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.

Eleanor at 200,000 miles. It's complicated.

Well, it happened. Finally.

On February 5, 2018, Eleanor, my 2007 Yamaha FJR1300, reached another milestone in its journeys on the paved roadways of this world. Hitting any mileage mark at any point is an accomplishment, but when it's something that only happens every hundred thousand miles, it's a moment that will be hard to replicate again for a long time and with another motorcycle.

Unfortunately, the celebration was a bit short-lived. On the morning of February 7th, Eleanor was sidelined on my way to work due to a hydraulic fluid leak, preventing me from using my clutch and halting her progress at 200,087 miles on the odometer. As result, she was towed back to my regular mechanic, which at the time of the publishing of this post, she has remained. Originally, I was planning to drop her off for a full valve adjustment as part of major service. To add to the fun, I had the luck of being caught behind a major backlog of repair jobs in front of mine, and two of them were complete engine rebuilds! However, the end of this nearly three-month wait for her return to her parking spot at my house is imminent, and I look forward to putting miles back on her.

It has seemed like an eternity without her here, further compounded with what had transpired in between then and now in both my personal and professional world. These last several months have been a series of transitions from one chapter of my life to another. In some ways, I am glad that Eleanor wasn't with me to witness many of these moments as they just seemed to pile up in an overwhelming succession. Still though, even with one of my most beloved companions down for the count, it has allowed me to recollect and reflect on moving forward and onto greater things. Hell, even returning to even write this is an accomplishment in itself. I would attribute that to special moments that have helped me find clarity and safety to refresh and reload, and for that, I will be forever grateful.

My new reality is not unfamiliar, but aspects of it are in places that I had hoped to not revisit again. But now, I look at these new scenarios with a different set of eyes and a much larger sense of hope. What is clear now is that I am meant for something else and that I am deserving of so much more than what has been dealt to me. Regardless of what the future holds in the next several months, I will be more than okay.

I will end this post with the beginning "ramble test" episode of my vlog that I had filmed with my GoPro on the way to Silverado, CA, on February 4. This was the day before Eleanor's odometer flipped and shot with her windshield actually wiped down properly. My plan is to start doing these as a series with a more structured outline of discussion, but it'll be a little while until I can revisit this side project. Anyway, enjoy.

NorCal Revisited Part 5: Motorcycles and hockey do mix with surprising results.

Long time, no see! I'm starting 2018 with the conclusion of an adventure that I started back in July 2017. Yeah, I admit to being that far behind, but I have reasons. I will say that it is extremely satisfying to come back and finish telling this story, especially because the circumstances that prevented me from completing this no longer exist.

The last half of 2017 had been inundated with incidents and events that have kept me away from my blog space (not to mention grad school), but I hope to add to the random stories throughout this year. As for the tales of this vacation from July 2017, let's just say that not long after my ride home in the triple digits (both in temperature and in mileage), my work life went into a tailspin and far out of my control, and that waking nightmare didn't end until September. Anyway, I'm very glad to be back and I'm determined to stay on track the best I can. So, without further adieu, I get to talk about the part of my motorcycle vacation that involved a hockey tournament.

NorCal Revisited Part 4: Eleanor does the Corbin Factory

It was my kind of vacation day: get out of bed, ride, eat, chill, ride some more, sleep, repeat. There was some hockey thrown in there as well, and I'll talk about it a bit later. But first, I took a 5:30 AM departure on Friday morning from Petaluma all the way down the 101 to the world famous Corbin seat factory in Hollister, CA. It was approximately a 130-mile jaunt from start to finish, and I made it there as the doors were opening at 8 AM. Traffic was non-existent, even in the more populated areas such as Alameda and San Jose on the 580/880, and Eleanor ran like a charm for the straight shot down.

First guest motorcycle here!

So why were we here? Below is Exhibit A. The Corbin seat on Eleanor has seen over 192,000 miles of road in ten years, experiencing every weather condition that has hit the continental United States short of a hurricane and a tornado. The leather was dried up and shot, the foam gone in some places from wear and exposure, and it was long overdue for a complete refurbish. Fortunately, Corbin has a special program in which a seat purchased directly from them can be restored to original factory condition for half the cost of a new one, provided that you bring the seat in. (Side note: if you purchased the Corbin seat private party or through eBay, you would get 30% off a complete refurbishing.)

Now, this isn't the first time that I have been to the Corbin factory. I was here once before back in July 2011 en route to the Women On Wheels® International Ride-In™. If I had thought ahead sooner, I would've had the seat done back then, but like many things in my life, it was worth the extra wait.

This seat has seen many things. It was definitely time for a refresher.

On-site ride in service at the factory is done in an appointment-based, first-come first-served basis. I called ahead on Wednesday to get a slot for Friday. When I made it to Corbin that morning, there was a gentleman with a 2015 version of my Yamaha FJR1300 who was there to get a full rider and passenger seat combo. It was nice to get a neighbor with a newer, yet nearly identical ride (everything from the tank to the tail is practically the same). Since we both had different preferences for what we wanted in our seats, it was fun to see the options that were out there and find out what we each chose for our own needs.

Seat creation/restoration takes a few hours, so I took a break inside the Wizard's Cafe for a little blogging, photo organization, and a breakfast burrito. Coffee was complimentary and there was a lot of it to go around.

This was a very tasty burrito.

After an hour or so, my "seat wizard" came back with my seat without the leather covering. He placed a temporary seat pad on top of the foam and asked me to take a lap around the street to see how I felt. I will say, it had been so long since I had a cushiony seat on Eleanor that it felt like I was riding on a cloud. When I came back from my test ride, I talked to the gentleman with the FJR who had made a slight modification to his custom seat. The middle area was replaced with a softer foam that reduced the pressure to the tailbone and related area. After sitting on his seat in comparison to mine, I requested to have my seat's internals done in the same fashion. It's moments like these when I knew that it was totally worth it to spend the extra miles to get exactly what I wanted. After all, I'm looking at several more years with this bike at the minimum, and I'd like to enjoy every minute of it. It was also great to receive peer feedback and suggestions that helped improve my own seat.

Here's the unfinished seat with a test ride pad.

Here's a closeup of my "neighbor's" seat after the softer foam was added to the main area. My front seat received the same treatment.

The service areas where the trimming and shaping of the foam were within walking distance of where the motorcycles were staged.

My "neighbor's" finished product, a front/rear seat combo with a smooth top (similar to my original seat) with color-matched welt and a textured side vinyl pattern. He was very happy with the results.

As for me, I decided to change it up this time around and requested stitching on the top of the seat. The extra stitching also offered a little extra foam cushion on the top as well as a nice textured look. The sides were lined with a textured vinyl pattern with the welts remaining black.

Eleanor's odometer reading at seat restoration.

The new seat's maiden break-in ride was a 150-mile ride from the factory all the way back up north to Sacramento where I was headed to meet up with my other friend and then carpool another 40 miles westbound toward Vacaville for the first game of the Vacaville Classic hockey tournament. It was a long, yet very productive day, and with the 250+ riding miles on the road that day, I still pulled a 2-0 opening game win. I'll discuss the rest of the outcome of the tournament in the next blog post, but I will say that there were a lot more miles involved as well as really warm temperatures! Not to mention, a surprise ending...

GUEST POST: Tips for Long Distance Riding

All right, here's another guest post about riding your motorcycle through hot and humid conditions.

If you're a motorcycle enthusiast and are interested in becoming a guest blogger on here, fill out the inquiry form on the right side of the page and I'll get back to you.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed within this blog post are those of the author and not necessarily held by Two-Wheeled Tourist.

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Nothing beats a long-distance trip, especially when on the back of as two-wheeled beast where you can feel the wind beat against your face and the sun shine on your shoulders. It may seem like a fun idea to just hop on your motorcycle and take off for destinations unknown just to ride across the country, but as any seasoned rider will tell you, a long-distance ride takes careful planning.

Some riders love the feeling of a long ride coast to coast while others prefer to ride part of the way and then have the motorcycle shipped the rest of the way. This is an ideal choice for those who may be traveling through barren areas of the country or who are traveling from a cold area to a warm or hot and humid climate and don’t want to ride through snow and ice or through the humidity in a hot climate. Some riders, however, will ride through all weather and circumstances. If this is you, then you may need to consider some important things about the ride before you leave. The most important will be to make sure everything is ready to go.

You can use the following long-distance riding tips to help ensure your ride goes smooth and you don’t run into any major issues along the way.

Make Sure Your Bike Is Ready
The distance you travel is going to be dependent on the reliability of your motorcycle. You will need to make sure she is ready to roll and that all will go well even when you are hundreds of miles away from home.

• Check your tires to ensure they are inflated properly for a long-distance trip. 
• Check around the bike to make sure nothing is loose or broken. This includes your luggage racks, handles and other parts that can loosen during a ride.
• Fill fluids
• Make sure your lights work. Check the front headlamp as well as your back lights and signal lights.
• Test the battery to make sure it is in top condition.
• You will want to check your chain or belt to make sure it’s in good condition.
• Check the spark plugs.
• Test the brakes to make sure they work well.

Planning the Road Trip
Besides checking the motorcycle to make sure it is ready for a long ride, you will also want to map out the trip to make sure you are prepared for what lies ahead.

• GPS is nice, but you are bound to travel through dead spots where GPS won’t work. Get a map ready and printed so you will have a backup to use when you need to know which direction to go if your GPS fails along the way.
• Contact hotels that are on the way to get rates and see how far they are from the highway. It’s best to know where you can lay your head when you get tired after riding hours on end.
• Plan for fuel stops by mapping out the gas stations along the way. Just because you may have enough fuel doesn’t mean you won’t need to stop for a drink or to grab a quick bite to eat. You will also want to stretch your legs after riding a distance.
• Traveling out of the country? If so, you need to make sure you have the proper paperwork in hand when you get to the border or you will have to turn around and find another location to head to. 

Gearing Up
Before you hop on your bike to trek across the country, it’s wise to make sure you are all geared up ahead of time. As you know, you won’t have a great deal of space on the motorcycle, but don’t let that damper your decisions when determining what to wear or pack for the trip.

• Before you decide on clothing to wear, you need to pack a kit with jumper cables, tools, flat tire repair and other road trip tools that may be needed in case of an emergency along the highway. 
• When you pack clothing, you will of course pack as light as possible, but try to compress everything into the bag by rolling things up tightly as you pack. This will allow for more clothing items to be placed inside your bag.
• Pack a first aid kit and items like chapstick, sunscreen, ear plugs and waterproof matches. 
• Keep a list of names and numbers printed and packed inside a bag. You never know when you may need to reach an emergency contact and will need their number.
• It may be nice and sunny when you head out, but pack rain gear or even cold weather gear if you plan to travel into various climates.
• Use plastic zip lock bags to help keep your travel gear nice and dry if it rains.

Whether your long-distance trip is to the next state over or from the east coast of Georgia to the west coast of California, be sure to notify friends and family that you are leaving. You will also want to let those closest to you know your planned route. While most rides go smoothly, having someone with knowledge as to where you will be can be a great help if you have a breakdown on the road and someone needs to locate you quickly. Your trip may be filled with adventure depending on where you travel to and will be a great experience, but keep in mind that the most important thing on your trip is to be safe when you ride.

NorCal Revisited Part 3: Reclaiming San Francisco

My homework was done, and I was ready to jump on Eleanor and play! I looked on Google Maps and found out that there was a road that leads out of Petaluma onto some really nice twisties and headed out toward PCH. It was going to be a bit cooler going into this region (around the mid-60s), so I made sure that I inserted my rain liner into my mesh jacket to add more layers to battle the winds and fog on my way down toward San Francisco.

I had no idea what visually stunning sights I was in for as I was riding down these serene, two-lane roads. There were small lakes, seemingly unending hills, and very picturesque land forms as I rode through on a good clip. However, I had to come to a complete stop for this lake area amid the hills, otherwise known as the Nicasio Reservoir.

Once I made it onto the US-101 southbound heading into San Francisco (around 10:30 AM), the fog was so bad that I delayed taking a photo at Battery Spencer until later in the day when I was on my way out. Temps had also dropped down to the upper-50s so getting through the Golden Gate Bridge and into the city where it was warmer was a priority. It was surreal to cross back into San Francisco again from the north; it had been over six years since I had done it, and the third time that Eleanor had seen the bridge. I had ridden across the Golden Gate Bridge on another motorcycle before this, my 2005 Suzuki SV650.

It was quite #foggy riding in. It should burn off for a good pic later. #GoldenGateBridge #SanFrancisco

A post shared by Christine (@twowheeledtourist) on Jul 13, 2017 at 11:07am PDT

I learned a couple things once I made it to Fisherman's Wharf. First, with a motorcycle, you can park for free right in the entrance of the wharf. Second, I need to bring my FastTrak transponder with me the next time I return to Northern California. All of the toll roads are using the system now.

My first stop in the Fisherman's Wharf was the Musée Mécanique, a penny arcade and museum filled with video games and arcade machines from various decades, all of them fully playable. As I had done a decade prior, I threw a few quarters into the X-Men vs. Street Fighter game and beat the snot out of another patron. After that, I ventured outside to check out Alcatraz from a distance as it could be seen in plain view the day I was there.

Hmm. That's not what I think about when I envision a bunch of bimbos in a box.

There were too many food selections to choose from for lunch, and I had a little too much fun taking photos of everything. This may involve multiple visits back up here. I'm not complaining about that.

If it lived in the ocean, it'll probably end up on a roll. The options were endless. Would you like some rolls with your crab, lobster, or shrimp?

A pair of disgruntled giant lobster and an indifferent crab.

That's a long way to swim if you're planning to make any sort of escape.

Getting my clam-on-clam fix with a little help from the squid. This was totally worth the ride down to the city by the bay.

Even the Magikarp couldn't resist all the attention!

Cooked crab...master of the resting bitch face.

I have a feeling that these socks wouldn't fly well at my job. The kids would find it funny, though.

After lunch, I headed over the hilly parts of the city into Japantown to Daiso in an attempt to find a budget Apple Lightning cable to charge my iPad (I had forgotten mine at home). Unfortunately, they were sold out of them so I made my way to the flagship Apple Store in Union Square.

Things that aren't awkward: motorcycle-specific parking meters are only $0.35 an hour. Bless you, #SanFrancisco. Things that are kinda awkward: this photo if you're familiar enough with my life story. At least it's not red. 😅 #motorcycleprobs #Yamaha #FJR1300 #K1200RS #somestoriesarenotmeanttoberepeated

A post shared by Christine (@twowheeledtourist) on Jul 13, 2017 at 1:38pm PDT

I spent a little time perusing this two-story, open air store and had the chance to plug my iPad in to get a little juice while I surfed the Internet on a display MacBook and took a break. It's a pretty cool location and it was packed with all sorts of visitors. I ended up getting out of there with a Lightning cable. (Tip: You have a 14-day return window if you buy anything from the Apple Store.) This is great for those people who just happen to be out of town and are forgetting anything.

Tangela is here to inquire about the new MacBook Pro.

Switching gears from technology and back to motorcycles, I rode to BMW Motorcycles of San Francisco to check out the store and ask for some assistance in topping off the oil on Eleanor. She tends to burn a little more oil than normal because of her mileage and age, and I was receiving an oil light on my dash while I was near the Nicasio Reservoir. It's a level, not a pressure, sensor. The service manager there wasn't too busy and helped me out in the service bay. I even got a t-shirt and stickers out of the whole deal. I'd definitely come back and visit again.

After that, I made a quick stop to the nearby D-Store to see if there were any good deals on motorcycle gear before riding back to Battery Spencer to get that view of the Golden Gate Bridge. By the time I got there (about 7:30 PM), the view was just perfect.

I made it back to Petaluma around 9 PM and had to find some creative parking on the street. The roads are severely banked here so I had to be careful where I put my kickstand down. In reference to the title of this blog, returning to San Francisco and some destinations that I have not seen in ten years brought closure to what were tumultuous times in my life. In many ways, even being back up here was a cleansing experience.

My next stop the following day, the Corbin Seats World Headquarters in Hollister, CA, would bring some of that healing energy onto my trusty Yamaha FJR1300 in the form of a completely restored rider seat.

That parking angle is just slightly unnerving...