Scott & Michelle's 2017 Memorial SaddleSore 1,000 Ride

Scott Parish

Premier Member
#1
This was the first year I was able to participate in the IBA Memorial Ride; and I am so glad for the opportunity. While I did not have time to join the Big as Texas Party – I felt compelled to dedicate a SaddleSore 1,000 to my wife’s cousin (Joe) who passed away in 2016. I never had the pleasure of meeting Joe in person; but have spent time with his brother John – and by all accounts, Joe was a really good guy that would do anything for his friends or family. Joe had his demons as many of us do; unfortunately, for Joe – his were substance related. However, one therapeutic activity which seemed to provide pleasure to Joe was riding his motorcycle with his brother John.

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We created our route in Google Maps; transferred to Base Camp, and imported to Garmin GPS (I know it would be simpler to just do in Base Camp; but I still feel more comfortable doing all my initial route planning in Google Maps; plus it is easily accessible from my phone as a back-up – not that this was a complicated route – more like a NASCAR lap i.e. start San Diego, left at Phoenix, left at Flagstaff and left at Barstow).

Michelle and I decided Friday 9/29/17 would be the best day during the open window to complete the ride. The alarm was set for 3am to afford a 4am DBR departure. The good thing about doing a SaddleSore 1,000 is they no longer trigger a sleepless night prior to departure as much longer rides still do. Also – 3am is only an hour earlier than we usually wake during the week; so we felt well rested with 6 hours of sleep.

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The early morning miles ticked by quickly as they always seem to do. We topped off our gas and ate a banana in Dateland (should have planned/packed the fruit more appropriately). It was nice to get through Phoenix before noon. The temperature was relatively comfortable in the low 90’s. I routed to Casa Grande to provide enough mileage cushion where we took our first left off I-8E to the I-17N. Leaving Phoenix heading north on I-17, the weather gets progressively cooler; and was a welcome 70F in Flagstaff. Another left off I-17N to I-40W brought us to a little over the halfway point where we decided to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches brought for lunch.

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Flagstaff is definitely one of my favorite places to hike and camp. The smell of pine is so pervasive with every breath and the scenery is beautiful; so it always a little sad when leaving. The ride down to Kingman in the afternoon was pleasant enough. The temperature rose to the 80’s as we decreased elevation. We didn’t waste much time in Kingman (why would you? Other than it is the last opportunity to buy gas at a much lower per gallon cost than we pay in California and not wrestling with the vapor recovery nozzles).

The most difficult (insert boring) part of the ride is the Kingman to Barstow leg. It is 200 miles of nothing once you pass Needles and Parker. Even Ludlow can be a welcome site if only to confirm life still exists. Temperature along this leg was near 100 the entire time. Can’t really complain; especially if you ride this stretch June through August when you can expect daytime temps in the 120’s.

The sun was setting as we arrived to Barstow. We took our last left turn i.e. I-40W to I-15S and penultimate fuel stop where we consumed some citrus to ward off cramps and scurvy. Our route planning had us crossing the Cajon Pass and getting through the high desert communities after Friday night rush hour. Even though the traffic was flowing faster southbound; I was still envious of the northbound pack heading to Vegas. Michelle and I briefly considered a Vegas destination; but had too many commitments for the weekend to make it viable (but it is always nice to dream about pool side drink service while on a ride).

We arrived to our final fuel stop at 8:45pm, topped off the tank; and pulled a receipt from the same pump we started at 16 hours and 45 minutes earlier. A short 5 minute ride back home where 30 minutes later we were showered and enjoying a light dinner and glass of wine was wonderful. Overall the ride went as well as could be expected. This was Michelle’s second certified IBA ride this year (we qualified for a BB-Silver while participating in the August HW3 Rally as a 2-up team in Grand Junction – report still to come) and provided an opportunity for her to share more Joe stories with me along the way through the intercom than would have likely happened if we stayed home.

Plan the ride – ride the plan.

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Cheers,

Scott
 

Martin Little

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#2
Nice efficient route Scott & Michelle!

Well planned and executed. Flagstaff is a great place to ride through/stop and like you I enjoy the pines around this area.

Thanks for sharing!