Iron Butt Association Membership # 8613
|
Click on image to view full size image |
|
|
|
|
 |
The Bike |
I am an avid follower of the Shadow Rider's Forum (SRF). A thread was started discussing the Iron Butt Association's (IBA) long rides. I checked out the IBA web site and at the time, thought that it was a crazy idea and that there was no way I would do a ride like that. My wife decided to go to Florida during her spring break (she is a secretary for the vocational school), staying with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in Cocoa Beach in a condo on the Atlantic Ocean. I teach at Ball State University and get out of school a few weeks before my wife. I had a tough semester and was planning on taking two graduate classes in the summer. I decided that I would spend three weeks at the condo when school was out. I then thought, why not ride my motorcycle? This brought me back to the IBA web site and plans began to take the long way to Florida, so I could complete both the Saddle Sore 1000 and the Bun Burner 1500.
This was pretty early in the riding season for such a long trip. I was not sure that I would be up to it. Beginning in the middle of March, I began commuting to work daily, about 30 miles each way and began doing lengthily weekend rides to get in shape. I also started searching the web and reading tips on long distance motorcycle travel. The main thing, that I did was to enhance my tool kit and add some metal strapping and bolts, first aid kit, several bungi cords and a tire repair kit. I already had a good rain suit. Fortunately, I had no problems and the weather was overcast (no sunburn), and between 60 and 80 degrees all the way, great for riding.
1343 Q Avenue
New Castle, IN 47362
765-593-1664
Saddle
Sore 1000
Bun
Burner 1500
Thank
you so much!!!
Thank
you for being my witness for the Saddle Sore 1000/ Bun Burner 1500 ride on May 5
and 6, 2001. I will be submitting my witness forms and travel log to the Iron
Butt Association http://www.ironbutt.com/.
By participating in this ride, I will earn the privilege to buy – that’s
correct buy – a T-Shirt that commemorates the ride. This is one of the things
you do in life, just because you want to do it.
The
Saddle Sore 1000 requires a rider to ride 1000 miles in 24 hours. The Saddle
Sore 1000 leg of my trip begins in New Castle, Indiana at 2:00 a.m., May 5, 2001
and ends in Pensacola, Florida via St. Louis and New Orleans. I will be stopping
in Pensacola for a short night’s rest and then continue the next morning to
Cocoa Beach, Florida for a total of 1572 miles in less than 36 hours. The trip
to Cocoa Beach qualifies my ride for the Bun Burner 1500. Fuel and stretch stops
are planned about every 130 miles.
My motorcycle is a 2000 Honda Spirit VT1100C. I put in over 11,000 miles last year; but this is my first long distance ride. I expect to put in about 4000 miles over a 3-week period. The trip will be somewhat lonely in that my riding partner will not be sitting on the back seat, as she has to work. You can find information about my ride and my motorcycle on my web site at: http://publish.bsu.edu/00amleduc/Spirit/bunburn.htm
Thank you again, for your willingness to serve as my
witness. The Iron Butt Association may contact you for details and you are
authorized to release any information requested.
Alan Leduc
|
|
 |
| Date | Time (EST) | Location | Odometer Reading | ||
| 05/05/01 | 1:45 a.m. | Arrive a Shell Station, Trojan Lane and and State
Road 3, New Castle, Indiana. To my surprise another rider Don Akers, New
Castle, Indiana, was waiting on me. He decided to do the first 2 hour
leg just to see me off. This was a great start to my trip.
I had arranged with the local Police department to meet me at 2:00 a.m.. By having a Police Officer, Fireman, or Notary serve as a witness, only one witness is necessary. The Police didn't show and I had to call the Police Office. Ryan Larrimore, arrived at 2:12 a.m. and signed my witness form. Lesson #1. The Police are busy. It would have been better if I had gone directly to the Police Station and had the dispatcher sign my witness form. This was really important as I was meeting another rider (Eric Tisdale, Fishers, Indiana) at an exit about 45 minutes away. This punished Eric on his ride as he had already obtained his witness signature and filled up with gas to get the time stamp and was waiting for us on the entry ramp. |
11605.5 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 2:15 a.m. | Start of Trip. Stop #2 on the route map. New Castle Shell, 2200 S. Memorial Drive, New Castle, IN. Fuel Ticket #1341. Don Akers led this leg and I followed. | 11605.5 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 3:00 a.m. | Meet Eric Tisdale at I-70 Post Road Exit. Due to the late start we were about 15 minutes late. A few hand slaps and an introduction and we were off. Eric lead us to the next stop, I was in the middle, and Don was the tail gunner. Although, I did most of the trip by myself, I think a group of three or four would be a lot of fun. Eric's adrenaline must have been on high due to the wait, that ride through Indianapolis was one for the books. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 4:07 a.m. | Arrive at Stop #4 on the Route Map. Jiffy Mini Mart #54,
3310 South U.S. Highway #54, Terre Haute, Indiana, Ref. # 980001102
Leg (123.7 miles; 1 hr 52 min; 3.129 gal): 39.53 mpg |
11729.3 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 4:18 a.m. | Don Akers Departs to fulfill commitment to Saturday school. Depart Stop #4 on Route Map. Eric Tisdale led this leg and I followed. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 6:17 a.m. | Arrive Stop #6 on Route Map. Truck Stop @I-57 and I-64. In
terms of "sore butt," I had some concern after this
leg. I had read that the worst time was the 7-12 hour mark. I was
thinking that this was not a good sign. I had decided before the trip
started, to take 2 aspirin at every stop. I think because of this, the
pain in the butt didn't get any worse and in fact I became more
comfortable as the trip continued.
Leg (135.9 miles; 1 hr 59 min; 3.729 gal): 36.44 mpg Trip w/o stop (259.6 miles; 3 hr 51 min; 6.858 gal): 36.44 mpg Trip w/ stop (259.6 miles; 4 hr 2 min) |
11865.2 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 6:32 a.m. | Depart Stop #6 on Route Map. Eric Tisdale continued to lead this leg and I followed. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 8:30 a.m. | Arrive Stop #8 on Route Map. Travel Center I-55 and
Highway 80, Exit 58, Mathews, Missouri.
Leg (127.4 miles; 1 hr 58 min; 3.583 gal): 35.56 mpg Trip w/o stop (387.0 miles; 5 hr 49 min; 10.441 gal): 37.07 mpg Trip w/ stop (387.0 miles; 4 hr 2 min) |
11992.6 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 8:45 a.m. | Depart Stop #8 on Route Map. I led this leg and Eric Tisdale followed. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 10:28 a.m. | Arrive Stop #9 on Route Map. Marion 66, 3361 Highway 64
and I-55, Marion, Arkansas.
I told Eric that I was in surprisingly good shape. Eric said, I reached up to scratch my nose and woke myself up. Scary!! Eric was only going 500 miles and had a turn-a-round planned a few miles down the road. He decided that he would check into a hotel at the stop and then continue. I had this message from Eric when I got back, "I did complete it and sent the papers in. After I left you, I went looking for a place to stay. 20 minutes of that and not finding anything I wanted, I woke me up and just drove on. See you later. Thanks for the idea. I like to know where my limits are. Eric" Leg (121.5 miles; 1 hr 43 min; 3.691 gal): 32.92 mpg Trip w/o stop (509.5 miles; 7 hr 32 min; 14.132 gal): 36.05 mpg Trip w/ stop (509.5 miles; 8 hr 13 min) |
12115.1 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 10:43 a.m. | Depart Stop #9 on Route Map. I am now on my own and feeling pretty good. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 12:35 p.m. | Arrive Stop #10 on Route Map. General Deli Exxon, Highway
82, Winona, Mississippi.
Leg (131.0 miles; 1 hr 52 min; 3.547 gal): 36.93 mpg Trip w/o stop (640.5 miles; 9 hr 24 min; 17.679 gal): 36.22 mpg Trip w/ stop (640.5 miles; 10 hr 20 min) |
12246.1 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 12:50 p.m. | Depart Stop #10 on Route Map. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 2:55 p.m. | Arrive Stop #11 on Route Map. Country Junction,
I-55, Exit 51, Wesson, Mississippi.
Leg (135.2 miles; 2 hr 5 min; 3.827 gal): 35.33 mpg Trip w/o stop (774.7 miles; 11 hr 29 min; 21.506 gal): 36.02 mpg Trip w/ stop (774.7 miles; 12 hr 40 min) |
12381.3 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 3:10 p.m. | Depart Stop #11 on Route Map. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 4:35 p.m. | Arrive Stop #12 on Route Map. Speedway 9049, I55 & US
190, Hammond, Louisiana. I made this a short leg so that I could
document the corner at New Orleans. I had sent an email to the Iron Butt
Association, but never got a response as to whether or not this was
necessary. Better save than sorry.
Leg (87.6 miles; 1 hr 25 min; 2.595 gal): 33.76 mpg Trip w/o stop (863.3 miles; 12 hr 54 min; 24.101 gal): 35.82 mpg Trip w/ stop (863.3 miles; 14 hr 20 min) |
12468.9 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 4:50 p.m. | Depart Stop #12 on the Route Map. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 6:10 p.m. | Arrive at Interstate Shell, 990 Cedar Lake, Biloxi,
Mississippi. This was an unscheduled stop. I was not clear from my
memory as to exactly where I was and decided to make this stop early to
get my bearings.
Leg (102.9 miles; 1 hr 20 min; 2.896 gal): 35.53 mpg Trip w/o stop (966.2 miles; 14 hr 14 min; 26.997 gal): 35.79 mpg Trip w/ stop (966.2 miles; 15 hr 55 min) |
12571.8 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 6:25 p.m. | Depart unscheduled stop at Biloxi, Mississippi. | |||
| 05/05/01 | 7:54 p.m. | Arrive at Texaco, 2665 Avalon Blvd., Exit 7, Milton,
Florida. I was scheduled to stop at Exit 6; however, it looked too busy.
I could tell from the billboards that I had enough miles left from my
trip (gas) odometer to get to the next exit and decided to continue. I
had only drank water to this point and eaten a package of beef jerky and
some life savers so I decided to grab a sandwich at the Subway that was
in the gas station. Remembering one of the travel tips, I ate light -
Tuna on wheat with no toppings.
This unofficially concluded the Saddle Sore 1000. Leg (122.4 miles; 1 hr 29 min; 3.166 gal): 38.67 mpg Trip w/o stop (1088.6 miles; 15 hr 43 min; 30.163 gal): 36.09 mpg Trip w/ stop (1088.6 miles; 17 hr 39 min) |
12694.2 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 8:09 p.m. | Depart Texaco at Milton, Florida. The attendant advised me
that there was a police station in Milton. I found it, but it was
actually an old jail -- the police station had moved. It was closed on
the weekends. I decided that I would continue on hoping to see a town
where I could get my witness form signed. Tip for those consider a
trip like this. Make a few phone calls to make sure that an officer will
be available at the time you plan to arrive.
I lost some time here, driving into town, around the jail a few times, and finally making the decision to go on. |
|||
| 05/05/01 | 9:05 p.m. | Official End of Saddle Sore 1000. Arrive at I-10
East Bound Rest Area at Mile Marker 58, Crestview, Florida. The rest
area was marked security patrolled. Paul Rydywoski, a DOT Security
Officer, served as my ending witness for the Saddle Sore 1000.
1134.2 Miles in 17 hours and 54 minutes. The Saddle Sore 1000 was pretty easy. If you are not sure about a long distance trip. Try the Saddle Sore 1000, this is only 3 day trips added together and sleep should not be an issue. |
12739.8 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 9:30 p.m. | Depart Rest Area I-10, Mile Marker 58.
This was a time of celebration having reached my first goal and a time of relaxation, as I had finally found a witness for my for the Saddle Sore 1000. I had a short chat which extended my stop from my normal 15 minutes to 25 minutes. |
|||
| 05/05/01 | 10:45 p.m. | Arrive at Stop 18 on the Route Map. Speed/SM 0150, 2091
Highway 7, Marianna, Florida.
I wanted to push on except I had seen this sign far too frequently in the dark.
What was of particular concern was that the construction was constantly changing lanes. I had built in 5 hours of sleep into my schedule and was way beyond my original plan. I didn't want to think about catching a two inch lip, so I decided to stop for the night. I wasted a lot of time on this leg driving around looking for the police station in Milton, Florida and then getting back to the exit. Leg (129.1 miles; 2 hr 14 min; 3.490 gal): 36.99 mpg Trip w/o stop (1217.7 miles; 17 hr 57 min; 33.653 gal): 36.18 mpg Trip w/ stop (1088.6 miles; 20 hr 30 min) |
12823.3 | ||
| 05/05/01 | 11:00 p.m. | Check into the Holiday Inn Express, 222 Highway 7, Marianna, Florida. I had to check at a few hotels until I found a first floor unit, so I could park my bike right outside the door. | |||
| 05/06/01 | 4:20 p.m. | Depart Holiday Inn Express at Marianna, Florida. | |||
| 05/06/01 | 6:29 a.m. | Arrive at Jimmie's Auto Truck Plaza, I-10, Exit 38, CR255,
Lee, Florida. My planned stop was Exit 39. However, I hit reserve, it
was so foggy that I could hardly see, and Florida's exit marking do not
follow mile markers and I had no idea how far it was to Exit 39. How
many other states don't use mile markers to indicate the exit number?
This was a real pain.
This was a long and trying leg. The fog and more uneven pavement signs really slowed me down. No butt pain, just not the best riding conditions. Leg (125.3 miles; 2 hr 9 min; 3.630 gal): 34.52 mpg Trip w/o stop (1343.0 miles; 20 hr 6 min; 37.283 gal): 36.09 mpg Trip w/ stop (1343.0 miles; 28 hr 14 min) |
12948.6
|
||
| 05/06/01 | 6:44 a.m. | Depart Jimmie's Auto Truck Plaza, I-10, Exit 38. | |||
| 05/06/01 | 8:32 a.m. | Arrive at Stop #22 on Route Map. John's Texaco, 2645 SR207
and I-95, Exit 94, Elkton, Florida.
Since I stopped early on the last leg, I had to really stretch this leg out. However, I had not hit reserve as soon as I had in earlier legs and wanted this to be my next to last stop. The fog had cleared and the land was flat which made for better riding. Leg (144.6 miles; 1 hr 48 min; 3.618 gal): 39.97 mpg Trip w/o stop (1487.6 miles; 21 hr 54 min; 40.901 gal): 36.37 mpg Trip w/ stop (1487.6 miles; 30 hr 17 min) |
13093.2 | ||
| 05/06/01 | 8:47 a.m. | Depart Stop #22, John's Texaco, I-95, Exit 94. | |||
| 05/06/01 | 10:28 a.m. | Arrive at Cape Citgo, 8101 Astronaut Blvd., Cape
Canaveral, Florida
I had planned on going into Cocoa Beach; but I knew that my odometer had tracked close to the map mileage and with a 109 mile cushion, thought this would give me a chance to look for the police station to get my witness form signed, so I decided to stop early. This was the toughest leg. It was starting to get warm and I was getting tired. I couldn't stop yarning. I don't think I could have gone much further without a good rest. I was pretty close to my limit for this day. Although my butt never really got tired. My legs started to cramp during this last leg. Leg (121.7 miles; 1 hr 41 min; 3.077 gal): 39.55 mpg Trip w/o stop (1609.3 miles; 23 hr 34 min; 43.978 gal): 36.60 mpg Trip w/ stop (1609.3 miles; 32 hr 13 min) |
13214.9 | ||
| 05/06/01 | 10:55 a.m. | Official End of Bun Burner 1500. Arrive at Brevard
County Sheriff's Office, 111 Polk Avenue, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
When the receipt printed at Cape Citgo there was no time stamp. This was the receipt that was to document the end of my trip. Go figure, 14 other receipts all time stamped, and the last one without. This put some pressure on me to find a witness in close proximity. I found a fire station a few blocks away; but, they would not sign the witness form. They said there was a Sheriff's office a few blocks away. It was Sunday and they were closed on the weekend. I was beginning to panic. Just as I was about to leave, a deputy, Andrew Walters, pulled up and agreed to sign my witness form. 1610.2 miles in 32 hours and 40 minutes. |
13215.8 |
My planned stops were 15 minutes. This sounds like a lot of time. It isn't. Think about what has to be done.
Fill up with gas. Hopefully, you can pay at the pump with your credit card. This saves a lot of time.
Clean your windshield. I think I only had one stop where this was not necessary. A couple of times I hit a serious mess of bugs and this took several minutes. Your cleaning solution and towels should be conveniently packed.
Take two aspirin and rehydrate, Make sure that you keep both the aspirin and water handy.
Light and turn signal check. This is really important if you are doing night riding.
You definitely do not have time to take a long walk, get into a lengthy conversation, or wait in line at the quick mart. Before you stop decide what you are going to do and get right at it. If you have time once you have completed your desired tasks, do some stretching.
Would I do it again? I definitely would do the Saddle Sore 1000 again. I would want to do this as a round trip and would like to have a small group. I think this would make the trip more fun. I gutted it out by myself once, so I don't have anything to prove. I am not so sure that I would do the Bun Burner 1500 again. This is definitely not for those that do not have some durability. Try it in a car first. If doing it in a car is not a problem, then consider doing it on a bike. Fatigue and sleep is more of an issue than the ability to ride 1500 miles. The people that have done the Bun Burner 1500 Gold, 1500 miles in 24 hours are animals. I wouldn't even try for the Gold. Doing a trip like this will also give you some admiration for the ability of those riders that have done the 10-10's, 1000 miles a day for 10 days in a road. Sleep would not be a big issue, but these people truly have some durability.
You definitely don't want to do a long trip without a throttle lock or a cruise control. I think I would cough up the bucks for a cruise control if I were to do another 1500 miler. I rode about half of the ride with only one hand.
Right before getting to my destination, I noticed that I had a quick flash on one of my turn signals. A tie wrap had broken and allowed my wiring harness to run against the tire. Wow, glad this didn't happen in the middle of the trip.
I was gone about 3 weeks. Upon my return, I found that I had about 8300 messages in order to catch up on the SRF. These guys need to be out doing more riding.
I had planned on taking my time on the trip home. However, one of the classes I was planning on taking in the summer term was cancelled and I need to get back to find a replacement. The weather station was also predicting rain for several days, so I decided that I would take a direct shot, but still do it in two days.
My wife flew down to visit for a few days and I had to drop her off at the Orlando airport at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 22, 2001. The ride through Florida, in mid-afternoon was like riding in a blast furnace. I couldn't stand the leather coat, so I was riding with a long sleeve shirt. I had my credit card in my front shirt pocket, which had a Velcro tab. The wind pushed open the tab and my credit card flew out. Fortunately, I had enough cash to continue. The trip was not starting out too good. Most of the way through Georgia, it rained. I hit a very heavy down pour, and the sunblock that I had been wearing to keep my nose and face from burning, starting blowing into my eyes. I was literally blinded and barely made it to the edge of the interstate. I hit the Tennessee mountains around at dark. The dark didn't bother me, but the low 40 temperatures without chaps and without the liner in my jacket did. Realizing that they were predicting rain and cold the next day, I decided to push on home. I stopped about every hour, just to try to warm up. I don't mind riding in the cold; but normally, I am prepared. This was ridiculous. I pulled in at a little after 5:00 a.m. on May 27, 2001. Heck, I did an undocumented Saddle Sore 1000. A little over a 1000 miles in 18 hours.
I had a rattle on the ride home and could not track it down. The next day, I noticed that the turn signal on my National Cycle light bar was about to fall off. It was so loose it banged on my chrome lowers. Glad this didn't come loose on the trip.
The trip down was definitely better than the trip back.
Looking for a Poker Run for this weekend. So no, I didn't get enough.
