Why: To raise awareness and money for Zero: The End of Prostate Cancer. Bucket list item! Nearly $3000 Raised
Route: Folly Beach, SC - Oxnard, CA I-26, I-20, I-22,I-55, I-40, I-15,14,I-405, 101. Approximately 2600 miles
Bike: 2003 Honda Interceptor VFR800, very well maintained, 30k service and new tires just before departing
Gear: Helmet; Shoei Qwest w/SENA SMH10R, Jacket: AGV Sport Mission Textile Hi-Viz, Pants: AGV Sport Telluride, SIDI WT boots, Gloves: Z-leathers Deer-Traks Leather Gauntlet + Alpinestars Hi-Viz summer gloves. Luggage: Givi side case and 25LT Xtreme tankbag w/Powerlet powerpoint.
Rider: 53-year-old, lifetime rider, one 1000-mile day 10 years ago. Took preparation rides very serious for this trip.
The Plan: Ride from Rochester, NY to Charleston, SC with girlfriend two days. Have fun in Charleston/Folly Beach area for a few days. Then Sunday morning the 20th leave from Folly Beach before 4 am. Ride halfway to Pacific (Elk City, OK), sleep. Start early Monday the 21st ride to Oxnard, CA. Gas stops plotted out using GasBuddy and some subjective analysis of when I might need to stop. Each stop would include refueling, documentation, bathroom as needed, water, and a couple handfuls of road mix (mixed nuts and m&m's). During prep rides, this was 6 - 10 minutes.
Positioning Ride:
The ride from Rochester to Folly beach went well, GF still loves the Corbin saddle and backrest after 650 and 450-mile days. Sena works great. Navigational issues arise when phone overheats (testing in western NY does not mimic I-95 heat conditions). Check out the Public Safety office in Folly Beach for access and personnel for witness forms, as well as gas station across the street for times. The Saturday before I start, I create 3 x 5 navigation notes for transitions and gas stops. This is to be a backup in case of phone overheating. These are numbered and placed in order in the tank bag. My plan is for the next two stops/transitions to be placed in view in the map window in the tankbag. This will add a bit to my stops, but in the end, could save a ton.
The RIde:
August 20th: Alarm set for 3:00 AM, wake up at 2:00 decide to get up and go at 2:30. Things do not go smoothly. I unknowingly drop my disclock key in the parking lot, spend 15 minutes retracing my steps from the room to the lot, till I find it in the dark parking lot. Get everything on the bike and connected, ready to go. Push off, get a block and realize at the first traffic light I have my tinted shield on. Now I am getting annoyed, tell myself get this crap out of the way now the rest will go smoothly. Ride to Folly Beach for my start uneventful, glad to be on the bike moving. Get my witness signatures at the Office of Public Safety and cross the street to top off. No receipt prints, doors are locked. Finally, someone comes to the door and says the computers cannot print and run her daily report at the same time. She can get me a receipt in a few minutes. I take off my helmet and breath! Two minutes later I have my receipt and I am off. Ten minutes later I realize I have not turned on Bubbler, pull over and turn it on. Take a minute to go through a mental checklist, remind myself this is an Ultra-marathon.
No traffic, smooth sailing through Charleston, onto I- 26 to the end of I-26, temperature has dropped almost 20 degrees since the coast. I know I will wish for this later. Transition to I-20 goes well, as does first gas stop. First but not last time someone asks me where are you heading. I tell them, after a bit of banter I decide on a cliff bar for breakfast since I am already here for 8 minutes. Tinted shield back on, off to Georgia. Special thanks to Dale Gordineer, thank you for suggesting a weekend start! I sail through Atlanta, no traffic, zero! I get into a nice rhythm and now use only my notes for gas stops. Using the mileage and exit numbers. It keeps my mind occupied and I tell myself my phone cooler (I am still using it for Amazon Music & Bubbler). Temperature now rising, as I go through Alabama and into Mississippi. Triple digits, vents all open. Bike temperature still under 190. I decide to buy Gatorade every other stop and double my liquid intake to about 14 oz. every stop. I only need to spend a little time in Memphis and I mess it up. Somehow, I missed or incorrectly wrote down my transition exit from I-22 to I-55. I pull over, what the heck happened here, the place looks like a disaster and now my phone will not let me open the map app (yes overheated). I head west since I know I-55 runs north-south on the west side of the city. Find 240 instead and get on. Find out in a couple miles the wrong way. Get myself turned around now headed correctly. Looking forward to I-40. Cross the Mississippi and into my sixth state today, Arkansas.
Eastern Arkansas, never been to Arkansas before, not much of a shoulder on I-40. Lots of trucks, holy crap it is hot! Calculate that I got a little out of sync on my gas stops due to the extra mileage in Memphis. Decide to get back on track before I hit Oklahoma, remember when I used gas buddy they were a bit scarce in western Oklahoma. Think about what I know about Arkansas, not much. Wal-Mart and Bill Clinton. Oh well, realize the fields I am looking at are probably cotton. Don't remember ever seeing cotton before, how can that be, I think. Think to myself that I will soon hit 1000 for the day. Only couple hundred or so after that, this is fun. Then I see the mountains in the west, pretty I love mountains, finally remember that these must be the Ozarks. Enjoy the view for lots of miles, would love to see these up close sometime. Shortly after the Ozarks my phone starts making lots of strange sounds, I surmise that it must be over temping again. Then it gets dark, clouds roll in and temp drops as I get closer to the Oklahoma border. Wind gets seriously fierce and I see a wall of water blowing across the road. Decide to at least pull over at the next exit (Van Buren) this puts me back on the original gas plan. Find out when I get off that my phone has been trying to warn me about sever weather. 50 MPH+ winds for the next 45-60 minutes. Decide to get a Luke warm chocolate and take a cat nap in the store next to the Casino/tables/slot machines. About 30 minutes later I wake up, head outside to find calmer weather (just rain). Top off tank and put on rain gear. Off I go to Oklahoma.
Oklahoma, rain stops very shortly, then bugs. Large black bugs are bouncing off everything. Fouling my newly cleaned clear shield. Not many cars or trucks on the road, just black bugs, locusts, crickets,,,,, but they are big. Lots of stuff in the them to smear my shield. Lots of red smears from dead critters, eyes along the road, move to the center of the road and then, off the driver's side of a truck for the next 70 or so mile. Maybe 100 feet or so. Figure the truck will clear a path. itching to get to Elk city now, one more gas stop. Hands are now getting a little uncomfortable, do not like to use the throttle lock much in the dark, but I am using it now with my hand staying on the bar. Cloudy as well making it darker, sail through Oklahoma City and gas stop. Vegetation seems close to the road as do the eyes. Happy to pull into Elk City and the Hampton Inn is just off the Interstate next to Hutch's 119 as planned. Get my greeting at the front desk 11:25 PM, verify that I can leave my bike undercover, load my stuff onto a cart, check the bike, decide not to lube the chain, lock and cover it. Get into the room, down 16 oz. of water, text the loved ones, shower, clean shields, plug in batteries (phone & Sena), pack and set out tomorrow's clothes, set alarm for 3:40 (4 hours). Looking forward to a breakfast burrito and a brief visit with my friend and coworker Cory Huey tomorrow morning.
August 21
Up before my alarm, as usual, take my time, drink more water, shower again. Since this is central time I am leaving an hour later than when I left South Carolina. This makes me feel refreshed. Seriously, I know. Out to the bike, plug everything in, check my 3 x 5 cards, verify phone is working, check food stores (all prepackaged with quotes from family by the most thoughtful person I have ever met). Ride 50 yards to top off and get receipt 4:02 AM. Next stop Amarillo, TX. Looking forward to it. Ride to Amarillo on wet roads and threatening skies, but no rain, good thing because I did not put rain gear on. Cool ride, not sure how much elevation we gain but the ride from Elk City is mostly up hill, a good climb most of the way. Entering Texas there are a huge number of red lights on the horizon blinking in unison, it is truly distracting since I watch them and then go through them, and then see another set and go through them. Huge windfarms on top of the plateau I just climbed up to. I think this is a cool ride, did not expect to see this. I have been looking forward to the second day, so much of what I will ride through today is not only new to me, but I have never been to most of this part of the country.
Get through downtown Amarillo in no time and get to our prescribed meeting place at 6:04 AM. Cory is waiting for me and pulls up next to me. He gets out and hands me two breakfast burritos and a coffee. He thinks I am going to down these and get going. I had already decided last night that if he could I would spend 30 minutes or so here. We sit on the tailgate of his truck and both enjoy our burritos and coffee. First meal, besides my road snack, in about 36 hours. Plus, it is nice to have a conversation, touch point with the world outside my helmet. It starts to rain while we are sitting there, so rain suit on coffee drained, off to New Mexico. He insists on buying my tank of gas as a contribution, I thank him and get the receipt. Off at 6:40, feeling very good, despite the oncoming rain. As the sun comes up I get a view of the stockyards I have been smelling for miles. (most of the beef consumed goes through Amarillo). I also see the landscape for the first time, it is right out of a spaghetti western, even though they were not filed here. High buttes and huge plains, this year there is green grass on the plain because of all the rain. The view it stunning. I soon enter New Mexico
New Mexico has the coolest state border of any I will see this trip. It has a monument welcoming you to the "Land of Enchantment". More of the same landscape as the Texas panhandle, just does not seem as flat, more rolling hills, except hills roll in frequencies measured in miles, unlike home where they are measured in yards. Great colors on the buttes as I go in and out of rain and sunshine. No shower last more than twenty minutes. No one on the roads even though the signs in Albuquerque remind you not to stop on the road to look at the eclipse. I had completely forgotten about it, did not know you could see it here. Too cloudy anyway. Talk about sparsely populated, few exits and very few manmade things in view, even though I cover nearly 400 miles in New Mexico it goes by very quickly
A large portion of the next section of the trip I have covered before, I have driven from Flagstaff to southern California over 25 years ago. I have not been this far east in Arizona, not very many people and some interesting settlements that have been abandoned. Leaving New Mexico, I realize that I am now about half way through today’s mileage. Timewise I think I am in pretty good shape, I feel good and the Bike has not missed a beat.
I know that I will climb through the eastern part of Arizona to Flagstaff at over 7000 feet the highest elevation this trip. As a result, the temperature drops from western New Mexico by 10 degrees. When I get to Flagstaff it is in the low 70’s and sunny. I fuel up and get back on the road quickly, turn onto I-40 and it begins to rain hard, I get off at the next exit to change shields, gloves and to put on the heavy raingear. The temperature has dropped 20 degrees since my last fuel stop 15 miles ago. For the next 120 miles or so I will descend in heavy rain, wind and cool temperatures. I know these temperatures are short lived. It is getting late in the afternoon, but I know by the time I hit Kingman on the Eastern edge of the Mojave Desert it will be much warmer and unlikely to be raining.
Sure, enough the sun comes out and it gets hot. I know that the 90 degrees in Kingman will get much hotter as I cross the desert and descend to Barstow, CA. I get rid of the rain gear and the clear shield. All vents open, large drink, I now have only two gas stops between me and the coast. 400 miles and it is not yet 5:00 Pacific. For the first time, I calculate that my stretch goal of less than 48 hours is well within reach. For the next 2.5 hours, it is triple digit temperatures with ever changing cross-winds and the setting sun is in my face. Truly a test. I get to Ludlow, CA with a headache, thirsty, looking forward to darkness. I make a call back east before people go to bed. Clear shield on off to the coast. The next hour the cross-winds are even worse. I tell myself they will let up as soon as I get on the other side of that mountain range. Which they do. Also, Google maps tells me that the she has found quicker route and we are now on that. I do not think anything of this at the time.
After Barstow, I follow directions to head south on I-15 this is as I remember it. We then continue through Apple Valley and the traffic starts to get heavier and we are still going fast ok. But I have never driven, let alone ridden in LA traffic. I tell myself this is only for a little since I know my directions will be turning due west soon, skirted the north edge of the metropolitan area. Of course, I am forgetting the re-routing that has happened. It dawns on me a few miles later. I know I have one more stop so I continue to follow the directions and stop when I think I am in range of my finish. I pull over to get gas at a truck stop and it is mobbed, of course no receipt at the pump. I wait in line for what seems like forever thinking through what I have left and reviewing the options on my phone. Looks like I am going to get a taste of LA. I also change to plug-in earbuds since both my Sena Batteries are below 20%, while I might be able to make it, I am not taking the chance. Back on the road, wow this is stressful. I screw up an exit because Ms. Google maps gives me an exit number and the sign just has the name of the freeway. I make it the second time, we do that I few more times until I get headed toward towns I recognize as waypoints. At one point I hit something, debris or a hole in the road I do not know. The bike shakes a bit, I shake a bit, I gas it and all is well. I am shaken I bit so take the next exit to talk to myself and my ancestors. We decide that the worst is over and we have less than an hour from the finish.
Back on the bike for the final push trying to keep the adrenaline at bay. I start seeing the signs for Oxnard, converting each one to minutes. Knowing now that I will be very close to 47 hours. I get off the freeway one or two exits early but just follow the directions, enjoying to slower pace and the smell of the ocean. I hit the gas station in time. As soon as I park the bike a guy two pumps over comes over to talk to the guy from New York. This guy is sketchy and he is not making much sense. He finally explains he and his dog are living out of his van and he does not have money for gas to get to his job the next morning. $20 lighter I fill up and get my receipt. A sheriff pulls in gets out to go into the min-mart. I intercept him, I am sure I look and sound crazy, I finally get my point across that I would like him to sign my witness form we walk into the store. He asks me if that is my bike with the helmet on it and are the keys in it. I say yes, he tells me to go get them, that there is serious crime problem here. Ok I will get them. He hands me my form, I say good bye to my new best friend and high tail it out of there. 5 minutes later I am at my hotel , where the security guard shows me to the motorcycle parking under the lights and camera. He is my second witness. I am now checked -in and done. From Gas Receipt to Gas Receipt 47 hours and 7 minutes