Sharif
Well-known member
I had perfect weather for my first SS1K and accidental BB attempt. My route was pretty straightforward – I-90 starting in South Bend, IN across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota to Rapid City, then on to Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore. Being the first attempt, I elected a route which would be on the northern side of the country for heat purposes and allow me to pick up speed as I headed west in case I was behind.
I went to sleep around 8 pm and was up around 12:30 or so. I showered, ate, suited up, and putted down to the gas station for my start receipt, which printed 01:28 am EST. It was a beautiful night ride with minimal traffic in Chicago, and I didn’t stop for gas until just outside Madison, WI at 3:59 CST. Temperatures were in the low 60s – perfect.
The sun started to come up shortly after my gas stop. I-90 across Wisconsin is beautiful, with morning mist hiding in hollows and very little traffic.
I crossed the Mississippi after sunrise and continued west at an easy pace, feeling really good. Weather continued to be great, and I didn’t stop again until Austin, MN at 07:16 CST. This was a bit of a longer stop, as I took down one of the sandwiches I had brought along.
Moving along smartly, I consumed Minnesota and stopped for gas in Sioux Falls, SD at 10:15 CST. Relatively short stop, and I continued west. Starting to feel a bit warmer now, as temps nosed into the mid-80s.
Picking up the pace a bit, I stopped for gas again in Chamberlain, SD at 12:35 CST. 814 miles gone in about 12 hours, and I was feeling like the 24 mark was going to be a piece of cake on this route. At this point, the temperature was up around 93 or so, and I was feeling hot and getting ready to be done.
I quickly ate another sandwich, then headed on down the road at a more relaxed pace. I figured I had time now to take in the sites a bit. I pitted in Wall, SD, to pick up some souveniers for the wife/kids. I was going to go through the Badlands and into Rapid City from the south, but the worker at the park entrance advised me against it due to construction. I was pretty disappointed by that, so I just turned around, headed back to I-90, and finished with a blast to Rapid City.
Since I had plenty of time, I ambled over to Crazy Horse (the buses were closed due to hail!), the Mount Rushmore before heading into Rapid City for a final gas receipt at 6:19, MST.
Total time was 19:19 with about 1070 miles done.
I slept hard, woke up at 05:00 MST, looked at the clock, and figured I could easily take down the additional mileage for a Bun Burner. So, I suited up and headed east, making great time across South Dakota. I made Sioux Falls by 10:09 CST. At that point, I figured I had until about noon CST to start thinking about the final gas receipt, so I took it easy, took some pictures around the MN/SD border, and got off the interstate.
I took route 4 to 11 in MN before picking up 9 in Iowa, taking that in to Spirit Lake, IA for a final receipt stamped 12:00 noon.
I need to organize all my paperwork and whatnot and get it submitted – all in all, a great first experience. Rain around Rushmore, but beyond that, the weather was perfect.
Observations:
• Great rain bike
• Adjustable windscreen – essential, will never have another without it!
• Needs:
o Cruise control/throttle lock
o GPS
My bike is bone stock with the exception of freshly-mounted PR2s and the rear reflectors from Alex @ realtimeindustries.
Oh yes, this was the inaugural ride for my Olympia Phantom. I wore socks, running shorts, and a long-sleeve t-shirt underneath it for three days at 2260 miles. It worked wonderfully, got plenty of looks from other drivers in hi-viz, and flowed air no problem. Getting in and out was a piece of cake, primarily because I never took it off.
I wore a 1-liter camelback/hydrapak hip pack, and everything just came out great.
If you’ve never done an SS1K and are looking for a great route, I would definitely recommend going west. The weekend prior, I drove the family out to the east coast, and considering the amount of traffic on 80 through NJ into NYC and 95 up into CT, the traffic was just higher and the speeds were lower.
South Dakota was amazing. I really want to get back and continue west into Wyoming, Idaho, etc.
If you're interested in pics, check these out.
Looking forward to getting the IBA license plate frame!
-Sharif
I went to sleep around 8 pm and was up around 12:30 or so. I showered, ate, suited up, and putted down to the gas station for my start receipt, which printed 01:28 am EST. It was a beautiful night ride with minimal traffic in Chicago, and I didn’t stop for gas until just outside Madison, WI at 3:59 CST. Temperatures were in the low 60s – perfect.
The sun started to come up shortly after my gas stop. I-90 across Wisconsin is beautiful, with morning mist hiding in hollows and very little traffic.
I crossed the Mississippi after sunrise and continued west at an easy pace, feeling really good. Weather continued to be great, and I didn’t stop again until Austin, MN at 07:16 CST. This was a bit of a longer stop, as I took down one of the sandwiches I had brought along.
Moving along smartly, I consumed Minnesota and stopped for gas in Sioux Falls, SD at 10:15 CST. Relatively short stop, and I continued west. Starting to feel a bit warmer now, as temps nosed into the mid-80s.
Picking up the pace a bit, I stopped for gas again in Chamberlain, SD at 12:35 CST. 814 miles gone in about 12 hours, and I was feeling like the 24 mark was going to be a piece of cake on this route. At this point, the temperature was up around 93 or so, and I was feeling hot and getting ready to be done.
I quickly ate another sandwich, then headed on down the road at a more relaxed pace. I figured I had time now to take in the sites a bit. I pitted in Wall, SD, to pick up some souveniers for the wife/kids. I was going to go through the Badlands and into Rapid City from the south, but the worker at the park entrance advised me against it due to construction. I was pretty disappointed by that, so I just turned around, headed back to I-90, and finished with a blast to Rapid City.
Since I had plenty of time, I ambled over to Crazy Horse (the buses were closed due to hail!), the Mount Rushmore before heading into Rapid City for a final gas receipt at 6:19, MST.
Total time was 19:19 with about 1070 miles done.
I slept hard, woke up at 05:00 MST, looked at the clock, and figured I could easily take down the additional mileage for a Bun Burner. So, I suited up and headed east, making great time across South Dakota. I made Sioux Falls by 10:09 CST. At that point, I figured I had until about noon CST to start thinking about the final gas receipt, so I took it easy, took some pictures around the MN/SD border, and got off the interstate.
I took route 4 to 11 in MN before picking up 9 in Iowa, taking that in to Spirit Lake, IA for a final receipt stamped 12:00 noon.
I need to organize all my paperwork and whatnot and get it submitted – all in all, a great first experience. Rain around Rushmore, but beyond that, the weather was perfect.
Observations:
• Great rain bike
• Adjustable windscreen – essential, will never have another without it!
• Needs:
o Cruise control/throttle lock
o GPS
My bike is bone stock with the exception of freshly-mounted PR2s and the rear reflectors from Alex @ realtimeindustries.
Oh yes, this was the inaugural ride for my Olympia Phantom. I wore socks, running shorts, and a long-sleeve t-shirt underneath it for three days at 2260 miles. It worked wonderfully, got plenty of looks from other drivers in hi-viz, and flowed air no problem. Getting in and out was a piece of cake, primarily because I never took it off.
I wore a 1-liter camelback/hydrapak hip pack, and everything just came out great.
If you’ve never done an SS1K and are looking for a great route, I would definitely recommend going west. The weekend prior, I drove the family out to the east coast, and considering the amount of traffic on 80 through NJ into NYC and 95 up into CT, the traffic was just higher and the speeds were lower.
South Dakota was amazing. I really want to get back and continue west into Wyoming, Idaho, etc.
If you're interested in pics, check these out.
Looking forward to getting the IBA license plate frame!
-Sharif
