Looked like nearly a 12 hr stop.
Preparing for Lap of Florida, first Run at IBA Certification & first Vacation
- Thread starter bikerbuddha
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
Kaelaria
Well-known member
He's had some setbacks and the schedule is out the window. Unfortunately we had to reschedule the photoshoot twice already but I'm out of time for the third shot and can't do a shoot by the time he would be up here, if he comes this way going back now. He said he's had a lot of gear trouble, was almost falling asleep riding and had to stop at an expensive hotel in the keys that messed him up further.
Sorry to hear about his troubles. I think he's learned one of the realities of LD riding. Sometimes the best laid plans can go awry. But this experience will definitely help him on his next attempt. Maybe he can still pull this one off though. Hope he does.
Kaelaria
Well-known member
He's making real good time so far today, he's about 4 hours away...that only leaves a 40 minute window for any delays, but he might make it here for the shoot. We'll see. He would have to not stop to eat or rest for very long between now and then.
Kaelaria
Well-known member
Well scratch that, he's sightseeing instead down south LOL Good luck on the legs home man!
Forgive my ignorance, but what's up with all this talk about photo shoots?
Kaelaria
Well-known member
He was planning the trip timeframe around reproducing the shot in clearwater you see as my Avatar.
Kaelaria
Well-known member
He said he's still in Tampa visiting a friend and will be over for a shoot later today 
rushes
Well-known member
Odd LD thread gits more odder....
Kaelaria
Well-known member
Shoot successful I'll let him share when he gets home/time. He stopped in Tampa for the night to visit another friend and have dinner. He left me in Tarpon Springs around 7:30. He said it's a relaxing vacation from this point lol I did a cool 10 min interview with him and he talked about all the mods, what's working, what didn't etc. The vid will be on my site later tonight.
I'll let him share when he gets home/time. He stopped in Tampa for the night to visit another friend and have dinner. He left me in Tarpon Springs around 7:30. He said it's a relaxing vacation from this point lol I did a cool 10 min interview with him and he talked about all the mods, what's working, what didn't etc. The vid will be on my site later tonight.
bikerbuddha
Well-known member
First of all I apologize to those of you I sucked in with tales of my first Iron Butt attempt. I failed. If this bothers you stop reading here, if not feel free to continue reading.
Day 1
The ride started a little late at 4:05PM Tuesday, May 5th, I went to nearby gas station to top of fuel, get receipt and find a witness. At this point I am merely 2 miles from my apartment. My bike which is an FJR1300AE is an automatic that is activated by depressing a tiny button on the handlebars. I started to remove the tank bag to put the gas in and immediately, popped loose the tiny button, hearing it bounce on the ground away from the bike, it’s a little gray piece, which was particularly hard to find on the gas station concrete. Now realize, I haven’t even put gas in the bike yet, and I may not be able to go on the trip because I can’t shift the (clutch) well.
Part is quickly located, but will not go back on/in to button. Ok light still comes on system still activates. Start filling gas and IBA start/witness paperwork. Get employee to witness, and tell him what I am doing and I should be back in about 2 days.
First leg of trip is uneventful, quick stretch of interstate mostly from Montgomery to Gulf Shores, AL Waffle House. Order sausage egg & cheese on toast to go. Start filling out paperwork, and take quick restroom break. Check weather on phone using my radar app. Indicates that there is rain somewhere on the next leg to Jacksonville. Slightly worried about my boot, but put on my Road Gear Rain Gear, and mentally I am prepared.
Drive to Jacksonville is mostly uneventful, but on the way I realize, I did not calculate for the time change, so I have lost an hour, no worries I have a 2 hour nap built into to this next stop, I can just cut an hour off. I get to my buddies house, he is gone but I have the key. Now where did I put it? I pull up to the house and park in the driveway. Go the front door and immediately notice, it has two locks, and I only have one key. I start to wonder, did he forget or did he just lock one lock, and which lock is it.
I start jiggling the key in the top lock, I hear movement but not that satisfying click or thump that lets you know you are in. So I try the bottom lock. Key goes in but I hear little to nothing moving. Several thoughts are running through my head. Did he test the key before he gave it to me? Isn’t Florida a Stand Your Ground State? Do they have an armed and active neighborhood watch association? How much sleep time is this goanna cost me? Should I wake this Mutha F_____ up? After 30 mins. I make the call. Hey, sorry to wake you, but did you test the key? No I had it made when I was in Alabama! My heart sinks; I am in the process of losing my rest stop, because this Mutha F_____ didn’t test the key. For about another 20-30 minutes I follow suggestions for proper key insertion and jiggle. Finally I get a click and a thump and I am in.
Now for my next level of disappointment. My buddy is single but engaged, he just moved to Florida 6 months ago. I asked him for bare minimum of comfort. He has provided that! An underinflated air mattress in the middle of the living room floor. No sheets, no pillows, no towel, no washcloth, no food, and finally no toilet paper. Jacksonville water must be bad, as the toilet has a yellow crust to it underneath the water. He warned me not to drink the tap water. He has been going back and forth from Jacksonville to Montgomery, as his fiancée was pregnant, and just delivered the baby two weeks ago. I mentally cut him some slack, but I will give him some grief later. I am quickly reminded by the living room carpet that I have a boot issue. The right boot is literally 1/3 of the way peeled back. He offers me his boots, but they are not the right size. I get off the phone with him so he can rest for work. In the meantime I have pulled the bike into the garage and begin stripping down some bags from the bike so I can change out of my rain gear.
I lay down to take a quick nap, to make up for lost time I can only sleep about 45 minutes. Sadly, I wake up 3 hours later when the sun comes through the living room window. Shoot, I forgot to set my alarm. I quickly get dressed and run straight into Jacksonville and Amelia Island Morning traffic.
Day 1
The ride started a little late at 4:05PM Tuesday, May 5th, I went to nearby gas station to top of fuel, get receipt and find a witness. At this point I am merely 2 miles from my apartment. My bike which is an FJR1300AE is an automatic that is activated by depressing a tiny button on the handlebars. I started to remove the tank bag to put the gas in and immediately, popped loose the tiny button, hearing it bounce on the ground away from the bike, it’s a little gray piece, which was particularly hard to find on the gas station concrete. Now realize, I haven’t even put gas in the bike yet, and I may not be able to go on the trip because I can’t shift the (clutch) well.
Part is quickly located, but will not go back on/in to button. Ok light still comes on system still activates. Start filling gas and IBA start/witness paperwork. Get employee to witness, and tell him what I am doing and I should be back in about 2 days.
First leg of trip is uneventful, quick stretch of interstate mostly from Montgomery to Gulf Shores, AL Waffle House. Order sausage egg & cheese on toast to go. Start filling out paperwork, and take quick restroom break. Check weather on phone using my radar app. Indicates that there is rain somewhere on the next leg to Jacksonville. Slightly worried about my boot, but put on my Road Gear Rain Gear, and mentally I am prepared.
Drive to Jacksonville is mostly uneventful, but on the way I realize, I did not calculate for the time change, so I have lost an hour, no worries I have a 2 hour nap built into to this next stop, I can just cut an hour off. I get to my buddies house, he is gone but I have the key. Now where did I put it? I pull up to the house and park in the driveway. Go the front door and immediately notice, it has two locks, and I only have one key. I start to wonder, did he forget or did he just lock one lock, and which lock is it.
I start jiggling the key in the top lock, I hear movement but not that satisfying click or thump that lets you know you are in. So I try the bottom lock. Key goes in but I hear little to nothing moving. Several thoughts are running through my head. Did he test the key before he gave it to me? Isn’t Florida a Stand Your Ground State? Do they have an armed and active neighborhood watch association? How much sleep time is this goanna cost me? Should I wake this Mutha F_____ up? After 30 mins. I make the call. Hey, sorry to wake you, but did you test the key? No I had it made when I was in Alabama! My heart sinks; I am in the process of losing my rest stop, because this Mutha F_____ didn’t test the key. For about another 20-30 minutes I follow suggestions for proper key insertion and jiggle. Finally I get a click and a thump and I am in.
Now for my next level of disappointment. My buddy is single but engaged, he just moved to Florida 6 months ago. I asked him for bare minimum of comfort. He has provided that! An underinflated air mattress in the middle of the living room floor. No sheets, no pillows, no towel, no washcloth, no food, and finally no toilet paper. Jacksonville water must be bad, as the toilet has a yellow crust to it underneath the water. He warned me not to drink the tap water. He has been going back and forth from Jacksonville to Montgomery, as his fiancée was pregnant, and just delivered the baby two weeks ago. I mentally cut him some slack, but I will give him some grief later. I am quickly reminded by the living room carpet that I have a boot issue. The right boot is literally 1/3 of the way peeled back. He offers me his boots, but they are not the right size. I get off the phone with him so he can rest for work. In the meantime I have pulled the bike into the garage and begin stripping down some bags from the bike so I can change out of my rain gear.
I lay down to take a quick nap, to make up for lost time I can only sleep about 45 minutes. Sadly, I wake up 3 hours later when the sun comes through the living room window. Shoot, I forgot to set my alarm. I quickly get dressed and run straight into Jacksonville and Amelia Island Morning traffic.
rushes
Well-known member
Niehart
Pie Smuggler
bikerbuddha
Well-known member
Day 2
Strategic Mistake:
Because I was having issues with the boot flopping in the wind. I stopped at my buddy’s house before going to Amelia Island. This was a big mistake. I should have gone through the tourist area, while everyone was asleep, and then come to the house. Instead of being stuck in traffic 1 time, I now get stuck in traffic 3 times. As I drive through downtown Jacksonville, I am literally going 5 miles per hour or I am at a complete stop.
I had recently purchased some Motorcycle Larry highway pegs, and they really aren’t helping me at all. The pegs aren’t wide enough, since I am short, I can barely reach them due to fairing interference. I may be able to modify these later with a wider/longer peg. As I leave Jacksonville I start to pick up some speed, and begin to really make progress, Since It rained the night before, it had a cooling effect on everything but the highway, As the sun rises, it starts to make steam rise from the highway. This steam seems to be going directly into the gap in my right boot. My foot is so hot; it feels like it is baking in an oven like a potato. Speaking of painful things, my Corbin seat is kicking my ass literally. I have never ridden longer than about 5 hours before, every time I stop to refuel, I have to stretch and walk. My next rest stop is in West Palm with FJR Forum mate 101st Pathfinder. He has a Russell Day-Long Saddle for me to try.
The ride to West Palm Beach is mostly uneventful, a brief morning shower, a little road construction. But I am making good time. Tony - 101st Pathfinder, gives me a tour of his garage and then lets me try the seat. I can tell immediately it is not hurting me like the Corbin seat. I really had to stretch my muscles to get a lot of the pain out of them. I was beyond Iron Butt pain, I was in Prison Butt pain. Tony gives me some ride tips as he has completed the ride before, also gives me 3 different options for places to buy boots. I decided on Broward Motosports being that it was the closest. Tony also tells me to take I-595; that will get me through Miami the quickest. Now for those that don’t know I have ADHD, you can’t give me too many instructions at one time. Sometimes I am embarrassed to ask you to repeat things. I make a quick trip to Broward Motorsports, I am starting to cramp so bad, I can barely stand up, I can’t even reach down to take off both of my old boots. Sadly, I can’t even put the new boot on without assistance from the sales rep Barry Ortiz. I would later realize this was the beginning of another bad sign. I attempt to find the highway Tony has recommended but can’t find it on my GPS. It is giving me 3 options, but I don’t see the particular hwy Tony mentioned. So for the first time all trip, I am winging it. As I assess my situation. I feel like I am close to my 24 hour SS1000 cutoff. My trip miles is approx. 951, and I have about an hour to get that last 50 miles in Miami Traffic. Even in the comfort of my house this week, it took me 2 days to find I-595.
As I thought I felt like I was going sideways in Miami, and not in a southern direction, when I finally found I-595 I couldn’t remember if I should be going east or west. I am thinking I should be going North or South. I stop to give Tony a quick text about which direction. While on the side or the road my trip odometer reads 1008 miles, but I am so frustrated, because I am not sure where the hell I am, I couldn’t even celebrate. Nor am I sure if I am 1000 miles from home since I now feel like I am going sideways. Tony texts me back West, and I proceed the way that I am going, but I end up going through toll booths, a gas station and eventually end up in homestead, upon further review, I also now see the I-95 expressway he mentioned. SMH
Strategic Mistake:
In my mind I am approximately 3 hours behind schedule, It is approximately 4 pm and I am headed into the Keys. Had I taken the time to look at my trip estimator I am actually 3 hours ahead of schedule. Could be I was tired, but either way I underestimated how long it would take me to get into and out of the keys.
The Keys have a posted speed limit of mostly 45mph. In my mind I had envisioned a real highway that people just drove slowly on. Not what you should be thinking. Imagine driving through a string of small towns that are connected to each other. There is no place to speed in between towns, and if wildlife come on the read Key Deer – Sea Turtle – Manatee – Butterflies, it basically stops traffic in both directions. Sadly as I am driving this slowly I am seeing all kinds of photography opportunities pass me by. At one point I stop in Bahia State park to take a quick photo. But the sun is setting on the opposite side of the highway, and I am below the crest in the road. (Poor lighting), I use this opportunity to take a quick bathroom break.
I quickly jump back in traffic, drive a little further, stop for water. I am starting to cramp up pretty badly. I am drinking water fairly quickly for me, but not enough for this sun, heat and wind I am dealing with. At this point I eat 2 or 3 Slim Jims with cheese to try to get my sodium level up. The funny part is that I picked this time of year to avoid temperature extremes of summer and summer traffic. Sadly this didn’t help!
Strategic Decision:
As I evaluate where I am on the ride, my current speed, the time I will need to get in and out of the Keys, I start to negotiate with myself. Just get out of the Keys, stop in Miami. No way you can make it to Port Charlotte or Tampa. I even think about turning around just so I can attempt to make my photoshoot time in Tampa.
Strategic Mistake:
On my time estimation chart, I estimated that it would take me 4 hours to go from West Palm Beach to Key West, and 4 hours to go from Key West to Ochopee. You should estimate at least 4 hours to go in and out of Key West. I say over estimate, and if you come out of ahead of schedule, you will feel better about yourself.
At this point the sun is coming down on my right, kinda amazing how fast it goes down in the Keys, I need to get a shot of this, but I am trying to make time. I eventually get to the Southernmost point after a quick fuel stop, about half a mile away. A nice elderly dude is volunteering to take photos of people with their cameras, while regaling everyone with tales of old Key West. Somehow he put my phone in some kind of action photo mode and unsuccessfully shot about 30 bad shots of me at the monument. Being that I am black and blend in with the monument is not helping people believe that I actually went there. I make a quick check to say if they have a room at the local hostel, but all of the rooms are booked. That’s disappointing, Key West looks interesting, everyone seems happy, this place seems relaxing, but I got to get as far away from here as I can so I can get a room I can afford.
Traffic is a little better as I leave town and I am making progress, but then I notice between the cramps that I am sleep riding. I have been riding since about 6 am and it is approx. 10:30 at night. The “overseas highway” is filled with stoplights. Each time I put my feet down my legs cramp even more. My stomach cramps have me sitting straight up in the seat. With the Russell Day-Long Seat it makes it hard for me to reach the ground because of the “wings” on the side of the seats. A sad thing is to watch a man with a 650lb motorcycle, fully loaded with gear and a spare tank of gas, reach down with muscles quivering and try to touch his twitching toes to the ground. I finally find a Days Inn with a vacancy and pay the $129 and tax nightly rate.
The front desk clerk says that the hotel will allow me to park my bike next to my room but I have to walk it into the square. Cool. As I drive over to the side of the hotel to find the entrance I realize that the walkway she was telling me about is uphill, and the little hallway I have to go through is taken up with a soda and candy machine. I laugh out loud as I ponder trying to walk this bike up hill to the room. I say a silent prayer that nobody steals the bike, and I begin detaching items to take to the room. Takes me about 5 minutes a trip due to the cramps. I had no plans to stay overnight anywhere, so I have no pajamas, robe, etc.
As I take off my shirt, everything appears normal. But I have been wearing Bohn body armor leggings for almost a day and a half. It is literally glued to my legs. When I take them off I notice where my boots end and socks start my legs have swollen to almost Popeye like proportions. I immediately get a shower and lay down so I can rest these legs. I order a pizza and hope I don’t fall asleep before the delivery driver gets there.
Strategic Mistake:
Because I was having issues with the boot flopping in the wind. I stopped at my buddy’s house before going to Amelia Island. This was a big mistake. I should have gone through the tourist area, while everyone was asleep, and then come to the house. Instead of being stuck in traffic 1 time, I now get stuck in traffic 3 times. As I drive through downtown Jacksonville, I am literally going 5 miles per hour or I am at a complete stop.
I had recently purchased some Motorcycle Larry highway pegs, and they really aren’t helping me at all. The pegs aren’t wide enough, since I am short, I can barely reach them due to fairing interference. I may be able to modify these later with a wider/longer peg. As I leave Jacksonville I start to pick up some speed, and begin to really make progress, Since It rained the night before, it had a cooling effect on everything but the highway, As the sun rises, it starts to make steam rise from the highway. This steam seems to be going directly into the gap in my right boot. My foot is so hot; it feels like it is baking in an oven like a potato. Speaking of painful things, my Corbin seat is kicking my ass literally. I have never ridden longer than about 5 hours before, every time I stop to refuel, I have to stretch and walk. My next rest stop is in West Palm with FJR Forum mate 101st Pathfinder. He has a Russell Day-Long Saddle for me to try.
The ride to West Palm Beach is mostly uneventful, a brief morning shower, a little road construction. But I am making good time. Tony - 101st Pathfinder, gives me a tour of his garage and then lets me try the seat. I can tell immediately it is not hurting me like the Corbin seat. I really had to stretch my muscles to get a lot of the pain out of them. I was beyond Iron Butt pain, I was in Prison Butt pain. Tony gives me some ride tips as he has completed the ride before, also gives me 3 different options for places to buy boots. I decided on Broward Motosports being that it was the closest. Tony also tells me to take I-595; that will get me through Miami the quickest. Now for those that don’t know I have ADHD, you can’t give me too many instructions at one time. Sometimes I am embarrassed to ask you to repeat things. I make a quick trip to Broward Motorsports, I am starting to cramp so bad, I can barely stand up, I can’t even reach down to take off both of my old boots. Sadly, I can’t even put the new boot on without assistance from the sales rep Barry Ortiz. I would later realize this was the beginning of another bad sign. I attempt to find the highway Tony has recommended but can’t find it on my GPS. It is giving me 3 options, but I don’t see the particular hwy Tony mentioned. So for the first time all trip, I am winging it. As I assess my situation. I feel like I am close to my 24 hour SS1000 cutoff. My trip miles is approx. 951, and I have about an hour to get that last 50 miles in Miami Traffic. Even in the comfort of my house this week, it took me 2 days to find I-595.
As I thought I felt like I was going sideways in Miami, and not in a southern direction, when I finally found I-595 I couldn’t remember if I should be going east or west. I am thinking I should be going North or South. I stop to give Tony a quick text about which direction. While on the side or the road my trip odometer reads 1008 miles, but I am so frustrated, because I am not sure where the hell I am, I couldn’t even celebrate. Nor am I sure if I am 1000 miles from home since I now feel like I am going sideways. Tony texts me back West, and I proceed the way that I am going, but I end up going through toll booths, a gas station and eventually end up in homestead, upon further review, I also now see the I-95 expressway he mentioned. SMH
Strategic Mistake:
In my mind I am approximately 3 hours behind schedule, It is approximately 4 pm and I am headed into the Keys. Had I taken the time to look at my trip estimator I am actually 3 hours ahead of schedule. Could be I was tired, but either way I underestimated how long it would take me to get into and out of the keys.
The Keys have a posted speed limit of mostly 45mph. In my mind I had envisioned a real highway that people just drove slowly on. Not what you should be thinking. Imagine driving through a string of small towns that are connected to each other. There is no place to speed in between towns, and if wildlife come on the read Key Deer – Sea Turtle – Manatee – Butterflies, it basically stops traffic in both directions. Sadly as I am driving this slowly I am seeing all kinds of photography opportunities pass me by. At one point I stop in Bahia State park to take a quick photo. But the sun is setting on the opposite side of the highway, and I am below the crest in the road. (Poor lighting), I use this opportunity to take a quick bathroom break.
I quickly jump back in traffic, drive a little further, stop for water. I am starting to cramp up pretty badly. I am drinking water fairly quickly for me, but not enough for this sun, heat and wind I am dealing with. At this point I eat 2 or 3 Slim Jims with cheese to try to get my sodium level up. The funny part is that I picked this time of year to avoid temperature extremes of summer and summer traffic. Sadly this didn’t help!
Strategic Decision:
As I evaluate where I am on the ride, my current speed, the time I will need to get in and out of the Keys, I start to negotiate with myself. Just get out of the Keys, stop in Miami. No way you can make it to Port Charlotte or Tampa. I even think about turning around just so I can attempt to make my photoshoot time in Tampa.
Strategic Mistake:
On my time estimation chart, I estimated that it would take me 4 hours to go from West Palm Beach to Key West, and 4 hours to go from Key West to Ochopee. You should estimate at least 4 hours to go in and out of Key West. I say over estimate, and if you come out of ahead of schedule, you will feel better about yourself.
At this point the sun is coming down on my right, kinda amazing how fast it goes down in the Keys, I need to get a shot of this, but I am trying to make time. I eventually get to the Southernmost point after a quick fuel stop, about half a mile away. A nice elderly dude is volunteering to take photos of people with their cameras, while regaling everyone with tales of old Key West. Somehow he put my phone in some kind of action photo mode and unsuccessfully shot about 30 bad shots of me at the monument. Being that I am black and blend in with the monument is not helping people believe that I actually went there. I make a quick check to say if they have a room at the local hostel, but all of the rooms are booked. That’s disappointing, Key West looks interesting, everyone seems happy, this place seems relaxing, but I got to get as far away from here as I can so I can get a room I can afford.
Traffic is a little better as I leave town and I am making progress, but then I notice between the cramps that I am sleep riding. I have been riding since about 6 am and it is approx. 10:30 at night. The “overseas highway” is filled with stoplights. Each time I put my feet down my legs cramp even more. My stomach cramps have me sitting straight up in the seat. With the Russell Day-Long Seat it makes it hard for me to reach the ground because of the “wings” on the side of the seats. A sad thing is to watch a man with a 650lb motorcycle, fully loaded with gear and a spare tank of gas, reach down with muscles quivering and try to touch his twitching toes to the ground. I finally find a Days Inn with a vacancy and pay the $129 and tax nightly rate.
The front desk clerk says that the hotel will allow me to park my bike next to my room but I have to walk it into the square. Cool. As I drive over to the side of the hotel to find the entrance I realize that the walkway she was telling me about is uphill, and the little hallway I have to go through is taken up with a soda and candy machine. I laugh out loud as I ponder trying to walk this bike up hill to the room. I say a silent prayer that nobody steals the bike, and I begin detaching items to take to the room. Takes me about 5 minutes a trip due to the cramps. I had no plans to stay overnight anywhere, so I have no pajamas, robe, etc.
As I take off my shirt, everything appears normal. But I have been wearing Bohn body armor leggings for almost a day and a half. It is literally glued to my legs. When I take them off I notice where my boots end and socks start my legs have swollen to almost Popeye like proportions. I immediately get a shower and lay down so I can rest these legs. I order a pizza and hope I don’t fall asleep before the delivery driver gets there.
bikerbuddha
Well-known member
Day 3
I wake up the next morning too late for the complimentary breakfast. I end up checking out about noon. For those of you keeping score. My Iron Butt attempt is over. Call it a medical disqualification, whatever, but I decide, hey I am on vacation, you have until Monday to get back to work, it is currently Thursday. I am also wondering if I had one of those apple watches would it have indicated that I was in medical distress, elevated heart rate, high blood pressure, anything! Might need to get one for the next trip. Anyway I check my bank software, and the hotel seems to have charged me a deposit. My hotel bill is showing up as $257 and change. Sh_t now I don’t have money for the photoshoot. I contact Brian to let him know of my trip and financial status. I am crushed, 50% of the purpose of this trip was to get a photoshoot done with another professional photographer. Now I barely have enough money to get home, between the boots and the hotel room; I now have $89 dollars left to get home from the Keys. So new strategy is just to make it to my friend’s house in Port Charlotte, and see if these hotel charges sort themselves out, before I get to Tampa. To save money I decide to empty my reserve 1.75 Gal. Rotopax tank, this will accomplish several things reduce overall bike weight, possibly help me from dropping the bike if I have any further leg cramps, and finally everywhere I have been in Florida there has been a gas station at least every 20-30 miles. The previous night I was so out of it I didn’t even know what city I was in. I found out today I was in Key Islamorada. I am 45 miles or 1 hour from Florida City on the mainland. I am only 317 miles from my friends house in Port Charlotte, despite the pain from the previous day, I think I can handle a little drive, it will be my shortest driving day of the trip.
Strategic Mistake:
Not realizing I had driven 80 miles the previous night, nor did I have a full tank of gas because I pre-paid for the gas and underestimated; even with putting in the reserve, I do not have a full tank of gas. I take off for Florida City, easy riding things are going smooth. I am focused on getting my highways right in the area this time, so I don’t end up going sideways, like the previous day. Boom I catch my highway connections HWY 41 and I am headed to Ochopee the smallest post office in the United States. About half way there I realize my phone isn’t charging. I am so focused on getting the phone back charging, I have not yet realized that my gas tank is rapidly dropping. My gauge works on some weird inverse scale where the first fuel indicator only gives about 11-21 miles, but the last fuel indicator is equivalent to about 80. I need to get that fixed. After the phone reboots I am about 20 minutes from the post office, but now I am in the last cube on the gas meter. I drop my speed and assume the racer pose. For the first time all trip I haven’t seen a gas station every 20-30 miles. I know the Indians are getting gas from somewhere to run these airboats, and the vehicles they drive, but there is nothing on the side of the highway.
So if you look at the map I had to drive 161 miles from the hotel to get to Marco Island. Plus the 80 miles I sleep drove, that is 242 miles, and remember my tank is not full. I start to laugh at the irony, as I realize, if somebody sees my bike on the side of the road, then sees my Rotopax on the back, they will assume that I don’t need gas. I’ll be damned, this exact section was why I bought the Rotopax in the first place. I figured I would be riding through here at night and the gas stations might be closed. Now I am starting to notice all of the wildlife signs. Beware of Alligators! Beware of Panthers! Ah hell you can’t even walk to a gas station, or you might get eaten alive. I make my tourist stop in Ochopee. The post office is an old electrical utility shed. It is probably smaller then the bathroom in your house. I take 2 quick pictures figure the place is so small it must be like a self-serve dropoff. Another couple drives up snaps a picture and proceeds to try to enter the post office, that’s when I hear an employee inside. She must have been dropped off here as I don’t see an extra car or motorcycle around.
About 10 miles after I leave the post office, my fuel indicator starts flashing I am now in reserve. It is approximately 30.2 miles to Marco Island. A local truck driver tells me there is a station about 10 miles ahead. When I get there, it is the most expensive gas in Florida $3.06, aw hell naw, that is more expensive than Key West. I keep going, I am still in my tuck position, drafting behind a repair truck, I am going to try to make this last few miles even If I have to do it on fumes. 20 miles into my reserve I pull into a Marco Island gas station.
I can’t believe that just happened, so while I am at the gas station refueling; I decide to refuel the Rotopax too. I work for Fedex Office, and I had a Fedex Express driver pull up behind me at the gas station. I tell her I am on vacation and ask her if she can take a picture of me. She happily obliges. Here I am a photographer, and this is my first portrait of me on the whole trip. SMH. Port Charlotte my destination for the day is only 85 miles away. This is kinda enjoyable driving about 250 miles a day. I need to make more friends so I can stop more often! I am noticing that the Russell Day Long Seat is really working, I wish I had it for the first part of the trip. Hopefully when I get my tax return I can buy this from Tony. While chilling at my friends house I check my bank account again, I am still broke the hotel deposit has not come off yet. So I stay the night and take advantage of the free lodging and free meals. I’m still salty about not being able to go to Tampa and get this photoshoot done. I have another friend in Tampa, I decide to visit her family next. Tampa is only 110 miles from Port Charlotte. While I am talking to her at work, trying to catch up. Bryan (the photographer) sends me a message, since he sees I am in Tampa, come on by if I get a chance. Sweet! I tell her I will catch her before she gets off work.
A video is worth a thousand words. https://twowheelobsession.com/2015/05/09/long-distance-rider-photoshoot-tips/
After a spirited ride to the photoshoot, I take some great outdoor pics. As I park the bike on the sloped road leading out to the water, I start to envision the bike rolling into the water. Why am I thinking all of these negative thoughts on my vacation. Just for safety, I chock the bike with my keys. Photoshoot over I thank Bryan for his time. This guy even washed my love bug covered bike for the photoshoot. My friend works at a hotel, so I get a room there at her rate. I go through my bags and reorganize for the final ride home tomorrow. It is 496 miles or 7 hrs and 35 minutes. I leave the hotel at 4 am. As I head off onto the highway, I remember a small rant I have about the Florida trip. Road Construction. As some of you know I am darksiding my FJR, and the uneven pavement in all of the new construction, is bad enough during the daytime, but in the dark when you can’t see it is god awful unnerving. I was so tense, that 5 days after the trip I am still sore in my shoulders.
Ride home was pretty much uneventful, everything went smoothly, new boots are lovely, I washed all my clothes 2 nights before, so except for what I wore the previous day, I don’t really have any dirty clothes. I make a quick stop at my job in Montgomery to get next weeks work schedule, then head out for the 21 mile ride home. I get home around 12:30 in the afternoon. I jump in the car to go by my parents house, The old man is having computer problems, as usual! He should have bought a mac like I told him. When I get back to the house, I check my documentation. I drove almost 2100 miles, I had 3 days where I drove over 500 miles, and I drove over 1300 miles the first two days. So I know the Iron Butt can be accomplished by me.
So my special shoutouts for the trip are for:
• Tony who loaned me the Russell day long seat, saved my arse literally!
• Broward Motosports for getting me fitted and back on the road quickly so I could try to make my SS 1000.
• My longtime friends Kenya and Starr who altered their plans several times due to my reschedules.
• Bryan for making me a trip video, which will allow me to talk smack to my local riding friends and for giving me a free photoshoot.
And an extra special shoutout to those who doubted I would even go on the trip, doubted I would even buy the bike, and who made fun of me for taking my MSF course before I had the bike. To them I give the Advrider salute. Now I am going to go buy my ADV rider and Darksider sticker.
I wake up the next morning too late for the complimentary breakfast. I end up checking out about noon. For those of you keeping score. My Iron Butt attempt is over. Call it a medical disqualification, whatever, but I decide, hey I am on vacation, you have until Monday to get back to work, it is currently Thursday. I am also wondering if I had one of those apple watches would it have indicated that I was in medical distress, elevated heart rate, high blood pressure, anything! Might need to get one for the next trip. Anyway I check my bank software, and the hotel seems to have charged me a deposit. My hotel bill is showing up as $257 and change. Sh_t now I don’t have money for the photoshoot. I contact Brian to let him know of my trip and financial status. I am crushed, 50% of the purpose of this trip was to get a photoshoot done with another professional photographer. Now I barely have enough money to get home, between the boots and the hotel room; I now have $89 dollars left to get home from the Keys. So new strategy is just to make it to my friend’s house in Port Charlotte, and see if these hotel charges sort themselves out, before I get to Tampa. To save money I decide to empty my reserve 1.75 Gal. Rotopax tank, this will accomplish several things reduce overall bike weight, possibly help me from dropping the bike if I have any further leg cramps, and finally everywhere I have been in Florida there has been a gas station at least every 20-30 miles. The previous night I was so out of it I didn’t even know what city I was in. I found out today I was in Key Islamorada. I am 45 miles or 1 hour from Florida City on the mainland. I am only 317 miles from my friends house in Port Charlotte, despite the pain from the previous day, I think I can handle a little drive, it will be my shortest driving day of the trip.
Strategic Mistake:
Not realizing I had driven 80 miles the previous night, nor did I have a full tank of gas because I pre-paid for the gas and underestimated; even with putting in the reserve, I do not have a full tank of gas. I take off for Florida City, easy riding things are going smooth. I am focused on getting my highways right in the area this time, so I don’t end up going sideways, like the previous day. Boom I catch my highway connections HWY 41 and I am headed to Ochopee the smallest post office in the United States. About half way there I realize my phone isn’t charging. I am so focused on getting the phone back charging, I have not yet realized that my gas tank is rapidly dropping. My gauge works on some weird inverse scale where the first fuel indicator only gives about 11-21 miles, but the last fuel indicator is equivalent to about 80. I need to get that fixed. After the phone reboots I am about 20 minutes from the post office, but now I am in the last cube on the gas meter. I drop my speed and assume the racer pose. For the first time all trip I haven’t seen a gas station every 20-30 miles. I know the Indians are getting gas from somewhere to run these airboats, and the vehicles they drive, but there is nothing on the side of the highway.
So if you look at the map I had to drive 161 miles from the hotel to get to Marco Island. Plus the 80 miles I sleep drove, that is 242 miles, and remember my tank is not full. I start to laugh at the irony, as I realize, if somebody sees my bike on the side of the road, then sees my Rotopax on the back, they will assume that I don’t need gas. I’ll be damned, this exact section was why I bought the Rotopax in the first place. I figured I would be riding through here at night and the gas stations might be closed. Now I am starting to notice all of the wildlife signs. Beware of Alligators! Beware of Panthers! Ah hell you can’t even walk to a gas station, or you might get eaten alive. I make my tourist stop in Ochopee. The post office is an old electrical utility shed. It is probably smaller then the bathroom in your house. I take 2 quick pictures figure the place is so small it must be like a self-serve dropoff. Another couple drives up snaps a picture and proceeds to try to enter the post office, that’s when I hear an employee inside. She must have been dropped off here as I don’t see an extra car or motorcycle around.
About 10 miles after I leave the post office, my fuel indicator starts flashing I am now in reserve. It is approximately 30.2 miles to Marco Island. A local truck driver tells me there is a station about 10 miles ahead. When I get there, it is the most expensive gas in Florida $3.06, aw hell naw, that is more expensive than Key West. I keep going, I am still in my tuck position, drafting behind a repair truck, I am going to try to make this last few miles even If I have to do it on fumes. 20 miles into my reserve I pull into a Marco Island gas station.
I can’t believe that just happened, so while I am at the gas station refueling; I decide to refuel the Rotopax too. I work for Fedex Office, and I had a Fedex Express driver pull up behind me at the gas station. I tell her I am on vacation and ask her if she can take a picture of me. She happily obliges. Here I am a photographer, and this is my first portrait of me on the whole trip. SMH. Port Charlotte my destination for the day is only 85 miles away. This is kinda enjoyable driving about 250 miles a day. I need to make more friends so I can stop more often! I am noticing that the Russell Day Long Seat is really working, I wish I had it for the first part of the trip. Hopefully when I get my tax return I can buy this from Tony. While chilling at my friends house I check my bank account again, I am still broke the hotel deposit has not come off yet. So I stay the night and take advantage of the free lodging and free meals. I’m still salty about not being able to go to Tampa and get this photoshoot done. I have another friend in Tampa, I decide to visit her family next. Tampa is only 110 miles from Port Charlotte. While I am talking to her at work, trying to catch up. Bryan (the photographer) sends me a message, since he sees I am in Tampa, come on by if I get a chance. Sweet! I tell her I will catch her before she gets off work.
A video is worth a thousand words. https://twowheelobsession.com/2015/05/09/long-distance-rider-photoshoot-tips/
After a spirited ride to the photoshoot, I take some great outdoor pics. As I park the bike on the sloped road leading out to the water, I start to envision the bike rolling into the water. Why am I thinking all of these negative thoughts on my vacation. Just for safety, I chock the bike with my keys. Photoshoot over I thank Bryan for his time. This guy even washed my love bug covered bike for the photoshoot. My friend works at a hotel, so I get a room there at her rate. I go through my bags and reorganize for the final ride home tomorrow. It is 496 miles or 7 hrs and 35 minutes. I leave the hotel at 4 am. As I head off onto the highway, I remember a small rant I have about the Florida trip. Road Construction. As some of you know I am darksiding my FJR, and the uneven pavement in all of the new construction, is bad enough during the daytime, but in the dark when you can’t see it is god awful unnerving. I was so tense, that 5 days after the trip I am still sore in my shoulders.
Ride home was pretty much uneventful, everything went smoothly, new boots are lovely, I washed all my clothes 2 nights before, so except for what I wore the previous day, I don’t really have any dirty clothes. I make a quick stop at my job in Montgomery to get next weeks work schedule, then head out for the 21 mile ride home. I get home around 12:30 in the afternoon. I jump in the car to go by my parents house, The old man is having computer problems, as usual! He should have bought a mac like I told him. When I get back to the house, I check my documentation. I drove almost 2100 miles, I had 3 days where I drove over 500 miles, and I drove over 1300 miles the first two days. So I know the Iron Butt can be accomplished by me.
So my special shoutouts for the trip are for:
• Tony who loaned me the Russell day long seat, saved my arse literally!
• Broward Motosports for getting me fitted and back on the road quickly so I could try to make my SS 1000.
• My longtime friends Kenya and Starr who altered their plans several times due to my reschedules.
• Bryan for making me a trip video, which will allow me to talk smack to my local riding friends and for giving me a free photoshoot.
And an extra special shoutout to those who doubted I would even go on the trip, doubted I would even buy the bike, and who made fun of me for taking my MSF course before I had the bike. To them I give the Advrider salute. Now I am going to go buy my ADV rider and Darksider sticker.
Last edited by a moderator:
El Toro Joe
FYYFF
Wow...that's quite an RR. I don't think I'd waste any money on lottery tickets, if I were you. Glad to read that you made it home.
rushes
Well-known member
Quite an adventure I reckon.
Nice report. Could have used more pictures tho.
So when's your next attempt?
Nice report. Could have used more pictures tho.
So when's your next attempt?
A nice, descriptive RR. I would guess that you learned a ton of things from this trip, which WILL help you on your next attempt. Looks like Bryan got you some great photos too. Overall, I say a very productive trip!
All the best, Rob
All the best, Rob
Bustanut joker
Well-known member
Holy crap man!!! Talk about an adventure.
You know every trip is supposed to have an issue or two to make it memorable, but you went way overboard!
Glad you didn't get ate by no gator.
Here's to good luck on your next attempt.
You know every trip is supposed to have an issue or two to make it memorable, but you went way overboard!
Glad you didn't get ate by no gator.
Here's to good luck on your next attempt.
Similar threads
