Warchild
Benevolent Dictator
A bummer aspect of a summer that is completely jammed-packed with events - every single weekend - is that one can hardly find time to sit down long enough to bang out a proper ride report. Thus far, this summer has been brutal with time-constraints, but on July 28th, I was able to complete an in-state Saddle Sore 1000 while scarfing up all seven Nevada Tour of Honor memorials.
Tour of Honor ==> https://tourofhonor.com/
The plan was to jam down to my friend Brian Robert's place in Fernley (just south of the first ToH Memorial at Gerlach.), and start the SaddleSore from there about 1am on Saturday morning, and finish about 1100 miles later in Winnemucca. I would cruise on down to Fernley on Friday, July 27th, get there around early evening, sleep 3-4 hours, then up at around midnight to start the run.
Sadly, a maintenance item almost stopped this run in its tracks, and repairing it set up a very unfortunate domino effect that resulted in me not getting the appropriate amount of rest before departure. This would come back to haunt me later in the weekend. What happened was this: Tuesday evening before the run, I went to remove both wheels to mount fresh Avon Storms on the bike. I struggled unusually when trying to remove the right caliper, and when I did, I was horrified to see the reason why: the inboard pistons on the right caliper were completely caked with road grime, preventing the pistons from returning to their cylinders, keeping the brake pad "laid up" against the rotor, and therefore wearing that inboard brake pad down *almost* to its metal backing plate!
I immediately called my dealership the next morning to see if they had Hayabusa brake pads in stock. Of course, they did not, but I could special order them and they would arrive tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. Great, that's what I want to do, change tires and overhaul brake calipers the night before a 2500-mile ride!
No choice in the matter, so that's what I did, and didn't finish up until almost midnight that Thursday evening. That made that 4am departure pretty sweet, lemme tells ya!
Gerlach/The Start:
================
The first Nevada ToH memorial was in the middle of the big, black empty Black Rock Desert, located a couple miles north of Gerlach. I knew there would be no way to capture this Memorial at night when I when I started, so like last year in the Utah ToH, I snapped of a couple "insurance" shots in the late afternoon sun:
Below, the bike at the soft-sand entrance to the IBA Memorial (you can see the brown IBA picnic table at the center top of this pic). I had already rode about 100 yards of dirt/gravel/sand just to get here, but the remaining 25 yards was a lot more soft sand, so I parked the bike here:
And the requisite rally towel with the Circle of Honor photo:
Departed Brian's around 1am Saturday morning, and dashed south and west to score the Carson City LEO memorial. Fortunately, at this time of night, no one is around to object to bringing the bike right up to the memorial for the photo:
Off I go now for a long night-time stretch to Tonopah, backtracking against the same HWY 50 I had taken coming into Carson City, then turning south onto HWY 95. The night sky was awesome around the Lake Walker area near Hawthorn, and the eastern sky was just starting to light up as dawn approached.
Continued on Hwy 95 and made it to Tonopah in the clear dawn light. The "Big Bill Murphy" memorial was right on the main drag through Tonopah, and made for an easy shot right off Main St:
LEO Encounter
===========
Now I point the bike south towards Beatty and the two memorials in the Vegas/Boulder City area. As I hum the bike down desolate HWY 95 at a brisk pace, I round a fairly stiff sweeper only to be lit up by instant-on radar from a bored County Sheriff. Erp! I was on the side of the road in no time, and had a pleasant chat with The Man. He asked if I was in a hurry, and I truthfully answered, yes, I was in a hurry, as I wanted to get in and out of the Las Vegas furnace early in the morning, to avoid excessive heat. Then I explained the entire ToH concept to him, showed him my rally flag and printed directions to Vegas, Boulder City, Mesquite, etc.
He listened intently, nodded many times, and admired the aux fuel cell and insulated water container while I spoke. When I was done, he handed my license back to me and warned me of the large presence of NHP in North Las Vegas, and sent me on my way! Woo-Hoo!!
That could have ended differently....
Las Vegas, NY,NY statue
=====================
In my quest to try to get the bike in every single ToH memorial photo I took this year, I knew that the NY, NY statue would present a difficult situation. There is no truly legal area to park the bike in front of this statue to get the picture, as it resides at one of the most congested, busy downtown intersections of all Las Vegas: the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Ave. But a close scrutiny of a Google Earth photo suggested there was a small, triangular-shaped concrete "traffic island" immediately in front of the statue.
The plan was to pull a U-turn and try to scramble the bike up on this traffic island via its handicapped ramps.
The plan worked.... and resulted in an awesome photo!
Another photo that shows the memorial trinkets encased in glass around the base of the statue:
Boulder City:
==========
Now it is 9:45am, and it's 99 degrees already. I could tell the heat (coupled with fatigue) was starting to affect me.... I was pounding down water like there was no tomorrow, but I knew I was doing a marginal job of staying hydrated. Most of my bike movements didn't seem as "crisp" as they were earlier. I roll off the traffic island and jam back on the interstate to travel the 25 miles to Boulder City, and scored this neat memorial at the Veteran's Park:
Now I had to refuel for the first time, and decided to grab a 6" Subway sammich before continuing. Spending a little time in the air-conditioned Subway wouldn't hurt, either.... I was just about starting to feel a little whoosy, and the temp had climbed to 106 in the shade. I again filled the 1.25 gallon water chest with ice and water. It was roughly 110 miles from Boulder City and Mesquite, and the interstate road surface was hot, hot, HOT! I rolled through the burning desert, frequently taking long pulls on the drinking tube... and ran out of water after 75 miles!
Heat Trouble:
===========
I made it to Mesquite, pulled off the interstate, and as I came to a halt at the off-ramp; I knew I was right on the doorstep of some significant heat trouble. Fortunately, I was still sweating like a whore in church, which was a good sign. I rode to the closest gas station with a food mart, dashed inside and asked if I could sit in the beer/soda refrigerator for a few minutes. The clerk took one look at me and said, "Right this way!" and led me back to the cooler door. I opened it and went inside (42 degrees!), and sat there for a good 10-15 minutes, and emerged a completely new man.
It's not the first time I had to use this old Endurance Rider's trick of sitting in a beer cooler when riding in triple digit temps...
Fully refreshed, I rolled the bike over to the two cannons comprising the Mesquite memorial, and snapped off a good pic:
While I was still pretty hot and tired, I had 6 of the 7 ToH memorials all wrapped up....
And the last memorial is only 500 miles away, riding in the late afternoon desert sun!
The Hot 500 Miles
==========
Now for the most gnarley part of this SaddleSore.... 500 miles of burning desert of temps well above 100 degrees, and riding some of the most desolate roads in this country.... Hwy 93, HWY 375 Extraterrestrial Highway, HWY 6, HWY 376, HWY 305. These Nevada roads are as desolate as they are fast. I jammed up Hwy 93 until I reached Ash Springs, where I prudently re-fueled for the looooooooong dash to Austin.
Now striking out and blasting northwest on the ET Highway, I again almost ran out of water nearing Rachel (still had ice... just no water!) I stopped by the Little A'lien Inn for more water, and continued onward to Warm Springs in short order. Turned west on Hwy 6 for about 43 miles, then head north on Hwy 376. As I passed the Round Mountain area, I noticed that the ambient temps were below 100 for the first time in many, many hours... woo-hoo!
Refueled at Austin for a event-low of 28 mpg..... the roads had been very fast......
Flew up Hwy 305 to Battle Mountain, and turned west on I-80 to look directly into the setting sun for a loooooooong 50 miles.
Mercifully, Winnemucca finally appeared on the horizon, and upon reaching it, I take the final exit for Hwy 95 north, where the final Nevada ToH memorial stood at the Veteran's Memorial north of town:
Epilogue:
========
Even with the heat, this was an exceptional run... thanks to Steve Brooks for sponsoring this state!
Will post up Sigma stats and SPOT breadcrumbs tonight...
Tour of Honor ==> https://tourofhonor.com/
The plan was to jam down to my friend Brian Robert's place in Fernley (just south of the first ToH Memorial at Gerlach.), and start the SaddleSore from there about 1am on Saturday morning, and finish about 1100 miles later in Winnemucca. I would cruise on down to Fernley on Friday, July 27th, get there around early evening, sleep 3-4 hours, then up at around midnight to start the run.
Sadly, a maintenance item almost stopped this run in its tracks, and repairing it set up a very unfortunate domino effect that resulted in me not getting the appropriate amount of rest before departure. This would come back to haunt me later in the weekend. What happened was this: Tuesday evening before the run, I went to remove both wheels to mount fresh Avon Storms on the bike. I struggled unusually when trying to remove the right caliper, and when I did, I was horrified to see the reason why: the inboard pistons on the right caliper were completely caked with road grime, preventing the pistons from returning to their cylinders, keeping the brake pad "laid up" against the rotor, and therefore wearing that inboard brake pad down *almost* to its metal backing plate!
I immediately called my dealership the next morning to see if they had Hayabusa brake pads in stock. Of course, they did not, but I could special order them and they would arrive tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. Great, that's what I want to do, change tires and overhaul brake calipers the night before a 2500-mile ride!
Gerlach/The Start:
================
The first Nevada ToH memorial was in the middle of the big, black empty Black Rock Desert, located a couple miles north of Gerlach. I knew there would be no way to capture this Memorial at night when I when I started, so like last year in the Utah ToH, I snapped of a couple "insurance" shots in the late afternoon sun:
Below, the bike at the soft-sand entrance to the IBA Memorial (you can see the brown IBA picnic table at the center top of this pic). I had already rode about 100 yards of dirt/gravel/sand just to get here, but the remaining 25 yards was a lot more soft sand, so I parked the bike here:
And the requisite rally towel with the Circle of Honor photo:
Departed Brian's around 1am Saturday morning, and dashed south and west to score the Carson City LEO memorial. Fortunately, at this time of night, no one is around to object to bringing the bike right up to the memorial for the photo:
Off I go now for a long night-time stretch to Tonopah, backtracking against the same HWY 50 I had taken coming into Carson City, then turning south onto HWY 95. The night sky was awesome around the Lake Walker area near Hawthorn, and the eastern sky was just starting to light up as dawn approached.
Continued on Hwy 95 and made it to Tonopah in the clear dawn light. The "Big Bill Murphy" memorial was right on the main drag through Tonopah, and made for an easy shot right off Main St:
LEO Encounter
===========
Now I point the bike south towards Beatty and the two memorials in the Vegas/Boulder City area. As I hum the bike down desolate HWY 95 at a brisk pace, I round a fairly stiff sweeper only to be lit up by instant-on radar from a bored County Sheriff. Erp! I was on the side of the road in no time, and had a pleasant chat with The Man. He asked if I was in a hurry, and I truthfully answered, yes, I was in a hurry, as I wanted to get in and out of the Las Vegas furnace early in the morning, to avoid excessive heat. Then I explained the entire ToH concept to him, showed him my rally flag and printed directions to Vegas, Boulder City, Mesquite, etc.
He listened intently, nodded many times, and admired the aux fuel cell and insulated water container while I spoke. When I was done, he handed my license back to me and warned me of the large presence of NHP in North Las Vegas, and sent me on my way! Woo-Hoo!!
Las Vegas, NY,NY statue
=====================
In my quest to try to get the bike in every single ToH memorial photo I took this year, I knew that the NY, NY statue would present a difficult situation. There is no truly legal area to park the bike in front of this statue to get the picture, as it resides at one of the most congested, busy downtown intersections of all Las Vegas: the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Ave. But a close scrutiny of a Google Earth photo suggested there was a small, triangular-shaped concrete "traffic island" immediately in front of the statue.
The plan was to pull a U-turn and try to scramble the bike up on this traffic island via its handicapped ramps.
The plan worked.... and resulted in an awesome photo!
Another photo that shows the memorial trinkets encased in glass around the base of the statue:
Boulder City:
==========
Now it is 9:45am, and it's 99 degrees already. I could tell the heat (coupled with fatigue) was starting to affect me.... I was pounding down water like there was no tomorrow, but I knew I was doing a marginal job of staying hydrated. Most of my bike movements didn't seem as "crisp" as they were earlier. I roll off the traffic island and jam back on the interstate to travel the 25 miles to Boulder City, and scored this neat memorial at the Veteran's Park:
Now I had to refuel for the first time, and decided to grab a 6" Subway sammich before continuing. Spending a little time in the air-conditioned Subway wouldn't hurt, either.... I was just about starting to feel a little whoosy, and the temp had climbed to 106 in the shade. I again filled the 1.25 gallon water chest with ice and water. It was roughly 110 miles from Boulder City and Mesquite, and the interstate road surface was hot, hot, HOT! I rolled through the burning desert, frequently taking long pulls on the drinking tube... and ran out of water after 75 miles!
Heat Trouble:
===========
I made it to Mesquite, pulled off the interstate, and as I came to a halt at the off-ramp; I knew I was right on the doorstep of some significant heat trouble. Fortunately, I was still sweating like a whore in church, which was a good sign. I rode to the closest gas station with a food mart, dashed inside and asked if I could sit in the beer/soda refrigerator for a few minutes. The clerk took one look at me and said, "Right this way!" and led me back to the cooler door. I opened it and went inside (42 degrees!), and sat there for a good 10-15 minutes, and emerged a completely new man.
It's not the first time I had to use this old Endurance Rider's trick of sitting in a beer cooler when riding in triple digit temps...
Fully refreshed, I rolled the bike over to the two cannons comprising the Mesquite memorial, and snapped off a good pic:
While I was still pretty hot and tired, I had 6 of the 7 ToH memorials all wrapped up....
And the last memorial is only 500 miles away, riding in the late afternoon desert sun!
The Hot 500 Miles
==========
Now for the most gnarley part of this SaddleSore.... 500 miles of burning desert of temps well above 100 degrees, and riding some of the most desolate roads in this country.... Hwy 93, HWY 375 Extraterrestrial Highway, HWY 6, HWY 376, HWY 305. These Nevada roads are as desolate as they are fast. I jammed up Hwy 93 until I reached Ash Springs, where I prudently re-fueled for the looooooooong dash to Austin.
Now striking out and blasting northwest on the ET Highway, I again almost ran out of water nearing Rachel (still had ice... just no water!) I stopped by the Little A'lien Inn for more water, and continued onward to Warm Springs in short order. Turned west on Hwy 6 for about 43 miles, then head north on Hwy 376. As I passed the Round Mountain area, I noticed that the ambient temps were below 100 for the first time in many, many hours... woo-hoo!
Refueled at Austin for a event-low of 28 mpg..... the roads had been very fast......
Flew up Hwy 305 to Battle Mountain, and turned west on I-80 to look directly into the setting sun for a loooooooong 50 miles.
Epilogue:
========
Even with the heat, this was an exceptional run... thanks to Steve Brooks for sponsoring this state!
Will post up Sigma stats and SPOT breadcrumbs tonight...
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