A Bun Burner Gold through the eyes of Phil.
What can I say? THAT WAS NO WALK IN THE PARK. I was in constant alert mode, keeping the chatter between Shane and I a fluid stream of thoughts, emotions, and with the option of asking for radio time, calling wives, or just plain wind noise. Eyes moving, SMITH SYSTEM, hoping to spot potential traffic hazards, weather, and keeping the wheels turning safely. I enjoyed every moment.
I left the Twin Cities in a thunderstorm, through mid-day traffic, dodging texters and tired truckers until I hit the main drag slab to Cedar Rapids, {where everything is better!} including the traffic. No one is in a hurry to get anywhere and when you signal they make room for you, not try to run you down so you can’t escape. I always have good feeling about heading to Shane’s, great roads once you get out of the Twin Cities, conversation and wrenching, which is always a learning session for me.
Bad Weather complements of FREE My Radar App
Coming into this ride I was down to one cup of coffee per day and attempted to assist with mid-night diaper changes. Sleeping hours are few and far between with an infant. Months before my heir to the throne was born, Shane was testing me in the art of finding silence. He snores like a sawmill on steroids and when you’re in a hotel room and your earplug falls out, you wake up to find it. I lived through that scenario for 4 days; I banked 4 hours of sleep at a time. I didn’t realize this at the time, but when my son came into the world, that would be the standard sleeping pattern for months to come!
I was worried about fatigue. Knowing how I get when the sight of a chair is enough to get me to close one eye, due to my current new-father state, I was really hoping for a good night sleep upon arrive in Cedar Rapids. Whaddayaknow, It happened! A gang load of hours!!! I was ready; glad we didn’t decide to start at some forsaken hour to pummel ourselves later for starting when our bodies and minds didn’t want to. This was going to be a well-traveled day. Miles and miles to cover against Father Time and our abilities.
Shane is the master of the schedule, runs like a Naval ship drill. This kind of mentality is a must for the flower-sniffer. I am not saying I park my bike and forget where it is, but I seem to attract certain attention which usually ends up with a ten minute conversation about bikes and the exchange of email addresses for a different time down the road. For this event I kept it simple and kept my head down at the gas pumps. A methodical trance of fueling, eating, stowing, capping, and getting the only thing that mattered, the receipt.
The clock ticked, as we were underway I got the report from Shane on how we did at our stop, what worked, what didn’t, and how we can improve as fatigue and slop set in. We had five stops and each one got longer, not due to mistakes but to added adjustments of clothing and adaption’s for obtaining that receipt. We had five stops, I felt like a well oiled machine, until I was watching a young man and woman in a car at a gas pump in front of me adjusting about everything imaginable, in their car, their hair, their cassette player, {yes cassette}. I was 2 feet off their bumper with my lights on, bike running, watching Shane fuel. I decided to honk the horn and turn off the bike, the guy whipped his head out of the window and I asked him kindly if he could move a few feet forward so I could get to the pump. He started to shriek vulgarities at me! I really couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. Kickstand down and popped off the bike reaching for the 6 D-cell Mag Lite and the kid drove away yelling profanities. I could only hope that he treats his girlfriend or mother better. I fueled up, brushed off my shoulders, and began to update Shane about the slight mishap of the fuel stop. ONWARD!!!
I was shocked at how in tune you become with the functions of your body. Aches begin and end abruptly. Feet itch and then they don’t. You thought you saw a ninja running up the side of the embankment to launch a sword at you? Whoa!!! You’re getting tired? Shrug shrug. With our stops being of the strategic nature, so does taking a potty break, or the ability to. When to drink and when not to drink, that plagued my thoughts for months before the adventure. Shane is a camel. I have never seen someone cover the distance, without one expression of nature calling, not even a blink. I have been to the point where all I can do is put the kickstand down, stand on the pegs and fountain off the side of the bike in fear of losing it all to a simple leg over the saddle. I learned how to control nature until the scheduled stops by timing my water intake. AMAZING results. Never one sign of dehydration. Never again will I sit uncomfortably, drink in tune with the miles of your leg. I started sipping with about one hundred miles to go and that was the cat’s meow for me.
When the halfway point was reached I couldn’t believe it really. We took a 6-day ride the year before and made it to the same area in a more leisurely day ride. We were testing out the fuel cells and taking them as far as we could go before fueling, and landed safely about same time. I was noticing that long-term, straight-line travel paths can distort judgment of distance and speed, making concentration key. Turning off the highway and navigating a bridge was like a quest for fire, Shane and I did a lot of talking to each other through some of those moments. I thought to myself leaning into the cloverleaf turn, “I could just drive off this cloverleaf”. Then I would say to Shane “sharp curve going 30”, helps out after a long leg.
Flying through the afternoon with the sun at our backs, the need for music took over. I wanted to keep alert and jam out with some of my favorite tunes—I listen to it all, pretty much any type of noise, keeps the heart full, even my one year old loves to rock out to the Mahna-Mahna song from the Muppets! Entertainment was all around us in the form of large tanker semis, double and triple trailers strategically spaced and going slow for us to fly by. We moved briskly through those hazards, I never get why any motorcyclist would spend more time than needed beside a semi tire that has a billion miles on it waiting to blow out and send you to kingdom come. Pass it!!!
Semi's trying to kill us
The sun was setting behind us and the darkness was slowing filling the landscape. Incredible sight. Not once did I stare into the sun today. Great route planning Shane! The earth and road was blending together and for about an hour I really could notice the fact that the sunset was camouflaging the sides of the road. Darkness was speeding up to us fast, our lights started to come alive giving us a bit of clarity to the landscape. The critter factor started to set in. High Alert! Shane was made aware of my thoughts.
Well, maybe just a little sun in the eyes…
Conversations started pouring in the form phone calls. My wife was cuddling with our young son, asking how I was feeling, we spoke for quite sometime, love was in the air and emotion was taking me, wishing I were homeward bound. Soon I kept repeating, “I will be home soon”. I wished her a peaceful night even with the thought of me at 75 mph through the twilight. More calls, group calls, people that I haven’t spoken to in ages calls. My sister called and energized me with a pep talk. She is in a battle with brain cancer and was scheduled for surgery, hoping a plane to a Neurosurgeon in Arizona. Words of love, compassion, and faith filled my ears. Fighting back the tears in fear of not being able to see, I wished my sister luck. She made it through the surgery and is now cancer free for 9 weeks!!! {At the time of this composed rambling}.
Flying along the darkness I kept telling myself, “critters, critters, critters, DAMN THESE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHT. Hella Mirco HID spots. Amazing punch, from a mile away you look like a semi coming into a field of vision. Adjustable on the fly, not too bad on the stator, very happy with that option. We had a riding formation to be able to utilize all available light towards the visual field of movement. We had a wall of sun in front of us. The bikes have HID kits that Shane installed. A must for nighttime travel, in my humble opinion. The hazards that are brought into view for you to react in time were worth the 80 bucks. Amazingly no animals created a situation for us that broke our stride. Saw plenty, but no action reaction test. Thank goodness.
I do have to say that the key to LD riding is to get as comfortable as you can on a bike. Heated this and that, a plan and ride the plan. But besides all the stuff you’ve already heard; having a good friend, like a brother that will root for you if he is there or if in spirit, is golden. Shane is such a huge part of this LD experience for me. Good planning and great conversation, willing to be a part of the triumphs, failures, and able to call me out on my flower sniffing. This was an incredible warp through time and space. Glad to have an understanding wife with a love that stretches as far as I can ride, a son who smiles at me when I return, keeping me aware that I need to be cautious so I live to be a father to him. An inspiring sister that is a power matched like no other I have seen in my lifetime. Able to beat cancer in her brain, TWICE. Shane and I were brought together by this forum. I hope you enjoy the ride!!!
Phillip
What can I say? THAT WAS NO WALK IN THE PARK. I was in constant alert mode, keeping the chatter between Shane and I a fluid stream of thoughts, emotions, and with the option of asking for radio time, calling wives, or just plain wind noise. Eyes moving, SMITH SYSTEM, hoping to spot potential traffic hazards, weather, and keeping the wheels turning safely. I enjoyed every moment.
I left the Twin Cities in a thunderstorm, through mid-day traffic, dodging texters and tired truckers until I hit the main drag slab to Cedar Rapids, {where everything is better!} including the traffic. No one is in a hurry to get anywhere and when you signal they make room for you, not try to run you down so you can’t escape. I always have good feeling about heading to Shane’s, great roads once you get out of the Twin Cities, conversation and wrenching, which is always a learning session for me.
Bad Weather complements of FREE My Radar App
Coming into this ride I was down to one cup of coffee per day and attempted to assist with mid-night diaper changes. Sleeping hours are few and far between with an infant. Months before my heir to the throne was born, Shane was testing me in the art of finding silence. He snores like a sawmill on steroids and when you’re in a hotel room and your earplug falls out, you wake up to find it. I lived through that scenario for 4 days; I banked 4 hours of sleep at a time. I didn’t realize this at the time, but when my son came into the world, that would be the standard sleeping pattern for months to come!
I was worried about fatigue. Knowing how I get when the sight of a chair is enough to get me to close one eye, due to my current new-father state, I was really hoping for a good night sleep upon arrive in Cedar Rapids. Whaddayaknow, It happened! A gang load of hours!!! I was ready; glad we didn’t decide to start at some forsaken hour to pummel ourselves later for starting when our bodies and minds didn’t want to. This was going to be a well-traveled day. Miles and miles to cover against Father Time and our abilities.
Shane is the master of the schedule, runs like a Naval ship drill. This kind of mentality is a must for the flower-sniffer. I am not saying I park my bike and forget where it is, but I seem to attract certain attention which usually ends up with a ten minute conversation about bikes and the exchange of email addresses for a different time down the road. For this event I kept it simple and kept my head down at the gas pumps. A methodical trance of fueling, eating, stowing, capping, and getting the only thing that mattered, the receipt.
The clock ticked, as we were underway I got the report from Shane on how we did at our stop, what worked, what didn’t, and how we can improve as fatigue and slop set in. We had five stops and each one got longer, not due to mistakes but to added adjustments of clothing and adaption’s for obtaining that receipt. We had five stops, I felt like a well oiled machine, until I was watching a young man and woman in a car at a gas pump in front of me adjusting about everything imaginable, in their car, their hair, their cassette player, {yes cassette}. I was 2 feet off their bumper with my lights on, bike running, watching Shane fuel. I decided to honk the horn and turn off the bike, the guy whipped his head out of the window and I asked him kindly if he could move a few feet forward so I could get to the pump. He started to shriek vulgarities at me! I really couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. Kickstand down and popped off the bike reaching for the 6 D-cell Mag Lite and the kid drove away yelling profanities. I could only hope that he treats his girlfriend or mother better. I fueled up, brushed off my shoulders, and began to update Shane about the slight mishap of the fuel stop. ONWARD!!!
I was shocked at how in tune you become with the functions of your body. Aches begin and end abruptly. Feet itch and then they don’t. You thought you saw a ninja running up the side of the embankment to launch a sword at you? Whoa!!! You’re getting tired? Shrug shrug. With our stops being of the strategic nature, so does taking a potty break, or the ability to. When to drink and when not to drink, that plagued my thoughts for months before the adventure. Shane is a camel. I have never seen someone cover the distance, without one expression of nature calling, not even a blink. I have been to the point where all I can do is put the kickstand down, stand on the pegs and fountain off the side of the bike in fear of losing it all to a simple leg over the saddle. I learned how to control nature until the scheduled stops by timing my water intake. AMAZING results. Never one sign of dehydration. Never again will I sit uncomfortably, drink in tune with the miles of your leg. I started sipping with about one hundred miles to go and that was the cat’s meow for me.
When the halfway point was reached I couldn’t believe it really. We took a 6-day ride the year before and made it to the same area in a more leisurely day ride. We were testing out the fuel cells and taking them as far as we could go before fueling, and landed safely about same time. I was noticing that long-term, straight-line travel paths can distort judgment of distance and speed, making concentration key. Turning off the highway and navigating a bridge was like a quest for fire, Shane and I did a lot of talking to each other through some of those moments. I thought to myself leaning into the cloverleaf turn, “I could just drive off this cloverleaf”. Then I would say to Shane “sharp curve going 30”, helps out after a long leg.
Flying through the afternoon with the sun at our backs, the need for music took over. I wanted to keep alert and jam out with some of my favorite tunes—I listen to it all, pretty much any type of noise, keeps the heart full, even my one year old loves to rock out to the Mahna-Mahna song from the Muppets! Entertainment was all around us in the form of large tanker semis, double and triple trailers strategically spaced and going slow for us to fly by. We moved briskly through those hazards, I never get why any motorcyclist would spend more time than needed beside a semi tire that has a billion miles on it waiting to blow out and send you to kingdom come. Pass it!!!
Semi's trying to kill us
The sun was setting behind us and the darkness was slowing filling the landscape. Incredible sight. Not once did I stare into the sun today. Great route planning Shane! The earth and road was blending together and for about an hour I really could notice the fact that the sunset was camouflaging the sides of the road. Darkness was speeding up to us fast, our lights started to come alive giving us a bit of clarity to the landscape. The critter factor started to set in. High Alert! Shane was made aware of my thoughts.
Well, maybe just a little sun in the eyes…
Conversations started pouring in the form phone calls. My wife was cuddling with our young son, asking how I was feeling, we spoke for quite sometime, love was in the air and emotion was taking me, wishing I were homeward bound. Soon I kept repeating, “I will be home soon”. I wished her a peaceful night even with the thought of me at 75 mph through the twilight. More calls, group calls, people that I haven’t spoken to in ages calls. My sister called and energized me with a pep talk. She is in a battle with brain cancer and was scheduled for surgery, hoping a plane to a Neurosurgeon in Arizona. Words of love, compassion, and faith filled my ears. Fighting back the tears in fear of not being able to see, I wished my sister luck. She made it through the surgery and is now cancer free for 9 weeks!!! {At the time of this composed rambling}.
Flying along the darkness I kept telling myself, “critters, critters, critters, DAMN THESE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHT. Hella Mirco HID spots. Amazing punch, from a mile away you look like a semi coming into a field of vision. Adjustable on the fly, not too bad on the stator, very happy with that option. We had a riding formation to be able to utilize all available light towards the visual field of movement. We had a wall of sun in front of us. The bikes have HID kits that Shane installed. A must for nighttime travel, in my humble opinion. The hazards that are brought into view for you to react in time were worth the 80 bucks. Amazingly no animals created a situation for us that broke our stride. Saw plenty, but no action reaction test. Thank goodness.
I do have to say that the key to LD riding is to get as comfortable as you can on a bike. Heated this and that, a plan and ride the plan. But besides all the stuff you’ve already heard; having a good friend, like a brother that will root for you if he is there or if in spirit, is golden. Shane is such a huge part of this LD experience for me. Good planning and great conversation, willing to be a part of the triumphs, failures, and able to call me out on my flower sniffing. This was an incredible warp through time and space. Glad to have an understanding wife with a love that stretches as far as I can ride, a son who smiles at me when I return, keeping me aware that I need to be cautious so I live to be a father to him. An inspiring sister that is a power matched like no other I have seen in my lifetime. Able to beat cancer in her brain, TWICE. Shane and I were brought together by this forum. I hope you enjoy the ride!!!
Phillip
