FJR_pig
Bud Light Real Man of Genius
Any update? These guys should be done by now. Wondering how many virgins were actually sacrificed and if a black 'Busa made the trip...
Sagebrush & Mountain 1000 - Washington State Group Saddle Sore - May 24th
- Thread starter Ignacio
- Start date
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Just rolled in from checking in the first dozen riders. All came back safely. First to return were Big Chief Stinky Pants, Iron MaidenTobie & Lisa Steven, and Lloyd on a Wing. They rode the route backwards and had the luck of less rain. The two that tried the BBG C (LDRyder and OCFJR) bailed out because of hardcore rain in Idaho and Montana and shortened it into an 1100 mile Saddle Sore.
Everybody that rode clockwise road a TOUGH ride. Eastern Washington was soaked and slow going...with lots of fog and darkness
Ray got beat up a bit as did Warchild, but they rolled in about 8:30. Maura on an ST a bit after that. The highlight of the event so far is clearly a couple from Pendleton, TRUE newbies on non-fairinged dual-sport KTM 640 and BMW 650, read about this thing on ADV rider and initially thought it was an enduro event on dirt roads, but found out it was an IBA ride and jumped at the chance because somebody did the route planning for them. They had to gas up every 100 miles and came in with about 1 hour to spare. They EARNED the ride. :clapping:
Following up the rear was an LD guy that rode his KLR. That dirty dozen is headed home, to bed, or both.
Meanwhile, I had a second flight of riders that were mostly shop staff that had to work Saturday and I saw them off at 3:45 a.m. That 8 include Harely's and cruisers, Warchild's FJR with Dan Denchell at the helm, and his son on an R1. I'm hoping they have better luck on the weather and will head back later this evening for their return.
It's already clear the first S&M 1000 has gone well with 12 of 20 riders complete.
Me....other than a 1 hour nap yesterday...I've been up for about 30 hours and going to go to sleep for a while. The cell phone is charged and on standby.
Everybody that rode clockwise road a TOUGH ride. Eastern Washington was soaked and slow going...with lots of fog and darkness
Ray got beat up a bit as did Warchild, but they rolled in about 8:30. Maura on an ST a bit after that. The highlight of the event so far is clearly a couple from Pendleton, TRUE newbies on non-fairinged dual-sport KTM 640 and BMW 650, read about this thing on ADV rider and initially thought it was an enduro event on dirt roads, but found out it was an IBA ride and jumped at the chance because somebody did the route planning for them. They had to gas up every 100 miles and came in with about 1 hour to spare. They EARNED the ride. :clapping:
Following up the rear was an LD guy that rode his KLR. That dirty dozen is headed home, to bed, or both.
Meanwhile, I had a second flight of riders that were mostly shop staff that had to work Saturday and I saw them off at 3:45 a.m. That 8 include Harely's and cruisers, Warchild's FJR with Dan Denchell at the helm, and his son on an R1. I'm hoping they have better luck on the weather and will head back later this evening for their return.
It's already clear the first S&M 1000 has gone well with 12 of 20 riders complete.
Me....other than a 1 hour nap yesterday...I've been up for about 30 hours and going to go to sleep for a while. The cell phone is charged and on standby.
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BKR CHK
Well-known member
It's good to know that so far all have made it safely back. :yahoo:
Sorry of hear of the failed BBG attempts,
but at least they were smart enough to bail and safely complete a SS1000.
Wish I was there, for sure next year.
Again, congrats to all, :fans:
Lori
BKR CHK
Sorry of hear of the failed BBG attempts,
but at least they were smart enough to bail and safely complete a SS1000.Wish I was there, for sure next year.
Again, congrats to all, :fans:
Lori
BKR CHK
Matt did an excellent job of hosting this event. And he really had a nice breakfast spread ready for the riders when we returned. I thought he was joking about the 'included breakfast'. He most certainly was not!
The BBG C route was a fun and challenging route. For those of you that haven't done the math, the average speed for a BBG is 62.5 mph. That's for all of your time, including stops over a full 24 hours. For the first 250 mile leg from Prosser, WA to Weiser, ID this was easy to beat and we were 'up' time upon leaving our gas stop at Weiser by about 25 minutes. However, Weiser to Missoula, MT was a deal breaker. So many small towns between Weiser and Kooskia, ID that we were 'down' nearly an hour when we started up hwy 12.
12 is a FUN road! Even more so if you don't mind stretching the posted 50 & 55 speed limits just a tiny bit. It is deer central though. (I also had a Turkey encounter of the close kind, though no contact.) Sadly, heavy rain started about 40 miles West of Lolo Pass, and the temps dropped fast as we climbed, making visor fogging an issue as well as rider confidence in corners awash in fog and water, thus lowering our speed. This is a challenging road in good conditions to maintain the 62.5 average on over it's entire length, but in the conditions we found ourselves in, it wasn't prudent to attempt to push that hard. And frankly, we weren't up to it under those conditions.
When we reached the end of hwy 12 at the 93 junction, I still felt it might be possible to achieve the BBG with some steady and reasonably LEO safe +10 I-90 travel and good management of the fuel stops. However, with the holiday weekend traffic, it took over 20 minutes to get from the 12/93 junction to I-90. We headed East all the same, quickly getting to our next fuel stop at Drummond, MT.
At this point, we were 11 hours into our 24 hour window and the rain was steady and full, with thunderstorms and heavier rain to the East on LDRYDR's Garmin weather radar. We were facing a 400 mile run out to Big Timber and back to Drummond with no certainty of a good receipt at Big Timber, an approx. 200 mile range before reserve with the stock tank due to conditions and 10% ethanol fuel. I calculated that we needed to be in Spokane by 6:15 am to have a reasonable chance at getting back to Prosser by our 8:45 am end time. (This later turned out to be optimistic on my part.) It just didn't look reasonable. Neither of us were interested in doing major speed runs on I-90 in the rain just to complete a BBG. We decided the smart thing to do was convert to a SS1K and head back West at Drummond. Moments after we agreed on this, the Conaco station shut their lights off and closed. We were planning on needed gas again there at about 1:15 am if we had made the run for Big Timber. The pumps may have still been on, or not.
As it turned out, we made a smart decision. We were able to make good time on I-90, up to about De Borgia, MT. At that point, deer really came out of the woods and it got scary with the rain and forest rats, as well as some construction. That last 25 miles of MT is where we saw 90% of the deer on the road. Then as soon as we crossed into ID, we got 6% down grade, funky grooved pavement and moron cagers along with the usual semi trucks, all in the pouring rain. We had some tense moments from the border to Coeur 'd Alene, including coming around one down hill corner to find a semi stopped in the middle of the right lane, the driver standing in the left lane and no flashers. He had apparently just hit the back of a car and spun it off into the ditch moments before and the drivers were just standing in the road looking at the mess. No injuries that we could see, just a lot of pieces. The next semi already had it's flashers on and was stopping up the road as we moved past the wreck.
Getting over Lookout Pass and Fourth of July Pass was tense at times and put a lot of stress on both of us. I'm glad we were not also attempting to maintain a BBG pace. This is beautiful country, but at night and in the rain, not much fun on a motorcycle.
At Coeur 'd we stopped at a Dennys and had some chow and de-stressed a bit before gassing up and continuing on to Spokane for the last leg South. That was fairly uneventful, but had it's share of towns to slow down for and some animals, (deer and multiple owls). As it turned out, we left Coeur 'd at 12:30 am and didn't hit Walla Walla until 4 am. We were not trying to hammer, but we did maintain a smooth pace of about 65-70. We arrived back at Prosser just after 5:30 am, well within the 24 hour window and with an 1100 mile Saddle Sore in the bag.
In hindsight, this route as a BBG is a tough one, even with perfect conditions. Having fuel cells and maximizing the 300 mile between receipts rule would help, as well as some luck with traffic and good management of stopped time. I think it's do-able for a solo rider or the right small group. For us, with only one rider using a fuel cell, and us riding together, along with the poor conditions, it wasn't going to happen. Not an excuse, I failed to complete the BBG I attempted to do. But the point for me was to challenge myself with something that I had the potential to fail at, not just to score another 'cert.
I felt good enough at the end that after scoring some chow and BSing with some of the others, I geared up and rode home to Oregon City. Rained all the way too. <_<
Thanks for putting this together Iggy and all of your hard work to make sure we all had a fun and safe ride.
The BBG C route was a fun and challenging route. For those of you that haven't done the math, the average speed for a BBG is 62.5 mph. That's for all of your time, including stops over a full 24 hours. For the first 250 mile leg from Prosser, WA to Weiser, ID this was easy to beat and we were 'up' time upon leaving our gas stop at Weiser by about 25 minutes. However, Weiser to Missoula, MT was a deal breaker. So many small towns between Weiser and Kooskia, ID that we were 'down' nearly an hour when we started up hwy 12.
12 is a FUN road! Even more so if you don't mind stretching the posted 50 & 55 speed limits just a tiny bit.
It is deer central though. (I also had a Turkey encounter of the close kind, though no contact.) Sadly, heavy rain started about 40 miles West of Lolo Pass, and the temps dropped fast as we climbed, making visor fogging an issue as well as rider confidence in corners awash in fog and water, thus lowering our speed. This is a challenging road in good conditions to maintain the 62.5 average on over it's entire length, but in the conditions we found ourselves in, it wasn't prudent to attempt to push that hard. And frankly, we weren't up to it under those conditions.When we reached the end of hwy 12 at the 93 junction, I still felt it might be possible to achieve the BBG with some steady and reasonably LEO safe +10 I-90 travel and good management of the fuel stops. However, with the holiday weekend traffic, it took over 20 minutes to get from the 12/93 junction to I-90. We headed East all the same, quickly getting to our next fuel stop at Drummond, MT.
At this point, we were 11 hours into our 24 hour window and the rain was steady and full, with thunderstorms and heavier rain to the East on LDRYDR's Garmin weather radar. We were facing a 400 mile run out to Big Timber and back to Drummond with no certainty of a good receipt at Big Timber, an approx. 200 mile range before reserve with the stock tank due to conditions and 10% ethanol fuel. I calculated that we needed to be in Spokane by 6:15 am to have a reasonable chance at getting back to Prosser by our 8:45 am end time. (This later turned out to be optimistic on my part.) It just didn't look reasonable. Neither of us were interested in doing major speed runs on I-90 in the rain just to complete a BBG. We decided the smart thing to do was convert to a SS1K and head back West at Drummond. Moments after we agreed on this, the Conaco station shut their lights off and closed. We were planning on needed gas again there at about 1:15 am if we had made the run for Big Timber. The pumps may have still been on, or not.
As it turned out, we made a smart decision. We were able to make good time on I-90, up to about De Borgia, MT. At that point, deer really came out of the woods and it got scary with the rain and forest rats, as well as some construction. That last 25 miles of MT is where we saw 90% of the deer on the road. Then as soon as we crossed into ID, we got 6% down grade, funky grooved pavement and moron cagers along with the usual semi trucks, all in the pouring rain. We had some tense moments from the border to Coeur 'd Alene, including coming around one down hill corner to find a semi stopped in the middle of the right lane, the driver standing in the left lane and no flashers. He had apparently just hit the back of a car and spun it off into the ditch moments before and the drivers were just standing in the road looking at the mess. No injuries that we could see, just a lot of pieces. The next semi already had it's flashers on and was stopping up the road as we moved past the wreck.
Getting over Lookout Pass and Fourth of July Pass was tense at times and put a lot of stress on both of us. I'm glad we were not also attempting to maintain a BBG pace. This is beautiful country, but at night and in the rain, not much fun on a motorcycle.
At Coeur 'd we stopped at a Dennys and had some chow and de-stressed a bit before gassing up and continuing on to Spokane for the last leg South. That was fairly uneventful, but had it's share of towns to slow down for and some animals, (deer and multiple owls). As it turned out, we left Coeur 'd at 12:30 am and didn't hit Walla Walla until 4 am. We were not trying to hammer, but we did maintain a smooth pace of about 65-70. We arrived back at Prosser just after 5:30 am, well within the 24 hour window and with an 1100 mile Saddle Sore in the bag.
In hindsight, this route as a BBG is a tough one, even with perfect conditions. Having fuel cells and maximizing the 300 mile between receipts rule would help, as well as some luck with traffic and good management of stopped time. I think it's do-able for a solo rider or the right small group. For us, with only one rider using a fuel cell, and us riding together, along with the poor conditions, it wasn't going to happen. Not an excuse, I failed to complete the BBG I attempted to do. But the point for me was to challenge myself with something that I had the potential to fail at, not just to score another 'cert.
I felt good enough at the end that after scoring some chow and BSing with some of the others, I geared up and rode home to Oregon City. Rained all the way too. <_<
Thanks for putting this together Iggy and all of your hard work to make sure we all had a fun and safe ride.
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LDRydr
A Homeless Nomad
OCfjr's just being kind here, it MAY have been doable with a fuel-cell. Trying to manage receipts in the rain is a major PIA, especially if you have your tankbag covered with a rain cover, and overgloves trying to keep your other gloves dry. Not to mention visor fogging, wet electronics, etc. Extended periods of riding in the rain sucks, just ask the '07 IBR veterans, or read their ride reports of the first couple of days. Being dry is worth every penny for quality riding gear.
After turning in paperwork and having a quick breakfast and beverage I went back to the motel room to rest up before heading home. I must have been totally out of it, because I took my GPS off the bike, set it on a table outside somebody else's room, and left it there for two hours while I took a nap. Unbelievably it was still sitting there when I came out. Thankfully it had cleared up by the time I got ready to head out. I went in search of the Horn Rapids Dam (not much of a dam really) for the DamTour.com ride. After some quick pictures I headed towards WA Hwy 14 westbound and home. Didn't even get wet.
Kudo's to Iggy for a well-planned event, and Desert Valley for allowing us to invade their space. Weather aside it was a great time, and it's always good to see the LD-crowd and catch up on things. And it was a nice warmup for WORD! next weekend. Photos after my brain starts working again.
After turning in paperwork and having a quick breakfast and beverage I went back to the motel room to rest up before heading home. I must have been totally out of it, because I took my GPS off the bike, set it on a table outside somebody else's room, and left it there for two hours while I took a nap. Unbelievably it was still sitting there when I came out. Thankfully it had cleared up by the time I got ready to head out. I went in search of the Horn Rapids Dam (not much of a dam really) for the DamTour.com ride. After some quick pictures I headed towards WA Hwy 14 westbound and home. Didn't even get wet.
Kudo's to Iggy for a well-planned event, and Desert Valley for allowing us to invade their space. Weather aside it was a great time, and it's always good to see the LD-crowd and catch up on things. And it was a nice warmup for WORD! next weekend. Photos after my brain starts working again.
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Warchild
Benevolent Dictator
Well, here is the Executive Summary of how it went down on the K8 Busa:
The first 500 miles were pretty awesome. B)
The last 500+ rain-soaked, low-fog, pitch-black miles of vertigo-induced hallucinations was about as much fun as a prison rape. :blink:
Full write up later.... it nappy time for me for a while.....
The first 500 miles were pretty awesome. B)
The last 500+ rain-soaked, low-fog, pitch-black miles of vertigo-induced hallucinations was about as much fun as a prison rape. :blink:
Full write up later.... it nappy time for me for a while.....
That's pretty much the mindset I envision for next weekend. I'm soooo screwed.
Welcome home!
May 26th 03:46
The first S&M 1000 is a wrap! I just got back home after the second flight returned. One rider did call in and decided to bail out at Yakima...and that's just fine. The other 8 riders made it with Art, Thoren, and a C-14 rider making good time at 19 1/2 hours....and Art is a bear of man and had the biggest grin on his face when he was done. He seemed like he could do another 24 hour ride he was so amped.
Dan and his son Chris Denchel rolled in aboard Yamahas. Chris announced that he'd never do that on an R1 again....duh. Ahh to be young again.
The final three on a V-Star and two Harleys used most of the clock, but that's also just fine.
22 starters and 21 finishers over a route that's not the easiest Saddle Sore. Combined with rain for everybody and they all earned their certification. 7 of the riders were newbies...or exactly 1/3 of the finishers. Quickest finishers were Lisa, Tobie, and Llloyd at 19 hours and 6 minutes...partly because of their counter-clockwise direction matched with the weather and daytime traffic better. At 23 hours and 9 minutes Mike Berlien on his KLR rode a tough ride and still finished.
No tickets that anybody reported...although a couple of folks had to stop and experience the professional courtesy of the WSP.
Weirdest report is that of Tobie saying he saw a camel on White Pass. Had he said it was in Colfax I might have believed him.
Freakiest report is by Jim Rasey that said around Mabton at 4 a.m. two drunks were walking in the middle of the road. At first they seemed to be trying to flag down the front two riders, but apparently one swung at him in tailgunner position and hand hit the mirror. He said if he'd have hit the handlebar he would have gone down. Damn drunks are worse than deer!
Me, I'm wiped out too. The past 2 days have been weird and it feels to me like 10 p.m....not 4 in the morning.
Signing off from the first annual S&M 1000. We'll see if next year is another group ride....or maybe a competitive rally.
Picture from first flight....Alan and Kay Smutz aboard non-fairinged bikes.
The first S&M 1000 is a wrap! I just got back home after the second flight returned. One rider did call in and decided to bail out at Yakima...and that's just fine. The other 8 riders made it with Art, Thoren, and a C-14 rider making good time at 19 1/2 hours....and Art is a bear of man and had the biggest grin on his face when he was done. He seemed like he could do another 24 hour ride he was so amped.
Dan and his son Chris Denchel rolled in aboard Yamahas. Chris announced that he'd never do that on an R1 again....duh. Ahh to be young again.
The final three on a V-Star and two Harleys used most of the clock, but that's also just fine.
22 starters and 21 finishers over a route that's not the easiest Saddle Sore. Combined with rain for everybody and they all earned their certification. 7 of the riders were newbies...or exactly 1/3 of the finishers. Quickest finishers were Lisa, Tobie, and Llloyd at 19 hours and 6 minutes...partly because of their counter-clockwise direction matched with the weather and daytime traffic better. At 23 hours and 9 minutes Mike Berlien on his KLR rode a tough ride and still finished.
No tickets that anybody reported...although a couple of folks had to stop and experience the professional courtesy of the WSP.
Weirdest report is that of Tobie saying he saw a camel on White Pass. Had he said it was in Colfax I might have believed him.
Freakiest report is by Jim Rasey that said around Mabton at 4 a.m. two drunks were walking in the middle of the road. At first they seemed to be trying to flag down the front two riders, but apparently one swung at him in tailgunner position and hand hit the mirror. He said if he'd have hit the handlebar he would have gone down. Damn drunks are worse than deer!
Me, I'm wiped out too. The past 2 days have been weird and it feels to me like 10 p.m....not 4 in the morning.
Signing off from the first annual S&M 1000. We'll see if next year is another group ride....or maybe a competitive rally.
Picture from first flight....Alan and Kay Smutz aboard non-fairinged bikes.
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airboss
Well-known member
S&M 1000, from the ride reports appears this one was aptly named. :laughingsmiley:
Warchild
Benevolent Dictator
The Start/Leg 1:
I wanted to get a good jump on any potential LEO stirrups, so I blasted out of Desert Valley Powersports around 8:20am, after having IBR 2-up veterans Terry & Lynda Lehman witnessed my departure. I pull out right as Maura Gatensby pulls in to refuel her ST1300.
I bust out of the Chevon, hang a left and ride a couple miles to catch the road towards Mabton and Bickleton.
The road toward Bickleton has a wonderful set of curves that are always fun to take when the bike is heavily-ladened with fuel. The 40 miles takes a while as you traverse the ridges along the Horse Heaven Hills. The tiny berg of Bickleton is reached; I blinked, and was immediately on the west end of town on the Bickleton-Goldendale Highway, which has many a beautiful vista and many sets of tasty switchbacks. Goldendale is reached, and then I head south to pick up Hwy 14 all the way to Vancouver. This is a road I have never actually ridden in all my years here in Washington. It had many, many areas that are prime sportbike roads.
Once I hit Vancouver, it was time to turn north and dash up the I-5 corridor to pick up the second mandatory receipt at Woodland, WA. This was only 200 miles into the run, so I didn't need gas, but was hungry enough to scarf down a MickeyD cheeseburger and used it as required receipt #2. Continued to blaze the remaining 47 miles to the HWY 12 exit, turning east towards the 3rd Mandatory Receipt at Packwood.
Unknown to us riders, every Memorial Day weekend, the decades-old Annual Packwood Flea Market now attracts tens of thousands during Memorial Day. Packwood essentially shuts down to become a street carnival for three days. Pedestrians just march across the road anytime they want, with police holding up traffic at the whim of the pedestrians. It took almost 30 minutes to traverse this little town, and by the time I reached the other side of it, I had a distinct attitude problem (DAP). :angry: Later, I learned I had reached the carnival at peak rush hour; riders behind me were able to get through in a 1/3 of the time I suffered with. I refueled for the first time since departing Prosser, which scored Mandatory Receipt #3.
Fortunately, the Karma Gods started smiling down upon me, because for the next 77 miles up and over gorgeous White Pass, there was nary a vehicle in front of me, almost unheard of for this famous road, particularly on Memorial Day! This was a stunning ride over some of the most awesome scenery to be found anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.
Once I reached Yakima, there was a brief 30-mile stint on I-82 until Ellensburg, where I stopped for a latte and to call Iggy to express my pleasure of the Packwood morass. Iggy had no idea about the presence of the street carnival, but he immediately took full credit for it and told me he had planned it that way for months. Riiiiight. Ellensburg was Mandatory Receipt #4, but since I needed no fuel, I scored a latte at Starbucks for this receipt.
Leg 2:
====
I picked up HWY 97 north out of Ellensburg, which is yet another stunning ride up and over Blewett Pass (which had plenty of snow on it just a few weeks ago). HWY 97 t-bones into HWY 2 just a few miles east of Levenworth, where I turned east and ran to Wenatchee. This entire section, from Ellensburg to Wenatchee, is a green-dotted scenic road the entire way and absolutely gorgeous. Wenatchee was just shy of the halfway point, and I was feeling great (had been doing periodic stretching routines on the Busa fairly religiously), and thanks to significant LEO presence, was on a 19-20 hour SS1K pace at the time.
Continuing north after Wenatchee, I followed the Columbia River to Chelan, then further north to Omak, where the weather began to look pretty dismal. I had some pretty good sun most of the day, but that changed around Okanogan, and by the time I reached Omak, I was looking for my wet weather gear. The further north I went, the more rain I ran into, but it was fairly light and intermittent despite some VERY ominous-looking cloud layers. I reach Tonasket and obtain Mandatory Receipt #5. I refueled for the 2nd time that day, and was fairly impressed with the calculated 43 MPG I was getting. The significant presence of WSP cruisers out on Memorial Day weekend was partly responsible for this good mileage figure.
Leg 3:
=====
The 40 miles between Tonasket and Republic was nasty wet. It was getting pretty dark at this point, and the deer around Wauconda Summit were just insane. I was extremely thankful the temps were still quasi-reasonable in the upper 40's, because I needed the Hella Micro DE's a lot more than I needed the Warm-n-Safe liner. The 43 miles between Republic and Kettle Falls was complete agony. Rain, rain, and more rain, and low fog up around one of the more elevated summits along the course, Sherman Pass at 5587 ft. Between the deer, the rain, the colder elevation, the rain, the darkness, the fog, and, oh yeah, did I mention RAIN, this section of the ride was, shall we say, less than optimal.
Happily, once I reach Colville, I am basically out of the mountains and back on the plains and steppes normally associated with eastern Washington.
Sadly, however, the weather did not want to cooperate. HWY 395 from Colville to Spokane was half under water at times. I found myself praying to the Tire Gods to let these Avon Storms work their magic in the wet, and they delivered. I started this S&M1000 ride on a set of badly worn Storms (that were almost right at the center wear bar in the rear), but this tire continues to amaze in the most arduous wet conditions imaginable. It was rock-steady the entire 1000+ miles.
The rain abated to a steady drizzle by the time I reached Spokane shortly after midnight, but I appreciated the fact that it wasn't doing the heavy downpours experienced around Sherman Pass. I finally reach I-90 and turn east to the Idaho border, stopping at the very last I-90 exit in Washington, at Liberty Park to obtain Mandatory Receipt #6. I didn't need a full bag of fuel, having just refueled 180miles ago, but wasn't 100% confident of having enough fuel to scamper the remaining 170 miles to Walla Walla (I did, but was too tired to calculate it at the time). So I jammed in 2 additional gallons and used that for Mandatory Receipt #6. The rain had let up to very light sprinkling, so I was hoping this would be the end of the wet.
Fat chance, that. :glare:
Leg 4:
=====
Picking up HWY 195 south out of Spokane, it's obvious to me that I was getting tired and should probably take a Combat Nap soon. I came upon a Rest Area around milepost 60, so I pulled in to take a short 20-minute combat nap, sleeping right on the Hayabusa, draped over the tankbag. Woke up and got ready to leave just as FJRay comes rolling in to take a short nap himself. I wave to him and get back on the road, heading south to Colfax. The rain had started up again, and this time, still well over 200 miles to go, it would rain like a bitch the entire way back.
I picked up HWY 127 out of Colfax and dashed to Dayton, and was copping a pretty bad attitude at this point. The rain was just demoralizing. I finally said "fuckit" and found a (still closed) Shell station, and rolled underneath the gas pump overhang, got off the bike just soaking wet, and just laid down next to it. It was around 3:30 at this point. At 4AM, I woke up to see a gas attendant trying to ask me it I was still alive. Fairly refreshed after a good 30-minute combat-nap, I bounded up and said, "Yeah, I'm all good, man, thanks!", and hit the road again. My new-found enthusiasm quickly waned within a few miles. The rain was pounding down steadily with no letup in sight. I glanced up at the clouds and let fly with a mighty "**** YOU!" and jammed my middle finger straight up in the air. Stupid rain. :glare:
I reached Walla Walla, refueled the main tank only, scoring this last Mandatory Receipt. I turn the bike west on HWY 12, and run for the barn. The rain would come and go in intensity, and the closer I got to the Tri-Cities, the less intense the rain, but it never truly stopped. I roll into the Tri-Cities around 5:30am, and feel tired as hell from fighting the rain all night.
Normally rain isn't an issue with me whatsoever, but it is on the Hayabusa. A wonderful machine in decent weather, but when riding in brutally cold or wet conditions, it quickly becomes obvious how sub-optimal it is with regard to rider protection. Basically, there isn't any. You are part of the airstream, and that is by design on this bike.
I decided to take a break even though I am just 30 miles from the finish, and pull in to my favorite Starbucks for a morning latte. It is conveniently located immediately off an I-182 exit, and I loiter shamelessly out of the rain for 20 minutes. It is apparent the rain isn't going to abate. I just get back on the Hayabusa and just grind out the remaining miles to the finish. I reach Prosser and squirt in 50 cents worth of gas at the same Chevron I started at about 22 hours ago, which stops the clock.
Total mileage was about 1035 miles, thereabouts.
Props to Iggy, who completely out-did himself on organizing this event, from the event handouts to the breakfast burritos and everything in between.
Also many props to Dan Denchel and Desert Valley Powersports for letting us glom on to his facilities to run this event.
Suspect that next year's S&M1000 will be a little 'mo better..... and perhaps more than just a group ride, as Iggy has a familiar gleam in his eye.....
I wanted to get a good jump on any potential LEO stirrups, so I blasted out of Desert Valley Powersports around 8:20am, after having IBR 2-up veterans Terry & Lynda Lehman witnessed my departure. I pull out right as Maura Gatensby pulls in to refuel her ST1300.
I bust out of the Chevon, hang a left and ride a couple miles to catch the road towards Mabton and Bickleton.
The road toward Bickleton has a wonderful set of curves that are always fun to take when the bike is heavily-ladened with fuel. The 40 miles takes a while as you traverse the ridges along the Horse Heaven Hills. The tiny berg of Bickleton is reached; I blinked, and was immediately on the west end of town on the Bickleton-Goldendale Highway, which has many a beautiful vista and many sets of tasty switchbacks. Goldendale is reached, and then I head south to pick up Hwy 14 all the way to Vancouver. This is a road I have never actually ridden in all my years here in Washington. It had many, many areas that are prime sportbike roads.
Once I hit Vancouver, it was time to turn north and dash up the I-5 corridor to pick up the second mandatory receipt at Woodland, WA. This was only 200 miles into the run, so I didn't need gas, but was hungry enough to scarf down a MickeyD cheeseburger and used it as required receipt #2. Continued to blaze the remaining 47 miles to the HWY 12 exit, turning east towards the 3rd Mandatory Receipt at Packwood.
Unknown to us riders, every Memorial Day weekend, the decades-old Annual Packwood Flea Market now attracts tens of thousands during Memorial Day. Packwood essentially shuts down to become a street carnival for three days. Pedestrians just march across the road anytime they want, with police holding up traffic at the whim of the pedestrians. It took almost 30 minutes to traverse this little town, and by the time I reached the other side of it, I had a distinct attitude problem (DAP). :angry: Later, I learned I had reached the carnival at peak rush hour; riders behind me were able to get through in a 1/3 of the time I suffered with. I refueled for the first time since departing Prosser, which scored Mandatory Receipt #3.
Fortunately, the Karma Gods started smiling down upon me, because for the next 77 miles up and over gorgeous White Pass, there was nary a vehicle in front of me, almost unheard of for this famous road, particularly on Memorial Day! This was a stunning ride over some of the most awesome scenery to be found anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.
Once I reached Yakima, there was a brief 30-mile stint on I-82 until Ellensburg, where I stopped for a latte and to call Iggy to express my pleasure of the Packwood morass. Iggy had no idea about the presence of the street carnival, but he immediately took full credit for it and told me he had planned it that way for months. Riiiiight.
Ellensburg was Mandatory Receipt #4, but since I needed no fuel, I scored a latte at Starbucks for this receipt.Leg 2:
====
I picked up HWY 97 north out of Ellensburg, which is yet another stunning ride up and over Blewett Pass (which had plenty of snow on it just a few weeks ago). HWY 97 t-bones into HWY 2 just a few miles east of Levenworth, where I turned east and ran to Wenatchee. This entire section, from Ellensburg to Wenatchee, is a green-dotted scenic road the entire way and absolutely gorgeous. Wenatchee was just shy of the halfway point, and I was feeling great (had been doing periodic stretching routines on the Busa fairly religiously), and thanks to significant LEO presence, was on a 19-20 hour SS1K pace at the time.
Continuing north after Wenatchee, I followed the Columbia River to Chelan, then further north to Omak, where the weather began to look pretty dismal. I had some pretty good sun most of the day, but that changed around Okanogan, and by the time I reached Omak, I was looking for my wet weather gear. The further north I went, the more rain I ran into, but it was fairly light and intermittent despite some VERY ominous-looking cloud layers. I reach Tonasket and obtain Mandatory Receipt #5. I refueled for the 2nd time that day, and was fairly impressed with the calculated 43 MPG I was getting. The significant presence of WSP cruisers out on Memorial Day weekend was partly responsible for this good mileage figure.
Leg 3:
=====
The 40 miles between Tonasket and Republic was nasty wet. It was getting pretty dark at this point, and the deer around Wauconda Summit were just insane. I was extremely thankful the temps were still quasi-reasonable in the upper 40's, because I needed the Hella Micro DE's a lot more than I needed the Warm-n-Safe liner. The 43 miles between Republic and Kettle Falls was complete agony. Rain, rain, and more rain, and low fog up around one of the more elevated summits along the course, Sherman Pass at 5587 ft. Between the deer, the rain, the colder elevation, the rain, the darkness, the fog, and, oh yeah, did I mention RAIN, this section of the ride was, shall we say, less than optimal.
Happily, once I reach Colville, I am basically out of the mountains and back on the plains and steppes normally associated with eastern Washington.
Sadly, however, the weather did not want to cooperate. HWY 395 from Colville to Spokane was half under water at times. I found myself praying to the Tire Gods to let these Avon Storms work their magic in the wet, and they delivered. I started this S&M1000 ride on a set of badly worn Storms (that were almost right at the center wear bar in the rear), but this tire continues to amaze in the most arduous wet conditions imaginable. It was rock-steady the entire 1000+ miles.
The rain abated to a steady drizzle by the time I reached Spokane shortly after midnight, but I appreciated the fact that it wasn't doing the heavy downpours experienced around Sherman Pass. I finally reach I-90 and turn east to the Idaho border, stopping at the very last I-90 exit in Washington, at Liberty Park to obtain Mandatory Receipt #6. I didn't need a full bag of fuel, having just refueled 180miles ago, but wasn't 100% confident of having enough fuel to scamper the remaining 170 miles to Walla Walla (I did, but was too tired to calculate it at the time). So I jammed in 2 additional gallons and used that for Mandatory Receipt #6. The rain had let up to very light sprinkling, so I was hoping this would be the end of the wet.
Fat chance, that. :glare:
Leg 4:
=====
Picking up HWY 195 south out of Spokane, it's obvious to me that I was getting tired and should probably take a Combat Nap soon. I came upon a Rest Area around milepost 60, so I pulled in to take a short 20-minute combat nap, sleeping right on the Hayabusa, draped over the tankbag. Woke up and got ready to leave just as FJRay comes rolling in to take a short nap himself. I wave to him and get back on the road, heading south to Colfax. The rain had started up again, and this time, still well over 200 miles to go, it would rain like a bitch the entire way back.
I picked up HWY 127 out of Colfax and dashed to Dayton, and was copping a pretty bad attitude at this point. The rain was just demoralizing. I finally said "fuckit" and found a (still closed) Shell station, and rolled underneath the gas pump overhang, got off the bike just soaking wet, and just laid down next to it. It was around 3:30 at this point. At 4AM, I woke up to see a gas attendant trying to ask me it I was still alive. Fairly refreshed after a good 30-minute combat-nap, I bounded up and said, "Yeah, I'm all good, man, thanks!", and hit the road again. My new-found enthusiasm quickly waned within a few miles. The rain was pounding down steadily with no letup in sight. I glanced up at the clouds and let fly with a mighty "**** YOU!" and jammed my middle finger straight up in the air. Stupid rain. :glare:
I reached Walla Walla, refueled the main tank only, scoring this last Mandatory Receipt. I turn the bike west on HWY 12, and run for the barn. The rain would come and go in intensity, and the closer I got to the Tri-Cities, the less intense the rain, but it never truly stopped. I roll into the Tri-Cities around 5:30am, and feel tired as hell from fighting the rain all night.
Normally rain isn't an issue with me whatsoever, but it is on the Hayabusa. A wonderful machine in decent weather, but when riding in brutally cold or wet conditions, it quickly becomes obvious how sub-optimal it is with regard to rider protection. Basically, there isn't any. You are part of the airstream, and that is by design on this bike.
I decided to take a break even though I am just 30 miles from the finish, and pull in to my favorite Starbucks for a morning latte. It is conveniently located immediately off an I-182 exit, and I loiter shamelessly out of the rain for 20 minutes. It is apparent the rain isn't going to abate. I just get back on the Hayabusa and just grind out the remaining miles to the finish. I reach Prosser and squirt in 50 cents worth of gas at the same Chevron I started at about 22 hours ago, which stops the clock.
Total mileage was about 1035 miles, thereabouts.
Props to Iggy, who completely out-did himself on organizing this event, from the event handouts to the breakfast burritos and everything in between.
Also many props to Dan Denchel and Desert Valley Powersports for letting us glom on to his facilities to run this event.
Suspect that next year's S&M1000 will be a little 'mo better..... and perhaps more than just a group ride, as Iggy has a familiar gleam in his eye.....
FJRay
Well-known member
I have to agree with Dale. The second half was less than fun but there wasn't any good place to stop. I did have a good time and would do it again but I will listen to the Big chief and Iron Maiden on planning if they are around.
Real Smart guys - congrats to you in finishing a tough ride and not trying to do something that might get you hurt. I like smart riders!
Props to Iggy for what sounds like a great event (glad I did not come up - but only because of the weather!
Congrats to the couple on the Dual Purpose bikes - my heroes!
Warchild - I'll give you $7,000 for that Halfabusa right now......... :yahoo:
Brian R.
Last edited by a moderator:
Warchild
Benevolent Dictator
IronMaiden
Well-known member
Great job, Iggy & thanks to Dan at DVPS.
After putting the route in S&T & running a time table, it was quickly apparent that we wanted to run the route backwards. I saw by the timetable, that we would hit Packwood around 4:00 pm. Well, we have property in Packwood and have been there before on Memorial Day. We wanted NOTHING to do with Packwood on Memorial Day weekend. Also, I wanted familiar roads after dark. I know every mile of Hwy 12 from Yakima & down to Vancouver & could guide you along it blind. I'd take that in the dark over Sherman Pass and unfamiliar eastern WA roads any day. Weatherman said rain either side of the state that night, so again I felt more comfortable facing familiar roads in the dark and rain. I'm getting over my uneasyness of night riding in the rain. Good lights and a pinlock fogproof helmet have helped tremendously.
What I still don't like is poor visibility and that's what we found on White Pass. (that and roads gouged with potholes and deep grooves from winter snowplowing-again, I knew it was there so was ready for it) Sideways rain, swirling fog, deer and elk all greeted us as we stared up the pass out of Naches. But, knowing the road well helped and by Packwood we were out of the worst of it. Tobie calls on the radio & told me not to freak out, but there was a camel in the road. He also warned to watch out for the deer that were laying on the side of the road. Well, I got a good at the deer. It was an elk and I suppose the camel was too.
But that's getting to the rest of the story. Lets back up to the beginning.
We rode to Prosser with Mike Berlien & greeted old friends, Dan, Iggy, Lloyd, Maura, Linda & Terry and Ray. We waved to Eric & Dennis as they headed out for their BBG. Warchild was nowhere in sight as he had departed early to stir the hornets nest along the route for the riders to follow. We knew that Mike was also going to ride the same ccw route as we were, but was going to look for somewhere to hole up for a few hours around midnight. Lloyd liked our idea & asked to join us. So off we departed for Walla Walla & had a very nice morning ride. In my usual shotgun position, I got a whiff of Big Chief Stinky Pants and understood why he chose that nickname. Then I realized that we were riding by the paper mill in Walula.
Very uneventful morning as we headed up to Liberty Lake & in Spokane, decided to take the alternate route thru Grand Coulee Dam & Nespelum to Omak to avoid time-killing Spokane surface streets. We ran into Mike on his KLR 650 at Tonasket & he peeled off for food in Omak. We had some sprinkles of rain along hwy 97 & down to Ellensburg where we called Matt to check in. Right about the halfway point we crossed paths with Ray followed closely by Maura. A few minutes later we also saw the couple on the dual sports. Somewhere we must have crossed paths with Warchild, but didn't recognize his busabutt.
Shortly after Packwood, I lost my GPS connection as well as my heated gear plug-in. Our route choice paid off as we zipped thru Packwood & it's tarped up flea-market booths about 11:00 pm. It wasn't too cold, but I didn't know how cold the night would get. We had intermittant rain showers from Packwood to Woodland where we stopped for fuel & a receipt. It was about 12:30 am at this point, so I decided to put on my extra layer of clothes that I threw in last minute to put in my saddlebag. I guess I really didn't need it, as it only got down to about 55, but I guess I'd rather be too warm than shivering cold & wet.
Once we hit hwy 14 & got east of Washougal, we started to get some wind. Thankfully it was a tail wind, but around Cape Horn where the road gets narrow & windy, it looked like the highway workers had weed wacked the sides of the road and tree overhands, as there was ground up leaves all over the highway leaving only 2 narrow tire tracks clear of slippery leaves. Oh, did I mention that it was raining & the leaves were wet? Well, that kept me wide awake & alert for sure! Later on we read in the paper that Portland and Vancouver had had thunderstorms & lightning, so we were pretty fortunate to have missed that.
It was really a nice ride along the Columbia River that night. Not too much wind for what the Gorge can get, not much traffic & the only LEO's we saw were parked side-by-side having a crispy-cream coffee break. Thanks to bike-to-bike communications, I could ring up Tobie and have him chat with me when I started to get a little rummy. We finally hit Maryhill & decided to stay along the Columbia River instead of back-country crossing to Bickelton. I'll tell ya, it was a LONG last 65 miles to the cutoff for hwy 221 and a strait shot back into Prosser. Just a few miles out of Prosser, we see what looks like a caravan of farmers heading out to tend their fields. Low and behold, it's the Denchel clan just starting their trek.
Stopping for the ending receipt, I'm hopping up and down and crossing my legs as the store is closed at 4:10am and I have to pee! The rain dripping off the gas pump canopy didn't help matters. Thank you Dan, for giving Iggy the keys to the store. I thought I was going to have to give new meaning to potty on the rocks!
Iggy had hot coffee and breakfast waiting for us when we returned. What service! Tobie, Lloyd & I hung around for awhile, waiting for the others to show up. Lloyd started snoozing at the table & headed over the motel next door to get some sleep before heading back to Everett & his wife's birthday. Soon Eric & Dennis rolled in & regaled us with their trip tales.
We decided to head home & just as we hit the first intersection, we saw Ray roll in pumping his arm in the air, excited to finish his first SS1K! Way to go. Sorry we missed the rest of the group, but as we rolled into the garage at 7:00 am I hit the shower and was snoring by 7:30!
We did have to wonder, where the hell was Warchild? Bet's were laid that he was home sleeping in his own bed.
Thanks again to Matt for putting on a fun ride. Looking forward to next year (and all the other adventures along the way)
Tobie & Lisa
After putting the route in S&T & running a time table, it was quickly apparent that we wanted to run the route backwards. I saw by the timetable, that we would hit Packwood around 4:00 pm. Well, we have property in Packwood and have been there before on Memorial Day. We wanted NOTHING to do with Packwood on Memorial Day weekend. Also, I wanted familiar roads after dark. I know every mile of Hwy 12 from Yakima & down to Vancouver & could guide you along it blind. I'd take that in the dark over Sherman Pass and unfamiliar eastern WA roads any day. Weatherman said rain either side of the state that night, so again I felt more comfortable facing familiar roads in the dark and rain. I'm getting over my uneasyness of night riding in the rain. Good lights and a pinlock fogproof helmet have helped tremendously.
What I still don't like is poor visibility and that's what we found on White Pass. (that and roads gouged with potholes and deep grooves from winter snowplowing-again, I knew it was there so was ready for it) Sideways rain, swirling fog, deer and elk all greeted us as we stared up the pass out of Naches. But, knowing the road well helped and by Packwood we were out of the worst of it. Tobie calls on the radio & told me not to freak out, but there was a camel in the road. He also warned to watch out for the deer that were laying on the side of the road. Well, I got a good at the deer. It was an elk and I suppose the camel was too.
But that's getting to the rest of the story. Lets back up to the beginning.
We rode to Prosser with Mike Berlien & greeted old friends, Dan, Iggy, Lloyd, Maura, Linda & Terry and Ray. We waved to Eric & Dennis as they headed out for their BBG. Warchild was nowhere in sight as he had departed early to stir the hornets nest along the route for the riders to follow. We knew that Mike was also going to ride the same ccw route as we were, but was going to look for somewhere to hole up for a few hours around midnight. Lloyd liked our idea & asked to join us. So off we departed for Walla Walla & had a very nice morning ride. In my usual shotgun position, I got a whiff of Big Chief Stinky Pants and understood why he chose that nickname. Then I realized that we were riding by the paper mill in Walula.
Very uneventful morning as we headed up to Liberty Lake & in Spokane, decided to take the alternate route thru Grand Coulee Dam & Nespelum to Omak to avoid time-killing Spokane surface streets. We ran into Mike on his KLR 650 at Tonasket & he peeled off for food in Omak. We had some sprinkles of rain along hwy 97 & down to Ellensburg where we called Matt to check in. Right about the halfway point we crossed paths with Ray followed closely by Maura. A few minutes later we also saw the couple on the dual sports. Somewhere we must have crossed paths with Warchild, but didn't recognize his busabutt.
Shortly after Packwood, I lost my GPS connection as well as my heated gear plug-in. Our route choice paid off as we zipped thru Packwood & it's tarped up flea-market booths about 11:00 pm. It wasn't too cold, but I didn't know how cold the night would get. We had intermittant rain showers from Packwood to Woodland where we stopped for fuel & a receipt. It was about 12:30 am at this point, so I decided to put on my extra layer of clothes that I threw in last minute to put in my saddlebag. I guess I really didn't need it, as it only got down to about 55, but I guess I'd rather be too warm than shivering cold & wet.
Once we hit hwy 14 & got east of Washougal, we started to get some wind. Thankfully it was a tail wind, but around Cape Horn where the road gets narrow & windy, it looked like the highway workers had weed wacked the sides of the road and tree overhands, as there was ground up leaves all over the highway leaving only 2 narrow tire tracks clear of slippery leaves. Oh, did I mention that it was raining & the leaves were wet? Well, that kept me wide awake & alert for sure! Later on we read in the paper that Portland and Vancouver had had thunderstorms & lightning, so we were pretty fortunate to have missed that.
It was really a nice ride along the Columbia River that night. Not too much wind for what the Gorge can get, not much traffic & the only LEO's we saw were parked side-by-side having a crispy-cream coffee break. Thanks to bike-to-bike communications, I could ring up Tobie and have him chat with me when I started to get a little rummy. We finally hit Maryhill & decided to stay along the Columbia River instead of back-country crossing to Bickelton. I'll tell ya, it was a LONG last 65 miles to the cutoff for hwy 221 and a strait shot back into Prosser. Just a few miles out of Prosser, we see what looks like a caravan of farmers heading out to tend their fields. Low and behold, it's the Denchel clan just starting their trek.
Stopping for the ending receipt, I'm hopping up and down and crossing my legs as the store is closed at 4:10am and I have to pee! The rain dripping off the gas pump canopy didn't help matters. Thank you Dan, for giving Iggy the keys to the store. I thought I was going to have to give new meaning to potty on the rocks!
Iggy had hot coffee and breakfast waiting for us when we returned. What service! Tobie, Lloyd & I hung around for awhile, waiting for the others to show up. Lloyd started snoozing at the table & headed over the motel next door to get some sleep before heading back to Everett & his wife's birthday. Soon Eric & Dennis rolled in & regaled us with their trip tales.
We decided to head home & just as we hit the first intersection, we saw Ray roll in pumping his arm in the air, excited to finish his first SS1K! Way to go. Sorry we missed the rest of the group, but as we rolled into the garage at 7:00 am I hit the shower and was snoring by 7:30!
We did have to wonder, where the hell was Warchild? Bet's were laid that he was home sleeping in his own bed.
Thanks again to Matt for putting on a fun ride. Looking forward to next year (and all the other adventures along the way)
Tobie & Lisa
Wildcat
Member
:yahoo:
Kudos to Matt for a very successful event!!
Matt did an awesome job on this route taking me on roads in Washington I have never been on in my 49+ years of living in WA.
Matt made it impossible for me to back out by allowing a second flight of riders to go on Sunday AM, since I had not been on a bike since Moto GP last year (yes I am ashamed) I was lacking wisdom and training before going on this ride, however I could not resist doing this event since it was being held at my dealership, and let alone letting my 18 year old son participate w/o dad to enjoy this ride together.
Our trip is as follows, leaving at 3:45 am we had great spirits we had 9 of us leaving the shop mostly newbies, heck it was all newbies other than myself having done my first SS1000 in 99 just 3 weeks after having my gallblader removed it was a stretch back then but it was riding, and we were a check point for the 99 Butt so I felt the need to feel more aligned with my new LD friends. Back to the trip we left the dealership , and had myself my son Chris, two shop employees and 5 customers we split up going different directions.
Off to our first leg the cruiser guys headed up to hwy 97 since they new the all the deer on a first name basis we felt it was not in our best interest to follow them since we had not formerly met these deer and as we later learned while they were going through the Indian Reservation on ther way over Satus Pass a Drunk Native was walking in the middle of the road and struck one of the riders mirror with his hand it was of course pitch black out and raining according to Jim. We chose
to go over 221 to SR14 and blast on down to our first stop in Woodland on I-5 son Chris and I had forged ahead at a good pace thinking the Man was sleeping in on Sunday AM that early we were hoping to make an 18 hour pace (remember I said I had not ridden since last year) we seperated from the rest of the riders and proceeded to our second check point, we had a wet ride ride from Woodland on I-5 north till we got to Packwood then the weather cleared up and became quite nice. Chris and I had moved at a pretty good pace for quite some time then decided to take a few breaks on our way up North.
We had stopped quite a bit after going through rainy part to see if we still had the rest of the pack following, however we never saw them again until we got to our Tonasket check point with the stops we had made , and then the unexpected stop in Okanogen by a very nice WSP officer who after my son told him we were doing 1000 in 24 hours the officer says oh you are doing an Iron Butt ride, gulp! I knew we were screwed when he anounced that to the officer but no he stated to us that he knew that we were on a tight schedule and jotted our names down and gave us a verbal and said be cautious. WOW!!!
After seeing that the weather had not dampened the other riders spirit they forged ahead of us, Chris streesed the need for food and rest, seeing my 18 hour pace slip away and the recent stop from WSP I bagged the pace. Going accross hwy 20 was great with awesome corners and almost no traffic we just enjoyed the ride to Kettle Falls , and then began our decent into the Spokane area soreness was setting in and we were going slower because of a bit upsurge in holiday traffic on 2 lane roads (thanks Matt) we finally made it to Liberty Lake check point we saw Art Thorin, and the other rider sorry I can not remember his name, as they were just leaving Liberty Lake both Chris and I thought they were in striking distance, then I had to say to myself who cares this is not a race you idiot.
We pushed on south headed to our Walla Walla check point through some of the most scenic rolling hills in the Palouse Country, Matt realy shined on this leg I had not had seen this much beauty in Eastern Wa ever, we got to Colfax and fed Chris's thirsty R1 for the umteenth time, and headed for Walla Walla we got to the Dusty turn off to head south and while turning the corner I say the sign that said WW 83 miles hell I thought it closer than that, I was tired pissed and sore, and driving the speed limit in the middle of wheat country, screw this I want to get home, so I pinned the throttle on Warchilds FJR and dcided I dont care if I get caught, luckily we didnt since Chris had 2 defered tickets, he was going to massively screwed if he got a ticket but what was the chance of the Man on Sunday night hanging out in wheat country.
Finnaly we get to Walla Walla almost home so here we are tired sore and with in 90 miles from home , we fill up our bikes and Chris looks like he could nap for a while, he insists that a burger will wake him up with some caffinated diet Coke, definatley in the IBA's list of 25+ endurance riding tips not to do, we are fatigued and making stupid mistakes, so we press on for home we get to the Tri Cities and I notice son Chris lagging in my mirror now we are only 25 minuets from and now fear sets in thinking Chris and his R1 may not make it back to Prosser a dads worst nightmare. I alongside the freeway and ask Chris if he can make it or stop and walk around for a bit to wake up he gives me the thumbs up sign, and says he is good 5 miles down the road he is lagging further, this is getting worse for me by the second. Then I thought well he should ride front, best decision now he told me he woke up ralizing he had to watch speed and cops this was his fix and with in 2o minuets we made it safely home, to be greeted by a very dedicated and Happy Matt the mother hen!!!
Much can be learned from events like this fortunately we all made it home safe, the watchful eye of God and a very nice Trooper who woke us up when we needed it all helped. Reading the IBA list of 25 riding tips should be done before the ride not after, training is paramount, also having great friends like Warchild for insisting on riding his LD Prepared FJR with 25 billion candlepower heat radiating deer killer lights, and Matt for putting together a damn impressive event and the wonderful BBQ at his home and feeding tired riders , and last but not least the new crop of IBA members to have stories to share and my son Chris to share this event with for the rest of our lives together motorcycling as a family is cool.
A new employee shared with me you never see a motorcycle parked in front of a Pshycologists office! :dribble:
Kudos to Matt for a very successful event!!
Matt did an awesome job on this route taking me on roads in Washington I have never been on in my 49+ years of living in WA.
Matt made it impossible for me to back out by allowing a second flight of riders to go on Sunday AM, since I had not been on a bike since Moto GP last year (yes I am ashamed) I was lacking wisdom and training before going on this ride, however I could not resist doing this event since it was being held at my dealership, and let alone letting my 18 year old son participate w/o dad to enjoy this ride together.
Our trip is as follows, leaving at 3:45 am we had great spirits we had 9 of us leaving the shop mostly newbies, heck it was all newbies other than myself having done my first SS1000 in 99 just 3 weeks after having my gallblader removed it was a stretch back then but it was riding, and we were a check point for the 99 Butt so I felt the need to feel more aligned with my new LD friends. Back to the trip we left the dealership , and had myself my son Chris, two shop employees and 5 customers we split up going different directions.
Off to our first leg the cruiser guys headed up to hwy 97 since they new the all the deer on a first name basis we felt it was not in our best interest to follow them since we had not formerly met these deer and as we later learned while they were going through the Indian Reservation on ther way over Satus Pass a Drunk Native was walking in the middle of the road and struck one of the riders mirror with his hand it was of course pitch black out and raining according to Jim. We chose
to go over 221 to SR14 and blast on down to our first stop in Woodland on I-5 son Chris and I had forged ahead at a good pace thinking the Man was sleeping in on Sunday AM that early we were hoping to make an 18 hour pace (remember I said I had not ridden since last year) we seperated from the rest of the riders and proceeded to our second check point, we had a wet ride ride from Woodland on I-5 north till we got to Packwood then the weather cleared up and became quite nice. Chris and I had moved at a pretty good pace for quite some time then decided to take a few breaks on our way up North.
We had stopped quite a bit after going through rainy part to see if we still had the rest of the pack following, however we never saw them again until we got to our Tonasket check point with the stops we had made , and then the unexpected stop in Okanogen by a very nice WSP officer who after my son told him we were doing 1000 in 24 hours the officer says oh you are doing an Iron Butt ride, gulp! I knew we were screwed when he anounced that to the officer but no he stated to us that he knew that we were on a tight schedule and jotted our names down and gave us a verbal and said be cautious. WOW!!!
After seeing that the weather had not dampened the other riders spirit they forged ahead of us, Chris streesed the need for food and rest, seeing my 18 hour pace slip away and the recent stop from WSP I bagged the pace. Going accross hwy 20 was great with awesome corners and almost no traffic we just enjoyed the ride to Kettle Falls , and then began our decent into the Spokane area soreness was setting in and we were going slower because of a bit upsurge in holiday traffic on 2 lane roads (thanks Matt) we finally made it to Liberty Lake check point we saw Art Thorin, and the other rider sorry I can not remember his name, as they were just leaving Liberty Lake both Chris and I thought they were in striking distance, then I had to say to myself who cares this is not a race you idiot.
We pushed on south headed to our Walla Walla check point through some of the most scenic rolling hills in the Palouse Country, Matt realy shined on this leg I had not had seen this much beauty in Eastern Wa ever, we got to Colfax and fed Chris's thirsty R1 for the umteenth time, and headed for Walla Walla we got to the Dusty turn off to head south and while turning the corner I say the sign that said WW 83 miles hell I thought it closer than that, I was tired pissed and sore, and driving the speed limit in the middle of wheat country, screw this I want to get home, so I pinned the throttle on Warchilds FJR and dcided I dont care if I get caught, luckily we didnt since Chris had 2 defered tickets, he was going to massively screwed if he got a ticket but what was the chance of the Man on Sunday night hanging out in wheat country.
Finnaly we get to Walla Walla almost home so here we are tired sore and with in 90 miles from home , we fill up our bikes and Chris looks like he could nap for a while, he insists that a burger will wake him up with some caffinated diet Coke, definatley in the IBA's list of 25+ endurance riding tips not to do, we are fatigued and making stupid mistakes, so we press on for home we get to the Tri Cities and I notice son Chris lagging in my mirror now we are only 25 minuets from and now fear sets in thinking Chris and his R1 may not make it back to Prosser a dads worst nightmare. I alongside the freeway and ask Chris if he can make it or stop and walk around for a bit to wake up he gives me the thumbs up sign, and says he is good 5 miles down the road he is lagging further, this is getting worse for me by the second. Then I thought well he should ride front, best decision now he told me he woke up ralizing he had to watch speed and cops this was his fix and with in 2o minuets we made it safely home, to be greeted by a very dedicated and Happy Matt the mother hen!!!
Much can be learned from events like this fortunately we all made it home safe, the watchful eye of God and a very nice Trooper who woke us up when we needed it all helped. Reading the IBA list of 25 riding tips should be done before the ride not after, training is paramount, also having great friends like Warchild for insisting on riding his LD Prepared FJR with 25 billion candlepower heat radiating deer killer lights, and Matt for putting together a damn impressive event and the wonderful BBQ at his home and feeding tired riders , and last but not least the new crop of IBA members to have stories to share and my son Chris to share this event with for the rest of our lives together motorcycling as a family is cool.
A new employee shared with me you never see a motorcycle parked in front of a Pshycologists office! :dribble:
Matt did a great job on the routes. Fun to ride and challenging for everyone.
Huge props to you and Chris, Dan. It was great to see you and to see that you actually got to come out and play with us. Not to mention the good clean fun of watching father and son participate. Chris might not be quite as indestructible as he was before the ride. At least his butt!
I'm glad you had fun and I hope to see you on more rides if you can find the time. Thanks again for all your support of the IBA and the FJR crowds. Especially for the support and use of your dealership on Matt's S&M event.Eric V.
