2013 Iron Butt Rally - The Inside View

[Niehart]

I see it's a nice comfortable 99 in Green River, UT.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Does the following photo even need a caption? This is what a frontrunner looks like by Day 7 of the Iron Butt Rally:

Absolute Animal. As are all who attempt this endeavor, much less compete to win.

He'll have that helmet impression for a like a week after the rally is over

I also bet that he will still have that "helmet on his head feeling" a week after the rally is over...

 

[BwanaDik]

Whoever the person is that's going thru Houston has turned south on I-45 and not continued east on I-10. This should be interesting. I just checked Transtar and traffic is totally snarled downtown right now. Raining on that exact square mile too, clear everywhere else.

 

[BMWBarb]

Whoever the person is that's going thru Houston has turned south on I-45 and not continued east on I-10. This should be interesting. I just checked Transtar and traffic is totally snarled downtown right now. Raining on that exact square mile too, clear everywhere else.

I see that. I'm about 5 miles from his current location and sun is out. He should be on the front edge of outbound rush hour traffic. Will be interesting to see where he's headed. Space shuttle at Johnson Space Center?? Bolivar Ferry??

 

[velvet fog]

Does the following photo even need a caption? This is what a frontrunner looks like by Day 7 of the Iron Butt Rally:

Absolute Animal. As are all who attempt this endeavor, much less compete to win.

He'll have that helmet impression for a like a week after the rally is over

I also bet that he will still have that "helmet on his head feeling" a week after the rally is over...

You've heard of helmet hair, this is helmet head! Go Iggy!

 

[Warchild]

Whoever the person is that's going thru Houston has turned south on I-45 and not continued east on I-10. This should be interesting. I just checked Transtar and traffic is totally snarled downtown right now. Raining on that exact square mile too, clear everywhere else.

The Houston rider has chosen a curious route, given his very high standing at the end of Checkpoint 2.

Some insider updates on our FJR peeps:

- Iggy is still playing in the Pacific Northwest, along with Howard Entman.

- Wendy is with that batch of riders in the AZ/NM area.

- eeksnake is also in Arizona, but not near the large cluster of riders there.

- TriggerT is behind Wendy by several miles - I bet neither knows the presence of the other.

- Rusty also choose the southern route, he scarfing up NM bonuses right now.

- Paul Pelland is enjoying Canada.

- stryg8r is in the rocking chair between Wendy and TriggerT.

- Colin24...... *sigh*... still in Canada...

- Eric V is currently in that large group of AZ riders...

 

[Hello Kitty]

My stalking knows no bounds. Jason Jonas has provided me with yet another tool in my bag o tricks.

Last night, I dispatched a soldier in Kitty's Army of Stalkers to intercept a rider in NV. This was one of the folks who headed more or less due east out of CP2, Bob RIppy. Though I offered many words of encouragement for a stop at Walmart for a bra and pom poms, this soldier's price was beyond the price I was willing to pay in my negotiations. Wimp. No photo, but he caught up to Bob and held up a sign with some encouraging words. Made my night.

And this morning, about 10:30 PDT, another soldier in Kitty's Army of Stalkers intercepted many riders at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. He sent me a few cell phone pics he took and will send a few more 'real camera' ones later. These are from Pat Clark:

Colin Firth

Kevin Sawatsky

And a favorite for the podium, our very own Iggy looking somewhat fresher than some other photos we've seen recently

 

[BwanaDik]

Whoever the person is that's going thru Houston has turned south on I-45 and not continued east on I-10. This should be interesting. I just checked Transtar and traffic is totally snarled downtown right now. Raining on that exact square mile too, clear everywhere else.

I see that. I'm about 5 miles from his current location and sun is out. He should be on the front edge of outbound rush hour traffic. Will be interesting to see where he's headed. Space shuttle at Johnson Space Center?? Bolivar Ferry??

I don't know how he did it but he made it from downtown to Seawall Blvd in less than an hour. HOV lane? He's not at Seawolf park, seems to be hanging around Stewart Beach Park. What's there?

 

[Hello Kitty]

Gotta be the ferry. There was so much ferry action in the NW. Maybe combined with some NC ferries? Or Cape May - Lewes? Can't be the ferry to Key West, can it????

 

[Timmer]

It was very cool to see the Spot tracker dots converge on the Seattle area and at the Museum of Flight they were just a few miles from my home. It was hard to watch those markers without heading down, but I didn't want to disrupt any rhythm they might be in. There's pic's of Iggy and another FJR rider on I-5 near Bellingham on the ADVRider thread.

 

[Timmer]

Gotta be the ferry. There was so much ferry action in the NW. Maybe combined with some NC ferries? Or Cape May - Lewes? Can't be the ferry to Key West, can it????

On Vancouver Island at Sidney, there has to be a high point bonus for so many riders attempting it.

 

[DeweyIsgod]

I'm betting that the Space Center is a destination for this leg given the transportation theme...maybe a picture of the Apollo capsule there. Although the strange part is that 105 looks to have taken the ferry from Galveston to the Bolivar Peninsula. That ferry can be very slow, so it's either part of a ferry bonus or he thought there would be too much traffic heading directly back to I-10.

From the looks of the crowd heading this direction through El Paso, we'll have clarification by tomorrow evening.

 

[Twigg]

Gotta be the ferry. There was so much ferry action in the NW. Maybe combined with some NC ferries? Or Cape May - Lewes? Can't be the ferry to Key West, can it????

It was the ferry ... He's crossed over.

 

[LowAndSilent]

Whoever the person is that's going thru Houston has turned south on I-45 and not continued east on I-10. This should be interesting. I just checked Transtar and traffic is totally snarled downtown right now. Raining on that exact square mile too, clear everywhere else.

The Houston rider has chosen a curious route, given his very high standing at the end of Checkpoint 2. Some insider updates on our FJR peeps: - Iggy is still playing in the Pacific Northwest, along with Howard Entman. - Wendy is with that batch of riders in the AZ/NM area. - eeksnake is also in Arizona, but not near the large cluster of riders there. - TriggerT is behind Wendy by several miles - I bet neither knows the presence of the other. - Rusty also choose the southern route, he scarfing up NM bonuses right now. - Paul Pelland is enjoying Canada. - stryg8r is in the rocking chair between Wendy and TriggerT. - Colin24...... *sigh*... still in Canada... - Eric V is currently in that large group of AZ riders...

Thank you, again!

Any idea how Perry is doing?

 

[Warchild]

Pat Clark reports (ripped from FB):

Just finished hanging out at The Museum of Flight here in Seattle. It was nice talking to several of the riders as they waited for the bonus to open. Everyone looked well rested and in high spirits. Well, mostly. The Hopeless class rider on the XS1100 looked like, well, lets just say he didn't look as rested as the others. Matt Watkins was in great spirits and looked well rested. Kevin Sawatsky, Robert Reid, Colin Goodall and the two up team of Pat Ford/Becky Martinez all looked good, bagged the bonus and headed north into the wonderful Seattle traffic.

 

[Mike Aldea]

Galveston - Port Bolivar ferry is my guess.

 

[DNA]

Pat Clark reports (ripped from FB):

Just finished hanging out at The Museum of Flight here in Seattle. It was nice talking to several of the riders as they waited for the bonus to open. Everyone looked well rested and in high spirits. Well, mostly. The Hopeless class rider on the XS1100 looked like, well, lets just say he didn't look as rested as the others. Matt Watkins was in great spirits and looked well rested. Kevin Sawatsky, Robert Reid, Colin Goodall and the two up team of Pat Ford/Becky Martinez all looked good, bagged the bonus and headed north into the wonderful Seattle traffic.

Thanks for this, my concern for Scott T grows - he has to do well to finish and he was fighting through challenges in Sac.

How are people classified that make it back to the finish line but without the required points?

DNF on points?

 

[BwanaDik]

Galveston - Port Bolivar ferry is my guess.

90 miles to his current position........Looks like he's heading for I-10

 

[Hello Kitty]

Yes, DNF on points

Paul PELOQUIN!!!!!!!!!!!! Pelland is the other loud mouth

 

[Hello Kitty]

Let me preface this by saying that I know nothing of the bonus pack other than what's been deciphered here and other places. But, our Houston rider either planned real well, or got real lucky. Looks like s/he skirted the leading edge of Houston traffic and is getting back onto I-10 and environs after the evening rush. Appears to be making good time at any rate.

That ferry must be worth a lot. We'll see if all these other I-10 riders start heading down there tomorrow. I'm very curious to know what this Houston rider is after. Cape Canaveral? Got to be big points. Probably real risky ride, but with a big reward. I suppose we'll find out Friday evening.