Had a couple of weeks of vacation so I decided to go and see a friend of mine in Carson Washington. It is about 1978 mile from my home in Mustang, Oklahoma to Carson so I decided that somewhere on this trip would be a good time to do an Iron Butt run.
I wasn’t going to get an early start on Sunday June 12th so I decided to go as far as I wanted and then start my Iron butt the next morning while it was cool. Good plan because when I left home it was 92 degrees and climbing fast. Before got out of Oklahoma my thermometer was reading 104degrees.
I made it as far as Oakley, Ks, about 450 mile, and stayed in a cheap, but not too bad motel. The clerk was more than happy to sign my witness form so after a so, so night of sleep I started out at 4:13 AM from the gas station across the street from the motel. The temps were perfect and as I hit I-70 West out of Oakley traffic was light and life was good. Just over the Colorado boarder I took 385 North at Burlington, Co. That was to be the only two lane I would have on my Iron Butt run. I must have gone 50 miles before I passed my first car. About half way between Burlington Co. and I-80 in Nebraska I ran into some fog. At first it wasn’t too bad but it soon became so thick I had to slow down a little. The fog began to burn off about the time I got into Nebraska. I fueled up in Chappell, Neb. And took a short stretch. I had traveled 242 miles in about 4 hours averaging about 60mph which with the fog wasn’t too bad. My Connie, a 2005 GZ1000, was running really well and averaged a little over 42 mpg.
The bike was somewhat new to me and I wasn’t quite sure how it would do on a trip like this. The most I had ridden it in one day previous to this trip was about 240 miles. I had already figured out that the factory seat was the best factory seat I had ridden on; but it was still going to suck. I have Heli Bars on the bike, which have a lot of adjustment on them; but I could tell that before this trip was over I would suffer lots of shoulder and back pain. After a little over 4000 miles in a couple of weeks I was very right something would have to change.
From Chappell, Neb. I set out on I-80 and would stay on I-80 for the next 600 or so miles. The weather was wonderful with the exception of a little rain just before entering Utah and a little after entering Utah. Not a lot of rain but enough to make it interesting. There was a fairly stiff wind blowing from the North West so I would be bucking a head wind for most of those 600 miles. I found that when I went around big trucks if I would start wide and then move closer to the truck before I broke out of its wind protection I would minimize the effect when passing. I would be running between 80 and 85 most of the time so I passed a lot of trucks.
Some people would have a problem running that much on the supper slab; but for me it is almost like a religious experience. Just me, my Lord and the motorcycle running down the road. Life is good. I did have some problems with my GPS. I had a bad connection between the car cord and the GPS so it would restart about every ten or fifteen minutes. I also have my tunes in the GPS and sometime I like to listen to them so just about the time I would get into a tune it would shut off and restart. Just a minor irritation.
I ran into another guy on a Connie that was headed for Montana, I think. He had a Day Long seat on his and it looked like it might be comfy. That was just ouside Cheyenne, Wy. I don’t remember his name but he seemed to be a nice guy. Are all motorcycle guys nice? Something to ponder fro the next couple of hundred miles.
Once I got into Utah the scenery really picked up and I seem to get a second wind. Hey Kansas was nice, a little flat, Neb was well, more flat, Wy was nice I could see some far off snow capped mountains; but I could have used a little less wind. But once I entered Utah the scenery got very good. The snow capped mountains were a lot closer. I wonder how much snow they got this year? I bet a lot.
I did get stuck behind a truck that must have some really bad engine problems. It was blowing smoke so bad that I thought it was on fire. Just about the time I got ready to pass it I got a good blast of wind that blew his smoke directly toward me and it was full of raw diesel. It almost covered my windshield. Shortly afterward I ran into a little more rain. Guess what raw diesel and a little rain do to your windshield. I stopped shortly to clean the windshield and get a little gas. By now it was raining pretty good so I took the time to eat a subway sandwich and wait for the rain to quit. It didn’t quit so I put on my rain gear and started out again; but within 20 miles the rain was over for the trip.
By now the sun was beginning to get low on the horizon and I was headed right into it. I had a tinted shield on my helmet but it was still very hard to see. I had brought some painters tape for this very reason, to block the sun, but I knew that it was buried deep within one of my side cases. Which one? Oh well I guess I’ll just press on. Who needs to be able to see anyway?? I only had about a hundred miles or so to go.
By the time I pulled into Boise, Id I was understanding why they called it a saddle Sore 1000. I got my final gas receipt and started looking for a motel. I could tell that I was getting a little punch drunk so I was looking foreword to hitting the hay. I stopped at the air port Best Western I figured they would have a good bed. I got the clerk to sign my end form, he said that he had signed others before. I then crashed. About 2 hours later I awoke with both legs cramping. How do you stand up when both legs are in a knot? Man does that hurt. I knew immediately that I was dehydrated. Every two hours or so I would wake up with cramps, get up and walk them out, sip water and then fall fast asleep. Even with the rude awakenings I still got a decent nights sleep. Amazing how quick I could go back to sleep after the rude awakenings. I thought that I had hydrated enough on the trip but obviously I hadn’t. On each stop I had water or a C2. While on the road I would sip a water bottle and every time I would stop I would get a fresh bottle of water to sip on the nest stretch of road. The temps weren’t even that high, mid to low 80s. Moral, hydrate! Hydrate!.
Will I do another? At 63 I would want the bike to be a little more personalized, less butt and back pain. The bike did perform flawlessly, 39 to 50 mpg but I believe it could be a little more comfortable. If I had somewhere to go in a hurry I might do another; but I doubt if I would go with just a Iron Butt in mind. It was a great experience. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! Keep the rubber side down.
God Bless Dave.