Way too early it seemed the alarm went off so that I could make my way downstairs for the 4 am check out with Lisa Landry and IBR Staff. This completed the requirements for the 23k+ bonus points for returning to Kennewick. Since my ride plan was not too ambitious, I had allowed time for me to return to bed for a few more hours of sleep.
Waking up a few hours later I made ready to depart. Part of the routine is to reinstall all of my tech gear on the motorcycle including the GPS units, my iPad and my Spot device. The Spot is a satellite tracking device used by the IBR staff to keep watch over all the riders and means to provide assistance should the need arise. Significant bonus points are awarded for having and using this service. My routine is usually to install the Spot device first, plug it in, and turn it on which I did. I continued with my other devices and made ready to leave.
The goal today was to simply get to Telluride, CO where I would be staged for collecting some time restricted bonus locations the next day. Leaving Kennewick I headed east on I-84 towards Salt Lake City, UT. About 200 miles into my journey I check my dash to make sure all is well and notice that I had neglected to start the Tracking feature on my Spot device. Ugh! I was hopeful that the IBR Staff would allow a 200 mile gap out of a 10,000 mile journey.
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| View of Southern Idaho from the bike |
Nothing real exciting happened most of the day. I did have my first fan photo taken somewhere in northern Utah. Cool. As I reach Salt Lake City, it is approaching the evening rush hour and sure enough the pace slows to a crawl. I'm certainly missing that California lane splitting about now. The heat is taking its toll and I get a case of the nods. I really scared myself as I drifted off for only a second and shocked awake to see the rear bumper of the car ahead getting real close. The shock woke me up and I was able to make my way out of the city and catch my turn on US-6 south of Provo. US-6 merged with US-191 which would take me into southeast Utah where I would turn due east for the transition over to Telluride.
By now it was dark and being a bit paranoid of critters, I slowed my speed down to a comfortable pace. I arrived at my destination about 11 pm and found my room key and documents in an envelope at the front counter of the small hotel. The room was large and comfortable and made for an excellent rest stop. I took the opportunity to do a little repair work on my riding boot. Several rounds of duct tape worked wonders and would allow the boots to make it through the rest of the rally.Total miles for the day ended up being just over 950. It felt good to be staged for the next day's effort.
Day 9 - Telluride, CO to Carlsbad, NM
The big bonus of the day was in Silverton, CO with the time restriction beginning at 11 am. This allowed me to get a few more hours of sleep which I desperately needed. Leaving the hotel about 7 am, I made my way into Telluride to capture a bonus picture of a unique train used back in the day.I had to laugh as the Garmins are telling me that Silverton is only 12 miles away. Being familiar with the area, I knew better than to fall for the trick as Black Bear Pass is about as treacherous as one can get. Google Maps even lists the road as closed from Jan-Dec (when is it open?).
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| View of Black Bear Pass looking down on Telluride, CO |
Leaving Ouray you ascend the San Juan mountains to reach the 11,010 ft Red Mountain Pass. The scenery is beautiful. The descent from the pass ends in the town of Silverton where my next bonus is. I'm a few hours ahead of schedule so I take the opportunity to go in a local restaurant for a big sit down breakfast. What joy it is to have some real food.
As I finish up breakfast, some other riders are starting to show up for the bonus. The requirement was to take a picture of the Durango to Silverton Steam Train at the Silverton location. The bonus allowed an alternative if the train had not arrived by 11 am. A rider could obtain a receipt from a local business at 11 am and then take a photo of your motorcycle in front of the area where the train is supposed to be.As 11 am rolls around most of the other riders and I take the option to get a receipt and move out. Fellow rider Steve Snell hung around for the train (the rally book as a little ambiguous about the receipt alternative) as a safety measure and reported later that the train didn't arrive until 11:50 am.
Now is time for a big confession. I'm embarrassed to report it but it explains my weird spotwalla track. When the rally poster was first shown on the Saturday before the rally, I noticed the bridge in the middle and recognized it as the Royal Gorge Bridge that I've visited several times growing up. From that moment I had it fixed in my mind that we could be going to the Royal Gorge sometime during the rally. It just so happened that my plan included visiting the RGORGE bonus. Without taking much notice of my GPS units, I hopped on the bike and made my way back over Red Mountain Pass into Ouray and Ridgeway before turning east on US-50 which would take me directly to the Royal Gorge.
After about 2 hours I notice that my gps units are saying that the RGORGE bonus is several hundred miles away but I know better that the Royal Gorge is only about 60 miles in front of me. I pulled into a rest area on the large Gunnison River Reservoir for a bio break and decide to check the rally book. It took a minute for it to click as I read over it several times as the bonus said Rio Grande Gorge. What?! I've never heard of the Rio Grande Gorge. It's down in New Mexico due south of me and here I am heading east to the wrong gorge!
Fortunately, this was not too terrible of a mistake as I calculated that I had only really lost about an hour of travel time. Just silly to have fixated so much on the familiar that I completely forgot to run the rally.
Trying to recover from my mistake I make good time down to the real RGORGE bonus. It requires 2 photos. The first is a marker located up in the rest area near the bridge and the second requires a short walk out onto the bridge for an overwater photo. Anyone that knows me well that I don't do well next to edges and I'm absolutely terrified in the photo.
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Now my bonus locations are complete for the day and I need to get to Carlsbad, NM. The Garmins had me go east about 15 miles into Taos where I could pick up NM-68 south and get back to US-285. As I'm leaving Taos traffic comes to a stop with NM Highway Patrol blocking the highway. Apparently there was a fatal accident up ahead and it will be hours before the road is open. Trying an alternate route the gps was showing a gravel road up ahead, however, the road abruptly stopped with a 100 ft drop into a dry creek bed. No warning. Just 4 short posts at the end of the road. Backtracking into Taos my second option was to take the Taos High Road towards Sante Fe. Beautiful but a real time suck.
Rolling into Sante Fe I got a little bit of Interstate before peeling off to continue south on US-285. At Clines Corner I stopped for a delicious and nutritious gas station hot dog (x2) that I stuffed into my jacket pockets and ate on the road. After what seemed to be forever I pulled into Carlsbad about 12:30 and got a good receipt in case I wanted to use this as my rest bonus. The hotel across the street looked like it catered to oil field workers but was otherwise comfortable. Getting a shower and crawling in bed was a blessing. Total miles today was near 755.
Day 10 - Carlsbad, NM to Houston, TX
Since Carlsbad Caverns wasn't open until 8 am, I was able to get a few extra hours of sleep before heading out. The hotel breakfast was sorely lacking but I had to make do. About 7:45 am I rode back across the street for a rest bonus ending receipt and headed out to the Caverns. It's barren desert and not my favorite landscape. Pulling up a small hill I veered into the parking lot where, amazingly, there was motorcycle only parking and several machines that I recognized. Steve Snell, Nancy Lefcourt and the pride of Lindale, TX Bill Cumbie were waiting at the door. As the doors unlocked our group hustled to the ticket office to learn that the first elevator down in the Caverns would be at 8:30 am. I forgot to mention that the bonus for Carlsbad Caverns was a lot of points. To get it, the rider would have to make the 3/4 mile hike through the Big Room to the far end to take a picture of the marquee for the Bottomless Pit. Of course, the return trip was also 3/4 mile back to the elevator. The 4 of us chatted and enjoyed the air conditioning until we were transported down. With the task complete we all said our good-byes and headed our separate ways.
My original plan at this point was to make the long journey across Texas to Galveston where I would overnight and capture the Bolivar Lighthouse bonus at dawn. However, as I pulled out of Carlsbad I punched up the nearest bonus locations and saw that Presidio was only about 160 miles away and that Big Bend would not be far off as well. I made the command decision to drop the Lighthouse and add the 2 bonuses in southwest Texas. Heading south I made good time towards Presidio. With the heat building I stopped for fuel at Van Horn and was going to grab a Wendy's burger but the line was way too long so I again settled for a couple of gas station hot dogs stuffed in my jacket. Just a few miles south on US-67 I saw my first Border Patrol truck sitting on the side of the road. Not soon after I spied a CBP blimp off in a field. I know that I'm getting close.
The Presidio bonus was really easy as it was a picture of the Post Office with my motorcycle. Now to head east along the border towards Big Bend. Farm Road 170 parallels the Texas-Mexico border between Presidio and Lajitas.
It was interesting in places where I could look down into the gorge made by the Rio Grande River and see the tall grass on the Mexico side. Every once in a while would be a path cut out in the grass for passage down to the river where one could walk across with ease.
In the picture the cliffs to the right is Mexico and the green path in the middle is the Rio Grande River.
The temps were really starting to soar so I stopped at the Lajitas General Store for a bio break, some water and most of all some air conditioning. The ladies running the store were so nice and accommodating as they said that a lot of motorcycle riders stop for the same thing throughout the summer.
Back on the road I rolled through Terlinqua made famous by their Chili Festivals and the restaurant chain Chili's. Not much to see but now I can say that I've been there.
Entering Big Bend National Park the speed limit drops to 45 mph. WTH? There's nothing for a hundred miles and the limit is 45? You've got to be kidding. I tried my best to keep the speed down and only got flashed by a Park Ranger once to slow down. Ugh. Arriving at the bonus location Boquillias Canyon Overlook, a couple of hikers agreed to be my muses and hold my rally flag for the bonus location. Hopping back on the bike I noticed the temp gauge reading 105. Wow.
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I have to say that growing up in Texas our family never made the trip out to the Big Bend. I can say with confidence that I have been there and never need to go back again. Just my opinion. I want my trees.
The final objective of the day was to get back up to I-10 and haul buns across Texas and get at least to the east side of Houston before stopping. Moving on I-10 was not too bad in the heat until I hit the Texas Dry Line near Kerrville. It was like someone hitting me across the head with a baseball bat. The humidity instantly went from 10% to 85% with the same temps. I soon hit some moderate rain with lightning popping all around. Looking at my iPad I saw that I would be out of it before hitting San Antonio so I continued on. After San Antonio I was really starting to hit the wall so I called my brother Scott and talked to him for almost an hour as I continued moving eastward. He suggested a few places for hotels and I was able to book a Motel 6 in Channelview which would put me on the east side of Houston and set me up for the run tomorrow. I arrived at the hotel about 2 am for a much needed shower and sleep. I covered about 1044 miles today.
Day 11 - Houston, TX to Greenville, SC
This is it. Day 11 of my rookie IBR. Feeling good and ready to finish this sucker. I got a quick shower to wake me up and loaded up the bike for departure just after 7 am. I had made the effort to get to the east side of Houston so that I could avoid rush hour traffic. As I pull onto the service road for I-10 my heart drops as the traffic eastbound is at a standstill. Looking at my iPad I see that there's no way around as I-10 crosses the Houston Ship Channel just a few miles up the road. Sticking to the service road I'm able to weave my way up a good bit before I'm forced onto the highway just short of the bridge. Slowly, ever so slowly, I make my way up the bridge and descending on the other side I see what the problem is. Someone on the west bound side has stopped their car in the middle of the highway and is threatening to jump from the bridge. Law enforcement is everywhere including a helicopter above. Saying a prayer for the troubled person I'm finally past the situation and able to get back to highway speeds.
Moving into Louisiana the temperatures are rising as fast as the humidity. I exit in Lafayette and head south to the home of Tabasco Hot Sauce for a fairly large bonus. The requirement was to take a photo of the pressed penny machine AND make a pressed penny with the Tabasco logo on it. There were 4 options for the pressed penny and only 2 of them had the Tabasco logo! As I finished my photo I wandered back into the main room of the general store and the a/c hit me. I just had to invest 5 extra minutes just to cool down. It was wonderful.
Back on the road I was heading for my last bonus of the rally. The reward was over 9000 points but it involved riding south to the very, very end of the Mississippi River delta where the road simply runs out. I saw several riders including my friends Lisa Rufo and her dad, Martin Cover, and Ken Andrews heading back north from the bonus.Venice Marina is a very popular deep sea fishing port and there was a crowd sitting nearby enjoying seeing all the farkled motorcycles stopping by to photograph the fish cleaning station. At willing volunteer helped me out to hold my rally flag.
Heading back north I was amazed at looking up at the cargo ships docked on the other side of the large levee holding back the river. My gps told me that I was riding on a road that was 5 ft below sea level so I was thankful the levee was doing its job. I passed by a beautiful new high school building and had to stop as it was unique in having been built up on stilts. You do what you gotta do, I guess.Unfortunately, I was going to hit New Orleans right at 5 pm and get caught in traffic. As I'm standing waiting for traffic to move, the temp gauge on the bike reads 100 degrees. It's absolutely miserable. I finally make it through the traffic but notice on my iPad a line of nasty looking thunderstorms moving south towards Mobile, AL. It's going to be close but I'm trying to get there and around the storms before they hit.
It wasn't meant to be. As I exited I-10 onto I-65 a new cell had formed right on top of the highway and it was delivering everything it had. Torrential rain had me slowed down to about 45 mph and the wind would first blow me to the right and the next second blowing me to the left. I haven't ridden in that harsh of a thunderstorm in many years and thankfully would only last a short time. Punching out of the storm the daylight was starting to fade as well as my energy. I had until 8 am the following morning to reach Greenville, SC and the finish line but I needed to stop and stop soon.
I stopped a few times to fuel and stretch but after making my way through Atlanta I just had to stop for a short nap. Eyeing an empty parking lot to a Best Buy, I exited I-85 and circled around to check into the Iron Butt hotel for a break. Setting times on both the phone and iPad I laid down next to the bike and instantly was out. 30 minutes later the timers did their jobs and roused me from my slumber. Not feeling totally refreshed, nevertheless I swung my leg over the bike and continued on. My goal was oh so close.
About 4:30 am I made the exit for the hotel in Greenville and the reality started to hit me. I was going to finish the Iron Butt Rally, a decades long goal. Crossing over the highway I moved to the right lane to turn down the parkway for the entrance to the hotel. The tears are already starting to flow. I need to focus and not get ahead of myself. I made the turn for the hotel entrance, passed the Michelin Man welcoming all of us home, and turned down the lane to the finish line. A small crowd is out front with signs and cheering. I couldn't hardly hold it together.
After having my time and odometer reading recorded by IBR staff I made my way over to an open parking area and shut down the bike. I've made it. As I step off the bike Karen is there and I can't hold it in any longer. I literally sobbed for a good 5 minutes. I was so relieved to have made it back safely. My first goal was achieved by making it back to Karen. Now it was time to achieve my second goal and successful get through scoring. Today's effort encompassed 1,130 miles of very hot weather riding.
Packing up my materials I headed inside to prepare for scoring. I took a quick shower as Karen placed my destroyed riding boots outside the room door as the funk was just too much. As she drifted off to sleep I gathered my materials and headed downstairs for scoring.
I was assigned to Pat Blewett for scoring and sat down to go through my list. First thing Pat informs me that I was being denied my tracking bonus due to my lapse of 200 miles on Day 8. Ouch, that was 4500 points. At that point I was thankful that I had changed my route and captured the Presidio and Big Bend bonus locations. Everything else was good and I finished with 88,274 points and had an adjusted distance of 10,040 miles.
Nice way to finish up. Congrats on completing the IBR.
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