South Dakota that my electronics gave it up. My XM radio just simply quit working. Next to go was the audio for the GPS. Silence in the helmet. Hmmmmm. I totally love my music when riding and now I had none. And, even worse, I had no voice instructions on the GPS. Damn.

The weather in South Dakota was intense. I was determined to not let the weather slow me down. Last year on the 10n10, I let the weather dictate my moves. That was NOT going to happen on this ride. I just pushed through. I grabbed a receipt in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and kept on heading south on I-29 where I grabbed a receipt for Iowa and aimed toward Nebraska. The ride down I-29 was fraught with flood issues. You just couldn't get there from here. A very long detour ate up too much time. I stopped at a Subway for a sandwich and spied Tom Loftus fueling his bike. I stayed on the Interstate as long as possible but at some point it was simply closed. The flooding was incredible. Wow, everything was underwater. I finally got to Lincoln, NE after dark but no rain. I stopped here for the night. Coming into Lincoln, I leap frogged another IBR rider until I got close to the airport where I spied motel signs. I signaled to exit as did the other rider. We both took the exit and then rode to the motel row. I stopped at a lovely Motel 6 but I think that rider chose a nicer motel as I didn't see them again. I got a capital receipt, checked in and went to bed. I'm sure it was around midnight as that seemed to be the routine.

Up early again, hey,no surprise, I'm riding the IBR after all. I think I rode 8 days back to back of over 1,000 plus miles. I really picked it up from the first day of 650 miles. So, from Lincoln, NE I headed toward Topeka, KS and scored the capital. From there it was Kansas City, MO. LOL. As I rode into Kansas City, I made a wrong turn and ended up in the center of the Events Center. Heck.. Not where I want to be.... Remember, the GPS is now silent. I finally figured out a way to get out of that mess and back on the freeway. Whew.  Back on I-70, I headed east across Misery.   Oops, that should have been Missouri.

Of course, my plan was to head to Jefferson City for the capital, but Mother Nature with all her flooding said NO. I wended my way through St. Louis, got my receipt, and then headed toward Illinois. But.....not without drama. Damn, I was on the freeway going through Missouri when I was stopped by road construction. Waiting for things to move on, a trucker hollered out the window that my chain was looking loose.

Hmmmm....Damn.... I stopped at the next exit at a McDonald's.    Took a look at my chain and called my sweetie while wondering if this was to be my last stop on the IBR. Between the two of us, we found a dealer about ten miles away....Lincoln MotorSports. I gave them a call and told them my situation. I wrote down the directions and took off as smooth as I could.  I had to ride about 10 miles or so out of my way, nervous every second, hoping to get to the dealer safely, chain slapping the center stand every bit of the way. I managed to find the place and pulled up to the garage door. They were ready for me! They were curious as to what I was doing and did I really ride from Utah? Alone? Uh, no, I rode from Seattle :-) I gave them a brief overview of the IBR and suggested they check out the website. They treated me like a rock star!! The bike was put on a jack and the chain was adjusted in about 5 minutes. Just long enough for me to get a potty break. I was back in the IBR! I was elated! Thank you guys at Lincoln MotorSports - they are awesome. I was given a Lincoln MotorSports ball cap and a hearty good luck as I departed the dealership and pointed the bike toward Illinois where I scored a state receipt.

Pushing on I rode I-64 to grab an Indiana state receipt. Just as it was reaching dusk I spied my first forest rat on the side of the road. Oh ick! That got my nerves on end. I was starting to feel tired and still had quite a ways to go before I felt I could stop for the night. Somewhere in Indiana I stopped for fuel and a coffee. I asked the clerk what time it was and he said almost midnight. What??? I then asked what time zone I was in. Heck, Eastern. I'd just lost an hour and I still wanted to get to Frankfort, Kentucky for the capital before calling it quits for the day. I cut my break short and slogged along I-64 toward Frankfort. It was pitch dark and I was still spooked by possible critter encounters. No music, no audio on the GPS. I talked to God a lot. I talked to myself a lot.

I made it to Louisville and decided I didn't have time to get the capital at Frankfort. I rode into a convenience store/gas station in downtown Louisville. Upon parking the bike, I noticed two bicycle cops with a man handcuffed and sitting on the curb. Nice.....I needed a break so I grabbed a coffee and pondered my next move. I was getting tired but wasn't in the best place to stop for the night. So, back on the Interstate north on I-71 to Cincinnati, in the rain again. My plan was to get a motel on the outskirts of the city but that wasn't in the cards. No motels.....I rode through the city to the other side when I realized I was dead tired and simply had to stop. I took an exit with a gas station and store at the top. I filled up the bike and got my receipt for Ohio. I was standing outside the store having a banana and coffee thinking I'd be okay after a bit of a rest. It was about 2 am or so. Lucky me, a drunk man started staggering and lurching toward me. I just turned my back. He passed me and turned around, looking at my bike while staggering. Good Lord, no thanks, make him go away. I didn't want him near me or my bike. I ignored him and futzed about the bike. He walked away. Good. Damn, then he came back. This happened three times. The third time he approached me I dug my whistle from the chain around my neck and held it up to my mouth. His eyes popped and he staggered off. This is the first time I felt threatened in anyway and I didn't like it. I'm glad I have the whistle. It was effective without even blowing it.

By now, I realize there is no way I can ride the bike any further, I'm thoroughly exhausted. Fortunately, there was a motel right behind the store and I got a room. I'm pretty sure I was sound asleep the second my head touched the pillow. I managed to get up just before dawn and on the Interstate heading north. Originally I was going to score Columbus, Ohio for the capital but I was behind schedule and was fretting about missing the checkpoint in Buffalo. So, I rode up I-75 with Michigan as the goal. Oh, it was raining again! Nothing but a long slog in the rain for this portion of the ride. As soon as I crossed the state line, I looked for an opportunity to grab a Michigan receipt and turn around. Back south until I hit I-80 where I turned the bike east. It was pouring as I entered Cleveland. Traffic was thick through the city and the road surface was lousy. A few pucker moments and then thankfully, I was on I-90 eastbound for Pennsylvania. Just before crossing the state line, I spied John Young parked under an overpass working on his bike in the rain.

Yes, more rain. And road construction. I was getting worried about making the checkpoint in a timely manner and the long delays of stopped traffic on the Interstate just compounded by worries. I spied a couple of bikes lane splitting so I fell in behind them. We got to the front of the line :-) My first time lane splitting - it made me laugh out loud. Good thing there were no cops around. I realized later that I was riding with Rusty Bachman, a Utah 1088 rallyist who was headed to the IBR checkpoint! I grabbed a New York state receipt prior to arriving at the checkpoint.

Finally, there was the checkpoint hotel and I was so grateful to get there on time. As I entered the hotel to find the check-in, Lisa Landry ran up to me and said something to the effect of "You're okay, thank goodness! You need to call Eric." Hummm? What's up with that. Of course I was okay. Apparently, somewhere in Ohio I had stopped for a break in Lima and being used to the Gen I Spot, I pushed the button to send an okay message and then pressed the track again when I left. Well, the Gen II doesn't work that way and I had stopped my tracking. Everyone thought I was broke down or worse in Lima, Ohio. My bad! I called my sweetie and told him what had happened and that I was okay at the checkpoint. But......we need to sort the chain issue pronto. Eric had arranged a new chain and folks to help me at the Jacksonville checkpoint. I thought I could make it. I had been lubing the chain regularly and it seemed to be holding up after the adjustment in Missouri.

So, with calls made, I went inside to get scored. Everything went smooth and I got all the bonus points including the call in and rest bonii. However, I lost 50 points because I had changed camera batteries and it automatically resets to a default resolution and I didn't change it to the required resolution. Lesson learned. That did not happen again!

I was elated, I had completed the first leg and got all the required states and a few extra bonus points to boot. Yeah baby, I was a happy camper. The IBR staff had arranged food for us so I took advantage.

At the New York checkpoint - scarfing a banana.

A few reflections of the first leg...I quickly learned I had to ride harder and smarter. I needed to stay alert, smart and safe. I needed to make wise decisions. This pretty much became my mantra for the entire IBR - Be Alert, Be Smart, Be Safe. I paid attention to my fatigue alerts and stopped when I needed to. I was ultra-cautious about traffic and had my defense system on high alert. Riding a bike for 17-20 hours a day, for day after day after day, in a lot of serious bad weather takes its toll and I acknowledged this.

It wasn't all slog and rain. I stopped at a rest stop somewhere.......and had a fellow run up to me and exclaim, "I know what you're doing, I know what you're doing, ride safe!!!! I'm watching this online and it is soooooo cool. Damn, I just met an IBR rider!" That was a huge pick-me-up moment. What good fun. At another rest stop somewhere......I chatted with an aging hippie who was driving a tie dyed VW van wreck. I later learned the Blewett's encountered the same character at the same rest stop. Yeah...there were many good times!

We received our Leg 2 bonus sheets at 4:00 am on June 25. I spent just over an hour mapping a route (on a paper map), loaded up the bike and took off just as the sun was coming up. Of course, it started to rain! I pulled over at a truck stop to don the rain gear and saw fellow riders Nancy Oswald and Bob Joers. I left the truck stop and a few miles later it really began to pour. I passed a parked LD bike on the freeway and spied it's rider off the road about 50 yards standing under a tree, waiting for a break in the rain. Yes, it was raining that hard but I was determined to not let the weather stop me so on I went.

My first stop was Albany, New York's capital. Wet cobblestone street on a slope - ick - took me forever to get parked and snap the required photo. There must have been a half dozen other riders doing the same thing. Photo done and off to Vermont. What a beautiful ride. The rain finally quit and the views were incredible. I'd never been to the NE except Boston on business. This was fantastic. I ended up taking a back road around Lake Champlain. Unfortunately, the bridge was out and I had to ride a few more miles out of the way only to get on a free ferry across the lake. Oh bliss.....beautiful weather and I'm crossing Lake Champlain with my trusty F650GS on a ferry. Oh man, this is what I'm talkin' about.

I pulled up to the capital in Montpelier and got my photo. I kept passing another IRB rider, each of us going in opposite directions, several times in this area. I have no idea who it was but it was nice to see him! Then it was off to New Hampshire for the capital at Concord. The weather remained decent but all the "Watch for Moose" and "Moose Kill" signs made me a bit nervous. Buzzing along I rode up to the capital and snapped the requisite photo. I think it was here that I ran into Kirsten Talken-Spaulding and she made the comment, "Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Hahahah, I had seen her in Albany and now in Concord. Little did she know that she was riding circles around me. It struck me as a very funny moment.

Next on the agenda was Maine. I really wanted to get the capital but too much time had passed so it was a quick in and out for a state receipt at a gas stop. Back on the highway I aimed the bike toward Massachusetts. Easy score of a gas receipt and on to Rhode Island. I actually went to Providence, the capital but missed the picture and receipt. It was late and dark and this is where I had the worst traffic ever! Guess it was Saturday night party time as the drivers were crazy, speeding, changing lanes with no signals, cutting people off.....Horrible and it stressed me. I couldn't wait to get out of there so simply blew off the capital bonus. Once out of Providence I grabbed a Rhode Island gas receipt and headed toward Connecticut. I was terrified I would miss one of these small states. Hey, I'm from the West where the states are BIG and you can't miss them. Here, in the North East, well the states are much smaller. I was keeping my eyes open and I managed to get them all. I stopped in Connecticut sometime after mid-night. I considered going through Manhattan that night, but thought maybe not a wise thing to do. I'm tired, it's late and the drunks are out on a Saturday night. Got a motel and called it quits for the day.

The next morning, I was up early and on the road. I was pretty paranoid about going through Manhattan on the bike. I've been to Manhattan many times and love the city. I just don't like the idea of riding my bike through it! Oh, easy peasy. No traffic to speak of at that hour and the weather was cooperating. What a confidence builder. Before I knew it, I was on the New Jersey turnpike and before I knew it, my chain was slapping the center stand of the bike. Oh My God! There is absolutely no place to pull over, no shoulder, nadda. I was certain I was going to die, my chain would catch on the center stand and break and throw me off the bike into traffic. Yup, this was it. I managed to limp into a service center, the only pull-offs from the turnpike.

I parked about mid-way between the car park and the trucker parking and surveyed my situation. I wasn't going another foot on that bike with the chain in that condition. It was soooo stretched. Heck. I called my honey in somewhat of a panic and told him the situation. I knew I had a chain waiting for me in Jacksonville, but I was in New Jersey. I didn't have the correct tools with me to tighten the chain myself. Yes, that was dumb. But, it was what it was. It was also Sunday and all the dealers were closed. Most of them are closed on Monday, too. So, there I am in the parking lot thinking my IBR is over. I'm as far away from home as I can get and I'm alone and my bike isn't going anywhere. WTF am I going to do?

As I pondered my options and after calling everyone I knew in the area for help to no avail, I decided to chance it and ask strangers for help. So, I waited patiently next to my bike for a likely subject. And then I spied him. Walking across the parking lot toward the trucks was an enormous black man. Me, being who I am, just pointed at him and said "Dude, yeah, you Dude! " Man, was he surprised! He stopped and looked at me and I then said, "Do you have a big old wrench that will fit this nut?" He walked over to the bike, he must have been 8 feet tall and built like a wrestler. Yikes!!!! I told him my dilemma and he told me he might have the right wrench and would be back in a bit. Okay, maybe......I waited what seemed like a long time and he didn't return so I started scoping out other victims. No love. I asked several people but nobody had the correct wrench.

About that time, the big black dude comes across the parking lot pushing a dolly with a box full of tools. Oh boy!!! Maybe???? I explain to him what I'm doing, the IBR, and that my ride is over if I can't get the chain fixed enough to get me to Jacksonville. He introduced himself to me as AJ, who drives for Allied. Turns out AJ was a dirt biker and knew all about chains. Hahahahaha!!! Thank you God. We had the bike on the center stand in no time and AJ had my loose chain adjusted in about 5 minutes. Hallelujah!!!!

While AJ and I were working on the bike, I told him that I was was praying a lot as I rode down the turnpike. I was terrified that I would have a horrible experience and I just kept praying to get to a safe place. And....not only do I get to a safe place but here my angel AJ shows up to help me back on the road. AJ then told me that the night before, God told him to stop at this service center and spend the night. He was supposed to be here. Think what you will but this was a true experience. I gave AJ a huge hug and then shook his hand as I slipped him a hundy. He was shocked as sh*t as he totally did not expect any payment. He was a true gentleman and helped a lady in distress. He was my angel that day. Thank you AJ!!!!! You saved my IBR!!!!

Within minutes, after grabbing a New Jersey receipt, I was back on the turnpike and headed toward Delaware. Now, remember, all my audio is out, I'm on the east coast and haven't a clue where I'm going. I scored a Delaware receipt at another service center on the freeway and moved on toward Maryland. Got a gas receipt at a sketchy gas station in Maryland and figured West Virginia would be the next stop. This meant I had to get off the freeway and figure it out. I took a two laner and stopped at a gas station, thinking I'm in West Virgina. Got a receipt and realized I was in Virginia! So, I asked the attendant how far to West Virginia and she said about two miles down the road. Off I went, got my West Virgina receipt and headed back toward the freeway. I ended up riding a significant amount of miles on two laners but it was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining and every bike in the Virginia's was out for a ride that Sunday. Although I went right by Richmond, the capital of Virginia, I opted to skip it. It didn't have big points and I'd lost time in New Jersey with the chain issue. I just wanted to make progress to Jacksonville at this point.

Following my paper map, I got back on I-95 south and felt such elation as I crossed the state border into North Carolina. Whoopee! Another state. I just grabbed a receipt, made my call in bonus and kept it headed south toward South Carolina. Skipped Raleigh thinking I might get Columbia. Not going to happen. I finally reached South Carolina and realized it was time to stop. I found a nice Day's Inn and crashed for the night.

The next morning I grabbed my South Carolina receipt and pointed south again on I-95 toward Georgia. It is the most glorious feeling to see a state border sign. Another milepost, another goal, another step closer to the checkpoint. Things are going well for me. My chain is holding up, I'm lubing it regularly and the checkpoint is in sight. I might just make it! There's the Georgia state line. I grab a receipt and head toward the checkpoint. Yes, yes, yes.....I might just make it.

I believe it was right around here that I stopped at a roadside rest stop and who should I find? The Fremder's, Carol and Jeff were stopped having a coffee and a rest. We chatted a bit. It was awesome to run into them. I hadn't seen another rider since Connecticut.

Next state sign was Florida. Hooray. Checkpoint in sight!

I got a bit turned around in Jacksonville and it took longer than it should have to get to the hotel but I had plenty of time before penalties accrued. The only GPS info was written and in the busy traffic on the freeway, well, it wasn't always easy to push the button and read the instructions. But I made it.....I actually stopped and had a real restaurant meal. I stopped at a Denny's and had breakfast. The whole nine yards. I probably stunk and I knew I was rather gross. People stared and little kids hid but I was happy to have real food. I haven't mentioned food much because I didn't eat much. Lots of tank bag food, granola bars, chicken jerky, pretzel and cheese snacks. Some candy. A donut and a banana here and there. Not great food at all. So the Denny's breakfast was marvelous!

As I finally pulled into the Jacksonville checkpoint, my chain was slapping the center stand again and I was again terrified that I'd have a horrific accident before I could get it parked. God was with me again as I pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. Yes!!!! I made it.

First available parking spot had my name all over it. You can see the rust and dust on the wheel from the chain. Yes, I'd been lubing it daily but all the rain and stress....well...the chain wasn't up to it and now it was truly dead. No more adjustment space left.

Eric had made arrangements for Jim Boone to bring me a new chain and breaker tool. Fortunately, Jon Kohler and some other folks who were chain savvy were there as well to give me a hand. I had to stand by my bike during repairs as per IBR rules. These folks are absolutely the best ever. They just jumped in and got the job done. A huge big Thanks to Jim, Jon and everyone else who helped me.

Jon Kohler wrenching on the bike, feeding the chain through. Fortunately, my sprockets were in great shape. Just the chain had stretched beyond belief!

Here I am pondering the situation.

My astonished and anguished look when I realized how bad that chain was and that I made it safely to Jacksonville. I'm lucky that nothing serious happened. Lesson learned and learned well. Thank you Bruce!

Here I am reading the specs to Jon as to tension on the chain.

We finally got the chain issue sorted out, I grabbed some food provided by the IBR staff and took a stroll around the parking lot to chill out. As I walked along I encountered another IBR rider who expressed his sympathy for my loss. What???? OMG, he had no idea that I didn't know. He was saddened to be the one to tell me of Ken Morton's accident on the Utah 1088 somewhere in North Dakota. I was stunned...."No, no, no", I said. "You're messing with me." Well, upon reflection, of course nobody would give this kind of news as a joke. It must be true. I could not believe it. I did not want to believe it. When I began LD riding and especially Rallying, Ken was a huge mentor of mine. He was my champion. He encouraged me and gave me tons of advice and support. No, no, no. But unfortunately, it was confirmed and my dear champion, Ken, was gone. I'd missed him by minutes in Buffalo. He sat with me at the start banquet. Damn.......I began to question my IBR ride.

Even more devastating was the fact that Eric was Ken's room mate during the Utah 1088. I was bombarding Eric with cries for help with my chain while he was dealing with Ken's death. My chain was nothing, Ken was everything. Thank you Eric. I'm so very sorry you had all of this to handle. You are my world.

Then I realized, that Ken died doing what he loved and, yes he will be and is sorely missed, but he would want us crazy LD riders to continue doing what we do. So I determined to finish this ride for me and for Ken. I went to bed, confused, upset and not sure what the next day would bring.

Finally, I get to put the bike to bed and me as well. Prior to fixing the chain, I had gone through scoring, getting all my states and call in bonus as well as a few capitals. Leg 2 was good for me! I also had the opportunity to help out fellow IBR rider, Ms. Kitty, Nancy Oswald. I passed her in the courtyard and she had a sliver in her finger. She had a pair of tweezers but couldn't get the offending bit out. I grabbed the tweezers, turned her finger in the sunlight and plucked out that little irritating bastard piece of whatever to give her some needed relief. Yeah, a good Samaritan gesture on my part. That helped my sad mood.

Bonus points for Leg 3 were handed out at 10 pm. I got my pack and went back to the room where I spent about an hour or more plotting the final leg to Ontario, CA. I went to bed and slept well. I was up fairly early, but noticed most of the riders had already left. Oh well. I packed up the bike and left the hotel just before sunrise. I was headed to Tallahassee, Florida's state capital. I had a new chain and felt confident as I left the checkpoint. It was an easy ride to Tallahassee and I exited the freeway onto surface streets toward the capital. When I got there, I could not find a place to park and ended up turning into an "Employee Only" parking area with a guard. I told the guard what I was up to and asked where I could park.   He was so kind and suggested I park a few feet from his guard shack, get my picture and come back to collect the bike. Nice! About the time I finally got turned around and parked, guess who shows up? Yup, Ms. Kitty. So I told her to park next to me and off we went for our photo op.

While walking toward the capital, I asked Nancy why she was there so late as I knew she had left the checkpoint at least an hour before I had. She said that as she was riding along, she spied a field full of deer and decided to stop at a truck stop until daylight - that risking a deer strike was not worth the extra hour or so. I think she made the right decision, knowing that she had close moose encounters on the previous leg. We got our photos and Nancy was on her bike and gone before I had my helmet on!

Heading west, I continued on Interstate 10 toward Alabama. There was no way I was going to get the capital of Montgomery. I just stayed on I-10, grabbed an Alabama receipt and continued west toward Mississippi. I scored my Mississippi receipt and headed toward Louisiana. Somehow I made an error and ended up going through New Orleans instead of taking I-12 which would by-pass the Big Easy. Rut Roh...never mind....it was a beautiful mistake. Yes, hot and humid at this point but dang, I got to ride through the bayous! What a great ride. Too bad it took a bit of time. I didn't get to Baton Rouge, the capital, but ended up turning north on I-55 heading toward Mississippi again.

I had to stop here and get a bag of ice. It was HOT and HUMID and I was HOT. I bought a bag of ice and filled two baggies full and stuck them in my pants pockets. After I filled my hydration bottle with ice, I stuck the rest of the bag down the front of my shirt. Bliss......Back on the highway. Not too long after this stop, I spied Greg Barrett and Chis Ogden taking another route. Oh No! I thought, they are going the wrong way. Yikes. Turns out, they cut off about 1/2 hour of my route and got to the next place ahead of me. Yes, the GPS with no audio wasn't helping much. Oh well, no worry, I was on the right path.

I was moving along nicely, traffic was decent and although it was hot and humid, the ice check made a big difference. I stopped at a freeway rest stop somewhere in Mississippi and chatted with a rider who was not on the IBR but was kitted out for LD riding. As we chatted, the clouds began to gather and I knew a rain storm was in my plan. Did I put on my rain gear? No. I thought it would just be a summer shower and I could ride through it. Well, yes, I rode through it but damn, did I get wet. It was a huge downpour and hit sideways with the wind. My left boot filled with water to the point of several inches of water in the boot. Nice. I finally rode through the squall and arrived at Jackson, the capital of Mississippi. I found a parking place and walked up to the capital with my boots squishing water. I asked a woman to take my picture and that was a fiasco. My camera is not difficult to operate but she had a heck of a time. I should have just set the timer or put my flag out and taken the picture myself. That took way too much time. As I was leaving, another IBR rider was just arriving.
Leaving Jackson at rush hour was an interesting experience. I managed to get myself back to the Interstate and headed north on I-55 toward Memphis, Tennessee. I don't remember where I stopped for the night, but it was before Memphis. When I entered the hotel lobby, there was a young college gal at the front desk. As I checked in she asked if I was afraid traveling by myself, especially on a motorcycle. I laughed and said, "Just look at me, I'm wet, tired, dirty and I stink. I don't think anyone is going to bother me!" I think she got my point.   I was soaked from the rainstorm in Mississippi and I dried out my boots as best I could with a towel and the hotel hair dryer. I placed them upside down on the heater and hoped for the best. My feet were not happy - they were wrinkled and wet. This is one time I questioned what in the heck I was doing. I was tired, hungry, stinky, sore....but damn, I was only days from finishing the IBR. Oh yes, that kept me going.

Early the next morning, I made my way to Memphis. It was a really short shot through Tennessee so I was keeping my eye out for an exit so I could get my state receipt. I took an exit and found a service station with a convenience store. Woohoo. I needed gas, coffee and food. I gassed up the GS and parked in front of the store. Went in, grabbed a coffee and a donut and went out to the bike to enjoy my breakfast. Hmmmm....a few sips, a few bites and I began to look around. Perhaps this was not the best place to stop. West Memphis is, well, a slum. My bad. I threw the coffee into the trash can along with my half eaten donut and got on the bike.   All the while, interesting characters watching me and making me feel uncomfortable. Heck, I was hungry and wanted that coffee and donut. Oh well, back on the Interstate toward Arkansas.

Yup, I rode right by Little Rock and didn't stop for a photo but instead, kept slogging toward Oklahoma. It really began to heat up as I entered Oklahoma. By the time I got to Oklahoma City I think it was 119 and road construction slowed traffic down to a crawl.    I-40 was a sweltering bed of hot asphalt. I kept an eye on my bike's temperature gauge fearing it would overheat. Traffic finally got moving smoothly and I slogged along toward Texas. I knew I was getting fatigued because I made several small errors. I had stopped for fuel and forgot to put my earplugs in. So, I took the next exit and put in the earplugs but forgot something else. I knew I needed a real rest stop so as soon as I spied a convenience store, I pulled in. I needed ice in my jacket and in my water bottle and I simply needed to stop, cool down, eat something, rest. As I pulled into the parking lot I spied a familiar white Goldwing. Hey, it was my buddy, Dennis Powell! I sat at the Subway with Dennis for about 1/2 hour, resting and cooling down. It was scorching hot, wicked hot, kick-my-butt hot. Butt...I wasn't near my goal for the day and it was still light out. Back on the bike with my jacket full of ice I hopped on I-40 thinking I might stop in Amarillo for the night.

Nope, flew past Amarillo and took a quick break at a rest stop just after crossing the New Mexico border. Whoopee! Another state closer to my goal. I was getting fatigued yet again. The heat really took its toll on me. I looked for a room in Tucumcari but no love so I pressed on after a lengthy rest stop at a gas station/convenience store. I rolled into Santa Rosa after mid-night and got a room at the Best Western. Hey, I was exhausted and felt I deserved a step up from the Motel 6. Imagine my surprise when I went into the room to find a visitor there already. YIKES! A scorpion in the middle of the carpet!!!!! Whomp!!! I stomped that bastard quick as a blink of an eye. Then, just to make sure, I moved my foot back and forth and stomped again. Yup, he was dead. I quickly got out of the stinky gear and fell into bed. You know, it never occurred to me that he might have relatives living in the room with him. Glad I didn't think of that until days later :-)

Feeling somewhat rested, I was up early the next morning with the intent of hitting the 4 Corners. I stopped in Gallup, NM for gas and a coffee. While gassing up, a drunk Native American man came up to me and started to ask for money or something. I just pointed to my helmet and said "earplugs, I can't hear you man, please leave me alone." He walked away but came back. Damn, he said something that I couldn't understand so I ignored him and went about my business. He kept getting closer and closer and I finally said very loudly, "Go away, leave me alone!" There were several people nearby - just kind of watching what was going on. He turned and walked away. Good. I finished with the gas pump and mounted the bike only to see him standing directly in my path, almost straddling the front wheel. This is the second time I felt threatened. I said very loudly, "Leave Me Alone and Get The FUCK Away From Me!" Then, I picked up my whistle and put it in my mouth. He left and I didn't actually have to blow the whistle. Hmmmmm.....Gallup was not a welcoming place.

Off the Interstate, I headed up Hiway 491 towards Four Corners. I had a pleasant ride, the weather was nice but not scorching like the day before. As I neared Four Corners I could see a massive dust storm in the distance and the wind was picking up. I arrived at the Four Corners monument the same time as Colin Goodall and we took each other's pictures and got New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah in one stop. We left together and turned the bikes west directly into the dust storm. The sky was black with dirt. The wind was ferocious and I had a hell of a time keeping the bike on the road. There were BIG ditches or drop offs on either side of the two laner and I was working hard to keep it straight. Several miles down the road I pulled into a Native American Trading Post and took shelter. Colin and I waited there about 2 hours but the storm didn't blow over and it didn't get better. About this time, Jeremy Lovell pulled in to check on me. He had spied my bike as he passed so he turned around to make sure I was okay. What a guy! He actually did this several times throughout the IBR. Whenever he would see me stopped, he would pull in and make sure everything was okay. Wow! Thanks Jeremy.

I was getting uneasy about spending so much down time and burning daylight so we decided to make a go for it. Back on the bike and into the bruising sandstorm. Although I was in full gear and full-face helmet, that sand hurt. Rocks flying in the air would hit my hands or legs. Ouch!!! It seemed like a million miles before we were out of the sandstorm. But, I imagine it was only 100 or so miles. In Flagstaff, Colin headed toward Phoenix to score a capital and I pointed west again on I-40.

Somewhere shy of Kingman, AZ I took a gas and rest stop. I was getting tired but wanted to get Nevada before I quit for the day. I rode to Laughlin, NV and encountered massive road construction on the main street through Laughlin. Very slow........I got my receipt and took the back road to Needles, CA. That was a mistake. By now it was pitch dark and the road is very narrow and in extremely poor condition. I had to go slow....I finally got to I-40 and had the most miserable ride of my IBR. Heavy truck traffic, no shoulders, pitch black, potholes and rutted street surface - it sucked. I was tired and couldn't see very well so I would just get behind a big truck and go slow. Sometimes the trucker would get tired of me doing that and he would slow down to 40 so I would pass and try again. There are no exits to speak of on the section of I-40 from Needles, CA to Barstow. I really needed to stop. Every ranch exit was full of parked semi trucks.
I finally found an exit with a gas station and motel. Yes! I can get a room and finish in the morning. Well, the motel only had 6 rooms or so and they were all taken. The gas station was doing grandstand business with all the boaters, campers and others getting a head start on the 4th of July weekend. It was a zoo. I filled up with gas, got a coffee and parked my bike across the street from the station, in the motel parking lot. The coffee didn't help and I was kind of dizzy. I really needed to rest. I looked around but no place felt safe. There was just too much activity and merry-making going on. Hell, nothing until Barstow. I hung out for almost an hour. I called Eric and told him I wouldn't make Ontario that night but was going to Barstow for a room. Munching, smoking, walking around. I finally forced myself to get back on the bike with the thought of a motel in Barstow.

I repeat, the stretch of Interstate 40 between Needles and Barstow sucks rotten eggs. Especially at night with no moon. I actually went back and rode it in daylight and its almost as bad during the day. Anyway, again following a semi, I crawled along the freeway toward Barstow. Finally, I hit Interstate 15. Whoopee!!!! I never thought I'd be happy to slog on I-15 but I was :-) The road immediately opened up to three lanes with nice wide shoulders! I didn't even stop in Barstow. I was so happy to be off I-40 and on I-15 that I just wicked it up and shot on down the highway.

I took a quick break in Hesperia for gas and considered getting a room. But then, heck, I was only a little over 100 miles from the finish in Ontario and I'd rather face LA traffic at 2 or 3 in the morning than at rush hour. So, back on the bike for the final push to Ontario. I rolled into the parking lot of the Double Tree Hotel, the finish, sometime after 2 a.m. And....joy oh joy....there were folks waiting outside to cheer me in! Wow, that was awesome!!!! I just finished the IBR. Yup, I did.

Grinning ear to ear, I remembered that I hadn't told Eric I was coming in to Ontario. Ooppss! I called him and he got out of bed and came down to the parking lot to welcome me and help me get my stuff to the room. It was incredible to have a welcoming group. I finally made it up to bed around 4 or so.

The next morning I woke up and realized it was daylight. In a panic I sat up and shook Eric and said, "Shouldn't I be riding? Where am I supposed to be today? Shouldn't I be riding? Oh hell, it's daylight, I gotta go. Oh man, I'm soooo late. Shouldn't I be riding?" He assured me I was finished. "Finished?" I asked. "Yes, you are finished. You finished the IBR! You don't have to ride anywhere today." "You're sure?" "Yes, Cletha, I'm sure. You don't have to ride anywhere today."

I probably asked him five times. It didn't seem real. I'd just spent the past 10 days riding around the country like a maniac. Thousand mile days, up before dawn, bed after midnight. It didn't seem right to not get up and ride. It's like the ride had become my job. It was what I did. I ride. I ride far. But not today. Today I needed to get scored for the final leg. I was pleased to not lose any points on the last leg. I hadn't gotten any capitals in the last leg butt.....I finished. I got all 48 states and all the freebie bonii along with a handful of state capitals in legs one and two. I finished :-)   Bwahhahahaha. I finished!

Here I am at the finish and this smile pretty much says it all! Well, after a good rest, shower, shampoo and real food I almost feel "normal." Jerry White snapped this shot of me next to my bike holding the MERA Rock.

The finish was just as good as the start only different. There were lots of folks there to cheer on the riders. And, it was simply awesome to see my fellow IBR riders and hash over everyone's ride. I was saddened to hear of Ken Meese's accident and that of a few others as well. Fortunately, everyone recovered from their mishaps.

Warchild doesn't look nearly as intimidating at the finish as he did at the start. However, Dennis York is looking pretty menacing. Maybe he's practicing for Warchild's job.

That evening was the finish banquet. I was still in la la land and everything seemed somewhat surreal. Following the meal it was time for the awards. I was thrilled when my name was called as a finisher. I finished in 69th place. Not the finish of my daydreams as I slogged along but the finish of reality. A good finish. I never imagined when I started LD riding in November 2009 that I would be a 2011 Iron Butt Rally rider much less a finisher. I was ELATED.

The best finisher, in FIRST PLACE, Mr. Peter Behm. Congratulations to Peter and to every rider. We all did something fantastic and unforgettable.

I rode 9,069 miles in less than 11 days. I rode 8 days in a row of 1,000+ miles. I rode through rain, hail, floods, scorching heat and blinding dust storms. I mostly rode in silence and navigated the United States with paper maps. I met a couple of weirdos but dealt with it. I met tons of wonderful people. I met angels. I learned a lot about myself. Never once did I want to quit. Quite the opposite, I wanted to continue, to prove to myself that I was up to the challenge. I was never afraid but I had a lot of conversations with God. Lisa Landry told me I would have the highest highs and the lowest lows and she was spot on. The highs were euphoric and the lows were devastating. I saw incredible scenery and realized I can do anything I set my mind to.

I started this report stating that I thought I had a clue. I didn't. Every rally is unique and the IBR was no exception. I encountered new and different challenges and pushed my limits further than ever before. It was truly an experience of a lifetime.

Thank you to all the IBR staff, the IBR volunteers, the IBR riders, the IBR spectators and arm chair supporters. Thank you to my wonderful Eric. All of you make the Iron Butt Rally what it is, a monumental event.

The Last Deming Gathering

2011-11-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

We left the house on Thursday, 11-10-11 about ten a.m. Yes, a late start, but heck, we were finally on our way to the Veteran's Day Gathering at Deming, New Mexico. This was to be the last Gathering and I was very excited to attend. Last year I had another commitment and couldn't make it so I was determined to go this year.

I bundled up with my electric jacket, warm socks and winter gloves. It was about 47 degrees when we left. We took Old Hiway 91 to I-15 and headed into Las Vegas where we took I-515 to Boulder City and Hiway 93 to Kingman, AZ where we picked up I-40 back again to Hiway 93 which took us all the way to Phoenix where we stopped for the night. It had just gotten dark as we entered Sun City and hit rush hour traffic. I was very happy to stop at the Motel 6 with a Denny's next door. Yes!

The next morning we got under way fairly early and after navigating through Phoenix, we jumped on I-10 and rode through Tucson. We stopped at Bowie for some excellent beef jerky and English toffee and continued on to Deming. We quickly found our hotel, a Best Western that was an excellent property. Huge room, nice amenities and parking right outside the front door and a reasonable price! My favorite kind of motel. We went to dinner at the truck stop next door. Not gourmet, but certainly palatable. Back to the room, a couple of cocktails and it was bedtime.

We had a lazy Saturday morning and breakfast at the motel. Nothing special, but hey, it was included so we partook :-) We geared up and rode through town looking for tourist attractions - nothing to be found. We then headed the other direction to the local flea market. Again, nothing to be found but a lot of junk. After perusing the flea market we headed to the Gathering. One missed turn - about face - found the turn and we arrived at the correct place. We were some of the first to arrive so we had excellent parking!

We scored parking right in front of the house. As we were taking off gear, lots of other bikes and riders began to appear.

Heidi Still was part of the welcoming committee!!!! Here she is in full pink LD Comfort gear!

Voni and Paul were also part of the welcoming committee. Oh boy, I can already tell this is going to be one heck of a party!

As we were taking off gear, this great family appeared. Banana Boy was the life of the party!

A large tent had been set up in front of the house. Our awesome hosts, Don and Mary Lou Cameron were so very gracious and had things under control. You could tell they had done this a time or two!

Here you can see the three BBQ's that were fired up and cooking the fantastic beef for dinner. I didn't take any pictures, but the shop had all kinds of food cooking, beans, bbq sauce and who knows what else. All tucked in here and there amongst a bunch of really fine motorcycles. Wow! I really should have taken some pics of that set up. Unbelievable!

There were fun and games to be had. Redneck Horseshoes was a blast.

The object was to fling a toilet seat as close to the pin as possible. Harder than it sounds! Here is Heidi, the reigning champion getting ready for a toss. Notice her intensity as she checks out the toilet seat. Hey, some were heavier than others. And...the wind was blowing which made a big impact on the toss.

Here I am, intent on tossing the seat for a win. . . NOT !

Eric had fine form and only took four tries to score a point. Oh well, better than me. I took four tries and didn't score a single point! Hahahahaha.

Heidi contemplates the toilet seat. Is this the best one to fling??? The lovely Ms. Still finally flings her toilet seat. Was it a winning shot????? Her form looks perfect.

Old What's Her Name (the fabulous Becky Nuffer a/k/a Mrs. Steve Aikens) watches her toilet seat roll toward the pin.

Oh here we go....Steve Aikens seems to have it all under control as he attempts a toss of the Redneck Horseshoe.

Kind of looks like a ballerina don't you think? Maybe the Nutcracker is next on his list of performances.

Banana Boy steals the show. His first toss was not so good....but then....

he stole the show by grabbing a toilet seat and running up to the pin to drop it for a win!!!! Very good at thinking outside the box. I think he might become an LD rider :-)

Next on the agenda was a slow race. I really can't remember what brand, but little, tiny 50cc motorcycles were provided for the slow race on the gravel drive. Oh boy....this was a blast. Here is Mr. Aikens practicing. I'll tell you what, it was harder than heck to ride these little beasts. I had a challenge to get my feet on the itsy bitsy pegs. No clutch, only throttle and brake (front and rear). And it was a "quick" throttle. Hahahhaha. More good fun.

Eric and Steve are first up for the challenge of the slow race. Oh my gosh, I almost split a gut watching these two on the itty bitty bikes! (I'm still laughing looking at this photo)

Dang, they are very serious competitors. I wonder if they could do a 24 hour endurance rally on one of these?

Oh no, is Steve wandering off course? Nope, just a bad angle photo. They were neck and neck. Steve won the first round and Eric the second. But...it came down to time and Eric was the slowest. Better luck next time Steve!

Then it was the ladies turn at slow racing. These two gals were dead on serious about their ride. What concentration!

Now it was my turn. Hahahahha. It really was a challenge to ride this tiny bike on the gravel slowly and not put a foot down. Heck, it was a challenge just to get my feet up on the pegs and I kept reaching for the non-existent clutch. Did I mention the throttle was quick??? Just a little gas and it shot out from under you. Okay then, at the start - get ready - go!

I can't believe how intense this was. I'm focused here. My competitor seems to be having some trouble staying on course.

At the finish. Woohoo! I rode really s l o w ! ! ! I have to admit, when I used to dirt bike, we had slow races all the time so this was not new to me. Just the size of the bike was new. Good fun was had by all. We even got Banana Boy to ride and he had never been on a bike before. Like I said, I think he might be LD rider material.

While we were playing games and being silly, more bikes and riders arrived.After games were concluded, people began to congregate under the tent for drinks and conversation. I met so many wonderful folks! Some I knew from past events, some I recognized from LDRider posts and some I'd never met before. All were terrific and from all walks of life. Just a fantastic gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts. Several times I had to go out to where the bikes were parked just to check them all out. All marques, all varied set-ups, all really really cool. I love motorcycles :-)

Then, it was time for dinner....oh boy....fabulous bbq beef, sauce, beans, potato salad, dinner rolls, condiments, and....................dessert! Wow, wow, wow. There was tons of food and we made a quick study of it. Before.....

After....

After we stuffed ourselves, our host made some announcements. He spoke about the event and the significance of Veteran's Day. He noted how contributions from the event went to support the local program to provide transportation to veterans who needed to go to medical facilities. It was all good. I think they raised over $1,500 for the benefit of the veterans.

Big surprise! Some folks who have been regular attendees of the Deming Gathering had put together a memory board of past events to present to Don at this last gathering.

Eric and I ended up winning the "Slow Race" in the Men's and Women's categories. Who would of thunk? Good fun. We both got bottles of New Mexico wine for our trophies. Perhaps another blog about the wine :-) Neither of us got close to a win on the Redneck Horseshoes. Guess we're better at riding than throwing!

After dinner and awards (heck there were about 200 door prizes so almost everyone got a prize. I won a tee shirt that just happened to be from the dealer where I bought my bike! Good stuff. Eric won a mini-Maglite flashlight - yes - more good stuff). They also had a 50/50 that gave the winner just over $400 and the other $400 going to the Veteran's charity. Nope, neither of us won that but it was huge fun to watch the winner get his cash :-)

We finally packed it in and headed back to the motel - looking for a quiet evening. Not going to happen. When we checked in, there were only two other bikes in the motel parking lot. When we got back, there were a lot more. I told these folks to quiet it down.....heck is was like 6:30 or so. Quiet time. Not.....these folks were ready to party.

After a few cocktails and some lively conversation, we called it a night. What a terrific time we had. Too bad it was the last Deming Gathering. I'm so very happy I attended it.

We got up the next morning and enjoyed breakfast again at the motel with a number of other Deming riders. Then, we were off toward home. Pretty much back-tracked the way we had come. About 50 miles east of Tucson, we hit a weather cell. Big old nasty rain. Eric was so kind and stopped at a rest stop and asked if I wanted to put on my rain gear. I said no and on we motored. My big old dumb mistake. By the time we got through Tucson, I was soaked. We stopped again and on went the Frog Toggs. A bit late, but at least they kept the wind off me so I wasn't cold. Dang, I hate being wet. My own stupid fault. Maybe one day I'll learn to put the rain gear on before I get wet!

We took the "scenic route" through Phoenix and I got to see all the best places in town including every porn shop, pawn shop, junk yard and low rent trailer park. Okay, I don't need to go there again.

We ended up at Wickenburg, AZ at the Best Western. Again, another fantastic property where you park outside your door. Very nice room. Instead of breakfast at the motel, they gave us discount coupons for a local restaraunt which we visited. After a scrumptious meal, we were on our way home.

Instead of riding through Las Vegas, we took the scenic route around Lake Mead. A picture perfect day with no traffic on newly paved road. Oh yes, life is good! We took a break at Roger's Spring. A fantastic view of Lake Mead. (With bikes in the pic, of course!)

It was an easy, peasy ride home. We got in just as the sun was setting. Perfect. So nice to be home. Such a fantastic ride and a really great Gathering. I met new folks, connected with people I've met before and simply had a great time.

My next adventure? Who knows. I'm thinking about Alaska and South America and many other places. We'll see, won't we?

Cheers,

Cletha

Discover Kern County 200 Rally

2011-10-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

At the eleventh hour, we decided to attend the inaugural Discover Kern County 200 Rally held in Bakersfield, CA. This is the first running of this 8 hour rally and the first rally for our Rally Master, Matt Pflug. We packed up the bikes and took off on Friday, October 21 and headed to California, Eric on his new Super Tenere and me on the little BMW F650GS Adventure Wannabe. We had beautiful weather as we headed down I-15. We made a quick stop in Primm, Nevada for breakfast and then scooted down the highway to CA 58 that would take us to Bakersfield. We arrived about 5pm and after locating the Rally start location, looked about for a hotel. Dang, stuff was going on in Bakersfield and even the Motel 6 was fully booked. We finally ended up with a decent room at Howard Johnsons.

Up early the next morning, we made our way to the Rocket Shop Cafe for the start. A few riders had already arrived. I spotted a Harley and a really, really old, bare naked GL1100 in the parking lot. We checked in with Matt, paid our fee (all fees were donations for Polio Plus) got our rally flags and signed the liability waivers. We were in.....

Promptly at 7am we were given our rally packs and had an hour to do some route planning. Eric and I have a routine. We each plan a route separately and then discuss our chosen routes. If we have opposing routes, we ride our own ride. If we have similar routes, we ride together. So, I went through the rally pack, located the bonus towns and cities on the map (Eric had picked up two Kern County maps - awesome!). There were about 45 bonus locations to choose from. My procedure is to highlight high point value bonus locations and also to highlight what is required, i.e., photo, receipt, etc. I looked at bonus location point values and after checking the map, quickly decided where I wanted to go. Eric and I had a quick discussion about our plans and surprise (not really) we had similar routes. Okay then, guess we'll ride this one together.

There were 15 riders in the rally. Quite a few newbies and some very seasoned rallyists. Matt had provided a blown-up map with all the bonus locations identified to help the new riders. I took a quick look at the map and decided I liked my route just fine. Heck, I have a plan!!! Now, plan the ride and ride the plan is an LD Motorcyclist's mantra. That's just what I was going to do.

All you had to do to be a finisher was ride 200 miles! Easy peasy.

Out to the parking lot to gear up and get ready to ride this rally. I needed an odo check and start time verified before taking off. Wendy Crockett, a fantastic rider, was volunteer staff at the event and performed my odometer check and start time. Start was 8am.....

Note - my Zumo had pretty much died and was of no practical use but for a receiver for my XM radio. I had NO GPS. Sucks..... Wendy offered to lend me one of her Zumo's. Yeah!!! I caved in and borrowed the GPS. It made a huge difference is my rally. I really wouldn't have had a rally without it. Thank you, Wendy.

Here is Mike Loomer (aka Mr. Wendy Crockett) who was staff. Mike added a lot of fun to the rally as you can see!

Here is Eric, sticking things in his ears, getting ready to rally!

Some photos of the bikes waiting for rally start. Look at that old, naked GL1100. I want one :-) Almost looks like a cafe racer.

Here I am, ready to roll...Big Smile - happy to be off on a great rally on a beautiful day. Does it get any better? I don't think so....

Promptly at 8am, we were off. Eric and I headed to the Southwest corner of Kern County. One of the threads was the four corners of Kern County. Our ambitious plan was to grab all four corners, each worth 1,000 pts. Our first was the SW. Off to Maricopa for the score. The bonus was an old abandoned adobe building about 100 yards north of the road way. Well, the only reason I found this was because I spied another rider parked along the highway. I stopped and looked around and couldn't see the rider. I saw his bike, but no person.....what??? I made at least two U-turns and parked again and then finally saw the rider across the street. I headed that way and then found the adobe ruin. Thanks! Rather unfortunately, this was Brian Casey who ended up with a DNF because of a dead battery. But thanks, Brian, because of you, I found the adobe ruin, got the photo and the points! Woohoo.

Yup, a piece of adobe ruin out in the middle of nowhere. Score :-)

Another thread was to photograph a county sign every time you entered a county other than Kern county. 200 pts. each. While I stopped at the adobe ruin, Eric went on down the road and found the county sign. He returned to where I was and went off to collect the adobe ruin and I scooted down the road to collect the county sign. Oh boy, 200 more pts. in the bag.

Okie dokie then. Off we went to our next bonus which was in Taft, CA. The bonus was the Oilfield Worker Monument. Taft had a couple of bonus locations. This scenario is where Eric and I work really well together. We each enter a location into the GPS and whoever gets the first hit takes the lead to the bonus. As we entered Taft, I got a hit and signaled to Eric that I would take the lead. We then went through town to the bonus. Hahahaha, funny thing. There was a town event going on and the park, where the bonus was located, was full of folks doing some kind of memorial event. The road was blocked off and there were Boy Scouts and a band all set up for a program of sorts. I parked next to the roadblock and walked up to the monument. A lady tried to hand me a program but I just said I was there to take a photo and she waved me on. Fully geared, earplugs and all the stuff. I marched up to the monument in front of the townfolk, laid my flag over the sign and snapped my photo. Turned around, walked off with about 100 people watching me and got on my bike and took off. Hahahaha. Thanks Matt, that was a special one!

Dang, I should have taken photos of the people all around this monument. Guess you don't really believe my story, but it's true!

We then went on to the Honolulu Race Track bonus - worth 500 pts. No photo required - instead, answer a question. What is the elevation of the track? Well, it was 1,128 ft!!! Another score.

So, on we go, and, another county sign. Score!!! 200 pts. Oh, here is where I forgot to get gas at the station 20 miles behind us. I notice I'm on reserve... Uh oh... We decide to go forward rather than backtrack. My booboo costs us 40 miles roundtrip. My Bad......But heck, we score another county sign.

When I realized I was VERY low on gas, Eric and I both searched for gas stations on our GPS units (his 2610 and my Zumo). Both units said a Texaco station was about 7 miles from our current location, so that's where we headed. We should have realized something was wrong when Ms. Garmin told us to turn right on a dirt road. But, turn we did and no, there was no Texaco there and never had been. Dumb GPS.

So we go to wherever and get gas. And, I was hungry so we stop for lunch. Guess what? A 30 minute lunch break gets you 1,000 pts. Another score!

On our way to the NorthWest Corner, we snap another county sign. 200 pts. Gotta love this!

Our NW corner was a ranch sign. "Take a picture of the American Flag if it is flying at the Rudnick Cholame Ranch." This worked....here it is....

And, just to be sure, here is a picture of the ranch sign.

After the ranch, we moved on toward Button Willow for some more bonus locations. Before we got there, we scored another county sign :-) Heck, another 200 pts. (Those county signs were going to be big for us!)

Before we reached the next bonus, we copped yet another county sign! Dogs barking up a storm. I thought this might be interesting, but the dogs were fenced off. Oh thanks, that was fun.

Our next stop was one of the racetrack threads. Eric led us to this bonus. No photo required, but an answer to a question. Button Willow Race Way - "What is it that they ask you to return before you leave the race track?".... the answer was a transponder. Another score!

I led us to the Button Willow Jail House bonus. In a "shady" neighborhood, we snapped the photo of the jailhouse.

Now, time was pressing. Grab more bonii or head for the barn? We decided to head for the barn. If we could score some more bonii on the way, terrific! Not going to happen. We turned the bikes toward the finish. Very slow....Traffic was intense as we headed back toward Bakersfield and all the happenings there. Dang....yes it was slow. We finally got to rally end.. maybe 20-30 minutes before DNF. Hey, I have a thing about DNF (Did Not Finish) because the last 2 rallies I rode, I DNF'ed. So, I really didn't want to be a DNF on this 8 hour rally.

Made it back to Rally Central with 20-30 minutes to spare. In retrospect, we could have used those minutes to grab some more bonii and moved up a spot or two....but....what would you do? We just went back to rally central and ended our rally. I think it was 100 points per minute for being late - up to 30 minutes. I think we made a smart decision to not be late!

All the riders and staff gathered at the Rocket Shop Cafe for scoring, a raffle and awards. Scoring went very smoothly. Matt was extremely organized and with the help of Mike, scoring was quick and easy for everyone.

Wendy and Mike held a raffle with the proceeds also going to Polio Plus. Wendy's shop, Cyclesmiths, donated some really great prizes. Mike did a great job of describing each item. He had us in stitches.

Riders checking their raffle ticket numbers.

Here is the rally rider group photo. Everyone had a fun, safe ride. Peter Perrin took first place followed by Michael Hardaway in second. Craig Chaddock and Michael Smith tied for third. Eric and I tied for fourth!!! I think Eric and I were the only riders to grab the county signs. That gave us a sweet 1,000 pts for county signs!

I had a fantastic time on this rally. I rode fun places like the oilfields, vinyards, orchard country, hills, valleys, towns. The weather was perfect and I never felt stressed. The riders were lots of fun and Matt and volunteers did a wonderful job. Everything was well organized and clear. This is definitely on my list for next year!

After the rally, Eric and I rode to Tehachapi and got a room. The next morning we waited a bit for things to warm up and then headed home. We decided to check out the Kelso Depot that was mentioned on the LD Rider list a few weeks ago. From Barstow, we took I-40 about 70 miles east. I really wanted to ride this section of I-40 because during the IBR I rode it at night and was miserable. Of course, this was the last day of the IBR and I was exhausted. I just remember the road surface being terribly rough, no shoulder, lots of big trucks and dark. I so wanted to stop but there was nothing but ranch exits. But, that's another story. Anyway, our jaunt on I-40 confirmed that it was as bad as I thought. Oh well, at least this time I got to see it in the daylight!

From I-40, we took the Kelbaker exit into the Mojave National Preserve.

An awesome road for 22 miles and we came upon the Kelso Depot which has been restored and is now run by the National Park Service.

There are informational signs posted on the grounds of the Depot. They even had a hot box two cell jail!

Now that would be miserable in the hot Mojave sun! Eric and I really enjoyed this place.

There is an old fashioned lunch counter. They have a very limited and expensive menu, but it was good. We had ham & swiss deli sandwiches and fresh, delicious, thick milkshakes!

Inside the Depot is a nice museum. Downstairs was a great photographic exhibit and a really cool model of the town of Kelso in its heyday. On the main floor were exhibits of flora and fauna along with the telegraph office, luggage area and passenger waiting room. Upstairs were even more exhibits showing the way of life, lots of train history, history of Kelso and my favorite, an exhibit of the ranchers in the area, complete with a saddle to sit on. I just love doing silly stuff and what a perfect opportunity. Ride 'em Cowboy!

We left Kelso and headed to Cima where we got back on I-15 for the rest of the ride home. I had a fantastic three day ride. The weather was just right, I got to hang out with fun people, see new places and bonus - got THREE National Park Stamps at Kelso.

I've already put the Mojave National Preserve on my list of places to go back. There is the Hole-in-the-Wall Nature Trail and Information Center and the Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve that I haven't seen yet. Yes, this is a place I'll be exploring more.

That's it folks. Now to work on the IBR blog......

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Rally

2011-08-01T16:49:00.001-07:00

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Rally ("GBU") made its debut this year starting in Big Sky, Montana. It is a 32 hour rally and follows Iron Butt Rally rules. Departing from St. George, UT it was about 750 miles from home. However, we took two days getting there with a stop in Salt Lake City to pick up some master chain links at Cycle Gear and to have my chain checked and adjusted at Bavarian Motorcycle Workshop (a terrific, independent BMW mechanic). We spent the night in Tremonton, UT and then motored on up to Big Sky the next day at a leisurely pace, stopping at West Yellowstone for lunch and playing tourist for a bit.

We rode directly to "The Lodge" at Big Sky which was the host hotel. We had a welcoming committee at the front door. Photo courtesy of Lynda Lahman. Note Warchild with his legendary salute. We arrived at the same time as Jerry White with his lovely bride Sally and precocious daughter, Claire. Let the fun begin!

We arrived on Thursday afternoon with tech and odo check scheduled for Friday. So we took advantage of our early arrival to indulge in a few adult beverages. Another Lynda Lahman photo shows me in a custom T-Shirt courtesy of Bob Still following my Iron Butt Rally adventure. (I know, I know, I have yet to write that blog but promise to do so soon). For those who don't know, I had serious chain issues during the IBR which almost ended my rally.The GBU was themed after the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. We were given awesome hats at registration which were our meal tickets. Yet another Lynda Lahman photo of Eric and me in front of one of the many great posters. Notice the mean looks on our faces and the FYBYFF sticker in my hand. For those who don't know, during the IBR a certain person made disparaging remarks about my relationship with Eric and it ticked me off. My response was Bruce, FU which eventually got translated to F you Bruce, you effing F. Matt Pflugh had these stickers made up and were handed out to GBU participants. Good fun! Gee, the ride hadn't even begun and already we were having a boat load of fun.
Now it starts to get serious. The next photo is my rally camera photo. On Friday, first thing was to get your camera checked for resolution and correct date and time. After making sure no other pictures were on the SD card, staff took a photo of the rider and marked the rider's number on the card. I managed to pass this part fairly easy.

We then had tech inspection which again followed IBR rules. Motorcycle VIN numbers were checked as well as insurance and waivers. Next was the odometer check. It was an easy ride of about 20 miles. We managed to ride the odo check without mishap.

After a fantastic bbq dinner of chicken, corn bread, potato salad and brownies, we were called to the rider's meeting. It got really serious....Rally Master, Bob Torter opened the meeting followed by Warchild's lecture. Terry Lahman along with his beautiful bride Lynda with the help of Sylvie Torter handed out the rally packets and flags which we were told to not open. Terry then went over the rules and, after allowing us to open our rally packs, held a question and answer session. Another photo courtesy of Lynda Lahman. We then all left to begin routing in earnest. Note that we were given the waypoints a week earlier but had no point value assigned to the bonus locations. Eric and I had already picked a route and pretty much decided we would ride that route regardless of point value as they were roads and places we wanted to see. Having just finished the IBR and Eric having just finished the Utah 1088, well, we weren't in competitive mode. We were in have fun mode :-)

Up early on Saturday, we loaded our bikes and prepared for final odo check prior to the start. Dang, it was early. Start was 5:00 am and we were told to be at our bikes at 4:30 am. Did I say, dang it was early? I do believe this is yet another Lynda Lahman photo. Thanks Lynda!
Finally, it was time to go. We had the honor of a Warchild send off. As Dale moved up the line of bikes, he would point a finger at you and with the other hand wave you off. Makes ones nerves get on edge a bit. I was slow to leave and boy oh boy did I ever get the move it out NOW signal. Yikes!!!! I managed to let out the clutch and get moving without killing the bike or falling over. Oh, I forgot to mention, I was parked on an incline and Mr. Hickey helped me get my bike upright prior to the start. I was lopsided on the pavement so the take-off was not one of my best.

No matter, we were off. Since there is only one road to Big Sky, all the rallyists were pretty much in a row for the first nine miles. At the intersection bikes went both ways. We headed toward West Yellowstone. Got passed by Matt Watkins (no surprise). Our first bonus - take a photo of the large sign in front that says "Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center" - mission accomplished. Of course, a number of riders were getting the same picture.

We then headed toward our second bonus which was in Rexburg, ID. Take a photo of Idaho historical marker 273 describing Beaver Dick. It was here that we spotted another riders rally flag left on the sign. Oh well, leave it alone, they will either come back for it or not.
From Rexburg we headed to Atomic City, ID. A nice, scenic ride to find a building that looks like a blue radio. Photo taken and we were off again. We met up with Jim Boone at this bonus and played leap frog with him for a while.
Moving along to Arco, Idaho we got the picture of the SSN-666 conning tower. I almost let the bike take a nap when making a tight u-turn on the gravel. Whew!!!
Onward to MacKay, ID where we took a photo of a concrete monument that says "Battleground Cemetary." It was a little ways down a dirt/gravel road that at the start was not pleasant so I parked on the shoulder of the highway and ran down to the monument. Full gear, getting plenty warm outside...jog, jog, jog. Got the photo just as Eric turned around on his bike and flew past me. Then, I had to return UPHILL to my bike. Jog, jog, walk, stop, walk. Hahaha. That was the last time I let a little dirt stop me. It was just too much work all that jogging in full ATGATT.
Bayhorse, ID was our next bonus stop. The road to this location has a big sign that say to watch out for Big Horn Sheep on the highway. Wow! Kind of glad we didn't encounter any. It was a beautiful road and we scooped up the bonus.
We stopped in Salmon, ID for a Subway sandwich then turned the bikes toward Tendoy, ID where we rode up a gravel road only to make a right on a worse gravel road. A ways up was a Y in the road. I spied a rider, sans bike which was parked on the "good" gravel road, who was walking around looking for the bonus. He pointed me to the left of the Y. However, I was too far to the right and had to turn around on lumpy, grassy, rocky stuff. Heck, Eric had already made the correct turn and was at the bonus location. So I asked the rider to give me a push backward so I could get turned around. He very kindly complied. I don't know who it was but THANKS!!!! Poor guy was in full gear, including helmet and had hiked quite a distance in some pretty impressive heat and he still gave me a hand. Again, Thank You!!! So, I finally got turned around and up the proper road which was truly a goat trail with grass growing tall in the middle and the tracks not so nice. Photo snapped and bonus in the bag. Hey, there's someone in my mirror. Maybe that is the kind rider who walked up to the memorial for the bonus shot.
From Tendoy, we backtracked to Salmon and then up the highway towards Montana. Our goal was the Big Hole National Monument which is a memorial to the largest battle fought between the Nez Perce and US Govt. forces in the five month conflict know as the Nez Perce War. We saw a few other riders coming/going from both directions at this bonus.
On to Wisdom, MT for the Conover's Trading Post bonus. Easy score!
Moving along, we headed to Dillon, MT for a bonus at Bannack Ghost Town. This is where I spied the first of many deer. A monster doe just casually walking along. Ugh - those Montana deer are massive. Anyway, no problem except for the tourist who wanted to know everything about what we were doing. Eric was much more polite than I. I just took care of business, set out my flag, leaned back in the seat and snapped my photo. Put everything away, entered the required information on my rally pack and moved on.
Our next bonus stop was in Butte, MT where we took a photo of Evel Enievel's tombstone. We took a short break in Butte for some gas and a snack.
From Butte, we rode to Helena where we stopped at the Archie Bray Foundation to snap a photo of the ceramic arch. Good stuff here. Next time I'm in Helena, I'll spend some time looking at all the art.
We stopped in Helena for a meal and change of plans. Originally, we planned on returning to the host hotel to sleep a few hours and then head out early to finish our rally. After discussion in Helena and the fact it was getting dark and the fact that I did NOT want to ride much in the dark, we decided to head to Great Falls, MT and get a room and then resume our bonus hunting early in the morning. So, we aimed the bikes up the Interstate for Great Falls. It was a very beautiful ride. The sun was just setting and the scenery was most impressive. Unfortunately, it got pitch dark before we made it to Great Falls. About 15 miles south of Great Falls, Eric gets on the CB radio and says one word, "Deer." He gassed it and I slammed on the brakes. A humongous buck shot out of the median and crossed the interstate between us!!!

That was it, I told Eric that I was pulling off the freeway at the next exit that had hotel signs. And, that's what we did. We ended up paying $107 for a room at a Best Western that had a view of the interior building and specifically, the ice machine and soda machine. Sweet :-) We hadn't brought any overnight stuff with us so the next morning, I brushed my teeth with a washcloth. Hahahaha.

We got up early (before dawn) and headed out toward our next two bonus locations which were in Great Falls. Kind of difficult to see but the following photo is a picture of the Lewis and Clark statue.
Also in Great Falls was the Kid Russell with Monte statue. Both bonii captured.
Dang, it's still dark. All my dinking around and wasting time and still it was not daybreak. At this point my camera died and I had to change the battery. Which also meant I had to reset the resolution, date and time. That took as long as I could possibly make it take. I really didn't want to ride in the dark on a "Scenic Byway" loaded with big old Montana deer (or even worse, Elk or Moose). Oh well, on to a route bonus. Other than specific locations, during the GBU, you could get additional points for riding specific routes. The routes required a start, middle and end photo. We went for the Kings Hill Scenic Byway Route. Our first stop, to document the start of the route was a photo of the Welcome to Belt sign along with the Historic District sign. Both had to be in the photo. Thanks, Eric for reminding me to get both signs in the photo. I think I took 4 photos before I was satisfied I'd met the requirement!
So, off on scenic byway we went - in the dark. Finally the sun began to peek over the horizon. Thank goodness. We spied many deer on this route. No big surprise since we were in the forest. Did I mention that Montana deer are HUGE? I just could not go fast. I was sure there was a deer in the road around every corner. And, at some point that seemed to be the theme of the morning. Oh well, no serious encounters. Our next stop was the mid-way point of the route where we were to take a photo of our motorcycle in front of the Showdown Montana sign. As we approached the sign we saw a bike taking a nap and the rider removing luggage/bags from the bike. Eric stopped and helped the rider get the bike upright and made sure he was okay. He was! We would see him again down the road. Photos taken with BIKE in the picture and we were on our way to the next bonus.
We stopped at White Sulpher Springs, MT to catch a photo of the Castle.
From the Castle, it was a short skip to the south endpoint of our route bonus - take a photo of the Fort Logan sign. We met up with the napping bike and rider here.
Leaving the scenic byway, we hit the Interstate and headed to Livingston, MT where our goal was a photo of the plaque that says Sacajawea on the Yellowstone. Easy, peasy. Just before this bonus, we stopped for gas and a quick breakfast at McDonalds where we spotted Brian Roberts and his protege Sammy. Hmmmm.....guess we're doing okay if BR is here. LOL

That was the last of our bonus hunting. We were short on miles and short on time. After discussion, we decided to slog up the Interstate and back to put on some miles and hopefully be a finisher. That's just what we did. We headed for Butte at a reasonable clip. Unfortunately, we lost maybe 15-20 minutes on a stretch of uphill construction that caused the semi trucks to go painfully slow with no passing opportunity. Heck. Turn around at Butte and head to the host hotel. My GPS said we would arrive 2 minutes late. Eric said we could make up that time easy. My experience is that I lose time and the GPS starts to say even more minutes to the finish. Aarrgghhhh!!!!

Okay, we got back to Highway 191 and got held up yet again due to tourist traffic. We made several passes but got stuck yet again behind lookie Lou's. Eric found a break and made a great pass and that was the last I saw of him. I got stuck behind a driver that would not use a pull-out and let me pass. Solid double yellow lines. Heck - I don't even know how many miles. Finally, I had the opportunity to pass. Woohoo!!! Back in the game. GPS is saying I will arrive a minute before being time barred. More Woohoo!! Turned at the intersection to Big Sky. Dang, behind some more slow pokes. Yay, they turned off and I had the road to myself for a while. I picked up a few more minutes only to have another cager slow me down and refuse to use the pull outs. Oh heck, oh darn, dang, and much worse. Move over you stupid idiot!

Well, I followed that cager directly to the hotel. I parked in front and literally ran to check-in. Three minutes to spare! Hahahahahaha.

Got through scoring (only after a sad riders meeting about the loss of Dick Fish, RIP) and didn't lose any points. I even had the honor of having Lisa Landry do my scoring :-) Yeah, I felt good. However, I knew I didn't have enough miles to finish. I think we were short 30-50 miles. My fault entirely. I just did not want to ride at dark so I wasted time and miles. Doesn't really matter. This rally was about fun and going new places. Not so much about competition. Although it would have been nice to be a "finisher", I'm not going to beat myself up too much about that. I had a fantastic ride, through beautiful scenery in both Idaho and Montana, saw new places and met new people. I don't think it gets much better than that.

We ended the rally with a great finish presentation where the winners were made known. I'm so impressed at the riders and their rides. What an incredible group of folks! Our final "official" rally task was to partake in the delightful bbq rib dinner. Oh yes, it was fantastic.

The next morning, we dinked around and finally got packed up and left the hotel about 8:30 am. We retraced the route we had taken two days prior to get to the Interstate. Riding along, just outside of Pocatello, ID we spied a bike on the shoulder of the hiway and a helmet behind the bike. We both immediately stopped. It was Nancy Lefcourt and her BMW. Sorry I didn't get a picture. Eric rendered assistance and made sure Nancy was okay with water and had a tow truck on the way. We later found out that IB Pete (Mike Langford) also stopped and gave further assistance. Nancy eventually got towed to Salt Lake and the bike repaired. LD Riders are the best ever people.

We stopped for a late breakfast and then headed home. Uneventful, we made it home about 10:30 pm. Nice to be back home. Super nice to have had a wonderful time riding to, riding during and riding home from the GBU.

Big time thank you to Bob and Sylvie Torter for hosting this even. More thanks to all the volunteers who made it possible. Even more thanks to the Iron Butt Association staff who attended the event, volunteered and certified SS1K's. Just an awesome group of people.

Too bad I didn't take more photos. The young fellow on the Honda 250 dirt bike who completed an SS1K and completed the rally deserves many kudos. Jeez, what a feat!

There were so many awesome riders and stories on this rally. It was truly a fantastic debut for the GBU. I got to put faces to names and also hang out with LD riders I'd met before. Would I do it again? In a heart beat. Would I ride it competitively? Who knows. This time around, it was a nice, easy, fun ride to beautiful places. Yes, I would have liked to be a "finisher." But I wasn't and it doesn't bother me in the least.

Yes, I need to get over my "deer" issue but I'm working on that. Is the GS the perfect "rally" bike? Nope. Not even. But, it fits me well and I'll make due. Maybe I'll post a blog about that in the future.

For now, all is good. I'm home after having a terrific time in Montana. Next scheduled rally would be the LOE in Sept./Oct. timeframe. Who know what might come up before then?

Be safe my friends and travel well.

Cletha

5 Miles and 7 Minutes - The IBR Shakedown Rally

2011-05-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

We left home on Wednesday, May 11th about noon and headed east. Our goal was Broken Arrow, OK for the IBR Shakedown Rally which was to start on Saturday, May 14th. Our destination was 1,276 miles away. We had plenty of time to get there so we just took it easy. We rode Highway 89 to Flagstaff where we got on I-40. We stopped in Holbrook, AZ for the night. Next morning was more slogging on I-40 but this day was windy. Big winds! So, we fought the wind until Elk City, OK where we spent the night. Friday was yet more wind as we rode on toward Broken Arrow.

Prior to our departure, we had arranged to have a rear tire delivered to our hotel in Broken Arrow and contacted a shop to mount and balance it. We arrived at the Marriott Towne Plaza Suites (nice hotel) and checked in. No tire....oh well, maybe later in the day. (Nope, tire never did arrive until our departure on Monday so I rode with a rather worn tire which caused me some worry). So, we hopped on the bikes and rode over to Casa de Hickman to check in and meet the other riders. We hung out at the Hickman abode greeting riders as they arrived. Good fun as I knew many of them and others I knew from Facebook or the LD Riders list. Always great to put a face with a name.

Rally Master Michael Hickman put on a great BBQ of brats and dogs with salads, chips, etc. Following our dinner we had a riders meeting where the first leg of the rally packs were handed out and we got the waypoints loaded onto our thumb drives. While waiting for the meeting to end, I quickly went through the waypoints and identified the anchors. I also coded each waypoint with colors for point value and symbols for any restrictions. As soon as I got my electronic bonus stick, we took off for the hotel and route planning.

Riders hanging out and visiting prior to the rider's meeting.

Bikes lined up in front of Casa de Hickman. Sure glad their neighbors are understanding!

I spent about two hours trying to figure out a decent route for the time allowed. We were told that we should go for at least 6,000 points (although there was no minimum) for the first leg. Start was 9:00 am CDT with a short rider meeting at 8:45 am. Required checkpoint was 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm with penalty points accruing between11:00:01 and 11:30 pm. Okay, I had between 13 and 14 hours of riding potential. The big anchors were sucker bonus locations such as Hell, Michigan and Key West, Florida. I really wanted to go to Black Mesa Nature Preserve which was big points but too far for the time allowed.

I'm not very GPS savvy and am definitely not great using MapSource. My first panic was when I couldn't download the waypoints into MapSource from my thumbdrive. Aaarrgghhh!!!!! Call the Rally Master in panic. Oh, calm down, just use the dropdown menu to pick the correct file extension format. Dummy :-) Lesson learned!

After several frustrating attempts at routing all of which were too big for me, I finally found the best route for my skills and ability. Not where I wanted to go, but the best bet if I wanted to make the checkpoint on time. I successfully downloaded all the waypoints into the ZUMO (well, after the second attempt). I made a mistake on the 10n10 Rally in that I didn't download ALL of the waypoints and when my original route became un-doable, I didn't have a backup plan. Learned that lesson, so I put every waypoint into the ZUMO. I then made up my index cards in order of each bonus location I wanted to capture. I made notes as to what was needed to collect the bonus such as photo with flag or include bike in picture or get a receipt or whatever was required.

The next morning I was up plenty early to partake in the hotel breakfast and make some last minutes notes on my index cards. I loaded up the bike, filled my hydration system with ice and took off for the start. We lined the bikes up in front of the Hickman abode waiting for the go signal.

Here I am in the middle, waiting for the go signal!

Then, I'm off to find my first bonus. Only 97 points, but on the way to the big one was the Oklahoma Prison Historical Museum. I pulled up right behind another rider that I'd been following from time to time. Snapped the required photo and took off for the next bonus.

Hickman Elementary School in Garland, Texas. Yup, this was enough to get the 6,000 minimum as it was worth 6,660 points. Score! There was another large bonus at Southern Methodist University, 2,630 points, but I decided to skip that as it is downtown Dallas and it was graduation day. I figured it would be a mess. My mistake. Several riders scored that bonus and all finished above me. Had I grabbed it.....oh well. Should of, could of, but didn't :)

However, I must say I was very proud of myself attacking the Dallas/Ft. Worth freeway system and conquering it! Hah! On to the next bonus which was back up in Arcadia, Oklahoma. Take a picture, including your motorcycle of the 66 foot giant soda bottle. I stopped for the photo and a couple of Ducati riders came over to inspect my mount. They were in the way so that's why there are in the photo. I chatted with them for a minute or two, mounted my steed and rode away. I think they are still scratching their heads about that one!

At this point I realized I was considerably ahead of schedule. This is due in most part because I'd been riding the slab at a spirited pace. Looking at the ZUMO and waypoints, I realized a bonus was only 9 miles from my current location and easily doable. So I headed to get a picture of the historical marker that celebrates the life of Wiley Post. This is one of my lessons learned from the 10n10!

I punched in the waypoint on the ZUMO and headed in the proper direction. For those of you (myself included) who don't know, Oklahoma is full of Turnpikes with tolls. Many require exact change or a PikePass. I used the John Langan approach and loaded my jacket pocket with change in one baggie and bills in another with a note to the cashier (at manned tolls) to please take what the toll was and return the balance with a receipt in the bag to me. This worked fantastic! Thanks for the tip John. Anyway, headed to the Wiley Post bonus put me on a turnpike for about a quarter to a half mile at a toll of $0.60. No problem. I had my baggie of change, threw in two quarters and a dime and went through the gate. Took the next exit and followed the ZUMO directions which had me go in a circle and back on the damn toll road. Threw in another 60 cents and did the same damn thing. Finally on the third attempt I spotted a cemetery and pulled in there to re-check the directions and have a smoke to calm down. Heck, THREE times through the flipping toll both to go in circles. Those watching my SPOT tracker sure had a good laugh.

Anyway, sitting there in the cemetery, ZUMO says to take the ally. Okay, I took the ally down the cemetery and viola! There was the Wiley Post memorial. Hooray. Photo taken, bonus in the bag.

Next stop was a photo of the Weer historical marker in Broken Arrow. ZUMO led me directly there. It was just getting dusk and I was a bit concerned about critters. The road to Weer is tree lined and perfect for deer. I had good fun crossing a creepy wooden bridge. Up on the pegs, eyes forward and no problem. At the historical marker, I tried to turn around by backing up but hit some soft stuff and almost lost it! YIKES. Put it into first and got back on the pavement. Rode up the street a hundred yards and found a good turn around place. Back at the marker, I snapped the photo and took off for my final bonus of the day. (As a side note, another rider got this bonus just after I did and encountered 4 deer that he avoided only to exit the bonus and find the deer had tangled with a car and truck - stupid deer).

My last bonus was Broken Arrow Farmers Market Centennial Clock. Lucky me. I had saved this one for last. Those who went there first couldn't get the photo because it was Rooster Days or something like that. Broken Arrow town festival complete with parade, marathon, carnival, etc. right downtown. Riders were turned away. I got there after the streets were re-opened and snapped the photo of the centennial clock with my bike and flag. SCORE :-)

I arrived at the check point well within the time allowed. Leg 1 scoring was quick and I didn't loose any points. All my photos had the required elements and my fuel log was flawless. Whoopee!

In true IBR fashion, we were to receive our second leg bonus locations the following morning after a mandatory rest stop. I rode back to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. That didn't work so well. About 2 am, I awoke with terrible cramps in my left foot and toes. After much massage, walking around, stretching, trying to go back to bed, I gave up and got up. Heck I needed to be at the Rally start for leg 2 at 3:45 am for a riders meeting. I was at the start in plenty of time. After a very quick rider meeting, we were given our leg 2 bonus locations, again on a thumb drive. The key here, we would be routing on the clock! Start of leg 2 was at 4:00 am and finish was at 3:00 pm with a thirty minute penalty window and DNF at 3:30 pm.

I jumped on my bike and sped to the hotel to begin my leg 2 routing. First, I identified the anchors and coded each waypoint according to point value and restrictions. Then I downloaded the waypoints into MapSource. A huge group of anchors was in the northwest corner of Oklahoma. Oh, I really wanted to go there but it was over 1,000 mile round trip and there was no way I could achieve that in 8 hours of riding time. Okay, I needed to find some other route that would give me the 11,000 - 14,000 points suggested by the Rally Master. Heck, nothing big. Nothing........Finally, eureka! I spotted the route I would take. It was aggressive but on leg 1 I had time to spare. Leg 1 was mostly slab with easy in and outs. Leg 2 appeared to have a good chunk of slab or at least 4 lane big highways. Okay, I had a route and quickly made up my index cards with locations and notes. Grabbed my stuff and flew out of the hotel to load the bike and take off to get my first bonus.

I left the start at about 4:15 am and then after routing left the hotel at 6:00 am. First bonus was EAT - Provide a receipt from a fast food restaurant (no fuel stations) showing that you purchased food. Directly across from my hotel was a SteaknShake. I ran into the restaurant and asked for a receipt for a cup of coffee. The gal headed toward the coffee pot and I said, "NO, I just want the receipt, I don't want any coffee." She didn't quite know what to make of that but the young man behind the counter rang up a coffee and handed me the receipt as I threw $2 to him and dashed out of the store to my bike. Ha! First bonus of the day scored. That put me in a really good mood.

Next stop was the Rock Cafe in Stroud, OK. I rode directly there and snapped the photo of the neon sign with my bike. Unfortunately, the sun was in a bad place for the picture but after a few attempts, I got one that I thought would be okay.

Next bonus was BARN. I selected the waypoint on the ZUMO and headed toward the bonus location. Now, yesterday had been slab. The route to the Rock Cafe was slab. The ride to BARN was anything but. Lovely, yes. Beautiful Oklahoma rural scenes on Route 66 and slow.......I finally arrived to take a picture of the historical marker.

From BARN, I headed toward Oklahoma City for the George "Hookey" Miller headstone picture. Here's where I made a critical mistake. I followed the ZUMO directions but didn't end up at a cemetery. I called the rally master to ask if anyone was having problems locating this bonus and he said no and gave me the street address. I realized there was a call in bonus at the third bonus. So I asked if the EAT bonus counted as a bonus location and the Rally Master said yes, so I scored the call in. What I didn't score was the extra 1,000 points for taking a photo of your third bonus and texting it to the Rally Master. I'd already left the BARN so couldn't take a cell picture but doubt I could have texted it anyway because I so don't know how to use the dumb phone.

I entered the street address for the Hookey monument into ZUMO and took off on neighborhood streets through Oklahoma City. Very SLOW. I finally arrive at the cemetery only to realize, without proper GPS coordinates, I'll never find the headstone amongst the zillion or so headstones. The cemetery office wouldn't open until after noon so nobody was there to give directions. I stupidly rode around the cemetery for a while before realizing it was dumb. I should move on. Oh well. Lesson learned that I hope I remember during the IBR :-)

So, next on my list was the OKCF, the Oklahoma City National Memorial Fence. Again I followed the ZUMO directions and went directly there. I was surprised to find Bobby Fox, another rally rider there. I snapped my photo and took off in good time.

The next bonus location was Slaughterville city limits sign. Again, Bobby and I ended up at the same place at the same time. Snapped the required photo and took off again on small, slow roads.

Finally, back on the slab. Perhaps I could make up some time? I twisted up a bit and was having a glorious ride. The weather was fine and everything was working perfectly. My little GS kitten was just purring along. I was riding a freeway I had been on the day before, just in the opposite direction. I was headed to the Arbuckle Mountains. Beautiful scenery. I took the proper exit for a quick 5 mile in and out to snap a photo of the Fort Arbuckle Monument. ZUMO said I had arrived. I didn't see a dang thing except some farmhouses. I turned around and rode up and down a 1/2 mile stretch of highway all the time ZUMO saying I had arrived. I finally pulled into the only side street, turned around and re-read the bonus and checked the GPS coordinates. Yes, I was where I was supposed to be but sure as heck couldn't see any kind of monument or memorial. Nothing but a street sign and some pasture. So, I took a picture of the street sign showing I was in the proper place and headed back out to the highway.

No points for effort here :-(

On the way out, Michael Boge passed me going for the Ft. Arbuckle monument bonus. I gestured to him that I couldn't find it. This prompted Michael to actually get off his bike and scout around. He found the VERY TINY MONUMENT located in a farmer's field where he had to climb between the fence and hike out to the middle of the pasture to get the photo. Good for you Michael!!!!!

At this point, I knew I was running low on time. I figured I could continue my route and make it to the finish on time even if it meant dropping my last two bonus attempts. After all, the road I was going to take was a big four laner. What I didn't know was it is littered with tiny towns where you have to slow down to 25 mph and miles of road construction. Get up to 65 or 75 and then down to 25. Ugh! So on I pushed to Kingston where I was to take a photo with my bike in the picture of the Kingston Water Tower. Easy, peasy.

Now, I'm really concerned about time. ZUMO says I have 12 minutes to spare before DNF. I'd still be in penalty but could finish if all goes perfect. Of course, it didn't. I totally blew off my final bonus location which I spied as I rode past it. Oh well, now it was all about making up time to get to the finish. I was still 175 miles from the end. And, I was still on that stupid four lane highway that had speed limits ranging from 25 mph to 65 mph. I was cruising along quite nicely when an Oklahoma State Trooper going in the opposite direction lit up the lights. Damn, I immediately slowed down and got in line with traffic. Sure enough, a few minutes later he had turned around and I saw nothing but blue and red in my mirrors.

I signaled and pulled over but there was a crown on the shoulder area and I couldn't get my kickstand down. Mr. Officer came up to me and I flipped up the fancy new Schuberth C3W and said "Gee, Officer, there is a crown on the road here and I can't park. This isn't safe, can we go somewhere else to take care of this business?" He said sure. I asked if I should follow him or if he wanted to follow me. He told me to go ahead. So I took off (at a slow pace) and pulled over again at a little bit better spot. I still could not get the kickstand down so I asked Mr. Officer to just hold my right elbow while I leaned the bike over to get the stand down. He kindly accommodated me and I got parked. He then asked for my license and registration. DAMN. Of course the license and registration were in a sealed envelope. Not worth points but if opened it meant a loss of points. Damn it again. Without a word, I opened the envelope and handed him the documents. I'm sure he wondered why my docs were sealed but he didn't ask. He did query as to where I was headed and I told him Broken Arrow.

A short time later he came back to my bike and had me sign a piece of paper. No tickie! WhooHoo!!!! A warning. He told me I could do whatever I liked with it such as throw it away. No, no, no I said. I wanted to keep it. But as he handed me my copy, the wind picked up and blew it far away. No souvenier. I again asked Mr. Officer to hold my elbow and I lean the bike over to get the kick stand up! Hahahahahahaha. What do you suppose he thought? A little lady all geared up asking for an elbow hold. Bet he's still scratching his head on that one. He reminded me to watch my speed and to have a safe ride. Thank you Mr. Officer.

Okay, now I'm really pushing the envelope to finish on time. Heck between some serious road construction, Mr. Officer and 25 mph speed limits, I was on the edge. After the Mr. Officer incident, I was too timid to run very hot so I slogged along watching as the ZUMO kept adding minutes to my arrival time. Dang.

Just 5 miles from the finish my ZUMO said 3:30. Seven minutes later I arrived at the finish. I pulled up at the Rally Master's house 7 minutes late, a complete, total, absolute DNF.

Arriving at the finish....Happy to have had a fantastic ride!

Sad to have my envelope molested.

Fun hanging out with all the rally riders at the Hickman abode.

A motely crue if I ever saw one. What a fantastic group of riders!!!

Following scoring (Michael scored me even though I DNF'd so I could see how I did) the Rally Master cooked up a feast for those who stayed for the banquet. Bacon wrapped steak, roasted chicken, four, yes four different cassaroles, chips, dip, etc. etc. etc. Absolutely fabulous meal and tons of good stories from all the riders. Thank you Mr. Hickman!

Although I've done a few rallies now, this was by far the most intense. It was designed to mimic a leg of the IBR and boy, did I feel the pressure. Routing on the clock was intense but I think I did okay on that part. Finding a route that is doable, being able to add or subtract bonus locations on the fly was a challenge that now I think I can do okay. Watching time get away from me was not a fun thing. All good lessons. Learning when to cut bait on a bonus was another good lesson. I wasted way too much time in the cemetery looking for a monument I KNEW I wouldn't find - well that was just plain dumb. It won't happen again. Being at the right location and not finding the bonus? Well, maybe next time I'll get off the bike and do a little searching, who knows?

I learned a LOT about using my GPS, not just loading waypoints, but using it to estimate times and distances, knowing my overall and moving average speeds - all good stuff. I got a lot of practice with the GPS and heaven knows, I really needed it. I'm feeling much more confident using the ZUMO and MapSource now.

Fortunately the weather was decent, a bit cold at times but I had my electric jacket to keep me warm. Rather windy at times but heck, in the last few weeks I've had plenty of wind riding practice so that was okay.

Also, I'm much more confident on the GS. Riding that intensely all by myself, tackling the Dallas/Ft. Worth freeway system, riding downtown Oklahoma city.....all helped me overcome certain fears and trepidations. So, all in all, it was a fantastic learning experience and bonus - a fun, fun rally with super cool people.

The ride home from Broken Arrow is a story all by itself. Perhaps I'll blog about that another time. Enough to say we got stopped by snow in the Rockies, thus time to write this blog.

Thanks to Michael Hickman for putting on a fantastic event. Thanks to my sweetie, Eric for volunteering and helping Mr. Hickman check in riders. Thanks to my fellow rallyists for all the good sportsmanship and fun stories. You all rode a super rally. See you in Seattle!!!

Snowed in at Pagosa Springs, CO.......
and having a cocktail,

Cletha

Just when I thought I was done.....

2011-05-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Alrighty then, the little F650GS was all farkled out and it was time for the 6,000 mile service. Well, okay, I had just over 7,000 on her but heck we were off to Las Vegas BMW for the service. I usually go to San Diego but Vegas is so much closer so I decided to take it there.

Here she is in the garage, all loaded up and ready to head to Las Vegas.

We arrive at Las Vegas BMW after 130 miles or so in some pretty good wind. Sunny and clear but windy. We took care of the paperwork and they took the little kitten into the shop to do their business. We hung out, looked at motorcycles, read magazines and just lazed about for almost two hours when we were told the bike is ready. Hooray!

While waiting for the bike, this pulled into the parking lot. Cool huh?

We left Las Vegas and headed south toward Barstow, CA. About 20 miles south of Vegas, I notice what appears to be water on my windscreen. Huh? Where did that come from? It's sunny, hot like 100 or so. I assumed I'd passed an RV that was spewing water and forgot about it until heading up to Mountain Pass, CA on I-15, I notice more water on the windscreen. That's just not right. All the while, we were fighting extreme headwinds with the unpleasant occassional side gust. I was watching my temperature guage but all appeared okay. After Mountain Pass, yet more stuff on the windscreen. Something is just not right about this. I took the next rest stop exit to check it out.

Hmmm.....liquid on the INSIDE of the screen and it's not water. It is kind of oily with a very light bluish tinge. Really not good. I called Las Vegas BMW and told them what happened. They tried to brush me off but I wasn't about to let that happen. Heck, I'd just had a service 70 miles earlier and had never had any problem whatsoever with the 650. I finally got to speak to the General Manager who was very polite and found a service bulletin on the 650 that describes exactly what had happened to me and that a "fix" would be available in a couple of months.

What had happened was overheating (I assume from the high temperatures and fighting a very strong wind at 75 mph). The coolant reservoir has an overflow that squirts coolant upwards and results in coolant covering the inside of the windscreen and pretty much everywhere else too. They weren't much help other than to read the bulletin to me and email it to me. So, we waited a while at the rest stop and resumed our ride. Keeping a close eye on the temperature and watching for fluid on the windscreen.

Sure enough, another 25 miles up the road the same thing happened. I took the next exit and we took another extended rest break. We finally limped into Victorville where we got a room and discussed the issue.

We decided to do nothing until we got home and just keep an eye on the temperature. The next morning we left for home again in very high winds but much lower temperature. Fortunately, most of the wind was tail wind with the occassional surprise side gust. We made it home with only one stop due to high temperature but no fluid on the windscreen.

Here are some photos of the spooge all over the bike. What a mess. The pictures don't do it justice.

At home, Eric made some adjustments to the overflow reservoir and secured a hose to the overflow outlet to route any overflow down and away from the bike rather than up the windscreen. For now, this is our temporary fix. We'll see if the problem happens again. I've spoken with a number of F650GS owners who ride hard in hot climates and none of them have ever had this problem. Kind of coincidental that I just had it serviced and then a problems rears its head? I don't know. I do know I'm not happy about it at all.

I'm headed to Oklahoma tomorrow for a rally. I'm pretty sure the temperatures won't be anywhere near 100 but I might get some good wind. I'm perplexed by this so if any of you have had this issue please let me know what you did to fix it.

Oklahoma ride report sometime next week. Stay tuned. Oh, I promise I will post pictures of all the farkles and fuel cell soon as well.

Thanks,

Cletha

LC-11 Rally

2011-05-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

I decided to ride the LC-11 Rally. LC for Lower California and 11 for eleven hours of fun. The rally started in Yuma, AZ and finished in San Diego, CA. On Friday, April 29th, Eric and I left home and headed toward Yuma, about 425 miles. We had a leisurely ride but for the terrific winds going through Las Vegas. Wow! Cheek clenching winds through heavy Vegas traffic on I-15. That certainly kept me alert! Our route to Yuma took us down Hiway 95, a two laner all the way to Yuma. I have fond memories of Hiway 95 as that is the route I took on my first Saddle Sore 1000.

We arrived at the designated Motel 6 in Yuma with plenty of time for a hot shower and clean up before meeting up with the Rally Master and other riders for dinner. Following a decent meal and lots of BS, we returned to the motel, got everything rally ready and retired for the evening.

Up at 4:30 a.m. or so, we re-packed our bikes, swigged some coffee and took off for the rally launch location at the nearby Chevron station. We had a half hour or so window to launch. Our gas receipt was the start time - as long as it was before 6:00 am. We waited quite a while to get some light going. About 5:46 or there abouts we fueled up and started our rally.

Eric and I had both received the rally packet one week in advance and planned our own routes. After route planning we realized we had both planned basically the same route. My initial attempt was a bit more aggressive but after discussion, I cut out some bonus locations and we agreed on what we thought to be a doable route in the time allowed. Turns out most of the other riders were on the same route as we were.

First bonus stop was Swasticka Bridge on Laguna Dam Road, an in and out of about 8 miles with the last 0.3 mile being an easy gravel road. I immediately spotted the bridge, got turned around and snapped the photo. Poor Eric blew past it and went further down the road before he realized his mistake. I was considerate and waited :-)

Next on our bonus list was the Yuma Duster, an anti-aircraft gun parked at the Yuma Proving Grounds Museum. Our goal was to write down the lettering on the front hatch. Teddy's Roughriders! Second bonus done. From there is was scoot up Hiway 95 to Blythe. Just about 15 miles north of Blythe are some Intaglios which are gigantic human, animal and geometric figures on the ground surface. Our task was to take a photo of the "Animal and Spiral Figures" information sign. What wasn't in the bonus instruction was the fact that the road to the Intaglios was not just gravel, but real rough, big rock, rutted, washed, interesting off road riding. My little GS roared over the crud and up the hill with no problem. I got myself turned around and pointed in the out direction then crawled between the fencing, ran across the field, down the valley, up the other side and snapped the required photo. I then ran across the field, down the valley and up the other side to crawl between the fence so I could re-mount, tackle the rough road and get to the highway. Oh what fun!

Next on the agenda was the Gateway Park Armed Services Memorial. From Blythe, we hopped on I-10 for a short jaunt to the Memorial. The instructions said to place your helmet (without your head in it) over the marker of the branch of service of your choosing, take a picture and say which branch of the Service your helmet is resting. I put my helmet on the Marines pillar. (Oh, it's the nice, new Schuberth C-3W helmet on it's maiden voyage!).

From Gateway Park, is was a long slog across I-10 in high winds. It was quite the adventure to come up behind a semi-truck, feel the turbulence off the back end coupled with strong side winds, start the pass to have the wind blocked so instead of leaning all of a sudden I was upright. Then completing the pass to have the huge gust hit me again. I was literally diving into the right lane after the pass. What fun :-)

We were heading to Mecca, CA where our goal was to take a photo of the Gracie Salazar fountain with the flagpole in the background. Nice Ms. Garmin took us directly there and photo scored!

The next bonus location was Salvation Mountain. No picture required but dang, I wish I had taken one. It is quite a site to see. Next time I'm in that area, I'll definitely take a picture or two. Our task was to find the plaque from the "Folk Art Society of America" and write down the name on the plaque. We rolled into a dirt/gravel parking lot with the wind going full on. Eric ran off but I walked over to a fellow reading a book under a canopy. He looked like he belonged at that strange place so I very politely asked if he could direct me to the plaque. He gave me directions and I ran over to the place he described and yup, there was the plaque. We got the required information, hopped on the bikes and took off for our next bonus location, the Whistler Mud Pots.

Oh, what an adventure getting there!!! We were warned it was a dirt road but little Ms. Garmin took us down several semi-paved or at least hard packed roads and then said to cross the bridge and take a sharp right. Okay, we did just that. Oh my heck!!!!! It was a goat trail. Very narrow, rocky and tall bamboo or willows on each side as there were irrigation canals. We were between two canals and guess what? The trail stopped. Dead end. Like if you went any further you'd be in the canal. Oh eff. We have to turn around. Did I say it was narrow and rocky with deep water on either side. Dang, that was scary. I somehow managed to get the little GS turned around without falling down or dropping her. After we got off that trail it took TWO cigarettes to calm down.

As Eric was patiently waiting for me to calm down, another rally rider came by and pointed us in the right direction. Easy, peasy. Instead of the sharp right, take the next one then a left and there they were, the Whistler Mud Pots. The instructions said to take a picture of the geothermal activity, so I took this picture. We then found the proper approach road which was dirt but I was able to ride along about 40 mph no problem. Of course Eric was doing 60 but he kindly waited for me at the highway :-)

Off to the next bonus location which was Saddle Sore Trail. We had to take a picture of the motorcycle in front of the street sign. It was a very fun road getting to Saddle Sore Trail. Oh, sure, it was still windy.

Next stop was the Butterfield Ranch where we needed to get a receipt. I hadn't eaten all day and was feeling kind of shaky especially after the Mud Pot fiasco. I walked in and spied some applesauce donuts covered in maple frosting on the counter. I didn't need to look any further. Donut and receipt in hand, I practically inhaled that donut. Eric, being the kind person he is, insisted I eat some cheese and crackers and an apple rather than rely on the sugar high.

We encountered a number of other rally riders at Butterfield Ranch. Actually, throughout the rally, we encountered the same several riders at the bonus locations. Chris Ogden and Doug Barrett are minutes ahead of us at Butterfield Ranch!

From there is was on to Julian for a photo of the Julian Veterans Memorial. The ride there was fantastic! What terrific roads are hidden amongst the hills in Southern California. Julian is an artsy place and thus tourists and bikers were everywhere. We managed to find the cemetery, climb up the hill and snap the required photo with helmet.

Leaving Julian was SLOW. Tons of traffic and large motorcycle groups doing about 10 less than the posted speed limit. Ugh. We had intended on snagging the Arizona Cafe bonus to give us a combo but traffic was slow and we decided to head for the barn rather than be a DNF. Smart choice because traffic just got thicker and slower as we made our way to I-15.

We arrived at the finish with time to spare and only a few other riders came in after us. We were treated to chips and salsa and soft drinks while we waited to be scored. We didn't lose any points at the scoring table. Woohoo! All photos were good and all required receipts neatly labeled with all the appropriate information. Our rally pack required us to keep odo posting for each bonus as well.

Following scoring, San Diego BMW bbq'd a fabulous dinner for us, hamburgers with all the trimmings, rib eye or sirloin steak, potato and macaroni salad and ice cream for dessert. Wow! After our fine meal the results were announced. Peter Perrin was the hands down winner with a fantastic score! Yay Peter! Eric and I finished 6th which was pretty much in the middle of the field and we both felt good about our route and the ride.

Craig Chaddock did a superb job as Rally Master (or Bastard depending on which road I was riding). I got a lot of good practice on some easy and some difficult dirt/rock/gravel roads which I needed. The bike ran flawlessly and all my farkles worked just how they are supposed to work. It was great riding with an aux fuel cell.

Next week I'll be heading to Okalahoma for The Rally - IBR Shakedown. This will be my final practice rally before the Big Dance. I hope it will be as successful as the LC-11.

Ta Ta,

Cletha

Fuel Cell Finally Gets Mounted!

2011-02-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

After way too long searching for someone to fabricate a custom mount for an auxiliary fuel cell for the F650GS, I finally scored with D. Ironworks. I had taken the original mount and bike to another fabricator who told me no problem, a day or so. Well, a week later, they hadn't even touched the mount and the bike was dusty from sitting in their shop. And, to make matters worse, I went a week without riding. Aaarrrggghhh! Frustration!

That, and I had to have a friend follow me to the shop (all the way across town) to give me a ride home. Then a ride back to the shop to pick up the bike. Good thing I have kind friends!

So, I collected the bike and mount, came home and let my fingers do the walking through the yellow pages. Yes, the old fashioned paper type. A nice ad jumped out at me, D. Ironworks. So I gave them a call and explained what it was that I needed. Doyle, (the D. in D. Ironworks) said bring her on down and let's have a look. So, that is just what I did.

Doyle and his son, Kyle looked over the mount and my bike. We discussed what was needed and how things were supposed to work. They felt confident they could make something for me. So, I left the bike and the mount and had the same good friend take me home. The next day, Doyle called and asked me to bring in the actual fuel cell that would sit on the mount. I complied and we had further discussion as to how this whole thing should work.

I think this was mid-week. On Friday, I called Doyle and said I needed to pick up the bike for the weekend. Really, I just needed to ride. So, collected the bike and had a great weekend riding around the local area. Took it back Tuesday for the finishing touches. Doyle and his sons, Kyle and Tony, had re-worked the whole frame, especially where it attaches to the frame to give me a custom, absolute true connection. They also painted the mount and it looks terrific.

Doyle and Tony attached the mount and then we put the fuel cell on and secured it. Then, the custom Linda Tanner fuel cell cover went over all. The photos below are the end result. I couldn't be more pleased.

I still need to get it plumbed and test it all out but I really think this is a good solution! Oh boy, now I'll have 8.5 gallons of fuel :-)

It seems like I'm making baby steps to get my sweet little BMW F650GS rally ready, but I am making progress! Last few items include plumbing the fuel cell, adding an electronic cruise control, radiator guard, aux lights and highway pegs. Then, I think I'm done with farkles and just need to ride, ride, ride.

Oh, there is that little problem that popped up over the weekend - the CB lost all power and all audio (XM Radio, ZUMO come through the CB). The Zumo is getting power but not the CB. I've spent a lot of time going through the wiring but to no avail. I cannot find the problem. So, when I take the bike to have the rest of the farkles installed, I'll have them troubleshoot that issue as well.

Oh that and practice entering waypoints and routing. Just got a new Lenovo ThinkPad and added solid state drive to make it rugged enough for transport on the motorcycle.

So close, yet so far away. Just so you know, I got accepted into the Big Dance that starts late June and want the bike completely set up, tested and totally comfortable long before Waltz Day!

Cheers,

Cletha

White Stag Rally

2011-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, the first rally of 2011, The White Stag Rally (some might call it the White Stagger Rally). White Stag is held in Beatty, NV the last weekend of January. The 2010 White Stag was my first rally ever and I learned a LOT. However, the 2011 White Stag was to be a lounge rally with different participation events. Okay, sounds like a good time to me. I packed up the F650GS and headed toward Beatty on Friday. The weather was beautiful and traffic light. I cruised down Old Hiway 91 to I-15. Then through North Las Vegas to hit Hiway 95 which is then a straight shot to Beatty.

I made a quick stop at Yucca Mountain Truck Stop and spotted this:

I don't know how I managed to miss this Museum considering all the times I've been by here. Located next door to the Cherry Patch II Brothel. I didn't go in but maybe next time.

After a pleasant 250 mile ride, I arrived at the Stagecoach Motel in Beatty and found several riders had already started kicking tires and telling lies.

Patrick F. and Chris P. telling stories with a rider whose name I forgot (sorry).

Doug B., Chris O. and Andy M. show up for White Stag fun.

The parking lot starts to fill up with bikes of all makes and models. But most definitely, all set up for long distance riding!

My sweetie, Eric V. finally gets to Beatty. I think he needs to wash his windscreen!

Eric and John L. preparing for the White Stagger. Unlike riding rallies, at a lounge rally, riders are encouraged to imbibe prior to, during and after the riders meeting. We tried our best to follow the rules.

More riders show up, tell lies and boast about having the best rally bike and LD set -up.

Much to my surprise, Gary D. showed up. Braving cold and snow from Idaho.

This is a motley looking group. Ray B., Steve H. and John L. along with another rider that I can't name (sorry again).

Fashionable footwear modeled by Doug B. I saw plenty of LD Comfort attire as well as interesting footwear in the parking lot.

Gathering for the riders meeting. The rules were very simple. First checkpoint at Panamint Springs where the rider was to put at least 3 gallons of fuel in the tank, check the air pressure in both tires, get a receipt (no pay at the pump here - had to go inside the store). This was a timed event and open for riders from 8 to 11 am. I didn't get to the checkpoint in time so it didn't matter how long it took me :-) I did get 3.25 gallons of gas. Eric offered to time me but I declined.

Well, we missed the first event, damn. To console ourselves, we took a Twizzler break at Stovepipe Wells.

The next event, shoot the condom, didn't start until 1:00 pm. So having lots of time, we headed to Scotty's Castle where I finally got my Death Valley Scotty's Castle National Park Passport Stamp. I tried 3 times last year and each time I went there, the stamp was either broken or missing. Hooray! I now have all three Death Valley stamps. Well, until John L. told me of the secret Beatty, Death Valley stamp. So, next time I'm in Death Valley, I'll have to find that one. Just so you all know, there are 4 Death Valley Stamps - Scotty's Castle, Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells and Beatty. The Beatty stamp is hidden and you have to request it. Apparently there was a Visitor's Center for Death Valley in Beatty which closed. The stamp is now located at Furnace Creek but behind the counter. You have to specifically ask for it.

We met a number of rally riders at Scotty's Castle so took some time to kick tires and tell more lies. Then we were off again headed back to Beatty and on to Titus Canyon Road for some rifle action.

This was my first ride on gravel roads with the F650GS and boy, my BMW rocks on the rocks! Huge, grinning fun!!!!!

We arrive at the specified location to find a large group of riders lining up to shoot. Another timed event - blow up your condom and hang it on the target pole. Shoot the condom first and then go for the balloons. Five shots total and three targets.

Riders at the shooting range. If you shot the condom, you got a special sticker!

Doug B., Dennis Y. and Chris P. swapping stories on Titus Canyon Road.

Eric V. sights in on the balloons after popping the condom.

Note for future reference - get non-lubricated XXL condoms for target shooting.

Yes, we were having a lot of fun! I finally got the condom blown up, tied off and ready to be hung on the target pole.

Tom gives me some instruction on shooting the AR-15 (I think that's what it was). Problem here - I'm left handed and have a dominant right eye. I tried shooting left handed but couldn't see down the sight. So switched to right handed. Forget being timed. This took forever!!!! Hahahaha.

Yeah, baby. Sighting in, squeezing the trigger, POP goes the condom with my 3rd shot. I missed both balloons but was overjoyed at actually shooting the condom.

I win a sticker saying "I put a hole in my condom at the White Stag." Oh the joy!

The third component of the White Stag Lounge Rally was to complete a number of questions regarding the Iron Butt Rally and previous White Stag events. I answered some and others I just made up silly answers. It was good fun.

Prior to the banquet, riders enjoyed some lounge time. Heidi S. shows us how to blow up a condom. I think she is an expert!

Heidi wins a door prize. Looks like she and Eric are having a fantastic time!

Riders impatiently waiting for the prime rib and baked potato rally dinner. It was delish.

There were special mentions for some of the participants who performed well on the events. Pretty much everyone won some sort of door prize. I scored with a set of precision tools. Sweet!

Following dinner, we adjourned to the lounge where we had plenty of libations, dancing, telling yet more lies and having way too much fun.

The following morning I got up and almost everyone was gone! Wow....I spied Bob & Sylvie (the V-Twins) in the parking lot and they sat with me through breakfast. I slowly got my gear together, loaded the bike and headed out with Bob & Sylvie and their friend Jim. They turned off Hiway 95 toward Pahrump so I was on my own the rest of the journey home. Fortunately, it was clear and sunny (although I kept my heated jacked on low most of the time).

The wind picked up and a few times I thought it would pull my helmet right off my head. The F650GS was awesome in the wind (especially compared to the Goldwing) and I had no problems. Toward Mesquite, NV I could see lots of rain clouds but I got lucky and by the time I turned on Old Hiway 91, the wind had blown the rain away and it was sunshine all the way home.

In conclusion, White Stag was great fun. Tom and Jeff put together a terrific event and it was wonderful to hang out with everyone and play games. The best part of LD Riding and Rallies - you get to have good, silly, laugh out loud fun with the best people ever.

Cletha

Embarking on an Epic Journey

2010-12-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

I have been so fortunate in life and have had many incredible adventures. However, probably the biggest adventure of my life is about to begin. Wait, you ask, how can it get any better? Maybe South America? Maybe Africa? Heck, maybe around the world?

Well, you'll have to keep guessing for a little bit longer before I spill the beans! Just know that it is going to be huge, wonderful and awesome.

More to come.....
Cletha

Zion Boot Run

2010-12-07T16:48:00.001-08:00

Moving from the Goldwing to the BMW F650GS I found my feet not at all happy. They got wet and cold, very, very cold. With all the protection along with the venting of engine heat to the feet, I was totally comfortable with my old riding boots on the Goldwing. Never got wet or cold even in the worst conditions. Not so on the BMW. No foot protection equals very cold feet. So, I purchased new boots. Oh yeah baby, some really hot, smoking Italian boots. Officially, Dainese Women's Grace D - Waterproof Boot. Oh boy, waterproof and insulated and very fashionable too! Bitchin boots.
I put them on as soon as they arrived and danced around the house the rest of the afternoon. Occasionally, going out to the garage to sit on the bike and make motorcycle noises. Gee, this was big fun. New boots!

Well, the next day was brilliant. Sunny and warm and I was headed out to meet my motorcycle gang, the Drifters, for lunch. [side note: I'll blog about the Drifters some day - suffice it to say, we're all old but still love to ride and especially love to eat] Since it was so beautiful out and I had new boots, I decided to ride to lunch. I got all geared up and headed out. Right away I noticed that feeling for the shifter was entirely different with new boots. The Dainese boots are much heavier and thicker than what I had been wearing. Okay, this is going to take a bit of getting used to.

Lunch was fun. I think about 20 folks showed up and we all had a good time. Some of the Drifters hadn't seen the new BMW so it was show-off time. New bike, new boots, it doesn't really get much better :-)

After lunch, I decided it was much too nice outside to go to work, so I aimed the BMW toward Zion National Park. A very pleasant ride, virtually no traffic and nothing but sun. When I arrived at the park entrance, I had a nice chat with the Ranger as we both watch a big doe walk across the road right behind my bike. Hmmmmm......

I took the lower canyon which is open to traffic from November until the end of March or thereabouts. I ride here alot so was cautious as I entered areas I knew to be deer fields. Imagine my surprise when I had to stop for this - a turkey crossing. Heck, darn, there were probably 40 big, dumb turkeys!!!

Okay, no problem. Plenty of time to stop and watch the silly birds. After they finally all got across the road, I proceeded with caution. Maybe 30 - 35 mph and constantly sweeping my eyes from side to side to catch any movement. Yup, sure enough, there they were. About a BAZILLION of the little suckers.

Yikes! Several were on the road, so close I could have touched them. On high alert, I proceed down the canyon to the end. Oh, so incredibly beautiful. Zion, at any time of year, is a wonderland. The next few photos are at the end of the lower canyon. This is an area where the rare California Condors nest. I've seen them here a few times and it is simply spectacular. Not today though. Pretty much had the park to myself. A few visitors and surprisingly, no other motorcycles.

Heading back out of the canyon, I stopped to take some scenic shots. Too bad I'm not a great photographer with a good camera. But these will have to do :-)

Zion is simply fabulous anytime of year. I'm very fortunate to live so close.

I simply refer to it as "The Park." There are still many places in the Park that I have yet to discover. One day, I'll actually get off the motorcycle and walk around, maybe even......heaven forbid.....take a real hike into some of the Park's wonders.

On the ride out of the lower canyon I spied even MORE forest rats. Ten Bazillion more. That old wives tale about deer coming out in the morning and late afternoon is just that...an old wives tale. They are everywhere, all the time. And boy, are they STUPID. I wish I had a wide angle to show you just how many deer there were. Just about every turn revealed another bazillion deer in a field, oh, and on the road. Dumb animals.

Blurry picture, but between the trees is a pretty big buck. Nice rack. (See girls can say that too).

Exiting the park, I snapped a few more photos. What an incredible place. I hope everyone gets an opportunity to visit Zion.

So, to wrap up, the new boots are awesome. I've had them on all day both riding and walking (and sitting during lunch) and not a complaint. They fit well and kept my tootsies warm. Well, it wasn't really COLD out so I guess the cold test will have to wait. And, I have no idea if they are really waterproof. Again, that test will have to wait. I have high hopes though. They are very comfortable not to mention stylish and hot. They go well with my silver/black gear. Duh, they are black. LOL.

I only rode about 120 miles but every mile was a huge smile. I'm loving the new F650GS and the new boots.

Stay turned - next blog will probably be Farkle Fest I.

Cheers,

Cletha

BMW Shakedown and Pink's Ride To Eat

2010-11-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 18, 2010 - My sweet new ride finally arrives! Think I look happy? (Not to mention fashionably color coordinated!)

2011 BMW F650GS delivered with 12 miles on the odometer.

Fresh off the delivery truck just waiting for me to get geared up and hop on for a ride.

Sean, from San Diego BMW Motorcycles drove all the way to my home in Ivins, Utah to deliver the bike. We spent a bit of time setting up the XM radio (I must have my tunes) and tweaking a few things. Before I knew it, I was ready to ride. Well, I had to ask a few questions (no, I didn't read the manual) and then I was good to go. I was headed to Los Angeles for the Pink's Bite the Wiennie ride to eat via San Diego for a first service at 600 miles. So, off I went for a ride around the neighborhood. I was also participating in the Ride the Wiennie Rally where the goal was to gather city names, use the first letter of each city, and spell something clever.

My first stop was a parking lot where my riding buddies had gathered to see the new ride. Hahaha, they were sure surprised to see what I rode up on. I don't think they had any idea of what I was buying or how I was dressing it. That was big fun. They all had to poke at things, push buttons, sit on it, ask questions, poke some more. Then, I was off to start my rally. First stop was Dammeron Valley for breakfast at the Red Dog Cafe. Yum yum, Monte Cristo sandwich with hashbrowns and coffee. That's the way to start your day. (Never did use the "D" in my clever saying, but at least I had it if I needed it).

Next stop was Veyo, UT.

Then New Castle, UT.

Followed by Enterprise, UT.

Then, my hometown, Ivins, UT.

Stopping at my hometown, my friends Tom and Pam hopped on their Goldwing and followed me for more bonus hunting. We headed down Highway 91 and stopped at Beaver Dam, AZ.

Then Mesquite, NV

Back to Ivins for a sleep then up early the next morning to pursue more bonus locations and get to San Diego for that service. Heading out, I picked up Maopa Valley, Logandale and Overton.

Then, back to I-15 to haul down the highway. Huge traffic jam just before Primm, NV. They had the freeway down from 3 lanes to 1 lane for road construction. I got lots of slow riding practice for many miles. This ate up a lot of time, however, I quickly learned to be aggressive with the new ride to keep my place in line. Moving on, I stopped at Yermo, CA for a bonus shot and a late lunch at Peggy Sue's Diner. You must stop here at least once. Old fashioned diner with 50's & 60's music playing. A life size Elvis and more music and movie star paraphenalia than one can imagine. Oh, and decent food too. I'll definitely stop here again. Plus, the waitresses are all dressed in 50's style uniforms and little caps. Good fun here!

After Yermo, it was getting a bit late, so I quit bonus hunting and high-tailed it toward San Diego. I ran into traffic issues in San Bernardino and Temecula....oh well. Going over Cajon pass, I had an interesting moment. I have a CB radio on the bike and I heard a trucker say, "Look at that European sport bike with the Storm Trooper wearing a matching jumpsuit. Just drives me crazy, those futuristic looking dudes on their sci-fi motorcycles". Jeez, I didn't, but I really wanted to say, "First, it's not a sport bike, it's a dual purpose bike (but of course they wouldn't understand) then say I'm not a dude and then say, the matching gear was not intentional, it just happened, have a nice day". But, I didn't. I figured if I pissed them off, they were way bigger than I was :-).

Moving on getting closer to my goal is where I had a seat issue. The stock seat on the F650GS just plain old sucks. My butt hurt! I tried shifting around but eventually, I had to take the next exit and get off the bike. Wouldn't you know, the next exit put me in a low-rent trailer park area. A bit shady would be a nice description. Oh well, I could not ride another mile. So, pull over and off the bike to walk around, smoke a ciggie or two, rub my buns all while watching it get darker and darker.

I arrived in San Diego around 5:20 pm. It was dark by the time I got there, but I knew I didn't have to ride another mile so I was happy. I had well over the 600 miles required for the first service, so I checked in and gathered my gear. San Diego BMW Motorcycles is absolutely a first class operation. Within minutes of my arrival, I was warmly welcomed, service detail written up, issues and needs discussed and a ride to my hotel waiting. I really can't say enough good stuff about this dealership. From management, to sales, to parts and service (and the IT guy as well), everyone was awesome in their welcome, friendship and service. I'm so glad this is where I decided to make the purchase.

Shortly after checking in, I was in a toasty car being chauffered to my hotel. Got checked in and tucked in. Life is good :-)

Next morning, Chris Ogden met me at my hotel where we had a delicious breakfast and hung out for a bit, waiting for a call saying my bike was ready. Around 1:00 pm we returned to the dealership where the mechanics set about working on the ergonomics for me. There was a lot of tweaking here and there to get things just right. I already mentioned Sean who delivered my bike, but Bruce (the mechanic) and Tony the Service Guy also took very good care of me to make sure everything was perfect. We actually spent quite a bit of time getting things right, but that is okay. I wanted everything to be right.

I have to mention that Saturday was miserable weather in San Diego. Huge thunder storms and boat loads of rain was the plan for the day. I'm kind of glad the service and tweaking took longer than expected. That kept me out of the rain for several more hours than anticipated. Finally everything was as good as it was going to get and we departed. Unfortunately, my aux lights had not arrived nor had the throttle lock. So they will have to wait for another day. I also decided on the ride down that I must get highway pegs so I can have more options on riding positions. Again, another day for that. I was as good as I was going to be and I was mighty happy with what I had going on.

The best part, my custom Cee Bailey seat was waiting for me in San Diego. Whoopee! No more stock, cut my buns seat. Cee Bailey is well known for their after market windscreens, but have recently entered the custom bike seat market. They have been doing airplane seats for a long time so they know what they are doing. My seat looked wonderful. I couldn't wait to try it out.

Chris and I left just as a huge downpour was slacking off. Into the rain we rode. I still needed two W's and an E to complete my rally. From San Diego, it was an easy ride to Escondido. The E was in the bag.

In and out of rain showers, in and out of traffic. All of a sudden it was dark and rainy and lots of traffic. Nice :-) Off the freeway now and on to little two lane, dark, wet, rainy roads to score a W with Wildomar. Back on the freeway for a bit to another little two laner to score the final W with Walnut. I would post the pictures but they are dark and you would have to zoom in to find the names, but hey, I got them...Woohoo, mission accomplished.

We made a dinner stop and then headed toward Los Angeles and to meet at Pink's Hot Dog Stand in Hollywood for the Ride to Eat. Lots of freeways. I'm sure glad Chris was leading because he lives there and knows the freeway system. ICK....dark, wet, traffic and freeways. Thanks Chris!!!

Arriving at Pink's we find a number of riders already there. Oh, what good fun! Many folks I had met before and then meeting new people. Really cool to meet someone I had interacted with on the Internet but not met in person. It was just fantastic. Heidi Still was the only participant in the farkle your bike contest, so I guess she won hands down! She did an excellent job.

Our Rally Master, Jerry White arrives on his new to him Goldwing!

Two of my buddies, Heidi and Chris !!

Hanging out in Pink's parking lot, Doug Barrett and other LD Riders.

Two of my very favorite people, Wendy and Mike Crockett.

Waiting in line at Pink's to order a gourmet hotdog (and onion rings!)

I had a terrific time and submitted my rally paperwork. Guess what I spelled? Go figure from the earlier photos - I spelled "I love my new BMW". hahhahaha How appropriate. I do love my new BMW, especially with the Cee Bailey custom seat!

Stayed in LA that night then up the next morning for yet another bonus. I met my friend Gail (along with Chris) for breakfast. The fun thing is, I've known Gail for years as a business person via the telephone, but had never met her. We finally get to meet. That was terrific good fun. Lovely breakfast, hanging and talking. Whee...Then, after some Cycle Gear shopping, I'm back on the bike heading toward Victorville, CA. Chris is kind enough to ride with me and boy, do we go through some horrific weather. Fortunately, that ice rain and hail turns to sunshine (although still very cold). Chris and I part at Victorville. He heads back to LA and I check into a hotel.

Funny side note - the hotel owner noticed I was riding a sweet new bike and suggested I pull my bike into the room. What???? Yes, you heard that correctly. I couldn't believe it. Yes, he says. Pull that sweet ride right into the room. Huh??? Well, I just locked it up and covered it up and went to bed. But, gee, how cool is that? He really wanted me to pull the bike into the room! All was good and no issues in the morning.

I would have carried on toward home but the forecast was for snow at Mountain Pass, CA which was still on my way home. So, hotel and early night was a good call. I got up the next morning, geared up and headed out. Brrrrrr.....cold. 32 was the low and 52 was the high. Winds the entire ride home. When I finally got to Mountain Pass, there was snow and ice on the shoulders and outside lanes. The center lane was dry and clear so that's where I stayed. Glad I didn't try that route the night before!

Also very glad I had my electric gear on. That kept me toasty. I didn't even think about the seat, so the Cee Bailey gets huge thumbs up for me. If I didn't think about it, it was doing it's job. Yay. I think I love the seat. No sore buns on the ride home. Fortunately, there was little traffic and absolutely no issues on the way home. I just got on I-15 and rode on. Lots of LEO's but I was not pushing it so no issue for me. Stopped in North Las Vegas for lunch then punched it on home.

I'll post another day about all the farkles and how things are getting worked out. For now, I'm loving the ride. Light weight, responsive, quick, lots of power. Comfortable now that I've sorted things out. I'm thinking I'll really be happy with this new little ride. Big thanks to all who have helped me in this endeavor and who have enjoyed the journey.

Cheers, Cletha

A Visit to See My New Ride

2010-10-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

Since I was already in Southern California, I decided to go another 150 miles and check out my new BMW F650GS which is currently stabled at San Diego BMW Motorcycles. Following my 200 mile test ride several weeks ago, I pulled the trigger and ordered a 2011 with all options except the tire pressure monitoring system. Now, I'm second guessing my decision on that! Oh well. The bike arrived at Gary Orr's dealership and is staying there until all the farkles and goodies are installed.

I can hardly wait to get it home and start putting on the (s)miles.

The photos show a bare bike, waiting to be well dressed. To that end, I'm adding a boatload of extras. Well, to be honest, almost everything is an "extra" for this model. I want it to be a comfortable long distance mount so I'm having a custom seat made by Cee Bailey. Yes, they do more than windscreens! Hopefully, the seat will be finished and returned to San Diego for installation prior to delivery.

A list of some goodies:

BMW aluminum saddlebags and topcase (I love that rugged aluminum adventure look)

Bag liners

Heated Grips

Taller V-Stream windscreen

Mirror extenders

BMW hand-guards with spoilers

Mounting cradle and wiring for Zumo

Spot tracker mount

CB Radio

HID High and Low beam conversion

HID Running lights

Headlight guard

Engine protection guards

Skid plate

Throttle Lock

J&M audio integrator with cables

LED brake light with harnessFront mudguard extender

Heated clothing harness

Volt meter

Pivot pegs

Bar Risers

Everything is either already at the dealer or backordered. Gary's terrific parts guy, Sean, has taken good care to see that I'm getting everything I ordered. We spent a lot of time going over various parts and scrutinizing different ideas on how to best set up the bike. I'm pleased to say that San Diego BMW did a lot of research to come up with the best solutions. Of particular importance is the low electrical power output compared to the goodies I wanted to add - i.e., heated gear plug, HID light conversion, aux lights, Zumo, XM, CB, etc. And, of course, I want to run all the power gear at the same time! Gary and Sean came up with excellent solutions and we added a volt meter just so I can keep tabs on the power output.

Another area we spent quite a bit of time discussing was the ergonomics of the bike. Thus, we added bar risers to bring the handlebars closer to me and pivot pegs to lower the pegs a bit. We also added the taller windscreen and custom seat. I think I'll be happy with these modifications at the end of the day.

Once I get the bike home, I'll be adding a 4 gallon aux fuel cell to be mounted over the pillion seat using a custom (to be fabricated) bracket. Once complete, it should be an ultimate Long Distance machine.

I'm terribly impatient and want it NOW, but I hope to take delivery sometime after November 11. I'll post an update and more photos when I actually get to throw my leg over the saddle and ride into the sunset.

Cheers,

Cletha

San Diego BMW F650GS Test Ride

2010-10-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Sept. 25, I hopped in the cage and took off for sunny San Diego with a single purpose on my mind - to test ride the BMW F650GS. I mean, to REALLY test ride the bike, not just go a mile or two. It was a beautiful day and the drive down was uneventful. I even managed to find the hotel with no problem. Chris Ogden showed up that evening on his 1200GS as he was to ride along with me.

The next morning, Chris and I showed up at San Diego BMW and met with Gary Orr, owner and fellow LD Rider. Dave Mishalof was there to lead the test ride. Dave was also riding the same bike I was going to ride. Even down to the same color!

Checking out and sitting on most of the bikes at the store was great fun!

After some tire kicking and looking at (and lusting after) all the bikes on the showroom floor, we began to get ready to depart. Oh, it was a perfect day. Sunny, clear and warm.

I had to sign a liability release and insurance form and provide a copy of my credit card. Gary provided some instruction on operating the bike.

Just a little background. I first looked at the F650GS last year when it was introduced. I thought it might make a good ride for me. I actually went to Las Vegas BMW and sat on the bike. I intentionally wore shorts and sandals so I wouldn't be tempted to ride it home! My initial thought was that it felt like a toy.....well, duh. Compared to the Goldwing, it is a toy. However, I didn't want to be an impulse buyer. So, I let the thought sit for a while and did lots and lots of research. Reading reviews and talking with people who owned one.

This machine is the new twin cylinder which is really an 800cc "detuned" whatever that means. It is the same engine as the 800 but different gear ratios and some other technical stuff. It has a 6 speed transmission, chain drive, disc front and rear brakes, 62 inch wheelbase, 32.2 inch seat height and fuel capacity of 4.2 gallons. Dry weight is 377 lbs. (A wee bit lighter than the Wing).

Now at 32.2 inches, it is a bit high for me. BMW offers a factory lowered model and it offers a lower seat. I opted for the lower seat on the stock bike. I'd read that the lowered model results in decreased handling. With the lower seat, I could easily flat foot the bike. I was good to go.

Just before departing on our ride, surprise. Peter Perrin along with his son riding pillion and a buddy of his showed up to see us off. What good fun. LD Riders are the best!

Dave took the lead and we exited the parking lot off on a grand adventure in the San Diego hillsides. Dave is a local and boy, does he know the roads well. After fighting through some traffic and lots of long lights, Dave got us on a good, twisty, technical road. After a bit, we stopped and Dave asked if I was up for something even more technical. Hell yes! was my reply. So off we went. I had no idea there were so many good roads in the San Diego area. Woohoo!!!!

I have to be honest and tell you that when I started off on this fun little ride, I was riding it like it was the Goldwing. It is not even close. As the day progressed and I became more comfortable on the bike, my riding style changed considerably. It handles much more like a dirt bike. Get on the bars and shove it through the corners - be aggressive - it can handle it.

We took a little break to enjoy the view and take a few pictures -----

Chris and Dave taking a little break, indulging my photo taking.

A nice place for a quick stop.

A stop for lunch then back to riding. Oh, here is a photo of my gas stop. Putting gas in the rear of a bike is a new experience for me!

The gas stop was followed by a pie and ice cream stop. A perfect Saturday ride!

Riding some twisties. That's Dave in front with me following.

In addition to lots of twisties, we did some freeway riding. I was pleased to find this little bike has lots of power. Rolling along at 75 mph in 6th gear, it was easy to pass. No down shifting required. There was still lots of power there. I was also surprised to find how smooth this ride is. We'd be riding down the road and I was surprised to see I was going 65 or so. It was very smooth. I felt a little vibration in the feet and hands but nothing that annoyed me. I'm used to big old floorboards so the pegs felt a bit small, but again, not an issue. The handlebars were a bit forward for me, so from an ergonomic perspective, I would add risers or something to bring the bars closer to me.

I would DEFINITELY change the seat!!! It was not particularly comfortable and I would imagine that after a 1,000 mile day you would hate it. But, I hear BMW is notorious for uncomfortable seats.

We rode about 200 miles, mostly backroads, but some freeway miles. All in all, I think I got a good test ride. Dave was awesome in his route planning and Chris was the best sweeper ever. When we returned to San Diego BMW, Craig Chaddock was there to take even more photos and kick tires and tell stories. We all hung out there for quite a while.

Gary Orr and his staff are the best. Very considerate, helpful and fun. Thank you Gary. Yes, you knew it anyway......I think it will be in the White Aluminum color (what kind of color is that anyway?). I wanted a yellow, but that's not an option this year. I've been busy making out the farkle list and coordinating with Gary and his staff so we can get everything perfect (except for the seat and maybe an aux fuel cell) for LD riding.

I was amazed at the performance of this little bike. It is something I could pick up if I had to and most definitely something I can ride on gravel roads (although we didn't ride any). No, it's not a Wing and I will miss the weather protection and cruising ability of the Wing. But everything is a trade off, isn't it? I'll keep the Wing for rides that are appropriate for it. I'm looking forward to getting the F650GS and seeing just what I can do on it.

Just seems to fit me, doesn't it?

10n10 Rally Report

2010-09-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

I questioned my sanity when I decided to participate in the 10n10 Rally. Now there is no doubt about my sanity or lack thereof. On Tuesday, August 24, 2010, I packed up the Goldwing and took off to Salt Lake City, Utah. Only about a 350 mile ride which was quite pleasant. I arrived at the host hotel to find a few riders already gathered. That evening was a fun party since the only riding we would be doing on Wednesday was the odo check. On Wednesday, paperwork completed and an easy odo check that I rode with a few other riders.

Kicking tires, telling stories and trying to not be too nervous about the start tomorrow.

At the pre-start banquet we were told our surprise bonus #71 was to take a picture of a fellow rallyist and your rally flag. I snapped a great photo of Ken Morton. No mistaking my rally flag!

I tried to get a good nights sleep but was restless. Start time was 10:10 am on Thursday. I was up in plenty of time, filled my water bottle with ice and water, washed the windscreen, made sure everything was secure and ready to go. Then wait......Go shouted the Rally Master, Steve Chalmers. And, go I did. I think I was first out of the parking lot. Beeline to I-80 West. I was cruising along at a nice clip when I spied another rider fall in behind me. I spied a nice big shoulder and pulled over for my second bonus shot, a picture of the Interstate sign. Wendy Crockett pulled in right behind me and we snapped the pic.

Then it was on to Wendover for another bonus picture. At this point, a number of riders were hitting the same location but after Wendover, I headed toward Ely and didn't see another rider for quite some time. I rode to Furnace Creek in Death Valley to bag a boni then Goldfield for the farkle car boni. Crossing Nevada I hit a huge thunderstorm and gail force winds. A semi-truck was blown off the highway near Tonopah as I was riding near there. Makes for good fun(?) After about 1,000 miles, I finally made it to Fallon, NV before I realized it was sleep time. Check into the first motel, take a photo, get a receipt and sleep.

Up early, I headed to Reno, NV for the Kiss a Stranger at Harrah's in the center of town boni. Score!!! I pulled into the Amtrak parking lot and caught a taxi driver dropping off people. I told him I was on a scavenger hunt and needed to kiss a stranger with my rally flag in the photo. He was tickled and agreed and just then....a woman asked me for a light for her cigarette. I said sure, if you'll take my picture. So the lady snapped the photo of me kissing the taxi driver. In and out in 10 minutes. Woohoo. (Unfortunately, lost this photo). Lovely Ms. Garmin directed me out of the city to my next location, Virginia City and the Suicide Table. What a fantastic ride to Virginia City. Glad I didn't do it in the dark.

After snapping a pic of the Suicide Table, I decided I needed breakfast so sat down at the restaurant and ordered breakfast. While there, Wendy showed up along with another rider so we enjoyed a fast meal together. Ken Morton arrived a little later. I was way too early for the big point Steve Lotsofsky bonus so decided a quick run to Monitor Pass for that bonus was in order. Only, it wasn't quick. Yes, it was a beautiful road, but certainly not quick. Up to the top of the pass, snap the picture and down the other side and back to Virginia City. I arrived with about 1/2 hour to spare for the Steve Lotsofsky bonus and was glad to take a break and visit for a few minutes.

From there, I headed to Lodi, CA. I had planned on taking I-80 but really didn't want to get on the freeway so took Highway 88 instead. What an incredible road. Simply stunning. Freaking slow. It took me hours and hours and hours to get to Lodi. When I finally arrived and got my city limit sign, I was pooped. But, hadn't gone nearly enough miles. I quickly determined that the rest of the boni on my list for the day were toast and weren't going to happen. My best bet now would be to hightail it south toward San Diego. After a fuel stop and a quick rest, I hopped on Highway 99 south. In Fresno, about 9:30 pm I spied an In-and-Out Burger which was an anytime bonus. I stopped, grabbed a burger and chatted with some locals while I ate. They suggested I not do the Grapevine at night and maybe I should stop in Bakersfield. Okay...sounds good. Back on Highway 99 to Bakersfield.

I stopped at an exit that had several motels and drove to the Motel 6. Gee, there was a security guard there to greet me. Louis told me he patrols the parking lot and I should be just fine. Okay....I check in and as I come back out to my bike, two of the city's finest are rolling through the parking lot. I wave them down and explain about the scavenger hunt and ask for a photo which they graciously let me take (lost that one too, dammit). I asked if I was safe here and they said that they patrol the parking lot at least once an hour, I should be fine. Okay....I move my bike to a space in front of my room and begin unloading and covering up the bike when a County Mountie rolls through the parking lot. I stop him....again ask if I'm safe here. He says, "Define safe." Mr. Mountie tells me he also patrols the parking lot at least once an hour. Guess I'm safe, I have Louis, the two city cops and the county mountie all watching over me and my stuff. Okay, okay. Now I know, don't stay in Bakersfield!

Up early again to tackle the LA Freeway system. This was one of the things that really intimidated me! Ha, piece o'cake. Well, admittedly it was early Saturday morning and relatively light traffic. Ms. Garmin guided me perfectly and even got me to a gas station that was easy on/off. Woohoo. I'm feeling great as I roll into San Diego. Because I was behind on my schedule, I blew off two pretty easy bonus locations and headed straight for the San Diego BMW dealer where I put on the XXXL T-Shirt and had my photo snapped with rally flag in place. I also scarfed a donut and a much needed cup of coffee. Friend Chris Ogden was there to cheer me on and gave me ice for my water bottle. And I met Craig Chaddock there as well. And who do I run into, Ken Meese!! Mark Starrett arrived just as I was leaving.

Crossing Arizona was HOT, about 107. I stopped for fuel and cool down and who do I spy? Mark Starrett. So, we went inside and had an ice cream to cool down. Highlight :-) We discuss our routes and we are basically running for the same boni. He decides to get the Tucson boni and I go for the Phoenix/Goldfield boni with Albuquerque on the agenda for the next day.

Again, checking my schedule, I'm way behind so blow off two Phoenix bonus locations and head for Goldfield, AZ and LuLu's Bordello and the Lost Dutchman State Park. Snapped both pics and had a great ride getting there. Well, but for the thunderstorms and rain and wind. Other than that, it was awesome. Thinking I can get some bonus points in Tucson, I head that way only to stop at a Mickey D's north of Tucson because of severe thunderstorms. I sit and have coffee, waiting for the dang weather cell to pass. About an hour later I take off in the dark rainy night but at least it has settled down some. I blow off the Tucson locations and head for the Cochise Motel.

Ms. Garmin let me down this time. She took me down Dragoon Road which would be a fantastic ride, in the day, in the dry. By now it was close to mid-night and plenty wet. I had to be very careful because some of the washes had water and there was plenty of slick mud on the road. Ms. Garmin kept trying to get me on dirt (really mud) roads. No way on the Goldwing. And....I was very low on fuel. Aaarrgghhhh. O'dark thirty in the middle of BFE and almost out of gas and the Goldwing feeling about as heavy as a tank. Now that was dumb on my part. I finally find a one pump little convenience store that is just locking up. I pleaded my case and they let me get some fuel and told me I couldn't get to the Cochise Motel because the roads were impassable due to the storm. Oh great. Point the way to a motel please! At this point I called the Rally Master to tell him I couldn't get the Cochise Motel and what do you know??? It was past midnight and just the right time for my call-in bonus which also required a receipt within 10 minutes. Well, I had just purchased fuel so I was good to go. Hahahahaha. Good one (not at all planned).

I stop at a motel, get my photo and receipt and fall into bed. Up early again the next morning (this repeats throughout) and head for Albuquerque. Terrific ride at a good pace. Munching granola bars and peanut butter crackers as I ride, listening to XM, cruise control. Boy, life is good. Ms. Garmin is nicer to me today and takes me directly to the Chevy on a Stick bonus where a nice lady takes my photo.

I then head to Old Town Albuquerque for the Rattlesnake Museum. Score! I rode right there, parked behind the museum and got a few pictures.

I'm feeling great, had a good ride to Albuquerque, found the bonus locations with no problems and back on the Interstate headed to El Morro Rock National Monument. Still more thunderstorms but still I chugged on. The road to El Morro is a treat to ride. I entered the park and up to the Visitor Center. When I entered there were 4 or 5 Rangers at the desk and as I walked up, a Ranger said "We're not going to do anything for you until you tell us what's going on!" LOL. Apparently several riders had been there before me getting brochures and running off in full gear to take pictures. So I explained what was going on, bought my annual park pass, visited with the Rangers then off to get my picture. They were good fun.

Now, on to Chaco Canyon. Here is where I really started to screw the pooch. I realized I couldn't change the weather and the fact that storms slowed me down every day, but I could make wise decisions and here I failed. First, I should have read the bonus instruction more closely. It clearly says off Highway US550......I routed a different road and after a long (beautiful) ride on the mesa that is full of nothing, I turned to Chaco Canyon as the day is getting late and my fuel is getting low. I finally find the turn off to see this:

Crap. I turn around and head back to the highway. Low on fuel, Ms. Garmin tells me to go 35 miles back the way I had just come. No way.....I motor on west. I ride and ride and ride and ride. There is NOTHING out here. Yes, it is beautiful, but now I'm tired and disappointed I blew the Chaco Canyon bonus and am VERY low on fuel. Geez, will I never get to Farmington? Now, its dark. Pitch dark. No cars, no houses, no lights, nothing except my low fuel light glowing at me like a demon. Crap again. I slow down to conserve fuel. Ms. Garmin tells me Farmington is 18 miles away. Fortunately the last 15 miles were all downhill. I finally arrive at the outskirts of Farmington and pull into a gas station. Took 5.8 or something like that gallons of fuels. About 0.2 from emty!!!! Filled up the tank and parked for a good 4 or 5 cigarettes. I was a bit shook and that bike again felt like a tank.

So, thinking over my route and how much time and miles I had lost due to weather, I decided I would ride to Durango and get a head start for the Silverton bonus. Yes, Durango is only like 30 or 40 miles and I could hear a bed calling my name. So, fired up the bike and headed to Durango. Had I any sense, I would have looked at my plan before shooting off. I had originally planned to stay in Farmington for the night and for good reason. I was to score the Four Corners and Mesa Verde bonus locations in the morning and then head to Silverton. Dumb me!

I arrive in Durango past midnight and pay dearly for a hotel. Why didn't I stay in Farmington (beating my head). Oh well, up early and headed to Silverton. Oh my......rain, hail, snow, lightening, thunder, wind. I had it all going over the pass. From a high temp of 107 in Arizona to a low of 37 in Colorado. It was rather frightening but on I went. I arrived in Silverton and headed to Grumpy's, the bonus location. I should mention, this is MY bonus location, the one I submitted for the rally which was to have the apple crisp for an orgasmic experience. Guess what? Grumpy's was closed. Hahahahaha. Okay, I go down the road and have breakfast after taking off all the rain gear, etc. Rethink what I'm doing and go back to Grumpy's. I entered the hotel lobby looking like a drowned rat and begged the hotel clerk to let me buy something, anything from Grumpy's. I explained the rally and she laughed and said, "I'll do for you what I did for the guy before you." and she reached into the garbage for a receipt. No, no, no. I must have a receipt from TODAY. My Spot tracker will not lie. So she very kindly let me purchase a T-Shirt. I got my receipt and rode off happy although it was still storming.

Through the Rockies with an occassional sun break and over to Colorado Hiway 141 for a ride from Vancorum to Grand Junction. Fantastic. Good gusty winds and t-storms for a while and then it all cleared up as I went west. Hiway 141 is an experience I would like to repeat (on a slow, flower sniffin day). It is not a fast road and there is no sign for Vancorum which was required. Instead, I stopped at a little town for a receipt and took a photo of the highway sign, then rode it up to Grand Junction where I did find a city sign. Snapped the photo then headed for the Interstate. Oh boy, I really wanted a freeway about now. Colorado was slow and all technical roads with weather thrown in. Behind schedule yet again

I-70 is really a beautiful ride through Colorado and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although there were a few other bonus points I could grab, I wisely decided to head directly to the checkpoint in Sidney, NE. Wise choice. Yes, more thunderstorms and dark. At a rest stop, some ladies told me the best way to get to Sidney which was not the way Ms. Garmin wanted me to go. I ignored Ms. Garmin. My bad. I rode beyond my exit for many miles before stopping for fuel and asking directions. I'm so sorry I lost the photo. But I stopped at a gas station and asked directions. A lovely young lady, Candi, helped me and got the maps out. I took her picture with my rally flag and got her email address and promised to send her my report (which I will do) but the photo is gone, too bad. She was awesome.

Yeah, turn around or take this little dinky hiway and you'll eventually get to Sidney. Should have turned around and slogged back up the freeway but I didn't. Oh well, life's an adventure after all. So, here I am on a dinky, two lane, rural road, pitch black. If I had listened to Ms. Garmin I would already have been in a hotel bed sound asleep. But no...take a curve and who pops up in front of me? Well of course, Bambi. Dumb bitch made me stop. She couldn't decide if she wanted to go left or right or just stand in the middle of the flippin road. She finally leaves the road and I take off at a much, much slower pace. Very slow as I round another curve there is Rocky Racoon and his brother Bubba. Dumb beasts. I manage to miss them both but it slows me down even more. I think the last 40 miles to the checkpoint took me about an hour and a half. I was really shook over the fauna encounters and it was o'dark thirty, and I was tired.

Yay!!!! At the checkpoint safe and sound. Tuck myself into bed and am up in plenty of time for breakfast before the 8:00 am checkpoint. I manage to get all my receipts and photos in order and breeze through the checkpoint. I'm off again to the next bonus location which is only a half mile away.

I was rather looking forward to this, the 6th day because it was mostly Interstate and I'd had enough of technical roads and bad weather. Just kick back, flip on the cruise control and ride.....for a long way. Stop every 200 miles and get gas. My next bonus location was Fremont, NE. The road to Fremont took me through rural Nebraska and I got terrific views of the countryside and farmhouses and little bergs. Nice break from the freeway. I snapped the Fremont city limit sign and motored on with the thought of reaching Defiance, MO for another bonus.

That wasn't going to happen. I managed to make my way through Omaha during rush hour and headed into Iowa when then clouds got thick and dark. I stopped in Percival, IA to debate waiting out the storm I was about to ride into or just go for it. I stopped at a Wendy's and lo and behold, who was there? Mark Starrett pondering the same question! I grabbed a burger and got my Iowa state receipt for a bonus and sat with Mark and discussed the nasty weather situation. It wasn't getting any better but rather, it was getting worse. We were at a podunk truck stop kind of place with two motels. Easy decision. Quit for the day, get a room and try again in the morning. Dang weather really screwed up my plans. At this point, Mark and I decided to ride together for a while since we were basically on the same route.

My plan was to ride to Washington DC where there were some really big points and the 2nd half of a couple of two part boni. Considering the weather and the fact that Hurricane Earl was due to hit the east coast, I made the decision to head west again into the dry and hot. The east coast will be there for me another time.

Up the next morning, Mark and I decide to head west and maybe pick up some boni we had missed. Sounds good. Took our motel photos, grabbed the receipts and headed out. On the interestate, we're making good time until late in the afternoon when guess what? Yup, another giant storm cell. We had no choice but to ride through it. Marble size hail pounding me along with sheets of blinding rain and massive wind gusts. Semi trucks were pulling off the highway. I didn't dare pull over - I couldn't see and didn't want to fall over!!!!! Ouch, the hail hurt like hell. We got through the storm cell and motored on toward yet another. Oh no.......no......no.

We were going to get it bad. Lightening was striking the ground near by and the sky was an awful color. We pulled into a Travel America Truck Stop in Sayre, Oklahoma and filled up the bikes. We parked and went into the truck stop for a quick bite. Sitting in a booth, the power goes off. Yes, it did. The manager comes over to us and says we have to leave the store as their policy is to vacate the store if the power goes off. I looked at her like she was crazy and said, "But we're on motorcycles!" She says, "You can hide under the overhang." I said, "I'm a lawyer and I'm going to sue you if you put us out in this weather. It is intentional endangerment. Get me a pen and paper, I want your name, the store information, etc.!" So, she goes in search of pen and paper and I suggest Mark take his time getting his gear on. She returns and I get the requested information and slowly begin to gear up. By now, the supervisor runs up to us and says, "No, no, no, you don't have to leave. Stay as long as you need. No problem." Ha! Lawyer card worked :-)

So, as we sit and discuss what to do, we finally start calling and find a motel up the road about 10 miles. We book two rooms, get on our gear, hop on the bikes, tuck into the windscreen and twist the throttle as hard as we can. We fly up the interstate to the motel. Parked under the entrance porch and greatfully seek shelter. Yes, another day cut short on miles and boni due to awful weather.

Okay, day 8 and way short on the 8,000 miles I need to be a finisher of this rally. What to do? Well, I guess forget boni and concentrate on miles, lots of them. We get up before dawn and hit the interstate. As we enter Texas we are surrounded by pea soup fog. I'm leading and have to ride near the center line and follow the dots because the fog is so thick. Can't stop because I can't see the shoulder. Moving along about 60 mph watching the dots. I feel thump, thump, slish, thump. Looking down, I see blood and lots of it. Then I see guts and gore. A head here and hind quarters there. Another head. More guts. Thump, thump, slish, squish. Oh my GOSH. A trucker must have hit a herd of deer. Fresh roadkill, about half a dozen. ICK ICK ICK. Thick fog, fresh meat, dark. I have lots of talks with God.

Finally, the sun comes up and the fog lifts. Thank you! We ride through Amarillo and make a fuel stop just before leaving Texas for another bonus receipt. Ride, ride, ride. The same road I took earlier to Albuquerque which is just fine because it is a lovely, fast section of interstate. On to I-40 for more fast slogging. Going along just fine until.......STOP......dead stop on the interstate. I have a CB on my bike and hear there is a traffic fatality and traffic will be stopped for hours. It is HOT and we are parked.

Mark and I take the time to check email and Tweet or Facebook. LOL. Funny huh? Hey, we're stuck and no way out. We could have ridden up the shoulder to a turn around but I'm not going to do that with the Wing. Too heavy and risky for me. So we waited, and waited, and waited. Finally got moving again.

Cruising along I-40 at a comfortable pace we make a fuel stop and I decide to stop in Needles, CA while Mark decides to ride home for the night (somewhere in Pasadena or Anaheim or around there). How nice for him :-).

I find a grocery store in Needles and get some snacks then snag a hotel. Take the requisite picture, get the receipt and go to bed. I later find out that Needles is kind of like Bakersfield - don't stay there. It is not particularly safe or nice. Oh well, no problems. I arise before dawn and load up and head out. I really need some miles. I cruise through Las Vegas and resist the temptation to go home which is so very close. I stay on I-15 and head up to Salt Lake City. I need lots of miles so I cruise on past Salt Lake to Wendover on I-80 and back then check into the host hotel. I'm there a day early, but I'm not done yet!!!!!

Again, I haul my butt out of bed at an early hour, mount the bike and head west on I-80. I need miles and lots of them. I'm so tired that I actually email the Rally Master and say, "I'm so tired at this point that I can no longer calculate. What should my odo read in order to be a finisher?" He very graciously emails back with the magic number. OH NO...over 1,200 miles......

Okay then. I head for Elko, NV then come back to Tooele, UT. Then back to Elko then on to Winnemucca then back to almost Elko. Between Winnemucca and Battle Mountain is a lovely, flat, straight 25 mile stretch of interstate with easy turn arounds. I did that a bunch of times. Back and forth, back and forth. Racked up 200 miles on that little stretch. I now know every bush on that stretch of highway. Then on to Elko and Wendover. From Wendover I went to Tooele and fueled up where I ran into Dorsey, another rally rider. We chatted a bit as I was waiting for dark since I was headed west and was tired, I didn't want to be riding directly into the sun. I had a subway sandwich, filled up my bottle with ice and got back on the bike. Dang, I was tired but had many more miles to go.

Back to Wendover, gas up. Back to Tooele, gas up. Back to Wendover, gas up. You get the picture? Okay, back to Tooele but just can't deal with another trip to Wendover so keep on I-80 toward Salt Lake.

Here is where a very scary thing happened. More scary than any of the weather issues or the dead meat on the highway. I'm cruising along, when all of a sudden, whirr, zip, scream, roar......a bunch and I mean a bunch, like 20 or so squids and at least 3 cars whiz by me like I'm standing still. Weaving in and out of traffic. Zoom, zoom, zoom. Crazy. My heart was pounding. I was sure I was going to witness, if not be involved in, a horrific accident. This was about 1:00 am. They are still screaming up behind me and swerving around me and other traffic when I finally see blue flashing lights. Dang, only one patrol car in hot pursuit. I put on my signal and take my exit as I know I'm not the target. There is a squid behind me, lucky bastard. I'm so glad I did not see a terrible accident. I hope the cop got more than one but I doubt it. (Squids are those stupid dumb idiot young men on screaming crotch rockets or bullet bikes that ride insanely - should be against the law except on racetracks).

So, exit and re-enter the Interstate. But this time I'm going North. I'm tired of the salt flats. I head up the Legacy Highway to Ogden, turn around and head for the barn. I'm tired, I have enough miles and IB DONE. IB SO DONE.

I get to my lovely room and crawl into bed. Yay!!! I did it. Well, not quite. Finish check in is between 8:00 and 10:10 am. No problem. At 9:40 a.m. my phone rings and wakes me up. "Cletha, get your ass down here NOW!" Oh my gosh, I almost overslept the finish check-in!!!!!!! I thought I had asked for a wake-up call but I guess that was in my dreams. I didn't ride for 10 days and a bazillion miles only to DNF.

I quickly woke myself up, gathered my camera and receipts and high-tailed it to the check-in. I was still asleep and groggy so it took me a while. Mr. Rally Bastard chastised me several times for talking and not paying attention to my scoring. Hahahaha. Got it done with two minutes to spare. Too close for comfort. Butt, I finished :-)

Now, swapping stories with all the other riders, kicking tires and telling stories (lies, nah....) How good is this?

The Rally Master (Bastard when times are rough) holds my distinct Rally Flag. (Gotta love a guy who can hold a "Queenb" sign and smile)

So, now the banquet where the results will be known. Unfortunately, several riders DNF'ed (Did Not Finish) but rode a quality, incredible ride. Even though they didn't finish the 10n10, they finished an epic ride and kudos and more to them. I'm amazed at the routes they choose and what they accomplished.

My finish was bittersweet in that I didn't get to the east coast (chicken) where other riders did and finished very well. They are awesome and my heroes. However, I rode the F out of that Wing and pushed myself to places I never thought I could go. Hooray. I'm very proud of my accomplishment and very thrilled that I overcame personal challenges and obstacles. LA freeways - ha - I can do you. Iowa hail/thunderstorms - I can do you. Texas fog and deer soup - ha - I can do you.

For those who followed the 10n10 or my personal trip on SpotWalla....well....Hooray. Thanks to Jason Jonas for providing that tool and Jason rode one heck of a ride as well. It gave me great comfort to know people were watching me and added to my confidence as well. It was awesome to know that help was probably within mere miles should I need it. I'll never ride without my Spot tracker.

This ride was a huge challenge for me. I'm glad I got bullied into attempting it. The whole time my mantra was "I'm not in it to win it, I'm in it to finish." and.....that worked for me.

The last day, slogging the interstate through the desert back and forth and back and forth, etc., to get the required miles - tough. Riding all over the place, finding exciting destinations and sights - priceless. Running into Rally riders at obscure places, meeting the most kind, considerate, wonderful people everywhere....can it get any better?

The WINNER - Ken Morton with the Rally Master (Bastard). Good on you Ken. You deserved it. What a ride, hahahah, on a Sissy Strom. You rock.

Wendy Crockett, riding an FJR like a rocket, came in second. Wendy, you are awesome. I watched your progress on Spot and on the I-Net. Wow!!!!!

Mr. Jeff Powell coming in third. The quiet, fast, efficient guy. Congrats!

I could go on for hours about this ride. Suffice it to say I had an incredible trip. I pushed my limits and found I could do it. There are so many riders that helped me in ways they will never know. I hate to name names because I will totally forget someone. Bucky Dent - you are something....two rallies and you take on a 10n10 and finish like 4th??? You rock. Mr. Gary D. you made me laugh out loud. What a guy. Mr. Gary O. Duh.....rocking it big time. Oh my goodness, Mr. RenoJohn....did we have fun? That's what it is all about. You are a personal hero. And, I love your beautiful wife and daughter. Mr. Roberts, as in Brian, ha...... you are another hero. Peter P.....you had a ride of a lifetime. Mark S....thanks for riding with me through horrid conditions....And everyone else that I didn't mention..sorry I didn't. You are all incredible LD riders.

I am so thankful to have particpated in this ride.

So there you go, that is my ride report. It was a ride of a lifetime and I hope to have the opportunity to do something similar again.

Thanks to those who followed me, your support kept me going. I'm happy to be home but am ready to take on another challenge.

Hugs and kisses,

Cletha

Spank Rally and IBA Denver Meeting

2010-08-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't wait to start riding toward Denver so I departed on Monday for Bluff, UT. The Spank rally was in process and the checkpoint was in Bluff, UT on Tuesday at noon. Tuesday morning I met up with George Z., the Rally Master, and a couple of riders who were going to participate in the 2 day Spank for breakfast.

Although not planned, I ended up helping check in riders as they came to the checkpoint. It was good fun to watch them arrive and hear their stories. Lots of dropped bikes which made for good story telling and some roadside repairs. Apparently, George provided bonus locations that were somewhat interesting and challenging. I saw mirrors missing, duct taped windshields, duct taped tupperware, zip tie repairs and others.

I think Robert Bolger is missing a mirror!!!

Peter was sooooo happy to see George at the Checkpoint

Riders starting to arrive at the Checkpoint

The umbrella dude! How cool is that?

After the riders left the checkpoint, I had a leisurely ride to Durango, CO where again I met up with George for a few brews at the pub and ribs at a BBQ joint. The next morning I spied Dennis Powell and Peter Perrin at the breakfast buffet at my hotel. What???? Spank riders actually rest???

Later that morning I went to the Brew Pub checkpoint to witness George performing unnatural acts. This was a bonus location for the riders. Heidi Still, Chris Ogden, Peter Perrin and Dennis Powell all showed up at the appropriate time to see George washing his bike. Good fun!

Peter Perrin is happy to see George yet again as Chris Ogden looks on fondly.

The lovely Ms. Heidi Still at the Brew Pub bonus

Chris and I were headed the same direction so we rode together and I got to see several more of the Spank bonus locations. We rode over Wolf Creek Pass (absolutely stunning) and stopped at the Desert Sand Dunes National Park. Who knew there were sand dunes in Colorado? It was great fun and I got three (yes 3) stamps for my National Parks Passport. Whoopee.

Sand Dunes in Colorado - who would of thunk?

We then rode on to Bishop's Castle. What a surprise in the middle of nowhere. First, great, twisty roads getting there lined with trees, boulders, streams. Just perfect. Then, at the top of the pass, the Harry Potter looking castle complete with dragons. Awesome. The ride over the other side of the pass was even better. There was a big sign that said WARNING - MOTORCYCLISTS USE "EXTREME" CAUTION. Oh boy, nice twisties!! I'm still laughing out loud about that road. Fantastic !!!!

Bishop's Castle - simply amazing!

After Bishop's Castle, we turned toward Pueblo so Chris could get a shampoo (another Spank bonus) and I could stop at a liquor store (a Cletha bonus). We accomplished both tasks quickly and hit the interstate toward Denver. We arrived in Denver shortly after 8:00 pm. Time to start the Iron Butt Association National Meeting!

Thursday was check-in, mingle, kick tires and tell stories. It was such fun to meet people in person that I had only met in cyberspace or had heard stories about. Great to put a face with a name.

I finally meet Pete Bansen - a Facebook Cyberspace LD Friend! (Photo by Chris Ogden)

Thursday night was the Spank Rally awards banquet which had good bbq on the menu. Winners were announced and presented beautiful paintings of motobikes done by George Z. What an accomplished guy, that George!

Top three Spank finishers with Rally Master, George Z.

Friday offered keynote speakers and breakout seminars. Everything I attended was amazing and chockfull of useful information and tips. I took lots of notes. Both lunch and dinner were sumptious and entertaining. I was so thrilled to meet the legends of LD riding. Kinda like a little groupie - I was in awe.

Saturday again offered keynote speakers and breakout seminars. I also attended the tire plugging demonstration in the parking lot and successfully plugged a tire. I hope I never have to in real life - but I think it is a very good skill to have. So, now I know how to thanks to Mr. Brian Roberts. I also attended the Aux Lights shootout. That was very educational and a ton of fun watching Matt Watkins do his deer prance in the headlights! Congratulations to Ray Blair for beating up the competition and walking away with first place.

Aux Light shootout - can you guess which one is Ray Blair?

Lots of tire kicking and looking at bikes in the parking lot. It is amazing some of the things people come up with for their bikes. It gives me lots of ideas :-)

Again, another terrific lunch and dinner. This was a first class event attended by first class people and hosted by first class people. Kudos to those that made it happen.

Dean Tanji and Dale "Warchild" Wilson (I'm such a groupie).

And then, suddenly, it was time to leave. Sunday morning I met up with Chris Ogden again to ride home. I wish I could say it was uneventful - but it wasn't. Unfortunately Chris had a medical issue and about 70 miles west of Denver we had to stop at a hospital. Many hours later, Chris was released (he is fine now) and we headed homeward.

Chris at Hoosier Pass

My steed at Hoosier Pass.

We stopped at a blink your eye and you miss it town for a late lunch. Only we missed it so had to turn around. This is where I dropped my bike! Yes, after almost 100,000 miles of riding, I finally dropped the sucker. Turning around, not enough throttle, too tight turning right and down she went. I just let it go and stepped off. Shit. Oh well, an opportunity to try the pick up bike technique. Chris ended up helping me but I think I was close to getting it up by myself. A very nice cager stopped immediately to offer assistance. I thought that was nice. All just part of the adventure!! (I think Chris got tired of hearing that from me).

We only made it to Gunnison, CO. After a good night's sleep, we were up and ready to ride the rockies! I should mention that I've been on the Million Dollar Highway 5 times and it has ALWAYS poured down rain on me. But, I thought, gee, I'm going to ride this in the morning not the afternoon. I should have sunshine!!!

Ha. Not. It was raining when I woke up. On to Montrose where we would turn south to hit the passes. Not looking good.......No, it wasn't good. It was a real gully washer, a frog strangler, a downright downpour. For miles and miles and miles and miles. Well, you get the point. I quickly find out my water resistant pants are not very water resistant and my waterproof jacket isn't at all. Should have put the Frogg Toggs on. I know they work. Oh, well, all just part of the adventure. Even though I couldn't gawk about the scenery because I had to focus on the road I still had a grand time and again was laughing out loud. Good thing it wasn't cold on top of the wet :-)

The view of what's to come from Montrose, CO. It got worse.....

We stopped in Silverton and had lunch at Grumpy's followed by their delicious apple crisp.

While there, another downpour flooded the main street with a 5 foot wide 1 foot deep river. LOL otherwise I might cry. Nah, it was all good.

Me coming out of the storm (photo by Chris Ogden)

Pressing on from Silverton, we avoided cows and wild horses on the road and land again in Bluff, UT for a fuel stop. Looking west from Bluff was scary. The sky had that tornado cloud look about it. I suggested we wait in Bluff until it passed as there is no shelter on the road and a long way to anything. Good suggestion - we waited and sure enough, the wind blew in and the torrential downpour started.

Leaving Bluff about 6:30 pm. It's still 6 hours to my house. We move on. The ride through Monument Valley was beyond spectacular. A photographer's dream. Black clouds in the background, the rock formations bathed in sunlight and rainbows everywhere. Wow. Thank you God.

About 60 miles east of Page, AZ at Sunset (photo by Chris Ogden)

We stopped for dinner in Page, AZ and considered stopping for the night - but heck, almost home now so on we went. Another quick rest stop in Kanab, AZ and a quick stop in Washington, UT. Then.......HOME at 2:30 am or so. Blessed home. So glad to be home.

I had a wonderful, incredible time. Fantastic riding through the rockies. Met awesome people. Learned a ton. This kind of adventure just serves to remind me how lucky I am and how much I truly enjoy riding.

Hey, the folks you meet aren't too bad either :-)

Cletha

10n10 Rally Preparation

2010-08-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

The big day looms closer and I am getting more nervous about this adventure. Excited, but nervous. Can I actually do this ride? Of course I can. Have I planned sufficiently? Time will tell. New tires and an oil change for the bike so it is ready to go. After all, it's a Honda so it doesn't need much.

The day I received the bonus listing, I immediately went to work on attacking the routing. I first re-formatted the bonus listing to fit on 3x5 index cards, printed it out and pasted it on the cards. I then separated the cards by state.

Then, on a paper map of the US, I identified bonus locations with star stickers using a color code to indicate Huge, High, Medium and Low bonus points. This gave me some frame of reference and I saw a route begin to develop. Of course, this took up my massive dining room table and kitchen counter. I had paper, pens, stickers, etc. strewn about for weeks while I worked on the route.

Needless to say, this also took up a huge amount of time. Finally, I see my most likely route begin to appear. I collected those bonus cards in the order I thought I would go and went to the computer. I'm Mapsource stupid so loading the waypoints took me a very long time. But, I was eventually successful. Using the loaded waypoints, I started mapping daily routes considering mileage, time for stops, etc. I think I averaged between 40 - 43 miles an hour which would allow for taking pictures, refueling, stops, etc.

I had to consider time restrictions on certain bonus locations and tried to plan so I would be at the restricted bonus as the appropriate time. I'm sure weather and traffic will factor into this at some point and probably destroy all my hard work planning :-)

I set everything aside for a few days and revisited my plan. Get real!!! I eliminated a bunch of bonus locations because, upon reflection, it was just too ambitious for my style of riding. I really don't want to burn out in the first couple of days. So, I revised my routes and feel much better about my plan of attack.

We were told by the Rally Master to be prepared to decorate our Rally Towels prior to the start. I finally gave it some thought and my prototype is below.

So, now the waypoints and daily routes have been planned and downloaded to the Zumo. Oh, that also took a while because I haven't a clue what I'm doing. Seems to have worked. I've checked and double and triple checked to make sure it is all there. I'm so paranoid that I emailed myself and a trusted friend, my mapsource file and my day by day route cards with bonus info just in case disaster should happen and I need a copy.

I'm just finishing tracing the route onto paper maps. I like having a paper map and expect to finish that task today. I've packed my food cooler with soups, cup-o-noodles, oatmeal, granola bars and candy. I purchased a back-up camera. My current camera uses rechargeable batteries and even though I have two and try to charge them every night - who knows? So the new camera is waterproof and uses AA batteries. A good back up plan I think.

I ordered a new three page map case from Linda Tanner, but I'm thinking it won't show up here before I leave. Oh well, I'll make due with what I have.

I did not order an EZ-Pass or I-Pass for toll roads. Heck, I'm from the west and no nothing about toll roads. I decided to use the old fashioned method and carry quarters, 1's and 5's. So, off to the bank to get the change. However, a fellow LD rider came to the rescue and offered the use of his pass so now I have both, the EZ-Pass and a sock full of quarters.

I'm trying to approach this in a pragmatic way. Just keep plodding forward. I hope when I'm actually riding, that I remember all the things I'm supposed to do. You know, like Rally Towel in every photo. Don't forget fuel and food receipts. Take a picture of the sunset (don't forget the Rally Towel). Provide a receipt and a photo (with Rally Towel) of a hotdog purchase. Take a photo of a smiling cop (with Rally Towel). There are a number of anytime/anywhere bonus and I don't want to blow them off. I made a separate list of these anywhere/anytime bonus points and hope I remember to check the list frequently.

Okie dokie then. I'm as ready as I'm going to be. Just need to pack a few clothes and head out. The rally starts on Thursday, Aug. 26 at 10:10 am. There is a mandatory checkpoint in Sidney, NE on Aug. 31. Miss the checkpoint and you're out of the game. Hope my planning works out.

Check here after the rally for my report!

Cheers,

Cletha

Off to Denver for the IBA National Meeting

2010-08-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

The Iron Butt Association National Meeting will take place August 12 - 15 in Denver, CO. Denver is only about 650 miles from my home but I've decided to make it a leisurely, flower sniffin ride so am departing on Monday, August 9. I intend to ride to Bluff, UT on Monday so I can watch the Spank Rally riders come in to the checkpoint, also in Bluff, UT on Tuesday.

Tuesday's schedule is to take scenic byways in Colorado and maybe end up in Grand Junction. Or, who knows? That's what I love about flower sniffin trips....no particular destination, just whatever catches my fancy.

Wednesday should put me in Denver ready for the IBA National Meeting. There are a number of seminars, speakers, demonstrations and vendors scheduled. I'm definitely going to attend the tire plugging demo and perhaps have a go at it myself. I think this would be a good skill to learn.

I'm excited to renew friendships and meet people I've only chatted with in cyberspace. It's always great to put a face with a name. I'll try to remember to take lots of pictures and post them here with a full report when I return.

OMG!!!! Denver trip for a week, home for a week, then.......the big 10n10 Rally!

Later,
Cletha

Silly, Silly Me -- I Enter the 10n10 Endurance Rally

2010-07-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

How crazy am I? Well, very crazy obviously, since I decided to enter the 10n10 Long Distance Endurance Rally. It's 10 days, 10,000 miles on a motorcycle with a checkpoint in the middle. Starting in Salt Lake City, UT with a checkpoint on day four in Sidney, Nebraska which will be open from 8:00 am until noon. You miss the check point, you are out of the game.

A minimum of 8,000 total miles is required (and making the checkpoint and making the finish back in Salt Lake City on or before Sept. 5, 2010 at 10:10 am) to be a finisher.

I received my bonus listing a few days ago. Hundreds and hundreds of bonus locations to choose from ranging from Hyder, Alaska to Maui, Hawaii and somewhere in Spain. Of course, the main route traverses the lower 48 states.

I first edited the bonus listing to fit onto 3 x 5 index cards then printed that out, cut it up and pasted the bonus locations onto the index cards. My next step was to sort the bonus locations by state. Geez, that took forever!!!

After sorting, I took a map of the US and began putting stars on the map according to state and city which were color coded as to number of bonus points. Again, that took forever. But, it did help me sort out an initial route. Finally, I see a plan forming. Oh, did I mention I was stressing all this time?? What an undertaking. What in the world had I gotten myself into?

I have a new appreciation for LD Riders who do these kinds of rallies. Not only are they exceptional motorcycle riders, they are incredible planners. This is an exercise in time, distance and bonus point management. What a head game!

So, today I mapped out the first few days and changed it repeatedly as I worked on it. Sometimes I had way too many miles to manage efficiently and sometimes I had locations that were slow and stupid. It's been an exercise in efficient planning. You have to watch out for bonus locations that are daylight only or time restricted. You also have to watch out for traffic and slow roads. Not to mention weather interventions. Wow, this is really, truly difficult. This would make a great college class. Time management, endurance capabilities, bonus capture, sleep and rest time, etc. Yes, this would make an excellent college course.

I'm also thinking that weather could play a big role. Hurricane season, heat waves, monsoon rains...all could change the best laid plans. So, I continue to make my plan and edit and change and edit and change.

As of now, I'm planning on a screaming ride to the east coast where I'll bubble wrap my bike, board a charter flight and go to Spain. Take the requisite picture, bubble wrap again, land on the east coast and head to Salt Lake City. Oh, the benefit of going overseas, you don't have to go to the checkpoint, you only have to get the 8,000 mile minimum to finish. Big, big points for going offshore.

I'm sure this is a winning route! All my other planning is simply an exercise in futility.

Regards,
Cletha

Wild Wild West Rally Report

2010-07-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

Having fun at the Wild Wild West Rally !

Ray Blair and me (top photo)

Heidi Still, me, Rosie Sperry (bottom photo)

Well, it's over now and I've finally caught up enough to put down my thoughts about the absolutely fabulous Wild Wild West Rally put on by the Cognoscente Group in Ely, Nevada. I really didn't think I was ready for a 32 hour endurance rally but got prompted, prodded and bullied into signing up. Oh my, what had I done? My nerves increased as the day of departure got closer. The Rally Bastard gave me a little hint in that since the theme of the rally was Wild Wild West, it might behoove me to dress-up a little bit and play the part of a Saloon Girl or Calamity Jane type for the pre-rally banquet. Okay, note to self - maybe this is worth extra points?

On the morning of Thursday, July 15, I packed up the new Wing and headed to Pioche, NV for breakfast at the Silver Cafe where I met Chris Purney who was coming from Las Vegas on his LD fitted FJR. After a delightful breakfast and lots of chit chat about bikes and the upcoming rally, Chris and I left for Ely, going north on Nevada hiway 93.

The day promised to be very warm but our ride to Ely was pleasantly quick and uneventful. A quick left on Hiway 50 put us into Ely shortly after noon. Riding down the main drag of Ely we were hailed by two LD riders sitting on a bench in front of the Hotel Nevada. They obviously recognized our mounts as LD rides and gave us a great big welcome to Ely. Turns out it was Dennis Powell from Iowa and Bob St. George from Massachusetts. Just after arrival at the Four Sevens Motel, Mr. Matt Watkins pulled in. (Chris and I had a wager whether Matt would beat us to Ely. Matt came from Pasco, WA).

Checking into my room, I discovered just how very nice it was. I'd stay here anytime. Nice room with microwave and refrigerator, clean, plenty of space. Once checked in, we walked over to the Hotel Nevada for free margaritas and some BS'ing. Back at the Four Sevens, it was hang out time in the parking lot as rider after rider arrived and drinks began to flow. I had intentionally arrived a day early so I could chill and visit without worrying about getting up early the next morning for the rally.

Friday was odo check day. After a leisurely breakfast with some fellow riders, I got geared up and prepared to run my odo check. Fortunately, the route was simple and I completed it in one try. Oh, I should mention it was HOT. The rally staff was awesome and had everything under control, so things went smoothly. Then, it was more parking lot BS'ing but no drinkies for riders. Of course, staff and observers were having tons of fun with margaritas and various libations :)

That evening was the pre-rally banquet where rally packs would be handed out. We all trooped down the road a few blocks to a fantastic banquet hall where dinner was to be held. Now, remember, I mentioned a Wild Wild West theme outfit? Well, of course, hoping to get extra points, I donned my Saloon Girl garb. Do you think I was bamboozled? Led astray? Tricked? Newbie hazing? Aside from pretty Ms. Lisa Duff (Mr. Warchild's squeeze), I was the only one in Wild Wild West garb. Boy, oh boy, did I get lots of attention. Oh my......well, there I was, all kitted out and I wasn't going to miss dinner and the rally pack. So, there I was. Hahahahahahahaha. I'm glad I have a sense of humor. It really was a fun time., although I'm not used to having so much attention. It was what it was.

Dinner was a fantastic production of Italian fare. During dinner, Mr. Warchild outlined the sequence of events and Mr. Brian Roberts provided details as to how the rally would be run. Everyone paid close attention. We were given our rally packs that consisted of many cards identifying locations for bonus points that were related to Nevada and the Wild Wild West. We were to earn money and spend money based on the bonuses we collected with the intent to earn as much as possible and spend as much as possible before we die. We could earn money by going to mine locations, do outlaw or indian activities, or work as a cowboy. We could spend money by gambling, going to whore houses, or living life on the trail. (Sorry I've forgotten two categories - 1 each for earning and spending - but the above categories are the ones I went after).

Okay, it was then back to the hotel to start mapping out a route. I first sorted all my cards by town then mapped each town where a circle route emerged. I then discarded those bonus locations that were suckers (like anything with a gravel road). Actually, routing was pretty easy although it took me a while. I also discarded anything in or around Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe. I'm much more familiar with south and east Nevada so kept my route to areas I knew and that didn't have tons of traffic (well except Las Vegas - more later).

I highlighted a route on my paper map and then circled each town or milepost where I needed to stop for a bonus. After two hours, I felt pretty confident about my route and the points I could collect. I decided to head west and south in the morning and go east and north in the evening and finally, west and south in the wee hours. I had a pretty good idea of mileage. Oh, I forgot to mention, there was one check point. You didn't have to go, but if you were going to attempt the check point, you had to declare it prior to departure. The check point was somewhat south and west Nevada.

Okie dokie, I had my route and my cards selected. I discarded the bonus points I wasn't going after. I put everything in order according to my route and thought I was ready to go. Finally went to bed around midnight and thought I had set the alarm for 4:30am. We had a 5:00am riders meeting and a 5:30 start. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and it was 4:55 am!!!!! Oh no, I threw on the LD Comfort tights and top and First Gear outer wear and ran downstairs to attend the riders meeting just in time. Whew....don't know what happened there but will bring my own alarm from now on.

Attended the riders meeting which was all about safety (we had previously added our Spot Tracker locations to the WWW rally site) then ran back to my room to brush my teeth and get my act together. Was on my bike and in line to roll at the appropriate time. The start was staggered by rider number which I really liked - no 40 bikes running off at the same time. I was rider 33. My turn came up, got to the start line, waited for the go signal and was off on the Wild Wild West Rally.

First bonus stop was time limited and down the street only two blocks - a whorehouse. I showed up with several other riders, got my photo and boogied to highway 93 for a bonus at the Shoshone "B" Ranch. As I left Ely, Doug Barrett was on my heels, we were going to the same place. Heading toward the ranch, Bob & Sylvie Torter were headed out at warp speed and I met Tom and Rosie Sperry at the photo location. Doug and I turned around and headed to Pioche (remember, I was just there for breakfast on Thursday). The Sperry's didn't turn around but continued on the road to encounter a long stretch of gravel. I'm glad I turned around to go back to the main hiway :)

Then it was on to Pioche. I missed an historical marker which I saw Doug stop at but it was too difficult to turn around. Silly me, I had my cards for Pioche in the wrong order. Oh well. On to the historical marker in Pioche. Arrived there to find Bob and Heidi Still (I would encounter them several times during the rally - we had the same basic route). Took my photo and realized my bike was parked to far over in the gravel to pick it up!! Everyone was gone by then and Doug hadn't yet caught up. Hahahaha. I hailed a lady jogging down the street for help. She very graciously helped push on my bike to get it upright. Down the road I went.

Next stop was the Mountain Meadows Monument which is only about 30 or so miles from my home so I knew right where to go and I knew the road. Yes, it was a gravel road, but not too bad. Took a minute to park in the gravel area that wouldn't put me over too far and ran off to the monument in full gear. A bit of a hike......got my photos and returned to my bike to find Terry and Lynda Lehman getting the same bonus. Gee, tons of experienced riders taking the same route??? Maybe I'm on to something.

I then took Utah Hiway 18 to Veyo where I took the Gunlock road to old Highway 91 which put me onto Interstate 15. Heading south, I took the exit to Overton and got the historical site bonus, back to I-15 to Valley of Fire. An 18 miles or so detour to the park, $10 entrance fee and 1/2 mile to the Beehive rock formations, photo taken, turn around, out of the park and back to I-15. On my way to Nelson, NV. If you've never been to Nelson, it is so worth going to. Oh, by now it was getting hot, like 111 degrees. Got to Nelson, took the required photo and on to the end of the road for a photo of the Colorado River and appropriate marker. Damn, did I say it was getting hot?

The Nelson bonus was an in and out, so back on I-15, actually the 515 and I missed my exit to the Blue Diamond Highway. Dang, didn't see a sign anywhere and I'm on paper maps. No GPS or help. Dang.....I'm low on fuel so take an exit only to put me in a neighborhood. Riding, riding, riding, hot, hot, hot and hotter as I get frustrated and have to go slow. Way flipping hot... probably 150 or so (hahahaha) really like 115. Way hot. Finally find a service station so I stop for water and ice and to cool down and get directions. Got directions from the clerk and went out to the bike to sort things out and cool down. A customer came over to me and told me the clerk gave me way the wrong directions and I only needed to go up the highway 2 exits and take Red Rock Hiway which would put me on the Blue Diamond Hiway to Pahrump. Back into the store for more ice and the clerk apologized and acknowledged he was wrong and the customer was correct. Oh boy - saved me about 200 miles of wrong way.

Went up the hiway, second exit, on to Red Rock Hiway. Take this if you have the opportunity. It was an awesome road which put me right onto the Blue Diamond Hiway to Pahrump :) Got to Pahrump and found the two cat houses for bonus points then off to Beatty, NV for more bonus points. On the way, stopped at Amargosa Valley for a photo op at Cherry Patch II cat house and who do I spy? Bob and Heidi Still. Dang, here again, parked wrong and Heidi, (bless her heart) helped me get the bike upright. Tearing off to Beatty.

Arrived in Beatty, hot as He**. Gassed up and went into the store to get water and ice. The attendant took pity and offered me all the ice I needed as I was red as a beet and hotter than heck. Took the ice and a break. Cooled down, wetted the LD Comfort shirt and helmet liner and chilled. Got the poker chip bonus at the Stagecoach Hotel Casino and chatted with the Still's for a bit.

This is when I called the Rally Bastard and said it was unlikely I would make the checkpoint as I had at least 250 miles to go and not enough time. Heck...I hate it when that happens. If I hadn't gotten screwed up in Las Vegas, I would have made the check point. Oh well, shit happens.

Okay then, off to Goldfield and Tonopah. Collected the courthouse, mine and cathouse bonus points. It was getting dark by now, hmmmm......critters on the road? I pushed on and screamed through Mina and Fallon and other places where I totally ignored bonus points (note - I stopped in Fallon to check my map and a Harley rider went by and asked if I was okay.....nice) and landed in Winnemucca at the wee hours. Boy was I tired. Stopped at a Chevron and thought about getting a motel room. Got gas, had a cup of coffee, chatted with the sweet young men attendants and by the time I had washed my windshield, drank my coffee, talked with the boys, I had a second wind. Collected a few bonus points in Winnemucca and hit I-80.

Screamed up I-80 to Battle Mountain at O'dark thirty. Stopped at a gas station to ask directions to Donna's Whorehouse. Hahahahahhaa. Still got lost but eventually found it. Took the requisite picture. Then, in all my smartness, took a left thinking it would take me to the hiway. It didn't. It took me to a trailer park. Not a nice one either. Like 2:30 am riding through a trailer park that turned into a big chunky gravel road leading to a junkyard with dogs barking and having a fit. Oh boy. Are we having fun now? I had to turn that big old flipping Wing around on chunky (big rock) gravel with dogs barking and waiting for folks to come out with guns. Heck, that made me sweat. Finally got turned around without dropping the bike and made haste getting out of there.

Okay then, adrenaline running through my veins...on to the interstate again to Elko. My oh my, I'm dying here. Stopped at the McDonald's in Elko. I don't do fast food so I don't even know what to order. I walk through the drive through and the young lady was so kind to me and explained what I could order at 4 something in the morning. I ordered coffee and some pancakes with sausage. Sat on the curb and ate my breakfast, looking really sad I'm sure. Now, I'm cold because its about 48 degrees. So, on with the electric jacket. Sure glad I brought that with me. Turned on the heated seat and grips and was toasty. Quite a difference from the 115 degrees or so near Las Vegas!

Okay now, third wind....I'm ready to go. Hit the cathouse in Elko after traveling several miles on road construction only to find the house closed for the night at 4:00 am??? what??? okay. Picture and move on.

Back on the highway heading to Ely. Got there about sun-up and still needed some miles so I headed to Eureka. What an awesome place. Put this on your ride list. Rode there, through Elk and Deer warnings....lots of twisties and straights..What an incredible ride. There and back. Time is running out.

Go back to Ely for the final daylight bonus of guess what.... a whore house...got that. Then, heck I could get a bun burner if I do a few more miles... so a quick look at the map takes me to highway 6. Scream down that and back and I think I'll get the bun burner. I pass Dennis twice...he is collecting miles as well. Hahahah again. We wave and laugh as we pass each other.

End up at rally central with more than enough miles to be a finisher. Now on to scoring. I gathered my cards and poker chip and head to the scoring table for an initial approval of my bonus points. Woohoo! All bonus points approved. Back to my room to figure out the scoring process which was a mathematical nightmare. Especially considering I'd been riding for 30 1/2 hours. I won't go into detail but I screwed the pooch in my scoring. Oh well, live and learn, my own dumb fault. After submitting my final score, I took a much needed shower, got into fresh clothes and went down to the scoring area for more BS'ing and rally tales along with margaritas and other libations. All riders safe and accounted for.

We marched the two blocks to the banquet hall for the finishers dinner.

Another fine feast. Mr. Warchild recapped the rally and announced the winners. Jeff Earls was first, followed by Matt Watkins in second and Dick Peek in third. Jerry White had a fine finish at fourth with Terry & Lynda Lahman at fifth, Andy Mackey at sixth and Wendy Crockett at seventh. I received a special mention as a newbie who had not only finished, but rode 1,595.7 corrected miles in 30 1/2 hours ! :)

Dinner was followed by yet more parking lot BS'ing and imbibing. Somehow I got myself to bed and crashed hard!!!! I had been up since 5:00 am Saturday morning and it was now about 10:00 pm Sunday night. Yes, I was tired.

Waking up Monday morning, I went outside to see if anyone was still around. Sure enough, I found a few folks and went to breakfast. I was tickled to meet Jan Cutler and laughed when he ordered ice cream for breakfast. What a guy. Back to the hotel, I packed up my bike and felt a bit melancholy. I was having so much fun I didn't want it to end. But, it was time to go. Five of us rode out of Ely together and had some good, fast, fun on a few twisties on Hiway 6.

Chris Purney, Doug Barrett and I then took Hiway 318 toward home. It was a lovely ride with beautiful scenery. We stopped at Ash Springs on Hiway 93 for a break and lunch. After visiting with Chris and Doug for a bit, I headed for home.

That's it.....I had a fantastic time, met wonderful people, rode the heck out of the Wing, saw new and interesting places, pushed my limits, finished the rally and screwed the pooch. All good, silly fun.

A very special thank you to the Cognoscente Group for a wonderful event. Ms. Landry, Messers Warchild, Roberts, Hobart, Hickey, Austin and Blair - well done. I'm looking forward to your next party.

The Wild Wild West Rally is just a few days away

2010-07-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I'm totally insane. Having completed the Utah 1088 Rally, I'm now going to attempt the Wild Wild West Rally which is 32 hours and a minimum of 1,340 miles plus an undisclosed number of bonus points in order to be considered a finisher. Hmmmmmmm.......riding through Nevada, Utah, California in 100+ degree heat. Should be a ton of fun. I really, really, really want to be a finisher. Place doesn't matter, finish does. Hope I can do it. Oh, and have safe, fun first and always.

In preparation for this rally, I have new tires, extensions on the highway pegs, new front end suspension, a myriad of little upgrades (that cost a ton!), new safety lights on the trunk, kickstand extender (which was a must because the bike leaned over too far and I had trouble picking it up a few times).

Tomorrow to the Honda shop to have the accessory bar installed along with the Zumo 550, XM antenna and Spot Tracker ram mount. Then, other than fuel (I can't forget the extra gas can), luggage, food, water and ice, I'll be ready to go.

The cast of characters both hosting and attending the event should make this a fun, silly, never to be forgotten rally. I've been advised to first come with fresh tires (which I have), gambling skills (which I think I have), roping or lassooing (sp) skills (which I know I don't have) and be prepared to re-live the old Wild Wild West (which I think I'm prepared to do).

I have to admit that the thought of riding after dark through open range/deer country has me intimidated. Fortunately, I've been on many of the roads I suspect will be on the route. But, I know that some of these roads are truly open range with cows, wild horses, wild burros and deer. Not to mention coyotes, jack rabbits, bunnies and assorted other critters, including wild turkeys. Oh heck, there is also that Rachel thing, the UFO place....at night, hahahahahaha, oh yes, Nevada Hiway 6 could prove very, very interesting. A bazillion miles long with nothing but critters and UFO's. No gas, no homes, no anything. Fun, fun, fun. (Yes, I am crazy).

Too bad I haven't had the time or done the research to add aux lights to my bike. That will definitely be on the list to get done. However, I did add a thingy (don't you love my technical expertise?) that allows my fog lamps to stay on while on high beam. That should help some.

Got the LD Comfort long sleeve shirt and hope this works well for evaporative cooling. I'll bring along a squirt bottle so I can keep the shirt damp by squirting water up or down the sleeves and down the front and back. I'm hoping this will work because my evaporative cooling vest weighs a ton!!! And, I've never used it under my ATGATT. Heck, I guess if I get too hot, I'll stop and buy a bag of ice and stick it where I need it :)

So, there you go. I think I'm prepared or will be before take-off on Thursday. I plan to leave Thursday morning and take a leisurely ride to Ely - only about 250 miles from home. I will probably stop in Pioche at the Silver Cafe for breakfast and simply enjoy the ride. By arriving Thursday afternoon, I can enjoy visiting with the WWW staff, have a little casino action, have a few drinks and just have a good time in general.

Friday will bring the odo and tech inspection, the no drinks deadline and the pre-ride banquet followed by the riders meeting. I hope the rally hosts pass out rally packets on Friday. That would give me time to sort out some kind of route before take-off. We'll see.....

Saturday morning....take-off and ride. Should be a grand time. I'll post my view of the event with pictures sometime next week. I plan on attending the post-ride banquet on Sunday evening so I won't head home until Monday. Gee, my clients don't really understand my passion........

Thanks for reading and more later. Cletha

My First LD Rally - The Utah 1088

2010-07-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Utah 1088 held on June 26, 2010 was my first long distance motorcycle endurance rally. I arrived Thursday evening to attend a great BBQ at the RallyMaster's house where I got to meet Rally riders and renew friendships with others. Friday was the day to ride the odometer check route, top off the gas tank and then hang in the parking lot watching riders arrive, kicking tires, telling lies, and trying to glean rally riding tips from the experts. The rider's meeting was held in the parking lot at 7:00 pm. I tried to listen carefully. I really, really wanted to finish this rally and comprehension of the rules is critical to finishing.

Although called the Utah 1088, this year's Rally required a minimum of 1,144 miles within 24 hours to be considered a finisher. Any bonus points collected along the way would improve your finish position. Rider packs were handed out and I rushed up to my room to try and sort it all out. I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

Okay, first, I read through the rally pack instructions. I immediately discarded alternate routes as being too aggressive for a newbie and settled on the base route. I traced the base route in yellow highlighter on my map and used the pink highlighter to identify possible bonus locations off the main route. I then used a red sharpie to circle bonus locations and the mandatory checkpoint.

Happy with my map routing, I then prepared index cards of my route. For example, I-80 to Wendover for Keno ticket; gas receipt in W. Wendover; I-80 to Oasis, etc. These cards proved very helpful throughout the rally.

I didn't have a GPS so didn't have to load waypoints or deal with that at all, so I went to bed for a restless night. Up about 5:00 am, dressed and bike loaded, I was ready long before the 7:00 am start time.

At 7:00 am we took off. I opted to try the slow race for some bonus points and waited while several riders did the same. My turn, I blew it so I blew out of there and headed to the BMW Service Shop. Fortunately, I had googled it the night before and with my firsthand knowledge of Salt Lake City, I was there quickly. Got my signed business card - Bonus scored!!! And took off on I-80 toward Wendover.

Riding along at a comfortable pace, I pass several riders on I-80. After a few miles, a rider passes me so I pick up the pace and follow him to Wendover. It got quite interesting as the wind picked up and buffeted us about as we passed the semi-trucks. Lots of turbulance!!! Thanks Eric V. for letting me chase you.

Arriving at Wendover, I go to the first casino. No Keno. I get on the bike and ride a mile down the road to another casino. No Keno. I turn around and go back to where I started and tried the casino across the street. Woohoo, they have Keno. I get in line behind one rider and some old guy who had won a Keno jackpot and was collecting his winnings. This took a loooooong time. As I waited my turn, the line of Keno ticket purchasers grew longer. They were all wearing motorcycle gear and helmets. Finally, the jackpot winner collected his huge jackpot of $33 and it was our turn to get our $1 Keno tickets. Bonus scored and out the door to West Wendover for a gas receipt, bonus scored and on to I-80.

I follow I-80 to Oasis and turn right onto a two lane highway. Clipping along after several miles I notice two motorcycle headlights in my mirror. They didn't try to pass so I just kept the pace. Entering Utah, I start to watch mile markers. Finally, the one I want is in sight and I stop to get the name of the ranch located there. Bonus scored. Quickly said hello to the other two riders and took off for the mandatory check point. I didn't want to miss this because if you didn't do the check point, your rally was over.

Got to the checkpoint early and formally met the two riders who had chased me across the Nevada desert. Joel R. and Bucky D. and I decided to ride together for a while. We all like the pace and I knew the Utah roads. Leaving the checkpoint, we headed down the Interstate for Rocket Garden. Remember, my rally hat must be in any photos to get the point. Bonus scored. Then to Golden Spike. Another bonus scored.

From Golden Spike, we head over to Logan Canyon and Bear Lake. A beautiful ride on a sunny day. Headed to windy Wyoming for the Fort Bridger bonus. Bonus scored. Shortly after leaving Fort Bridger, on a small town road, we get flagged over by the police. What???? I'm thinking what could possibly be wrong? We were not speeding at all. Being in town, we were using all precautions. Anyway, we pull over and it happens to be a motorcycle poker run checkpoint the police are manning for a charity. They thought we were riding the poker run. Hahahahaha. We quickly pull out and get on our way to Flaming Gorge. Another beautiful road.

By the time we get to Vernal, we need a break and discuss our route. We decided to go to Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado for a bonus. Bonus scored! It was an out and back trip, so back in Vernal we discuss further routing. It's about 9:00 pm and dark. We're a long way from any bonus points and a long way from the required mileage to finish.

We decide to take the fastest route to I-15 and run down the super slab to accumulate some miles. While in Vernal, I purchased a six pack of beer and some other items. The six pack bonus scored. The other items also gave me bonus points which became important later.

With Joel in the lead now (I have a deer issue I'm trying to get over) me in the middle and Bucky pulling up the rear, we take Hiway 40 through Duschene and over to Heber where we stop for a quick burger and drink. Down Provo canyon and we're on I-15 headed south. Rode to Fillmore, took a quick break where I reminded Joe and Bucky to pick up a six pack. Nice of me huh? I thought so.

Back on I-15 north at a spirited pace. Arrive in SLC and decide some more miles might be required so shoot west on I-80 to Tooele for a gas stop. There we decided that we had time to grab another SLC bonus and as the sky was getting light, I was somewhat rejuvenated. Off we went to take a photo of the Utah Highway Patrol memorial cross then back to the hotel to check in.

I checked in at 6:00 am sharp and was told to have my scoring package done and submitted within an hour. It only took about 15 minutes. I finished!!!!!! I was elated!!!!! I finished!!!!!!

I went up to my room and slept several hours, took a shower and joined the rally riders downstairs for the banquet.

During the banquet, Rally Master, Steve Chalmers announced the winners. All but one rider finished the rally. Top honors went to Ken Meese, first place; Matt Watkins, 2nd place; and Ken Morton, 3rd Place. Cletha Walstrand, 25th place, Joel R. and Bucky D. tied for 26th place. See, the rally pack said to spend some money in Utah for something other than fuel. Any receipt showing a purchase in Utah was a bonus. I collected mine in Vernal. Joel and Bucky didn't. Reading comprehension, my friends. Gee, they could have used their burger receipts !!!!!!

Following the banquet, our gracious Rally Master hosted an open bar. Big mistake. EPIC party. Hey, I wasn't the last to leave the parking lot in the morning. I saw several bikes still parked. I had a lovely ride home playing tourist along the way.

I completed almost 1,200 miles in 23 hours. Enough for an IBA Saddle Sore certificate (my second). I met awesome people and rode a fantastic ride. I had just purchased the 2008 Honda GL1800 about 6 days prior to riding it in the Utah 1088. I connected with that bike during the rally, tossing it around like it was a little 250cc bike.

I learned a lot about route planning and what it takes to ride such a distance in a short time while trying to collect bonus points.

Many thanks to Joel and Bucky who rode with me and helped me overcome my deer issues and kept me motivated to finish.

Many thanks to Steve Chalmers and volunteers who made this a very special, fun and safe event.

Many thanks to all you expert rally riders for all the tips, help and support. What a fantastic group of people.

Greeting

2010-07-07T12:06:00.001-07:00

Greetings. I intend to use this space to document my motorcycle rides, rallies and adventures.