When I first joined the Iron Butt Association a few years ago I studied the list of certificate rides available. I made a list of "To Do" rides that I wanted to accomplish. The Great Lakes rides were on that list. So living in south Florida, it only made sense to ride north and do them all in
one trip. I added up the mileage and found it to be around 9,800 miles. With the difficulty obtaining witnesses and cost, it made sense to roll all the rides into a 10/10ths. This saved plenty of time
and hassle of obtaining witnesses and saving some money also with the "Ride Within a Ride" rules.
I put out an invite on the FJR forum thinking there would be no interest. I was wrong. I tweaked
my plans a bit and came up with a rough outline for a ride plan.
THE RIDE NORTH
I returned home from work around 10 pm. I went to the fire station nearby and handed the witness
form to the fire fighters I had pre-arranged for. The alarm went off and ALL of them had to depart
the station, leaving me waiting for their return. There was a picnic table behind the station I
laid down on. As I laid there in a light rain, a grin came to my face as it occurred to me that this scene was merely a foreshadow of things to come. The fire fighters returned soon and willingly signed my witness form for the start. It was now 1030 pm and I had until 4 am to get some rest.3:15 am came fast and I scurried around getting ready. I went to the gas station where I frequently started my rides, My official departure time was 3:59 am July 16th.
Now I had done a 10/10ths before, but with all the rides within this ride, it made planning most difficult. I was bound by an overall schedule and so often times I had to sacrifice a solid ride
plan for overall accomplishment. This was the case for my trip north to Sault Saint Marie, MI where
I would stage for the 3 northern lake SS1000s. I knew Atlanta, GA would be a problem on the way up ... It was. To save my tires I had parked my FJR since my return from Wisconsin the month prior. So the fuel must have been a little flat. I always schedule my first fuel stop on Jacksonville's I- 295 bypass just over the long bridge. My bike started sputtering on the bridge. Wow... what a start, I
was going to run out of gas before my first fuel stop. I coasted to the off ramp and babied the bike into the station there.
Orange Park, FL (283 miles) 7:38 am
Skies in Jacksonville
I decided to run premium fuel the rest of the way.
Forsyth, GA (292 miles) 11:45 am
I then paid dearly for my start time, hitting Atlanta in a noon rush with a construction bottle neck. As I sat there crawling in stop and go traffic, I wondered if the BBG was shot. I finally got up to speed again with a thought that I was through with bad timing issues.
Farragut, TN (263 miles) 4:30 pm
West Chester, OH (285 miles) 8:20 pm
Fenton, MI (271 miles) 12:15 am
Mackinaw City, MI (239 miles) 3:39 am
North on I-75
I finished the BBG in Mackinaw City, Mi at 3:39 am with 1633 miles behind me and only 65 miles to
go before my rest stop. As I crossed the bridge there, a song by Bob Seger came to mind...
ROLL ME AWAY- But I did not stop at a bar to have a brew.
Foreshadow of the storm ?
Before the storm
Rest stop the next morning
LAKE SUPERIOR SS1000
I was soon awakened and departed the rest stop at 7:05 am. to obtain a start receipt of 7:54 am
in S.S. Marie. I then tried a "Short Cut" only to be detoured through the downtown streets and the route to the Canadian border crossing became not so easy to find as it had been with Barry and Wayne just 2 days prior. When I follow I tend not to pay attention to the paths taken,and that came back to bite me. I crossed into Canada into a thick morning fog. My speeds were very conservative as they usually are when I ride in Canada. I was then passed by a Yamaha cruiser snapping me out of my own "Morning Fog". I picked up the pace a bit and rode with him for much of the northern Lake Superior shore ride. As the fog slowly burned off, its fading presence gave way to majestic views. The lake's bays and coves were truly eye candy. I found myself forgetting about time and miles and just enjoying the sights.
Marathon, ON (269 miles) noon
Thunder Bay, ON (194 miles) 3:54 pm
Duluth, MN (181 miles) 7:37 pm
Lake Superior
Somewhere between Marathon, ON and Thunder Bay,ON my face shield flew off the helmet with a
passing truck and another following truck ruined any hope of recovering it. The "Keeps" must have
been worn down from the previous nights heavy wind gusts. I pulled into Duluth to a pleasant surprise. I had noticed a cycle in my mirrors a few times, but thought nothing of it. Now this cycle pulled up beside me and the rider had a familiar face. It was Derek (Stryg8r) who has been one of my most respected riders since I started riding long distance. Derek has a history of accomplishments that
left me quite awestruck when I first met him at the CFO meeting in La Crosse, WI just one month prior to my ride. He shot some photos and we were talking when Paul(IIRC) (pmeysemb) rode up with a sign and joined "The party". I was lucky the two of them had shown up as the cheat sheet I had created for the ride was in error. Paul led me to the connection I needed and sent me on my way.
The following pictures were taken by Derek (Stryg8r)
Following (pmeysemb) out of Duluth
I had hit highway #2 east with a fuel stop at
Iron River, MI (196 miles) 11:30 pm
Interesting skies
This would be my last fuel stop before the S.S. Marie finish. I was thinking about what a nice ride I had had so far on the Lake Huron SS1000, with great views and the meet-ups in Duluth. The fog then rolled in and the road seem to come to life in the dark. Every forest rat (Deer) on that stretch of highway wanted to check out my bike. Without the use of high beams due to the fog and no Aux. lights, I was very limited on my vision. My speeds were stagnate and my patience, with the lack of signs and GPS, was running thin. I am not sure how many close calls I encountered. I am sure for every rat I saw, there were probably 10 more that I did not see. The tension manifested itself into back pain. Between that and the low speeds, I begun to feel... well... "Unhappy". I swore if I was to have a deer strike and survive, the next passerby would come across a horrific scene. I would jump on top of the creature and commence to... well you remember the scene from "Rocky" when he trains in the meat
locker and turns to the reporters camera with bloody fists? Well, That would be the scene of the accident in their headlights upon discovery. (With the mother shielding the eyes of her child)
The slow progress continued into Marquette, MI on the south shores of Lake Huron. I came into Harvey and missed the left turn to stay on highway #28. I saw the signs too late and since there were headlights behind me, I went through the intersection with the intent of turning around. The blue lights began flashing and I pulled over and surrendered license and registration. The following conversation, to the best of my memory, took place:
LEO- " Do you know why i stopped you? I clocked you at 60 mph in the 45 mph zone "
Me- " Oh?... I guess that makes up for the 45 mph I have been riding in all the 60 mph zones? "
LEO- " Where are you going in such a hurry? "
Me- " Sault Ste Marie "
LEO- " That's a long ways away to be going at this hour- you look tired. "
Me- " I'm almost there "
LEO- " Where are you coming from? "
Me- " Sault Ste. Marie "
LEO- " Sault Ste. Marie? Are you Coherent? "
Me- " I hope so "
LEO- " You said you were going to Sault Ste. Marie- From Sault Ste. Marie?? "
Me- " Yes, I am on a ride around Lake Superior, I started in Sault Ste. Marie and that is also
my destination for completion of my ride"
LEO- " You understand it is not safe for you to be on a motorcycle riding these roads this time
of night? "
" This is the main reason I pulled you over. There have been several reports already tonight
of accidents involving them..."
Me- " Yes Sir, I think I have met most of the deer of which you speak "
LEO- " Can I talk you into getting a place to stay and continue on in the morning, after you have
rested and it is light out "
Me- " I am almost there Sir "
LEO- " Well then be extremely careful on this highway, there is a refuge area (Seney National
Wildlife Refuge)up the road shortly where you will encounter many deer along the roadside "
Me- " I will go slow and be real careful Sir- Thank you for the advice "
LEO- " Good Luck! "
Wow... there went my streak. I had never been pulled over on an IBA ride before...
I continued on until I hit I-75 and jogged north to SS Marie for a full tank filling at 5:04 am. Then went back south to my rest stop at mm #389. But this time I had a plan to avoid an early wake up call by the zealous worker there who would run me out when she arrived every morning. I pulled my bike into a space and laid down along side of it. Dog gone it... I was sleeping in THIS morning! It worked- I woke up ON MY OWN at 7:57 am and departed. That was over 2 and 1/2 hours of good sleep!
Part 2 here:
https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=140156
Original Post
https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=135608&st=0
one trip. I added up the mileage and found it to be around 9,800 miles. With the difficulty obtaining witnesses and cost, it made sense to roll all the rides into a 10/10ths. This saved plenty of time
and hassle of obtaining witnesses and saving some money also with the "Ride Within a Ride" rules.
I put out an invite on the FJR forum thinking there would be no interest. I was wrong. I tweaked
my plans a bit and came up with a rough outline for a ride plan.
THE RIDE NORTH
I returned home from work around 10 pm. I went to the fire station nearby and handed the witness
form to the fire fighters I had pre-arranged for. The alarm went off and ALL of them had to depart
the station, leaving me waiting for their return. There was a picnic table behind the station I
laid down on. As I laid there in a light rain, a grin came to my face as it occurred to me that this scene was merely a foreshadow of things to come. The fire fighters returned soon and willingly signed my witness form for the start. It was now 1030 pm and I had until 4 am to get some rest.3:15 am came fast and I scurried around getting ready. I went to the gas station where I frequently started my rides, My official departure time was 3:59 am July 16th.
Now I had done a 10/10ths before, but with all the rides within this ride, it made planning most difficult. I was bound by an overall schedule and so often times I had to sacrifice a solid ride
plan for overall accomplishment. This was the case for my trip north to Sault Saint Marie, MI where
I would stage for the 3 northern lake SS1000s. I knew Atlanta, GA would be a problem on the way up ... It was. To save my tires I had parked my FJR since my return from Wisconsin the month prior. So the fuel must have been a little flat. I always schedule my first fuel stop on Jacksonville's I- 295 bypass just over the long bridge. My bike started sputtering on the bridge. Wow... what a start, I
was going to run out of gas before my first fuel stop. I coasted to the off ramp and babied the bike into the station there.
Orange Park, FL (283 miles) 7:38 am
Skies in Jacksonville
I decided to run premium fuel the rest of the way.
Forsyth, GA (292 miles) 11:45 am
I then paid dearly for my start time, hitting Atlanta in a noon rush with a construction bottle neck. As I sat there crawling in stop and go traffic, I wondered if the BBG was shot. I finally got up to speed again with a thought that I was through with bad timing issues.
Farragut, TN (263 miles) 4:30 pm
West Chester, OH (285 miles) 8:20 pm
Fenton, MI (271 miles) 12:15 am
Mackinaw City, MI (239 miles) 3:39 am
North on I-75
I finished the BBG in Mackinaw City, Mi at 3:39 am with 1633 miles behind me and only 65 miles to
go before my rest stop. As I crossed the bridge there, a song by Bob Seger came to mind...
ROLL ME AWAY- But I did not stop at a bar to have a brew.
Foreshadow of the storm ?
Before the storm
Rest stop the next morning
LAKE SUPERIOR SS1000
I was soon awakened and departed the rest stop at 7:05 am. to obtain a start receipt of 7:54 am
in S.S. Marie. I then tried a "Short Cut" only to be detoured through the downtown streets and the route to the Canadian border crossing became not so easy to find as it had been with Barry and Wayne just 2 days prior. When I follow I tend not to pay attention to the paths taken,and that came back to bite me. I crossed into Canada into a thick morning fog. My speeds were very conservative as they usually are when I ride in Canada. I was then passed by a Yamaha cruiser snapping me out of my own "Morning Fog". I picked up the pace a bit and rode with him for much of the northern Lake Superior shore ride. As the fog slowly burned off, its fading presence gave way to majestic views. The lake's bays and coves were truly eye candy. I found myself forgetting about time and miles and just enjoying the sights.
Marathon, ON (269 miles) noon
Thunder Bay, ON (194 miles) 3:54 pm
Duluth, MN (181 miles) 7:37 pm
Lake Superior
Somewhere between Marathon, ON and Thunder Bay,ON my face shield flew off the helmet with a
passing truck and another following truck ruined any hope of recovering it. The "Keeps" must have
been worn down from the previous nights heavy wind gusts. I pulled into Duluth to a pleasant surprise. I had noticed a cycle in my mirrors a few times, but thought nothing of it. Now this cycle pulled up beside me and the rider had a familiar face. It was Derek (Stryg8r) who has been one of my most respected riders since I started riding long distance. Derek has a history of accomplishments that
left me quite awestruck when I first met him at the CFO meeting in La Crosse, WI just one month prior to my ride. He shot some photos and we were talking when Paul(IIRC) (pmeysemb) rode up with a sign and joined "The party". I was lucky the two of them had shown up as the cheat sheet I had created for the ride was in error. Paul led me to the connection I needed and sent me on my way.
The following pictures were taken by Derek (Stryg8r)
Following (pmeysemb) out of Duluth
I had hit highway #2 east with a fuel stop at
Iron River, MI (196 miles) 11:30 pm
Interesting skies
This would be my last fuel stop before the S.S. Marie finish. I was thinking about what a nice ride I had had so far on the Lake Huron SS1000, with great views and the meet-ups in Duluth. The fog then rolled in and the road seem to come to life in the dark. Every forest rat (Deer) on that stretch of highway wanted to check out my bike. Without the use of high beams due to the fog and no Aux. lights, I was very limited on my vision. My speeds were stagnate and my patience, with the lack of signs and GPS, was running thin. I am not sure how many close calls I encountered. I am sure for every rat I saw, there were probably 10 more that I did not see. The tension manifested itself into back pain. Between that and the low speeds, I begun to feel... well... "Unhappy". I swore if I was to have a deer strike and survive, the next passerby would come across a horrific scene. I would jump on top of the creature and commence to... well you remember the scene from "Rocky" when he trains in the meat
locker and turns to the reporters camera with bloody fists? Well, That would be the scene of the accident in their headlights upon discovery. (With the mother shielding the eyes of her child)
The slow progress continued into Marquette, MI on the south shores of Lake Huron. I came into Harvey and missed the left turn to stay on highway #28. I saw the signs too late and since there were headlights behind me, I went through the intersection with the intent of turning around. The blue lights began flashing and I pulled over and surrendered license and registration. The following conversation, to the best of my memory, took place:
LEO- " Do you know why i stopped you? I clocked you at 60 mph in the 45 mph zone "
Me- " Oh?... I guess that makes up for the 45 mph I have been riding in all the 60 mph zones? "
LEO- " Where are you going in such a hurry? "
Me- " Sault Ste Marie "
LEO- " That's a long ways away to be going at this hour- you look tired. "
Me- " I'm almost there "
LEO- " Where are you coming from? "
Me- " Sault Ste. Marie "
LEO- " Sault Ste. Marie? Are you Coherent? "
Me- " I hope so "
LEO- " You said you were going to Sault Ste. Marie- From Sault Ste. Marie?? "
Me- " Yes, I am on a ride around Lake Superior, I started in Sault Ste. Marie and that is also
my destination for completion of my ride"
LEO- " You understand it is not safe for you to be on a motorcycle riding these roads this time
of night? "
" This is the main reason I pulled you over. There have been several reports already tonight
of accidents involving them..."
Me- " Yes Sir, I think I have met most of the deer of which you speak "
LEO- " Can I talk you into getting a place to stay and continue on in the morning, after you have
rested and it is light out "
Me- " I am almost there Sir "
LEO- " Well then be extremely careful on this highway, there is a refuge area (Seney National
Wildlife Refuge)up the road shortly where you will encounter many deer along the roadside "
Me- " I will go slow and be real careful Sir- Thank you for the advice "
LEO- " Good Luck! "
Wow... there went my streak. I had never been pulled over on an IBA ride before...
I continued on until I hit I-75 and jogged north to SS Marie for a full tank filling at 5:04 am. Then went back south to my rest stop at mm #389. But this time I had a plan to avoid an early wake up call by the zealous worker there who would run me out when she arrived every morning. I pulled my bike into a space and laid down along side of it. Dog gone it... I was sleeping in THIS morning! It worked- I woke up ON MY OWN at 7:57 am and departed. That was over 2 and 1/2 hours of good sleep!
Part 2 here:
https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=140156
Original Post
https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=135608&st=0
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