My Thousand-Mile Ride
I have always enjoyed taking long road trips on my Harley. Riding my bike always helps to clear my head and make me feel better. I actually consider it to be somewhat therapeutic. A long road trip allows me to have an extended period of time in the saddle, while enjoying the new scenery and meeting new people (and having more stories to tell) along the way.
I have been riding big Harleys since 1990. That was the year I stepped up from a Kawasaki KZ550 to a Harley Road King. Since then, I have ridden nothing smaller than a Road King or Electra Glide. In 2002 I bought a 1999 Harley Davidson Electra Glide, which I still ride.
Riding that smooth, touring machine affords me the opportunity to take long road trips and still feel fresh after riding all day. Sure, I have caught some grief from others over the years for riding an old mans bike , but I then turn around and invite those nay Sayers to take a long road trip with me on their sport or custom bike. Funny thing none of them have ever taken me up on that offer!
I have ridden over 700 miles in one day on several different occasions and it never was an issue for me. The last several times I did so, it took me about 12 hours, as it was all highway mileage. So, I thought that with a little planning and preparation, pushing that envelope a little further would not be a really big deal. Ive heard about the Iron Butt award riding 1000 miles in less than 24 hours, and I have always thought that would be a worthy accomplishment. Plus, I knew that the recognition and respect would be there from my riding peers, not to mention my own pride and self-respect. So, I decided that since I am in my mid forties and not getting any younger, now would be a good time to tackle the challenge.
My wife, Crystal, enjoys riding with me as a tailrider , and together we have taken several trips. Last year, we rode to the Black Hills for the Sturgis rally, and after spending several days in that area, we pushed on to Devils Tower and then up to Billings, Montana where we spent the night. The next day we rode through Red Lodge, Bear Tooth Pass, King Joseph Scenic Byway, and then over to Cody, Wyoming. The following day we rode through Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and Jackson Hole. We both agreed it was some of the most spectacular scenery we have ever experienced, and for anyone who has not yet taken that ride, we highly recommend it!
My wife started a new job right after that trip, so that meant that she was now back to two weeks vacation each year. So, when I started talking about riding to Phoenix for Arizona Bike Week during first week of April this year, Crystal advised me there was no way she could take off that much time, since we already had plans for most of her vacation time later in the year. She said that I could ride out there solo, if I wanted, and maybe she could fly out for a few days and ride around with me out there, and then fly back. That way, she would only have to miss 3 days work.
So, that is exactly what we planned to do. And, since I was riding the whole trip out there and back solo, I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to go for the Iron Butt award. I started looking at different routes that would afford me a lot of open highway with very few small towns. I also was looking for a good stopping point at the end of the 1000-mile ride.
The shortest route between my home here in Wichita, Kansas and my eventual end target of Phoenix, Arizona would take me through Albuquerque and Gallop, NM. However, I knew that those areas are mountainous with higher elevations, and I have heard stories of snowstorms (even in April) in that region. Since I had time to take a longer route, that is what I opted to do.
I started looking at a more southern route that would allow me to blast south out of Wichita, and then eventually break west once I was in a friendlier, warmer climate. After all, I would actually be leaving during the last week of March, and I knew from past experience that the weather could potentially be a factor at that time. I found a route that would accomplish all of the above, while affording me a trip that would give me a good stopping point at the 1000-mile mark.
My proposed route had me heading due south on I-35 from Wichita to DFW, and then taking I-20 & I-10 west across Texas, ending in El Paso. I used several mapping programs, including Mapquest, Mapblast, Google Maps, and also my Delorme mapping program that I use with my Magellan GPS. All of them were within a mile or so of each other when I laid the route in, and all of them showed me coming in right at 1000 miles total. But, I didnt want to ride that far, and then for some reason be a mile or 2 short of the required mileage when it was reviewed.
So, I started looking at ways I could tack on a few miles and verify it, so that nobody could say I took a short cut or question the validity of my mileage. I decided to stay west of the DFW area as much as possible to avoid any potential traffic issues there. I thought if I could just go a little further south of DFW, I could add some extra mileage without having to ride through both Dallas and Ft. Worth.
I saw a small town just south of the Ft. Worth area called Alvarado, and with some research, I learned that there was indeed a gas station there right off of the Interstate. I decided that I could ride to that gas station, buy gas to document the fact that I did it, and then double back north. Riding south to Alvarado would tack on another 38 miles to my trip (19 miles down there, and then another 19 miles doubling back north to then catch I-20 west). Adding that stop to my proposed route put me at 1005 1015 miles on the route, depending on which mapping program that was used. So, I felt confident that this would be a safe plan to follow.
I decided that I would set out for this ride on Friday 3/28/08. That would put me into El Paso late Friday night or early Saturday morning. I found a nice hotel the Airport Holiday Inn, which would be a good place to stay after my long ride. So, I spoke with the hotel manager to see if someone there would be available and willing to be a witness at the end of my ride. To my surprise, the hotel manager was actually familiar with the Iron Butt Association, and he said he would be happy to have his night manager ready for me and to have him sign the witness form. (I cant remember the general managers name now, but he was very pleasant on the phone!)
As luck would have it, on the morning of March 28th, the weather was very overcast, damp, and approximately 38 degrees as I was preparing to ride. I waited for it to warm up a little, but it just wasnt happening. I finally decided I would just have to go and hope that it warmed up as I rode south. My friend Rick Aldrup, who is retired from the USAF and is a Farmers Insurance Agent (and who also rides) agreed to be my witness on this end. So, he met me at the local Quik Trip gas station where my journey began at 9:07 AM. The temperature was a balmy 41 degrees.
As I rode south through Oklahoma, the temperature rose slowly, but not much at all as the entire region was engulfed with the overcast, damp skies. By the time I reached the Texas border, it was in the mid forties. I was wearing my full leather of course, as well as my winter gauntlet gloves and a facemask under my helmet. I was not really cold but I just couldnt get warm .
As I neared the DFW area, the temperature rose quite a bit to around 60 degrees. Finally, I thought, I can relax a little and start enjoying the ride more. I removed my facemask, loosened my scarf, and switched to lighter gloves. However, I did hit traffic congestion in the Ft. Worth area, and I ended up paddle footing in bumper-to-bumper traffic for about an hour.
I rode south to my stop in Alvarado, bought gas, and then doubled back north as planned. I started riding west on I-20 and I was finally finding my groove. The weather was warmer, the traffic was behind me, and the open road ahead was beaconing me to open it up a little and start making up some of the time I lost in Ft. Worth. I knew that I-10 and an 80 MPH speed limit were ahead of me, so I was ready to twist a grip and really start logging the miles.
I kicked back, stretched out, and started using my highway pegs for the first time on this trip, as I had been pretty much hugging the tank to stay warm in Kansas and Oklahoma. I felt a familiar smile starting to stretch across my face one that hadnt been there since the previous fall and my last long bike trip. Yes, I thought, this is what I have been awaiting!
About 45 miles east of DFW, I was met with a blast of cold air again. The temperature dropped about 15 degrees, and it was back down to the mid forties again. Surely, I thought (hoped), this was just a pocket of cold air and I would be out of it again soon. I was wrong.
Apparently the pocket was the warm air around DFW. The dominant weather pattern was exactly what I had already experienced for most of the day the overcast damp skies that just wouldnt let any sun break through to warm my leather. I had to stop, put the facemask back on, change the gloves again, and go back to hugging the tank. This was the reality of the remainder of my ride at least until I was within 100 miles of El Paso.
I also had another disappointment for which I had not planned. The 80 MPH speed limit that would have afforded me the opportunity to make some really good time, went away after dark. Yes, Texas lowers that back down to 70 MPH after dark. I had planned on hitting that area before dark, but I lost time due to the later start and from stopping a little more/longer than I had planned just to get warm. So, I couldnt ride the 80 MPH as planned. But in all honesty, it isnt a good idea to ride that fast in the dark anyway. I have good lights on my bike, but it only takes one obstacle in the road to really ruin your day!
At some point along the ride across west Texas, I crossed from CDT to MDT. So, when I finally made it into the El Paso area, it was around 2:30 AM CDT, or 1:30 AM local time. I stopped and got gas to get my final receipt at 1:41 AM. When I looked at my receipt, it said 2:41 AM and showed the location as Atlanta GA! I looked around me and thought that unless I had hit the hyperspace button, I was pretty sure I was in fact in El Paso. (I later learned that the Howdys headquarters that generated the receipt was in Atlanta). Fortunately, it did state Howdys #1 at the top of the receipt, and I provided documentation to show this is in fact in El Paso!
I looked at my odometers both the one on my Harley, as well as the one on my GPS trip odometer. The odometer on my bike showed I had traveled 1018 miles. The trip odometer on my GPS showed that 1010 miles had elapsed. So, I felt very confident that I had accomplished the task. I looked around and saw that the Holiday Inn was literally right across the street. Yes, my final destination for this day was in sight!
I parked outside the hotel and went inside to register. I registered for my room and spoke with the desk clerk and asked who the manager on duty was. He said it was Mark Nunez, who is also the food & beverage manager. Mark was busy assisting with the closing of the in-house lounge, as it was almost 2 AM and they had already given last call . I caught Mark and told him who I was and asked if he would sign my witness form for me when he had a moment, to which he gladly agreed. I also asked him if I could get a beer, as I had just ridden over 1000 miles and 17 ½ hours and I could really use a beer! He said he had already given last call, but he must have seen the look on my face.
He walked me up to the bartender and then asked me what I wanted. I said a Coors Light would be great. He then asked me how many I wanted, to which I replied, umm, two, please? He promptly handed me the two beers and said they were on him and wouldnt take my money. I think I almost kissed him haha! By the time he signed my form, it was 2:01 AM and my riding day was completed, thank God.
I slept like a rock that night. The next day, my body was reminding me of the punishment I had placed on it the day before. My shoulders ached. My arms felt abused, and I had virtually no grip strength. It was all I could do to fasten and zip up my pants! Yes, hugging the bike and gripping the handlebars for so long in the cold was now taking its toll on me. I ended up spending one more day in El Paso recovering. The extra day of rest did me a world of good, as I felt much better on Sunday and the ride from there to Phoenix went well, except for dodging a few dust devils across southern New Mexico.
My wife did fly out on Tuesday night and spent the rest of the week with me. We enjoyed several rides in that area, including a ride up to the Grand Canyon. That was a first for both of us and the view was spectacular! We enjoyed our time at Arizona Bike Week and sightseeing in the desert. She flew back home and I started the long ride back, which was much warmer, thankfully! At the end of 12 days, I had logged 4312 miles the most ever for me in one trip!
So this was a trip of many firsts for me. It was the first time I had ridden 1000 miles in one day. It was my first time to El Paso, Phoenix or the Grand Canyon. It was my first encounter with dust devils, my first visit to Roswell (on the way back), and the longest trip ever for me!
When I returned home, I learned that I had gotten the promotion at work for which I had interviewed before my vacation. So, my plans of writing this summary and submitting my documentation for the Iron Butt award got put on the back burner for a while. But, I wanted to get this completed before the end of the year. So here I am on New Years Eve writing this letter!
I am very glad I did this ride, but it was more challenging than I had anticipated. Im not sure if I will do it again, but if I do, I can promise you it will be in warmer weather! Until then, I look forward to new riding opportunities in the new year of 2009!
