One of the iron butt rides that I have wanted to complete is the 48 Plus ride. This consists of riding thru all of the lower 48 states and to Alaska within 10 days of the start. I have a couple of friends, Garry and Allan that also like to ride to far away destinations with no real meaning as to why, so after our trip to Nova Scotia, Labrador and Newfoundland in 2015 we decided to put the 48 Plus ride on the calendar. A friend of ours, Mark Campbell did the 48 Plus as part of Hyder Seek in 2007. Since Ron Ayers has passed away it seems that Hyder Seek is no longer a planned reunion of the 48 Plus guys in Hyder, Alaska to ride up and greet the new class to arrive. Mark wrote a detailed ride report and that report was the basis of a lot of information and knowledge that we would need to know to have a successful 48 Plus ride. The ride was planned to start from Slidell, Louisiana on May 20, 2017 and end 10 days later on Memorial Day in Hyder, Alaska.
The bikes on this trip- Garry’s 170,000 mile 2003 FJR (nicknamed Guardrail, given on a previous trip out west on UT191 north of Vernal), Allan’s 2007 140,000 mile FJR and my recently purchased 2014 Super Tenere with 27,000 miles. All of us have stock 6 gallon tanks, my larger franken tank was not ready for the trip. I did carry a roto-pax extra gallon of gas but it was never needed on the trip. I decided not to take the 427,000 mile V-Strom as I didn’t want to be the one that DNF’d in B.F.E. (Bum Fu%k Egypt). All three of us are from the Atlanta GA area. I think Garry and Allan did a little more planning of the route and trip than I did. We downloaded and used the same route that Mark used in 2007. To me, other than an oil change and new tires for the trip, that was my planning. I’m a go and ride guy, not one to sweat over all of the details. In retrospect, I will say that without Mark’s detailed report, things would probably have been much more difficult. We each had two GPS on the bikes, iphones, intercom system and my dad’s Spot tracker. The Sena intercom was invaluable on a trip like this where communication with the other riders is a key to success (and cussing out Garry for the 100th time and vice versa)
Day 0 - Friday May 18. We rode from Newnan GA to Slidell LA. One gas stop in Alabama and 421 miles total. While in Slidell we got our Iron Butt witness forms signed by the nice people at Friendly PowerSports (no pun intended). Both of the people working the counter Mike and Cat listened to my spiel and signed our forms. Cat didnt know that she had to sign one for each of us, I doubt she would have signed a fourth form! We had dinner at Cracker Barrel and then got el cheapo room next to a truck stop. Garry and I like to compete to see who can get the most raunchiest while riding around on our trips, one night his choice, the next mine. This one, the Deluxe Inn, is in the top two along with another stellar establishment near Wichita KS that we visited on the way to watch WSBK in Salt Lake a couple of years ago. Sleaze city! Crack heads, 6 grade drop outs* drinking can after can of Mike’s hard lemonade, various wandering parking lot people, a freaking nasty ass bathroom, I believe there were bed bugs as my legs were swollen the next morning. At 4 am I couldn’t sleep and texted Garry in the other room, you up? Yep. let’s hit the road and get out of this dump. (* more on this later)
Day 1 - Saturday May 19. Up early had a cup of coffee, got our starting receipt and headed out!
Today’s route would go through 10 states and end somewhere in Virginia. Within 60 miles we got our second state Mississippi, then into Florida for #3. About a year ago I read where a guy did this ride and forgot to get Florida! I wouldn’t have ever told anybody but we made sure we would not miss any states. Allan rigged an enduro roller with each states in order and the number of miles we would be in that state. Garry wrote the state, its sequence number, highway exit and gas station that we were to stop at and each one of us had this in our tank bag pouch for quick reference. These stops were also flagged on our GPS route. We were not going to miss a state! After FL, then AL, GA, SC, NC, TN, KY and VA. We had to ride a stone’s throw from my house on the way back through GA which was kinda weird. Note, on a LD trip do not ride by your house, if you do, do not stop! Since the I-85 bridge that was burned down by a homeless crackhead in Atlanta had been recently opened (earlier that week) we did not have route around ATL, we just blasted on through. To get Kentucky, we had to take some two lane twisty roads to Harlan. Actually we found a store before we got to Harlan which saved us about 30-40 minutes.The weather was great that day and we wound up in Salem VA around 10pm. Total mileage was 1027, a Saddlesore 1000 in the books.
Day 2 - Sunday May 20. This was the day we all dreaded, riding into the evil and unforgiving northeastern states. Whoo hoo, three Southerners riding through hostile Yankee land. Actually our trip was centered around this northeast day being on a Sunday. Those who did ride research (not me) found that Sunday is the best day to try to traverse the northeast states. We also all purchased an EZ Pass transponder so we didn’t have to stop at the toll booths. I will talk about one member of the group a little later regarding his ineffective use and care of the EZ Pass.
Leaving Virginia, it was into W.VA and then into Maryland, all very pretty, then came Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. Another 10 state day. A long day it was and we fell a little short of our goal of being in Vermont for the evening sleep. All was good until we got the aberration called NYC. Probably because we are dumb asses and also that we read that Mark Campbell rode thru NYC with minimal pain and suffering. If he can do it, why not us? Maybe 10 years between his ride and ours, things may have changed! God knows how much the EZ Pass transponder racked up in fees. I think we were delayed 2-4 hours just trying to get across the Washington bridge. In retrospect I think we should have stayed on the NJ turnpike. I didn’t mention that were not picking up New York state on this day, we would get it on Day 3 as there is no way to leave the northeast without having to go through the state again on I-88. After NYC then came Connecticut traffic, it kept moving but it was on average 45-55 mph. The day was warm and sunny. It would have been freaking miserable if it had been raining. Garry coined a term of how I ride through city traffic, he said it was like playing checkers, so when we got into a city he mentioned it was checkers time.
Then came Boston. I thought we were going to go around the city but somehow we aimed and went right into Sunday 6pm traffic. I was getting impatient and told the guys, follow me. They said where are you going, I said I don’t know. We got off onto a HOV lane that dumped us into downtown. It appeared we were riding on a one-way street and the intersections seemed to have no stop signs or lights. I was waiting to get runover. We passed a cop car but no blue lights so we kept going. Allan said we should turn right. I said why? He said because the big green to I-95 North sign pointed that way. Ah excellent. We went down a street, then into a tunnel, around a curve (we were all by ourselves, we had to be doing something wrong!) and rode until we merged with traffic, came out at 65mph and blasted into Maine. It was great, we found a time warp wormhole that led us thru Boston and its Sunday traffic! Excellent! We got our receipt in Kittery ME then headed west. The nasty northeast states were behind us. Day 2 total mileage 857.
Day 3- Monday May 21. Left Manchester NH in light rain and overcast skies to ride into Vermont, then through NY on I-88 which is truly a beautiful ride. New York is pretty state aside from that hell hole called NYC. At our second NY gas stop, Allan’s FJR starter would not disengage. When the key was turned the bike would crank. The ignition switch was replaced under recall a few years earlier and seems the replaced one was acting up. The switch housing was taken apart as well as wiring troubleshooting. The problem was parking lot solved by cranking the bike using the starter relay and then disengaging the relay. You don’t want to kill the bike in traffic as it would be very difficult to restart! This took us 2 hours to work on. On to PA and at the next stop we had another 45 minute delay working on the FJR. It was also having problems going into and out of 4th gear. It may be at this time that 4th gear ceased to exist for Allen for the rest of the trip. We wound up near Toledo, Ohio for the night. Total mileage was only 772 miles. This was the day we were going to make up Day 2 lost mileage. It seemed we were getting in a hole. Our trip overseer, Mark Campbell texted, “get past today and it’s all downhill to the finish”. This really brightened my outlook going into day 4.
Day 4 - Tuesday May 23. From Ohio we got Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Other than the northeastern states, my second fear was going near Chicago. Thanks to Mark’s trip report in 2007 we learned not to try I-90/94 through Chicago at rush hour! Since we were behind schedule we approached the Windy City in a light misty rain around 9am. Most people were already at work. We decided to go around using I-80 to I-355. Most excellent. A gamble that paid off. Back to Garry and his EZ Pass. When you get an EZ PAss they ask if you should auto refill the money using your credit card when it gets low. I don’t think Garry did this and it appeared that his transponder quit working so he had to stop and pay the many I-355 tolls. Earlier he repositioned his transponder higher up on the windshield but that didn’t seem to work either. It really didn’t matter as the EZ Pass was not going to be used after Illinois. Somewhere around this time it fell off the bike and is lost to the passage of time. Good riddance to Garry’s EZ Pass!
On to Wisconsin where Allen lost his cell phone! It fell out of his tank bag, his phone would be needed later in the trip. So, if you are walking along I-90 you may find a EZ Pass and a Samsung cell phone! Next up was Minnesota, in which we perfectly timed rush hour and made it around with ease, finally going through our last major city like a boss. Next up North Dakota. I did not realize that one of the border towns we went through was actually in ND so we continued to Hankinson where my Tenere ran out of gas and I coasted the last couple hundred yards into the gas station. I filled up with 6.1 gallons, then to South Dakota for the evening in Watertown. Total mileage 1037.
Day 5 - Wednesday May 24. Not much to talk about for this day, great weather collecting Iowa,
Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. We had a couple of hours on two lanes to get Arkansas and it was nice to leave the super slab for a bit. Wound up in Weatherford OK. Total mileage 897.
Day 6 - Thursday May 25. Today was all I-40 westbound. The first few hours were perfect weather until about mid Texas where we rode into a relentless headwind for the next +800 miles with temperatures rising as we got further and further west. Today we got TX, NM, AZ and CA. We stopped in Needles CA for the evening. It was 98 degrees, we got a room and ate a nice meal at the Wagon Wheel restaurant (recommended). Total mileage 1166.
Day 7 - Friday May 26. I looked forward to today as we were going to ride in two of my favorite states, Utah and Colorado. Early morning we went through a sleeping Las Vegas, Nevada, into Utah, to Dinosaur, Colorado, then Wyoming and then into Malad, Idaho for the evening. The ride from UT 191 to WY 414 was a beautiful ride. Total mileage 1045.
Day 8- Saturday May 27. We were nearing our goal and we were all getting excited about completing the 48 Plus ride. As of January 2017, only 133 people have completed and gotten certified from IBA. Garry was already at his bike at 5:30 am. That night he had received a call that his 93 year old mother had a stroke and he was going to have to return to Atlanta to be with her. He hated to leave and we wished he could of stayed on the trip but family is more important that a selfish ride through all of the states in 10 days, Allen and I bid ‘45 State’ Garry a sad farewell, he headed south, we headed north. It was a great day for riding and we tagged Montana, Washington and the last state in the lower 48, Oregon! We had a small celebration at the gas station in Umatilla before we headed north to the US/Canadian border to pick up our last state. We ended up in Bellingham, WA. Total mileage 1146. Three more +1000 mile days back-to-back-to back our 5th +1000 mile day on the trip.
Day 9- Sunday May 28. Into Canada, eh? We crossed at Sumas and set our GPS to metric to track the kilometers. I kept the other GPS on statute as I do not know how far 500m is. Wtf? I do know how far .2 miles is though. Riding on North Canada 1 from Hope to Cache Creek BC is beautiful along the river and the train tracks. Through Prince George to position ourselves as far north as possible for the easy ride to Hyder the next day. About 20 miles outside PG and a few miles before Vanderhoof, Allen’s beaten and bloodied FJR, with jerry rigged starter and no 4th gear...died. We were 386 miles from Hyder! This time there would be no resuscitation of the FJR. No working headlight, the dash was all alight with flashing things never before seen, the bike would not start or do anything except to say, game over. Go back to day 4, Allen lost his cell phone in Wisconsin. He didn’t have any information on hand, no AMA tow number, couldn’t remember his home phone number, nothing. Luckily I had my cell and even luckier that we could even get a signal. He remembered his daughter’s email and we got in touch with her, she gave us information and numbers to call. We got in touch with AMA towing but they couldn’t find us on a map! Finally they found a guy to pick Allan and his bike up and take him back to PG. (I believe he was very happy with his AMA towing experience, shameless plug). But he was not happy with his situation. I was saddened by this turn of events and the cruel fate that was bestowed upon his 49
state ride and his trusty FJR. Allan has really wanted to complete this ride for a few years and become a 49er. We all did and wanted to do it together. Perhaps he could get it fixed or maybe even rent a bike for a couple of days to complete the trip? An hour later after all was secure and tow truck on its way, I was headed northbound to Smithers BC for the night. Total mileage 728.
Day 10 - Monday May 29 Memorial Day. I was 208 miles from Hyder. Up early and on the road. I was feeling that something was to befall me and I was not going to make the finish, maybe a animal strike, run out of gas, accident, whatever. Riding on BC 37 and 37A to Alaska is a beautiful ride. I made it to Stewart BC, only a few miles and I’ll enter Hyder. Actually I rounded the corner and entered Hyder Alaska and almost missed their famous sign hanging over the road. There was no fireworks, no water cannons, no fanfare, actually no nothing. It was a very bittersweet feeling to arrive without my two riding buddies.
Hyder consists of three dead ended streets. One way in, one way out. Since there was no Hyder Seek this year, there were no other motorcycles present. I started looking for my two witnesses and to somehow get a receipt to stop the clock that was started in Slidell LA. There are only a few stores in Hyder, only one was open. I happened to find Chuck Hart, proprietor of Border Bandit Sporting Goods. His store wasn’t yet open for the season but he signed my witness sheet and gave me a hand written receipt. Next stop was Caroline Stewart’s, Boundry Gallery and Gifts.
Let me tell you, it was one of the highlights of my trip to meet Caroline. She told me the history of Hyder Seek, her friendship with Ron Ayers and other LD riders, her life story and all about Hyder. Since she wasn’t too busy that day we had coffee and sat on the porch of her shop for about 4 hours talking.She offered me a free piece of her homemade fudge as a gift for my accomplishment. She called me a 49er and I was happy to hear that. I felt a connection with her and I can’t wait to ride back to Alaska and stop by to visit and say hi. Caroline, you are the best!
Day 10 Total mileage 215. Total mileage from Slidell LA to Hyder AK 8627.
As the day was waning, it was time to ride south to help Allan out in anyway that I could. I was going to spend a day in Hyder/Stewart to welcome Andy Andersen who was also doing the 48 Plus but was a day behind us. We live in the same GA town and we have some common LD friends but we have never met. On my way south I looked closely at every rider to see if possibly it was Allan. Maybe the FJR was fixed? Allan would recognize me but I wouldn’t him if he were on a different bike. I noticed a red H-D Ultra heading north, rider with white beard and ponytail. That’s Andy! I turned the Tenere around and sped up and motioned the rider over. Good thing we were not in the states as I may have gotten shot. We introduced ourselves and we chatted for a few minutes. Great to meet him. Andy is the Real Deal, he is riding 100,000 miles in a year on his bike and is already +50K for the year. You meet the nicest people on a Harley!
Day after finishing the 48 Plus- Tuesday May 30. From Houston BC, I headed to the hotel where Allan was holed up, the FJR was there but not Allan. I spoke to the super cute blonde receptionist. She asked me if I was Hank? No, who is Hank? Hank is going to buy the bike. Hmmm. He drives the tow truck, she said. The key was in the bike, I turned it on, the same death lights were flashing. In one pannier was his helmet (that he hated), in the other was a bag of dirty clothes and I could not get the top trunk open. The new Russell Day Long seat had been removed.
The Iron Butt ride was officially over, no more keeping a ride log or or gas receipts. After getting a new rear tire in Prince George, I was taking the long way back to Atlanta, Some highlights: Icefields Parkway, Lolo, UT 95 (my all time favorite road Hanksville to Blanding), the Colorado mountain roads, Kansas prairies and visiting the Kansas motorcycle museum in Marquette (nice place). Eventually I racked up a little short of 14,000 miles on my trip and made it home safely with only one ticket (61/50) given by the Idaho State Police on the Lolo road (Idaho 12). Bullshit ticket!
Final Thoughts/Ride Wrap Up and Why the Title, Alaska is an Island (if you’ve stuck with me this far)
One word to describe doing the IBA 48 Plus ride- Commitment.
I didn’t find the ride hard or unachievable. It just takes commitment to do the ride, wake up early and ride all day. If you like to do that, it shouldn’t be a problem. Granted I didn’t spend the hours making the route we used, I only followed the route that some wise person made years ago. Whoever you are, thank you and good job!
Prep your bike before the trip, stay hydrated, try to eat something each day (ha,ha) have a plan and ride the plan. Get a EZ Pass and have it auto reload when it gets low on funds. Try to tackle the northeast states at night on a weekend. Be wary of Minneapolis/St Paul and Chicago. Be organized with your log and receipts, Start each morning’s ride early. We were extremely lucky with our good weather, maybe you will be too. Prepare for anything and everything regarding the weather. Try to have no more than three people on the ride and have each rider equipped with an intercom headset.
Garry’s mom- Garry made it home in two days from Malad, Idaho to Atlanta. Two +1000 mile days, the last day was ridden in a little over 12 hours. She is recovering and is as well as can be to be 93 years old. She herself is a motorcycle rider, a tough lady she is.
Allan and his FJR- he gave the bike (free) to Hank the tow driver, got a taxi to the Prince George airport, flew to Vancouver and then to ATL.
Allan and Garry are still plotting to conquer the 48 Plus. I’ll go and ride along for fun
How this ride report got its title. Go back to Day 0 and the (*). While we were at the wonderful Deluxe Inn in the hot and humid city of Slidell, LA, a group of crackheads were milling around in the back lot and were looking at our fine machinery. One guy that was propped up against the building asked where we were going. I told him that in a roundabout way we were heading to Alaska. You could see the smoke from the gears turning in his head (or was that from the pipe?) and then he spoke. “You know Alaska is an island. Do they have a bridge to Alaska?” I’m thinking he’s getting Alaska and Hawaii confused. Then he says, “maybe the ice hasn’t melted yet and you can get there on the ice road.” This statement negates that he is getting Alaska and Hawaii confused. As my friends were about to chime in, I gave them the hush sign. I’m here to tell you all is well with the bridge and ice roads that lead to Alaska.
Kith Burkingstock
Newnan GA
IBA# 23022.
The bikes on this trip- Garry’s 170,000 mile 2003 FJR (nicknamed Guardrail, given on a previous trip out west on UT191 north of Vernal), Allan’s 2007 140,000 mile FJR and my recently purchased 2014 Super Tenere with 27,000 miles. All of us have stock 6 gallon tanks, my larger franken tank was not ready for the trip. I did carry a roto-pax extra gallon of gas but it was never needed on the trip. I decided not to take the 427,000 mile V-Strom as I didn’t want to be the one that DNF’d in B.F.E. (Bum Fu%k Egypt). All three of us are from the Atlanta GA area. I think Garry and Allan did a little more planning of the route and trip than I did. We downloaded and used the same route that Mark used in 2007. To me, other than an oil change and new tires for the trip, that was my planning. I’m a go and ride guy, not one to sweat over all of the details. In retrospect, I will say that without Mark’s detailed report, things would probably have been much more difficult. We each had two GPS on the bikes, iphones, intercom system and my dad’s Spot tracker. The Sena intercom was invaluable on a trip like this where communication with the other riders is a key to success (and cussing out Garry for the 100th time and vice versa)
Day 0 - Friday May 18. We rode from Newnan GA to Slidell LA. One gas stop in Alabama and 421 miles total. While in Slidell we got our Iron Butt witness forms signed by the nice people at Friendly PowerSports (no pun intended). Both of the people working the counter Mike and Cat listened to my spiel and signed our forms. Cat didnt know that she had to sign one for each of us, I doubt she would have signed a fourth form! We had dinner at Cracker Barrel and then got el cheapo room next to a truck stop. Garry and I like to compete to see who can get the most raunchiest while riding around on our trips, one night his choice, the next mine. This one, the Deluxe Inn, is in the top two along with another stellar establishment near Wichita KS that we visited on the way to watch WSBK in Salt Lake a couple of years ago. Sleaze city! Crack heads, 6 grade drop outs* drinking can after can of Mike’s hard lemonade, various wandering parking lot people, a freaking nasty ass bathroom, I believe there were bed bugs as my legs were swollen the next morning. At 4 am I couldn’t sleep and texted Garry in the other room, you up? Yep. let’s hit the road and get out of this dump. (* more on this later)
Day 1 - Saturday May 19. Up early had a cup of coffee, got our starting receipt and headed out!
Today’s route would go through 10 states and end somewhere in Virginia. Within 60 miles we got our second state Mississippi, then into Florida for #3. About a year ago I read where a guy did this ride and forgot to get Florida! I wouldn’t have ever told anybody but we made sure we would not miss any states. Allan rigged an enduro roller with each states in order and the number of miles we would be in that state. Garry wrote the state, its sequence number, highway exit and gas station that we were to stop at and each one of us had this in our tank bag pouch for quick reference. These stops were also flagged on our GPS route. We were not going to miss a state! After FL, then AL, GA, SC, NC, TN, KY and VA. We had to ride a stone’s throw from my house on the way back through GA which was kinda weird. Note, on a LD trip do not ride by your house, if you do, do not stop! Since the I-85 bridge that was burned down by a homeless crackhead in Atlanta had been recently opened (earlier that week) we did not have route around ATL, we just blasted on through. To get Kentucky, we had to take some two lane twisty roads to Harlan. Actually we found a store before we got to Harlan which saved us about 30-40 minutes.The weather was great that day and we wound up in Salem VA around 10pm. Total mileage was 1027, a Saddlesore 1000 in the books.
Day 2 - Sunday May 20. This was the day we all dreaded, riding into the evil and unforgiving northeastern states. Whoo hoo, three Southerners riding through hostile Yankee land. Actually our trip was centered around this northeast day being on a Sunday. Those who did ride research (not me) found that Sunday is the best day to try to traverse the northeast states. We also all purchased an EZ Pass transponder so we didn’t have to stop at the toll booths. I will talk about one member of the group a little later regarding his ineffective use and care of the EZ Pass.
Leaving Virginia, it was into W.VA and then into Maryland, all very pretty, then came Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. Another 10 state day. A long day it was and we fell a little short of our goal of being in Vermont for the evening sleep. All was good until we got the aberration called NYC. Probably because we are dumb asses and also that we read that Mark Campbell rode thru NYC with minimal pain and suffering. If he can do it, why not us? Maybe 10 years between his ride and ours, things may have changed! God knows how much the EZ Pass transponder racked up in fees. I think we were delayed 2-4 hours just trying to get across the Washington bridge. In retrospect I think we should have stayed on the NJ turnpike. I didn’t mention that were not picking up New York state on this day, we would get it on Day 3 as there is no way to leave the northeast without having to go through the state again on I-88. After NYC then came Connecticut traffic, it kept moving but it was on average 45-55 mph. The day was warm and sunny. It would have been freaking miserable if it had been raining. Garry coined a term of how I ride through city traffic, he said it was like playing checkers, so when we got into a city he mentioned it was checkers time.
Then came Boston. I thought we were going to go around the city but somehow we aimed and went right into Sunday 6pm traffic. I was getting impatient and told the guys, follow me. They said where are you going, I said I don’t know. We got off onto a HOV lane that dumped us into downtown. It appeared we were riding on a one-way street and the intersections seemed to have no stop signs or lights. I was waiting to get runover. We passed a cop car but no blue lights so we kept going. Allan said we should turn right. I said why? He said because the big green to I-95 North sign pointed that way. Ah excellent. We went down a street, then into a tunnel, around a curve (we were all by ourselves, we had to be doing something wrong!) and rode until we merged with traffic, came out at 65mph and blasted into Maine. It was great, we found a time warp wormhole that led us thru Boston and its Sunday traffic! Excellent! We got our receipt in Kittery ME then headed west. The nasty northeast states were behind us. Day 2 total mileage 857.
Day 3- Monday May 21. Left Manchester NH in light rain and overcast skies to ride into Vermont, then through NY on I-88 which is truly a beautiful ride. New York is pretty state aside from that hell hole called NYC. At our second NY gas stop, Allan’s FJR starter would not disengage. When the key was turned the bike would crank. The ignition switch was replaced under recall a few years earlier and seems the replaced one was acting up. The switch housing was taken apart as well as wiring troubleshooting. The problem was parking lot solved by cranking the bike using the starter relay and then disengaging the relay. You don’t want to kill the bike in traffic as it would be very difficult to restart! This took us 2 hours to work on. On to PA and at the next stop we had another 45 minute delay working on the FJR. It was also having problems going into and out of 4th gear. It may be at this time that 4th gear ceased to exist for Allen for the rest of the trip. We wound up near Toledo, Ohio for the night. Total mileage was only 772 miles. This was the day we were going to make up Day 2 lost mileage. It seemed we were getting in a hole. Our trip overseer, Mark Campbell texted, “get past today and it’s all downhill to the finish”. This really brightened my outlook going into day 4.
Day 4 - Tuesday May 23. From Ohio we got Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Other than the northeastern states, my second fear was going near Chicago. Thanks to Mark’s trip report in 2007 we learned not to try I-90/94 through Chicago at rush hour! Since we were behind schedule we approached the Windy City in a light misty rain around 9am. Most people were already at work. We decided to go around using I-80 to I-355. Most excellent. A gamble that paid off. Back to Garry and his EZ Pass. When you get an EZ PAss they ask if you should auto refill the money using your credit card when it gets low. I don’t think Garry did this and it appeared that his transponder quit working so he had to stop and pay the many I-355 tolls. Earlier he repositioned his transponder higher up on the windshield but that didn’t seem to work either. It really didn’t matter as the EZ Pass was not going to be used after Illinois. Somewhere around this time it fell off the bike and is lost to the passage of time. Good riddance to Garry’s EZ Pass!
On to Wisconsin where Allen lost his cell phone! It fell out of his tank bag, his phone would be needed later in the trip. So, if you are walking along I-90 you may find a EZ Pass and a Samsung cell phone! Next up was Minnesota, in which we perfectly timed rush hour and made it around with ease, finally going through our last major city like a boss. Next up North Dakota. I did not realize that one of the border towns we went through was actually in ND so we continued to Hankinson where my Tenere ran out of gas and I coasted the last couple hundred yards into the gas station. I filled up with 6.1 gallons, then to South Dakota for the evening in Watertown. Total mileage 1037.
Day 5 - Wednesday May 24. Not much to talk about for this day, great weather collecting Iowa,
Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. We had a couple of hours on two lanes to get Arkansas and it was nice to leave the super slab for a bit. Wound up in Weatherford OK. Total mileage 897.
Day 6 - Thursday May 25. Today was all I-40 westbound. The first few hours were perfect weather until about mid Texas where we rode into a relentless headwind for the next +800 miles with temperatures rising as we got further and further west. Today we got TX, NM, AZ and CA. We stopped in Needles CA for the evening. It was 98 degrees, we got a room and ate a nice meal at the Wagon Wheel restaurant (recommended). Total mileage 1166.
Day 7 - Friday May 26. I looked forward to today as we were going to ride in two of my favorite states, Utah and Colorado. Early morning we went through a sleeping Las Vegas, Nevada, into Utah, to Dinosaur, Colorado, then Wyoming and then into Malad, Idaho for the evening. The ride from UT 191 to WY 414 was a beautiful ride. Total mileage 1045.
Day 8- Saturday May 27. We were nearing our goal and we were all getting excited about completing the 48 Plus ride. As of January 2017, only 133 people have completed and gotten certified from IBA. Garry was already at his bike at 5:30 am. That night he had received a call that his 93 year old mother had a stroke and he was going to have to return to Atlanta to be with her. He hated to leave and we wished he could of stayed on the trip but family is more important that a selfish ride through all of the states in 10 days, Allen and I bid ‘45 State’ Garry a sad farewell, he headed south, we headed north. It was a great day for riding and we tagged Montana, Washington and the last state in the lower 48, Oregon! We had a small celebration at the gas station in Umatilla before we headed north to the US/Canadian border to pick up our last state. We ended up in Bellingham, WA. Total mileage 1146. Three more +1000 mile days back-to-back-to back our 5th +1000 mile day on the trip.
Day 9- Sunday May 28. Into Canada, eh? We crossed at Sumas and set our GPS to metric to track the kilometers. I kept the other GPS on statute as I do not know how far 500m is. Wtf? I do know how far .2 miles is though. Riding on North Canada 1 from Hope to Cache Creek BC is beautiful along the river and the train tracks. Through Prince George to position ourselves as far north as possible for the easy ride to Hyder the next day. About 20 miles outside PG and a few miles before Vanderhoof, Allen’s beaten and bloodied FJR, with jerry rigged starter and no 4th gear...died. We were 386 miles from Hyder! This time there would be no resuscitation of the FJR. No working headlight, the dash was all alight with flashing things never before seen, the bike would not start or do anything except to say, game over. Go back to day 4, Allen lost his cell phone in Wisconsin. He didn’t have any information on hand, no AMA tow number, couldn’t remember his home phone number, nothing. Luckily I had my cell and even luckier that we could even get a signal. He remembered his daughter’s email and we got in touch with her, she gave us information and numbers to call. We got in touch with AMA towing but they couldn’t find us on a map! Finally they found a guy to pick Allan and his bike up and take him back to PG. (I believe he was very happy with his AMA towing experience, shameless plug). But he was not happy with his situation. I was saddened by this turn of events and the cruel fate that was bestowed upon his 49
state ride and his trusty FJR. Allan has really wanted to complete this ride for a few years and become a 49er. We all did and wanted to do it together. Perhaps he could get it fixed or maybe even rent a bike for a couple of days to complete the trip? An hour later after all was secure and tow truck on its way, I was headed northbound to Smithers BC for the night. Total mileage 728.
Day 10 - Monday May 29 Memorial Day. I was 208 miles from Hyder. Up early and on the road. I was feeling that something was to befall me and I was not going to make the finish, maybe a animal strike, run out of gas, accident, whatever. Riding on BC 37 and 37A to Alaska is a beautiful ride. I made it to Stewart BC, only a few miles and I’ll enter Hyder. Actually I rounded the corner and entered Hyder Alaska and almost missed their famous sign hanging over the road. There was no fireworks, no water cannons, no fanfare, actually no nothing. It was a very bittersweet feeling to arrive without my two riding buddies.
Hyder consists of three dead ended streets. One way in, one way out. Since there was no Hyder Seek this year, there were no other motorcycles present. I started looking for my two witnesses and to somehow get a receipt to stop the clock that was started in Slidell LA. There are only a few stores in Hyder, only one was open. I happened to find Chuck Hart, proprietor of Border Bandit Sporting Goods. His store wasn’t yet open for the season but he signed my witness sheet and gave me a hand written receipt. Next stop was Caroline Stewart’s, Boundry Gallery and Gifts.
Let me tell you, it was one of the highlights of my trip to meet Caroline. She told me the history of Hyder Seek, her friendship with Ron Ayers and other LD riders, her life story and all about Hyder. Since she wasn’t too busy that day we had coffee and sat on the porch of her shop for about 4 hours talking.She offered me a free piece of her homemade fudge as a gift for my accomplishment. She called me a 49er and I was happy to hear that. I felt a connection with her and I can’t wait to ride back to Alaska and stop by to visit and say hi. Caroline, you are the best!
Day 10 Total mileage 215. Total mileage from Slidell LA to Hyder AK 8627.
As the day was waning, it was time to ride south to help Allan out in anyway that I could. I was going to spend a day in Hyder/Stewart to welcome Andy Andersen who was also doing the 48 Plus but was a day behind us. We live in the same GA town and we have some common LD friends but we have never met. On my way south I looked closely at every rider to see if possibly it was Allan. Maybe the FJR was fixed? Allan would recognize me but I wouldn’t him if he were on a different bike. I noticed a red H-D Ultra heading north, rider with white beard and ponytail. That’s Andy! I turned the Tenere around and sped up and motioned the rider over. Good thing we were not in the states as I may have gotten shot. We introduced ourselves and we chatted for a few minutes. Great to meet him. Andy is the Real Deal, he is riding 100,000 miles in a year on his bike and is already +50K for the year. You meet the nicest people on a Harley!
Day after finishing the 48 Plus- Tuesday May 30. From Houston BC, I headed to the hotel where Allan was holed up, the FJR was there but not Allan. I spoke to the super cute blonde receptionist. She asked me if I was Hank? No, who is Hank? Hank is going to buy the bike. Hmmm. He drives the tow truck, she said. The key was in the bike, I turned it on, the same death lights were flashing. In one pannier was his helmet (that he hated), in the other was a bag of dirty clothes and I could not get the top trunk open. The new Russell Day Long seat had been removed.
The Iron Butt ride was officially over, no more keeping a ride log or or gas receipts. After getting a new rear tire in Prince George, I was taking the long way back to Atlanta, Some highlights: Icefields Parkway, Lolo, UT 95 (my all time favorite road Hanksville to Blanding), the Colorado mountain roads, Kansas prairies and visiting the Kansas motorcycle museum in Marquette (nice place). Eventually I racked up a little short of 14,000 miles on my trip and made it home safely with only one ticket (61/50) given by the Idaho State Police on the Lolo road (Idaho 12). Bullshit ticket!
Final Thoughts/Ride Wrap Up and Why the Title, Alaska is an Island (if you’ve stuck with me this far)
One word to describe doing the IBA 48 Plus ride- Commitment.
I didn’t find the ride hard or unachievable. It just takes commitment to do the ride, wake up early and ride all day. If you like to do that, it shouldn’t be a problem. Granted I didn’t spend the hours making the route we used, I only followed the route that some wise person made years ago. Whoever you are, thank you and good job!
Prep your bike before the trip, stay hydrated, try to eat something each day (ha,ha) have a plan and ride the plan. Get a EZ Pass and have it auto reload when it gets low on funds. Try to tackle the northeast states at night on a weekend. Be wary of Minneapolis/St Paul and Chicago. Be organized with your log and receipts, Start each morning’s ride early. We were extremely lucky with our good weather, maybe you will be too. Prepare for anything and everything regarding the weather. Try to have no more than three people on the ride and have each rider equipped with an intercom headset.
Garry’s mom- Garry made it home in two days from Malad, Idaho to Atlanta. Two +1000 mile days, the last day was ridden in a little over 12 hours. She is recovering and is as well as can be to be 93 years old. She herself is a motorcycle rider, a tough lady she is.
Allan and his FJR- he gave the bike (free) to Hank the tow driver, got a taxi to the Prince George airport, flew to Vancouver and then to ATL.
Allan and Garry are still plotting to conquer the 48 Plus. I’ll go and ride along for fun
How this ride report got its title. Go back to Day 0 and the (*). While we were at the wonderful Deluxe Inn in the hot and humid city of Slidell, LA, a group of crackheads were milling around in the back lot and were looking at our fine machinery. One guy that was propped up against the building asked where we were going. I told him that in a roundabout way we were heading to Alaska. You could see the smoke from the gears turning in his head (or was that from the pipe?) and then he spoke. “You know Alaska is an island. Do they have a bridge to Alaska?” I’m thinking he’s getting Alaska and Hawaii confused. Then he says, “maybe the ice hasn’t melted yet and you can get there on the ice road.” This statement negates that he is getting Alaska and Hawaii confused. As my friends were about to chime in, I gave them the hush sign. I’m here to tell you all is well with the bridge and ice roads that lead to Alaska.
Kith Burkingstock
Newnan GA
IBA# 23022.
