Iron Butt BunBurner 1500 from Los Angeles to Casper, WY (June 22-23, 2024) - Going for Gold, Seeing Where it Lands

Vacation planning has been in the works over the past several months. The most logistically involved portion is the opening frame from LA to Casper, WY to be completed within in a 24 hour window to earn a BunBurner Gold 1500 certification. Worst case scenario is that I complete a BunBurner 1500 Silver, the same distance but within 30 hours, which would make it my second one of that type of ride lifetime. (I completed one in 2011, but the Silver certification didn’t come around until several years later, so it’s still labeled as a standard BB1500.)

Several factors are in play including start/end times, weather, and pacing. To pull this off, there needs to be very few issues so lots of prep is involved. Also, my stops must be calculated and quick while factoring in documentation.

There is a science to all of this. Perhaps this is why I enjoy the mental challenge. Also, I have a lot more technology tools at my disposal than I had when I first started doing these types of rides so it helps a lot. This is also one of those times when having both iOS and Android devices proves advantageous due to the types of apps I need both for planning and for tracking the ride.

Planning software: InRoute (route planning) and WeatherOnTheWay (real-time weather tracking based on traveling route)

GPS Tracking: Real-Time GPS Tracker, Garmin inReach

On-bike navigation and trip computers: Google Maps, DMD2

The entire route laid out. Stop points were approximately 125 miles apart.

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🎶She packed her bags last night, pre-flight. Zero hour, three AM.🎶

This is another trip planning app I use called Weather On the Way, only available for iOS. It's how I can appropriately schedule departure times for the mildest weather.

Weather was relatively mild for the most part, but there were a couple surprises in Colorado.

The nice thing about most Iron Butt rides is that you set your own parameters so that the ride is more likely to have the least number of complications. Based on data, I'd rather find myself at a Denny's early on Sunday morning, hours before check-in to my hotel, than baking in the heat during the day. And I did check that there's a 24-hr. Denny's in Casper, WY.

It's not my first time here, but the very first time I arrived in Casper in 2007 resulted from a scary experience of accidentally riding US-16 through the night. I underestimated my distances between cities. In that part of the US, everything is pitch black once the sun goes down because you're in the middle of nowhere. Alternatively, I can probably chill in a park with my camping chair.

Anyway, I'm leaving four hours earlier than originally planned. Because research and experience.

So that part where I said that I'm riding straight from LA to Casper, WY in 24 hrs. to kick off my vacation? Just did that and it was a hell of a journey.

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This Iron Butt attempt was a doozy, but I was trying for a pretty challenging achievement, 1500 miles in 24 hrs. I left a little after 3 am and just kept moving east. Temps ranged from 52°-98°F but the winds were cooperative. I even set a personal record for the fastest completion of SaddleSore1000 of less than 15 hours. However, there were several factors that I couldn't control that affected my BunBurner Gold attempt. Some of these things included a traffic jam on I-40 that cost me over 20 minutes in standstill that I couldn't lane split, a rain storm at the New Mexico/Colorado border on I-25, and some aggressive dick in a car who brake checked me on I-25 in Thorton, CO and proceeded to drive their car straight toward me as I was speeding toward the nearest exit and then swerved away at the last second to continue down the road. I didn't even have enough time to use my horn.

The last incident with the car affected me mentally and I had to refocus to complete the remaining 250ish miles to the finish line. But I did. And with time running out, I made one last valiant effort to make up for lost time with a spirited run through the Wyoming section of I-25 in the night. Despite all the crap that hit me, I only missed BunBurner Gold certification by TWO MINUTES. Not even joking.

But I'm okay with this. I earned a second lifetime BunBurner certification and lived to tell y'all about it. You can't keep a motorcycle girl down, even with a little rain and attempted vehicular assault.

Two minutes too late for the Gold status, but I got here alive and that's the most important part. I know what I accomplished. Paper is paper.

Iron Butt SaddleSore 1000 to the Last Blockbuster (June 3-June 5, 2019): Part 3 - Sacramento, San Francisco, and the Ride Home

Note: This is the third part of a three-part blog series. Click here for part one.

The next morning, Edwin and I geared up and got ready for the last stretch toward home. But first, we had to eat breakfast. We escorted Amanda and her Honda Hawk to Flapjack's Diner that was just down the street from her house. Amanda hadn't ridden her motorcycle for a while due to an ankle injury and wanted to take the quick jaunt to breakfast, so we made sure that happened safely. She was very happy to be back on her bike again.

After a nice meal, we returned to her house to load up the rest of our gear, say our goodbyes, and ride off to our next planned destination, the headquarters of Clearwater Lights in nearby Rancho Cordova. The owner, Glen, contacted Edwin online the day before and offered to treat us to lunch and a tour of the factory since we were swinging through the area anyway. I myself was excited to visit this place as I had sold many sets of these premium lights when I was still working in the motorcycle industry. Glen ordered sandwiches for us and while we waited for the food to arrive, we got to see how these lights were made firsthand. I don't have any photos of all that because, well, it wouldn't be nice to give away industry secrets. But here's part of the selection of their world-famous, high quality LED lights that they manufacture here in California.

We ended up staying there so long that I bought a set of Darla lights for Eleanor and made the choice to forgo the original plan of returning home via US-101, opting for the faster I-5. After our stay at Clearwater Lights, we cut across Sacramento westbound to swing down through San Francisco, the next of our planned stops. Of course, an obligatory photo of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Battery Spencer side was in order before crossing it (we were entering the city from the north). I even got myself a Magikarp that washed ashore in the process. AR jokes on Pokémon GO never get old.

We continued across the Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco, heading back onto US-101 for a short while. Our second to last fuel stop before returning to Los Angeles was a Costco in San Jose where we relaxed for a little bit and had some pizza in the food court. For motorcyclists who are travelling through populated areas, Costco stores are wonderful places to take a break. We then continued down the 101 for a little while before cutting across Gilroy on CA-152 to jump back onto I-5. The rest of the ride was exactly as we had started it, through the night and in uneventful darkness. It had been a long day so we traded off conversations back and forth to keep ourselves awake. We split off at the 405/5 interchange in Sylmar and were at our homes around 2:30 AM.

Final trip mileage after the three day journey.

So yes, that's the end of an epic three day ride across two states. At the time of this blog post, this IBA SaddleSore 1000 ride to the last Blockbuster on Earth has been officially certified and my physical certificate will be arriving in the mail soon. What makes this even cooler is that the certificates that Edwin and I will be receiving will note that our destination for the ride was "the last Blockbuster Video store on Earth." What a fun notation for a very unique endurance ride. Now to think about the next long-distance jaunt. For me, I've been contemplating a reattempt at a BunBurner Gold 1500 (1500 miles in 24 hours). Who knows? Anything is possible.

A huge thank you to Edwin for inspiring me to get back into long-distance riding form, Amanda and Emory for the hospitality in Sacramento, Glen at Clearwater Lights for the cool tour, Robert (my mechanic) for making sure Eleanor was ready for this whole ordeal, and everyone who watched our journeys online and cheered us on.

Iron Butt SaddleSore 1000 to the Last Blockbuster (June 3-June 5, 2019): Part 2 - Return to Sacramento

Note: This is the second part of a three-part blog series. Click here for part one.

Edwin and I turned in for the night at our Airbnb in Bend, OR around 11pm. Now that we were no longer under a time constraint, we took our time and left around 10am on Tuesday morning. We had about a 500-mile ride ahead of us to Sacramento so we might as well enjoy a little bit of tourism while the wheels weren't moving.

When we arrived to eat, I thought it would be amusing for Edwin and me to park next to a small Honda Metropolitan scooter in front of a daycare across the street from the restaurant. When we pulled into our spots, we were greeted with several curious children looking through the fence at the bikes. Their moms were outside and found it amusing that we parked next to the scooter. We had a quick chat with them and it was nice to hear from one of the moms, "We like motorcycles." I was getting the vibe that this was a motorcycle-friendly city and this only confirmed it. There were motorcycles popping all over the city as we rode from the Airbnb to breakfast, and I did notice that cars were yielding to them as necessary.

The more two-wheeled vehicles, the better!

We had a very tasty breakfast at The Breakfast Club; choosing this place was in response to my friend, Amanda's, request to "rent her The Breakfast Club [movie] at Blockbuster." This was a great choice regardless; I haven't had a homemade chicken fried steak this delicious in a long time.

Chicken fried steak with over-easy eggs on top of a bed of homemade gravy.

Shortstack pancakes!

After breakfast, we returned to Blockbuster Video to pick up a few more requested souvenirs and to write an entry in the visitor book, something that I had forgotten to do the night before. Since we arrived there 30 minutes before closing, I didn't have time to do it. However, that gave me some time to think about what I wanted to write, and I had some fun with the visitor book entry. I also picked up a few more stickers for friends. I wanted to get a t-shirt, but they were sold out of all the sizes. Oh well.

Here are a few more fun pictures of the memorabilia on display at the Blockbuster store, some of them arriving as recent as a couple months ago:

After that, we swung through Downtown Bend to pick up a few more souvenirs and stickers. I will say that from my very brief visit here in Bend that I want to come back and spend more time around here. It's very quiet and scenic, the people are friendly, and it has a very peaceful vibe. It reminds me a little bit of downtown Petaluma, CA but with a lot more development and city investment into the city center. Bend thrives on tourism and is full of things to do, both in the city and in nearby natural areas such as Mount Bachelor.

Getting the bumper sticker was so worth it.

The wildlife is very friendly here?

After grabbing a few more souvenirs, we made our way down US-97 all the way back down to California where it connected with Interstate 5. This was a nice relaxing ride down, and we were flanked with nature on all sides. It was the first time that Edwin and I had ever seen a controlled burn in a forest, a method of intentionally setting fires for environmental reasons. For this leg of the ride, Edwin and I travelled at a slower and more consistent pace, 60-65 mph while limiting hard accelerations. This move increased our fuel economy immensely, and thanks to a combination of tweaking Eleanor's fuel map on her DynoJet Power Commander III USB and uneventful, near straight-line travel, she was averaging nearly 46 MPG during this stretch, a new personal record.

For a little while during this vacation, the fuel tank outlasted my butt.

US-97 also reconnected me with a section of I-5 that I had never ridden because I had bypassed it in my travel to Oregon in 2011, opting for Pacific Coast Highway instead. This also gave us the opportunity to see Mt. Shasta for the very first time. This was an amazing sight to see, and its presence lasted throughout the ride leaving Oregon and the reentry into California.

First week of June and the snow is still nicely packed at the top of Mt. Shasta.

We continued on US-95 until we reached the I-5 junction in Weed, CA where we stopped for gas for the first time since leaving Bend, OR. Yes, that's the name of the city. Yes, the city is definitely taking advantage of it from a marketing perspective. Yes, they have marijuana dispensaries, but that only happened after recreational consumption became legal. Also, the elevation change upon approaching Weed was a sign for me to finally change from my Aerostitch Roadcrafter jacket to my Fly mesh jacket as temps were nearing the 90s with no chance of it getting any cooler.

The first section of I-5 leaving Weed and going southbound was full of construction and that left some areas reduced down to one or two lanes on either side of traffic. Once we were out of the mountains, it was a lot of flat land, rice farms, solar farms, and emptiness until Sacramento. The empty space was filled in with random anecdotes by intercom and odd Spotify playlists. We kept the same fuel-saving strategy and never exceeded 70 mph while limiting hard accelerations and made it to Sacramento on a single tank of gas around 9pm at the home of Amanda, Chopper the Dog, and his siblings, Sophie and Moto.

After a nice dinner of homemade burgers, tying Chopper's ears, and meeting Moto for the first time, it was off to bed to get ready for the last stretch toward home.

Celebratory prosecco wine after a long ride!

Hey Chopper, I'm going to try my best to not take two years to come back to tie your ears again.

One more full day of riding ahead! Here's the last part of the journey.

Iron Butt SaddleSore 1000 to the Last Blockbuster (June 3-June 5, 2019): Part 1 - The Ride

I've missed doing Iron Butt Association (IBA) rides, so it was fitting to come out of my hiatus and complete one after a long two years of graduate school and weird life changes. The last time I had done one was back in 2011 when I rode from Columbus, OH to Elko, NV on a SaddleSore 2000. In reality, it was more of consolation from a failed attempt at a BunBurner 1500 Gold. Due to tornado warnings with about 300 miles to go, it wasn't worth the risk to ride through the night and finish the route. Perhaps I'll attempt the BBG 1500 again when I have the chance.

About a year before this ride began, I had started talking to my riding friend, Edwin (IG: zeros_adventure), about the possibility of completing a SaddleSore 1000. He didn't want to attempt it by himself and I didn't blame him; these rides are daunting. Doing so would be the first every IBA certified ride for him and the first one that I would do with another rider. Until now, all of my completed IBA rides were done solo. In addition, this would be the first time that I would be beginning the IBA ride in California; my previous rides had begun in Ohio.

When we reached a point in time that we could put solid plans down, we thought of fun places to ride to as the final destination of the SaddleSore 1000. I came up with the idea of riding to the last Blockbuster Video store on the planet in Bend, Oregon. This Blockbuster Video gained a bit of notoriety when it became the last location standing in March 2018 following the closure of locations in Alaska and Australia. Also, the cameo of a Blockbuster Video in "Captain Marvel" brought memories of the store back to the forefront. When I casually punched in the address for the store on Google Maps, it turned out that a straight shot on Interstate 5 was only 820 miles from Los Angeles. To make up the last 180 miles, I tweaked the route to swing out eastbound on I-80 and US-95 which would cause us to enter Oregon through Nevada and then cut across the state to get to Bend.

The route we ended up settling on. Planning done on inRoute for iOS.

With planning all set with a final meeting the Friday before, we geared up the bikes and left at midnight on June 3 from Redondo Beach. His ride of choice was a 2005 Suzuki VStrom 650 and I was on Eleanor, my 2007 Yamaha FJR1300, the same bike that I had used to complete all of my certified IBA certified rides to date. This time around, my FJR was starting this ride with approximately 205,000 miles on the odometer.

We rode I-5 northbound to Sacramento through the night, stopping in Lost Hills and Mercy Springs for gas, snacks, and a stretch break. The biggest challenge with night riding was definitely the fatigue and boredom that came with the nothingness of the interstate. We made it to Patterson and sat down for breakfast. Even with the extended break, we still made it to Sacramento by 8am as planned and made the transition over to I-80, passing through Reno and Winnemucca, NV and onto the desolation of US-95.

We found the sunrise in Patterson, CA.

Looking for our sanity somewhere near Emigrant Gap, CA.

One of the most essential tools that we had were our helmet-mounted Sena bluetooth intercoms. Communication during a long ride like this was essential, and it was important to keep each other updated on how we felt physically as well as continue conversations to stay awake. I found it fun to interject at times and inundate Edwin with random facts about the areas we were passing through because he had never ventured any farther north than Monterey, CA...until now. Also, staying hydrated was a priority. I went with my trusty CamelBak while Edwin went with a container mounted on a cup holder since he had a modular helmet that he could flip up. I threaded the flexible straw tube of the CamelBak through the bottom of my helmet.

Hello, Oregon. We come in peace.

Once we made it to US-95 in the early afternoon, it was a very desolate road with gas stops very far and in between. However, it was very beautiful and we were able to travel at a spirited pace. The state line was empty and only had a few buildings around it. We were rained on briefly shortly after crossing into Oregon but it wasn't a major downpour that required us to change into our rain suits. Speaking of gas stops, we had to detour to Rome, OR for gas after realizing that there were no other opportunities to fill up at the US-95/OR-78 junction where we were supposed to turn to head to Bend. That was an additional 16 miles down US-95, and it got hairy because we were well into our reserve levels in gas and didn't know how much we had left. To make things even more fun, the gas station in Rome was surrounded by sketchy gravel and potholes you could swim in. But we made the stop and survived. I wish I had taken a photo of the singular gas pump in the lot!

Somewhere on US-95 in Nevada. Those clouds in the sky would catch up with us later.

Once we made it back down the road to OR-78, it was about 200 miles of some of the quietest roads and nicest scenery you could imagine. Barely any cars, no airplanes or powerlines, and no cops in sight. We had to really throw down some speed to make it to Blockbuster before it closed because of those extended breaks we took because of fatigue, breakfast, photo ops, and a couple quick maintenance things (oil fill and chain lubing) along with the detour in Rome. With the exception of rain for about ten miles, the weather was as about as ideal as it could get. It was as cold as the upper 50s during the beginning of the ride and never exceeded 85°F at any time during the ride.

The good news? We did make it at 8:30pm that night with just enough daylight left to take pictures at the entrance. That was a long, 20.5 hour day. There was pizza, sliders, and wings at the end of the journey.

Here are the final stats from my own GPS tracking app (Geo Tracker) on my Android phone:

Of course, what goes up must come down. We took two days to return home from Bend, OR and took a more leisurely and touristy approach to that leg of the journey. Stay tuned on another blog entry for that.

Additional notes from this ride:

• Riding through the night was nice because there was no traffic. However, there were times that riding in the dark made it easier to lose focus.
• It's hard to plan for an Iron Butt when you're choosing roads that you've never ridden through. Be prepared to make last-minute changes, such as the detour to Rome, OR.
• There was no reason to speed for extended periods of time. Maintaining legal highway speeds was sufficient for completing this ride.
• Bringing your own snacks saves time and money! Also, consider easy to eat snacks such as energy bars. I'm a fan of Honey Stinger Organic Waffles.
• Bring additional fluids for your bike! We ended up using chain lube and topping off on motor oil.
• You don't have to carry everything with you when you ride with a friend. For example, I brought the snacks and Edwin had a cooler to store all the drinks.
• Know the other person's riding style. Chemistry is essential to completing an Iron Butt ride with a partner. This wasn't the first time I had ridden with him; in fact, the first long ride we did together was a total of 250 miles and was treated as a simulation of the real thing.
• Invest in a high-capacity USB power bank and a reliable cable. (Anker is a tried and tested brand that I prefer.) Knowing that my Sena intercom couldn't last an entire 20-hour run, I made sure to plug the headset in to charge during use in the latter parts of the ride.

Want to know how we got home? Here's the next part of the ride.

Initial Planning: Iron Butt California BunBurner 1500 Gold

This is a quick writeup on an idea that I've been brewing since I came back home to California two years ago.

In July 2011, I attempted an "extreme" Iron Butt BunBurner Gold 1500 (riding 1500 miles in a 24-hour period) from Columbus, OH to Rock Springs, WY en route to the Women On Wheels® International Ride-In™that took place in San Jose, CA that year. This was partially motivated by the lack of vacation time that I had (a.k.a. I had none, basically show up or don't get paid so I had to get the distance done quickly) and that I had successfully completed two Iron Butt Saddle Sore 1000 rides (riding 1000 miles in a 24-hour period) and wanted to see if I could pull off an even longer ride.

Unfortunately, I was unable to complete "Gold" part of the BunBurner due to a major closure on I-29 and 50 MPH cross-winds raging through Western Nebraska. However, with the distance I was able to cover in the initial attempt, I was still able to add 450 more miles to complete a SaddleSore 2000 with a standard BunBurner 1500 certification, continuing from Nebraska to Elko, NV in less than 44 hours.

Now that I am back in California, a state known for temperate weather for most of the year, I want to attempt the ride again during a comfortable time of the year and complete it within the state itself. Now that I'm back here, I've been able to give Eleanor the maintenance and care that she's needed after near five years in the Midwest, and I think she and I will be able to complete the ride with minimal issues. Of course, this is assuming that motorcycle, road, and weather conditions remain in my favor.

But that's the thing about these kinds of long endurance rides. There are so many variables within them that all you can really do is be prepared for anything that can be thrown at you. The map below is the proposed map of the ride from start to finish. It's a giant loop with the exception of sections of I-5 that are basically traveling up and down.

At the moment, this is in planning stages, but I hope to get some more prep work into this throughout the course of the year.

For more information about the Iron Butt Association, visit http://www.ironbutt.com/.

Iron Butt BunBurner 1500/SaddleSore 2000 Report

"To be insane, you must have discipline." - Hudson Leick

This report has been completed in between my two stays in Elko, NV and Oakland, CA after an Iron Butt adventure that involved four time zones, 45 hours of travel, and nearly 3000 miles on the motorcycle. Here's a little recap of my travels.

Eleanor's all geared up and ready to ride!

Departure from Columbus: 12:30AM EST, 6/30

Final Stop for BB1500: Rawlins, WY, 9:30AM MST, 7/1

Final Stop for SS2000: Elko, NV, 7:30PM PST, 7/1

The route was very basic: I-70 to I-80 via I-29 from Columbus, OH to Green River, WY. According to Google Maps, the total came to 1520 miles, enough for the BunBurner ride (1500 miles in 36 hours). I originally planned for this route to be a shot for the more extreme BunBurner Gold (1500 miles in 24 hours), but due to severe closures on I-29 in Iowa due to flooding in that part of the state that I didn't know about in advance, my connection from I-70 was delayed so badly mid-day that I was trapped in the state for nearly two hours, eliminating the possibility for Gold. However, the extra 200 miles I covered trying to find an alternate route brought my final destination for the BunBurner a lot closer.

And I ride, and I ride, and I ride...

So after a broiling run through most of 100+ degree Nebraska and 285 miles to go on the BunBurner 1500 attempt, I had to call it a day after getting caught in the middle of a severe storm that had winds nearing 50MPH and throwing me around on Eleanor near to Big Springs, NE. The tradeoff? A nice dinner with steak and second round with a regional favorite, Rocky Mountain Oysters.

Yup, it's genuine fried bull junk. If you've seen some of the other stuff I've eaten, this would probably be quite benign.

By the morning it cleared beautifully and it was easy to get to WY to finish off the final leg. I was glad that I waited for that sunrise because that portion of I-80 was some of the most scenic portions of interstate I've ever ridden. I had missed the pretty part of I-80 in Wyoming when Matt and I moved to Ohio in 2009 because we connected from I-25 from Fort Collins, CO instead of from Reno, NV.

Crossing the WY border during the final stretch of the BB1500. Yahoo.

After completing those final 285 miles for the first certification, I had over 12 hours to ride 500 miles to earn the SaddleSore 2000. That was completed quite casually with a stop for ice cream and a rest stop in Utah. I ended up in Elko, NV with a total of 2050 miles and three hours to spare.

This is gorgeous, and it was only the rest stop!

A member of the local wildlife. It saw my camera and took a stand.

Some additional notes...

My two biggest challenges were boredom during the long stretches of road and the heat wave I experienced in Nebraska. While I rode through the night, there wasn't much to see, so staying alert really involved a lot of good music and comedy routine selections. The same thing applied during the day; lots of songs and switching between channels on my XM radio. Also, with hours and hours on the saddle, I had to use several methods of keeping myself from getting too sore. Some methods included standing on the pegs while moving a crawl in work zones, engaging my BrakeAway cruise control mechanism, dangling the legs, and perching my feet onto the passenger pegs. As for the heat, my evaporative cooling vest saved the day, but the dry heat (100-105 degrees with crosswinds) made the last stretch of road a bit fatiguing. Keeping my CamelBak filled with ice water was a lifesaver as well.

I was lucky that the weather on the second day was relatively mild. Riding through the last portion of Nebraska into Wyoming was actually quite chilly with temps in the 50s and a crosswind. I had to use my Gerbings heated jacket liner and gloves for the first three hours of travel until it warmed up enough to just ride with my thicker Aerostitch Roadcrafter jacket. By midday I was back with the mesh jacket and didn't even need the cooling vest at all.

Contrary to popular belief, I did NOT drink any coffee or have any energy drinks during this entire journey. I had long days but I was able to sleep 6-7 hours a night which was sufficient and just enough to keep me from waking up groggy. The big key was keeping hydrated with lots of water and stopping at regular intervals.

The ability to ride through those miles comes with time. If you're thinking of doing these kinds of rides, work up to them and practice, practice, practice!

I think my vacation can start now...!

My first [documented] Iron Butt SaddleSore 1000

On August 21 I completed my first [documented] Iron Butt SaddleSore 1000. By definition this is a journey of 1000 miles in 24 hours or less. The first time I rode a thousand miles in under 24 hours was from Roswell, NM to LAX. However, this 17-hour ride was not officially documented per the requirements of the Iron Butt Association, the governing body that sanctions these long-distance motorcycle rides. I figured I might as well make it "official" and go for it.

The route I took is below. I took a circular route starting and ending in Lewis Center, OH by way of Spartanburg, SC. As with any long distance ride this one had a few obstacles to deal with, the most annoying being rain. I was in the middle of a constant downpour for three of the seven states I cross (NC, SC, WV) and as I rode into the evening hours the deluges affected my visibility to the point that getting down the highway required every ounce of willpower and concentration I could muster.


View Larger Map

Now my route for this SaddleSore 1000 was not the easiest one to ride by far. However, it was very scenic and, when combined with the light misty rains that dotted North Carolina and a couple other places, hauntingly beautiful. Of course, one easy way out was "slabbing" I-70 West toward St. Louis, MO, turning right back around and heading straight to Columbus. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to finally add North and South Carolina to my list of crossed states, now bringing the total to 39. I look forward to the day I can return and enjoy more of these states and not be on such a severe time crunch.

But then regular riders ask, "How do you do a thousand miles in a day?" It's a lot of miles but it's not so bad with some proper riding conditioning. If you're considering attempting one of these Iron Butt runs, here are some pointers I'd suggest.

Prepping Yourself
1. Learn to manage the miles. Building up the tolerance to do those distances takes practice and time. Ride. Ride everywhere. Ride in adverse conditions and to different destinations. Did I mention ride?

2. Hydrate. Drinks lots of water before, during, and after your ride. Get a Camelback or other hydration system that's easy to access while you're tooling down the road.

3. Snack a lot, big meal later. You won't have much time to eat, but get something in you. Energy bars and bananas are great. Increase protein intake and decrease carbs - those will only make you drowsier.

4. Wear the proper riding gear. Develop a system of equipment to combat any weather or temperature situation. Try accessories such as heated gear, soakable cooling vests, and packable rain suits.

Prepping Your Bike
1. As you practice doing the miles, reflect on your personal comfort needs. Do I need a new seat, sheepskin, gel pad? Would a cruise control aid/device come in handy? Are my handlebars, foot controls, etc. ergonomically sound? Do I need to change/remove/upgrade my windshield? The list goes on and on. Multitudes of motorcycle accessories are available to adjust your motorcycle to suit your style. A little research goes a long way.

2. Complete essential and major services before you take off. Do that oil change. Lube that chain. Perform that major service interval. Change the tires if they're almost worn out. Your bike will perform at its best when it gets its necessary TLC.

3. Learn your bike's quirks. That two wheeled machine between your legs is a friend you'll learn to know intimately. Take time to do research and learn its special needs. The less you learn the hard way the better.

And finally...what kind of motorcycle should I use?
The "best" motorcycle for an Iron Butt depends on the rider and the type of roads to be crossed. For riding interstates for prolonged periods of time, a larger engine displacement bike would be ideal because of the lower revs the bike needs to maintain those higher speeds. Additionally, a heavier bike with a fairing and windshield would cut down on the fatigue caused by wind blast. Larger bikes also equate to larger gas tanks so you'll be minimizing the amount of stops to get from point to point.

In this case, my FJR1300 has been my weapon of choice as well as that of many an Iron Butt participant because of its smoothness at higher speeds, generous wind protection, luggage room, and versatility to accommodate many types of riders. There are many bikes out there that are designed to do the miles; the challenge is to find the one that's right for you.

For more tips and tricks on surviving the long haul, Iron Butt Association has a wonderful "Archive of Wisdom" @ http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aowprintout.cfm.