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Saddlesore 2K - August 2001
Overview Note: This ride was originally a Saddlesore 1000 combined with a Bun Burner provided I was able to make it. After submitting the paperwork for certification and combined with the recent restructuring of IBA Extreme rides, the IBA certified this ride as a Saddlesore 2000. My compliments to the IBA for this certification. It was totally unexpected. I've been running in my R1150RT the past few months in anticipation of my first Iron Butt Association (IBA) event. Eventually, I'd like to get a few of the IBA events under my belt and try my hand at the actual Iron Butt Rally in 2003 or 2005. I reviewed the following IBA events:
I really wanted to do the Bun Burner Gold, but one of the prerequisites is the successful completion of a Saddlesore 1000 or a Bun Burner. So I decided to go with a Bun Burner. The Bun Burner Gold will have to wait for now. Previously, the longest one-day ride was on my trip to Palo Duro Canyon this past July. On that trip I gathered some rudimentary statistics that provided a good indication of how both my bike and I would perform on a longer trip. For instance, maximum fuel range of the R1150RT, how long my buns could endure sitting on the stock seat, a good touring speed, etc. Based on the Palo Duro trip I accounted for 200-mile stops for gas and such. I packed the following items:
I decided that an early morning start would be ideal and that I should begin my journey down the street at the Albertson's. So I woke up the morning of Wednesday September 5, 2001 around 3:00 AM, took a shower, dressed, packed up the bike, went and gassed up and I was off... Details of the trip follow. The route starts in Irving, Texas and heads west on I-20; I-10 to Phoenix, Arizona; north on I-17 to Flagstaff, Arizona; west on I-40 to Amarillo, Texas; and TX-287 back into the metroplex and Irving, Texas. Total mileage is 2252. If anyone is looking for a good route for a Back to Back Saddlesore event, this route is not too shabby. I will probably ride it again when I go for the Back to Back Saddlesores after I'm certified.
click to enlarge The official start time in Irving was 4:47 AM Central. Just as I was about to get on Interstate 635 I saw lightning and heard thunder and knew that I was not going to make it out of the metroplex without getting wet. So I pulled over and slipped on the rain suit. The suit worked out really well and I certainly needed it. I ran into heavy rain until I got to the other side of Weatherford, Texas and then it rained intermittently until Sweetwater, Texas. Riding in the rain wasn't an issue at all - even the heavy stuff. As long as you have a good suit that will keep you dry, you should be able to weather the storm just fine and ride through to clearer skies. My hat's off to Frogg Toggs for making a wonderful suit. After the rain ended it was just a matter of riding out the miles. My first stop was Sweetwater, Texas - approximately 230 miles into the trip. I used this stop as a personal guage. I felt good, the bike was performing flawlessly and I gassed up and kept on riding. The ride through west Texas was uneventful. The speed limit is 70 MPH, but I passed a cop or two while doing 80-85 and they didn't flinch. Nor did I as I was just keeping up with what little traffic was on the road at the time. New Mexico was pretty much the same and Arizona wasn't too far behind. I reached Tucson around 3:30 PM local time and it was getting extremely hot. The ride from Tucson to Phoenix really drained me of a lot of energy and I was ready to stop for a good, long rest. When I saw the Comfort Inn sign in northern Phoenix, I knew that's where I would be spending the evening. I arrived in Phoenix around 6:00 PM local time - roughly 15 hours into the event. My end witness for the Saddlesore was Angela D, the manager of the Comfort Inn. I went out and got some Chinese food, ate, watched a little tube and fell asleep quickly. Only another 500 miles to go and roughly 20 hours to get them in. I woke up at 3:30 AM in Phoenix, took a shower and hit the road at 4:30 AM. I headed north on Interstate 17 to Flagstaff. I forgot how gorgeous Arizona sunrises are and how early in the morning they come. This was no exception. When I arrived in Flagstaff, I took Interstate 40 East. I thought reaching Albuquerque, NM would be enough to reach 1500 miles, but it wasn't. I decided to just ride and try to make Amarillo before the 36 hour time limit, but time just didn't allow it. I stopped in Tucumcari, NM with 1750 miles behind me and decided to get my end witness there. I found my end witness and an ATM around 3:30 PM MST. That's approximately 34 hours into the event. The Bun Burner was over and I had options. I considered spending the night in Tucumcari, but I decided to keep on riding. I wasn't that worn out after resting for about an hour and half and grabbing some good Mexican food. While it was a heavier meal than I should have had, it was good and satisfying and that's the feeling I was after. When I arrived in Amarillo, I decided to keep on riding. I made it home at midnight. At that time, I had traveled roughly 2250 miles in 43 hours. Not too shabby for a rookie. :) Here are some of the major trip statistics. The one I'm most concerned about is the number of pictures taken. I went in with grandiose ideas about taking pictures along the way, but it just never happened. Perhaps next time.
I knew I was going to learn quite a bit from this experience and it certainly didn't fail. Here's what I learned:
The official event log.
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