Guestbook

SADDLESORE 1000 RIDE

I first gave thought to doing a second Saddlesore ride (1000 miles in less than 24 hrs) in 2001.  However after our European cycle tour, I lost the desire for another long distance ride.  At that time, I mapped out my ride from Jackson, WI to Brookings, SD. This was a straight shot from Jackson to Sioux Falls, SD, then north 35 miles to Brookings.  When I pondered this route again this year, I decided to change it.   I had driven that same route when I was sent to Pierre, SD in 2000 when I worked at American Family.  I felt that I should go in a different direction.  Since I needed to stay on interstate highways, I had some other options. I ruled out going south because I wanted to avoid Chicago. I settled on a southwesterly route into Illinois and all the way across Iowa to the Nebraska border at Council Bluffs and back.  This route kept me away from huge metropolitan areas as well as keeping me on interstate highways all the way.  I only circled three large cities:  Milwaukee, Quad Cities, IA and Des Moines, IA. Finally, I wanted to make a solo trip to think about some things along the way.

I prepared for the ride by mapping out my route on our Map & Go AAA software.  The route according to the software was 525 miles in each direction.  This would leave me enough wiggle room to be sure I would exceed 1000 miles in this 24 hour period.  The decision on which motorcycle to take was relatively easy – the 90 Pacific Coast or the 84 Magna.  Since I am most comfortable on the Magna and have never had problems with it, I decided on the Magna.  I chose to do the ride on June 1.  The month of June was getting filled up with other commitments already and this date worked well into my schedule.  I packed up the saddlebags with rain gear, and attached a rear seat bag with some tools. I also did some pre-ride maintenance: oil change, tire pressure check, etc. One problem with the Magna would be its small fuel tank – only 3 gallons.  I therefore planned all my fuel stops - not knowing how often there would be exits along the way.  Since I did a Saddlesore in 1997, I felt like I was at an advantage as well.

My last bit of preparation involved getting my Iron Butt documentation in order.  I needed a witness at the start of the ride.  Lucky for me, the rules changed last year and your spouse can serve as your witness.  In 1997, we had to get police officers to sign our log sheet.  The 97 ride also taught me I needed to leave earlier in the morning as to not be riding deliriously in the dark at the tail end of the ride.  I was on the verge of hallucinating the last 150 miles of the 97 ride.  Therefore, I decided to leave at 4:00 AM on Saturday, June 1.  If all went well, I would be back home beforemidnight that night.

Unfortunately, the night of May 31 was the 21^st birthday party for one of my co-workers.  But, I did not drink alcohol and left the party before dark.  I did some last minute preparations and went to bed around 10:00 with the alarm clock set for 3:00 AM.

I woke up before 3:00 AM and got up and got ready to leave the house.  I ate a bowl of cereal, got dressed, said good-bye to Anne and drove to the Village Mart gas station in Jackson. I filled up the tank, got my timed gas receipt which read 3:49 AM and my Saddlesore ride was officially underway.

The temperature was cool as I left, probably around 60 degrees.  Weather reports I read for Des Moines predicted temperatures would be in the mid-80's.  That would prove to be an understatement as I would find out later in the day.  I should mention that I wore my Ballistic jacket, boots, thin leather gloves and my helmet.  I also packed my cold weather pants, which astonishingly I needed later in the trip. As I headed south on Highway 45, I was a bit cool as I only had a T-shirt on under my jacket.  There was a full moon out and very little traffic. As I neared Milwaukee, I started thinking about how many more miles I would have to ride to reach 1000 in 24 hours.  I passed through Milwaukee without incident, as there is minimal traffic at 4:00 AM on a Saturday morning.

I headed southwest out of Milwaukee on I-43 (aka – the Rock Freeway) in the cool dark of the morning (or "the cool, cool, cool of the morning" in the words of Krokus).  Just past East Troy, I got the first of my four scares of the ride.  I was cruising along at 70 MPH in the middle lane when something appeared to be obstructing my lane.  With very little time to react, I abruptly swerved into the right lane just missing a dead deer which lay in the middle lane.  Close call, but being observant gave me enough time to react.  I continued southwest toward Beloit and my first fuel stop in South Beloit, IL. I was feeling a little tired during this stretch as I didn't sleep well last night and it was dark out.  As I approached the state line, it was beginning to get light out toward the east.  This brightened my spirits a bit and I felt somewhat rejuvenated.  I crossed the state line just after 5:00 AM and into Illinois without incident.  It would be several hours before I would return to the comforts of Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter, I exited and stopped at the Flying J Truck Stop in South Beloit, IL. So far, a total of 94 miles.  I filled up the Magna, hit the rest room, drank some water and got back out onto the interstate at 5:20 AM.  I was now on I-39 heading south.  The sun was now up and I felt wide awake and began enjoying the ride, leaning back with my feet up on the highway pegs.  In typical Illinois fashion, I got stung for two tolls in the next 20 miles – one for 40 cents and one for 95 cents.  It's a little more difficult going through toll booths on a motorcycle than in a car. In addition, I needed receipts for my Iron Butt log.  I passed the Rockford area and eventually found I-88 where I turned west and began my quest for the Iowa state line.  This stretch of the ride was largely boring, so I cranked it up to 75 MPH and just tried making good time.  With the Magna up around 6000 RPM, I didn't realize that my gas mileage would suffer accordingly.  Now the stage was set for my second scare of the ride as my low fuel light went on about 15 miles before I was expecting it to.  The next exit for Lyndon, IL was 8 miles ahead and I didn't know if there was a gas station there.  This would be a most embarrassing setback if I ran out of gas.  I reached the exit for Highway 78 and was relieved to see a sign for a General Store gas station, however it was still 4 miles off the exit.  I angled back in a southeasterly direction hoping I didn't run dry on gas.  Finally, I made it to the small town of Lyndon, IL.  I pulled into the gas station at 7:00 AM and filled the tank with 2.8 gallons – only 0.2 of a gallon left! When reading the gas receipt I was alarmed to see that the time read 5:46 AM – 75 minutes off from the actual time.  Knowing that timed gas receipts are extremely important, I went inside and spoke to the attendant.  I explained that I was on a motorcycle rally and asked her to sign my log with the correct time of 7:02 AM. She obliged and I was back on the road shortly thereafter.  However, I was still worried about getting DQ'd on this technicality.  I was now 194 miles into the trip.  Still a long ways to go.

I was back on I-88 and nearing the Quad Cities.  I reached the Quad Cities about 20 minutes later and hooked up with I-80 and headed in a northerly direction around the cities.  I crossed the Mississippi River and entered Iowa at about 7:45 AM. No matter where you cross the Mississippi, it is always a scenic site.  I didn't realize at the time, but I would spend the next 11 hours in the state of Iowa. Yes, the home of such former Wisconsin sports legends as Brad Lohaus, Jeff Grayer and Ron Hallstrom.  It was still early and a weekend day, so there was minimal traffic around the Quad Cities area.  I left the Quad Cities behind me, knowing that my return there would still leave me 225 miles from the end of my trip.  Traveling west into Iowa and seeing mostly green farmland, I began to think about some matters going on in my life.  I wasn't recovering very well from my two knee surgeries, and I was having questions about my job.  My knee didn't really bother me too much on this trip, thanks to my highway pegs which allowed me to adequately stretch out.  As I neared Iowa City, I began to think about my fuel situation again.  I didn't need another scare like I got in Illinois. By now, my planned fuel stops were all off by 10-15 miles.  I would have to scrap my fuel itinerary and play it by ear.  I was driving 70-75 MPH and was only getting about 35 MPG.  I now figured I would need gas every 90-100 miles. Therefore, I decided to stop in Iowa City and get gas there.  I exited in Coralville, IA and fueled up there – 2.74 gallons this time after exactly 100 miles from my last stop.  I took a 10 minute break after filling up and read my map and updated my log.  Then I packed back up and headed back out to I-80. As I was on the on ramp, I noticed that my windshield came loose.  This was only a nominal setback, as I snapped it back in and was on my way a few minutes later. 

It was now 8:45 AM and I was now 294 miles into the trip.  I was feeling good, the weather was very nice – in the mid 70's. However, as I continued west, I felt the temperature rise.  I was still wearing my Ballistic jacket, but had changed to thinner gloves.  This was probably my quickest leg of the first half of the trip.  There were no large cities in the eastern part of the state and I made it to the Des Moines area in about an hour and twenty minutes.  I stopped just short of Des Moines, in the town of Altoona. I exited on Highway 65 and rolled into Casey's General Store at 10:15 AM. Another 100 miles behind me and a fill up of 2.75 gallons.  It was now really heating up, roughly 85 degrees.  I parked the Magna under a tree and went inside the store and bought a cookie and a bottle of water.  I decided to eat and drink very lightly on this trip on the advice posted on the Iron Butt website.  This was the first time I called home to Anne.  I was 394 miles into the ride and was now at my turn back point.  I must admit I pondered it, but I still felt pretty strong and alert – even though I knew that the heat would start wearing me down. 

The stop atAltoona was my longest so far – about 20 minutes.  I felt a little rejuvenated as I continued west.  I soon was upon Des Moines and took the loop around the city.  It was a little treacherous due to the grooved pavement.  This went on for about 10 miles and Des Moines was in my rear view mirror.  I now felt like I was finally getting close to Council Bluffs because there were no more major cities to go through, even though Council Bluffs was still 125 miles further west.  The scenery became even more boring now.  The greenery turned mostly brown as far as the eye could see in all directions.  The road was straight; with long, rolling hills most of the way toward the Nebraska state line.  At this point I started taking note of exits with gas stations for my trip back. Things were becoming fairly desolate. I couldn't imagine living in western Iowa. I knew I couldn't make it all the way to Council Bluffs without stopping for gas again.  I therefore exited at Hwy 59 in Avoca, IA. To my surprise, this gas station was pretty crowded.  I therefore made this a quick stop, filled in my log and jumped right back onto I-80. I was now 492 miles into the trip. I figured I would take a well deserved break in Council Bluffs and get something to eat.

I neared Council Bluffs at about 12:30 PM. I took the Highway 6 exit and cruised into Council Bluffs. It was now very hot. I passed a bank which showed a temperature of 94 degrees.  I stopped and filled up the Magna at 12:50 PM at Eddy's gas station. I had now gone 535 miles in roughly 9 hours.  I originally figured I'd get to Council Bluffs between noon and 1:00 PM, so I was happy to be halfway without experiencing any problems.  I went down the street to a Taco John's and ate lunch there.  Maybe a risky scheme for my stomach, but I wasn't going to eat any heavy fast food. After eating two tacos and a drinking large lemonade, it was time to start back toward Jackson. I spent 20 minutes at Taco John's and saddled back up on the Magna at 1:30 PM. If all went well, I'd be home by 10:30 PM.

Just the fact that I was driving east again put me in a good mood.  I cranked up the Magna to 75 MPH out of Council Bluffs. I was now baking in my Ballistic jacket, helmet and gloves.  I resisted the urge to take off my jacket and ride in my T-shirt.  I would be in for certain sunburn in no time.  With my jacket halfway unzipped, vents open and my face shield open, it wasn't entirely intolerable.  There wasn't much traffic heading east, just some semis. Therefore, I had both lanes to myself most of the time.  I was now in a more conservative mode as far as gas was concerned.  I decided to play it safe and exit at Stuart, IA for a fill up only 89 miles east of Council Bluffs. I was really feeling the effects of the heat here as I took off my jacket and helmet.  Nevertheless, I made this a short stop and was on my way east again. There were now 624 miles behind me.

It was now about 3:00 PM at the height of the hot afternoon.  I would estimate that it reached at least 95 degrees.  Little did I know then that I would be freezing only a few hours later. I was nearing Des Moines again and slowed down around the city battling the grooved pavement.  At that point, I was glad that I put new tires on the Magna a few weeks before.  With Des Moines behind me, I felt like I cleared a big hurdle.  I started thinking about theIllinois state line ahead – even though I wouldn't be there for another 3-4 hours. Iowa is a very large state. I got a little greedy on this stretch and my low fuel light went on again.  This put a small scare into me, but I knew I could go at least 10-12 miles more judging by the Lyndon, IL experience earlier in the day.  The next exit was about 8 miles ahead and I was pretty sure there was a gas station there if I remembered correctly.  As I neared the exit, I saw two gas stations so I was relieved.  I exited and pulled into the first station, and to my surprise it was closed. Luckily, the Fuel Mart across the street was open.  However, it did not have a pay at the pump option.  I was somewhat worried that I wouldn't be able to get a timed receipt, but my fears were put to rest and they printed me a receipt inside.  The Magna took 2.76 gallons, so I was playing a dangerous game by not exiting earlier.  Gas was only $1.28/gallon there – about 30 cents a gallon cheaper than back home.  What's with that??  I bought a bottled water and went back outside.  This was the only stop where someone asked me what I was doing.  An older guy stopped and talked to me briefly and asked me where I came from and where I was going as I looked at my maps. I guess I looked a little out of place with a warm weather jacket and Wisconsin plates.  I then called Anne for the second time to let her know where I was and how I was doing. I now had 725 miles behind me. Still a long ways to go, but I was nearly 3/4 of the way done.

This next stretch of riding game me my third and by far my largest scare of the day.  Just past Iowa City, I was riding in the left lane at my usual 75 MPH.  There was a car in the right lane about five car lengths ahead of me. I was gaining on him slowly.  We passed underneath a bridge where there was an on ramp to I-80 on the right.  I was now about one car length from him.  There was a truck coming down the ramp and preparing to merge.  In sudden fashion, the guy in the right lane darts into my lane where I am nearly even with his car!!  With little choice, I swerved quickly to the left to avoid a collision.  I was hoping not to lose control and drive into the median.  For several seconds I managed to stay on the narrow two foot section where the pavement is rippled.  My heart was pumping pretty frantically as I tried to keep control. After about 100 yards of this white knuckle driving, I looked into my rear view mirror and saw the guy way back in the left lane.  He obviously realized what he did and slowed down to let me back in.  I can honestly say that was my closest brush with death in all my motorcycling days.  I would've either lost control in the gully-like median, or gone through it into the west bound lane.  Either way, I would've been seriously injured or killed had I not kept control. 

About five miles later, I started settling down and got back to serious driving again.  As I think back on the incident, I was obviously in his blind spot and he never saw me, but did he even look?  On the other hand, there's no reason to dart from the right lane into the left lane without at least signaling.  That would've given me an extra split second to decelerate.  Beyond that, let the truck merge into traffic on its own. 

I was hoping to make it to the Quad Cities before stopping for gas.  I began to realize that I wouldn't make it that far.  The Walcott exit had several gas stations and some restaurants, so I pulled off there.  I gassed up at the Pilot station – 2.52 gallons, and went into the Arby's to get a roast beef sandwich.  No sooner did I sit down with my food when a bus of Hispanic passengers and their children piled into the restaurant.  I had left my helmet, jacket and other things on the Magna, so I moved to another table to keep it in my sight.  There were some real undesirables milling around.  I had planned on relaxing for about a half hour there, but I decided to cut it short and get going.  I got dressed and left Walcott at 6:20 PM. I had now gone 817 miles and Illinois was only a short distance away.

About ten miles down the road, I crossed the Mississippi River again and was back in Illinois. Thus ended my marathon of Iowa motorcycle riding!  Even though the riding was virtually the same in Illinois, I felt relieved to be out of Iowa. I won't be going there again any time soon.  Shortly after crossing the Mississippi, I met up with I-88 and started angling in a northeasterly direction.  I soon met up with my only major road construction of the day.  The left lane was recently repaved and the right lane was not.  The left lane was about 3-4 inches higher than the right lane. As my luck would have it, I got stuck behind a mini-van ambling along at about 45 MPH.  After about 2-3 miles of this monotony, I checked my rear view mirror and saw no traffic behind me.  I then slowed down to a crawl, turned 90 degrees and hopped up into the newly paved left lane.  Now it was smooth sailing on the new asphalt.  Moments later, I breezed past the mini-van going about 85 MPH – my fastest speed of the day.  I wanted to make a statement more than anything else.  One of my pet peeves is being behind a mini-van going 5-10 MPH below the speed limit.  It happens way too often and it really pisses me off.  Another two miles up the road, and I was so far ahead of the mini-van that I could barely see him in my rear view mirror.  If I ever get to the point in my life when I'm driving a mini-van down an interstate going 20 MPH below the speed limit, I hope someone kicks me in the nads - hard.

A while later, I neared Dixon, IL and saw a sign that warned of no exits for another 25 miles.  I had no choice but to exit here as I had driven 80 miles since Walcott, IA. I paid an exit ramp toll of 40 cents and pulled into DNDTravelPlaza. This time, I only put 2.06 gallons into the Magna, but spilled some gas onto my tank (I found out later I did not wipe it all off).  I logged my miles – now 901 miles behind me.  I bought a bottle of water inside, chatted briefly with the attendant and was back on my way at 7:20 PM.

I had to pay another toll to get back onto I-88 which chapped me.  Luckily I was prepared with the correct change already in my hand – thanks to the attendant at the gas station.  I continued eastward toward my next turnoff of I-39.  Before exiting onto I-39, I stopped briefly to finish the water bottle I purchased in Dixon. In a moment of mental lapse, I got back onto the Magna without closing my saddlebag.  Fortunately, I felt it flapping into my side before I got onto I-39. One thing Ron Ayres warns in his long distance riding books is to not be in a hurry as you leave one of your stops. So, I pulled over again briefly, closed the saddlebag and was finally heading north again on I-39.  I now had Beloit in my sights, but was farther away from it than I thought.  Now on the final stretch of the ride, and I was beginning to get impatient.  My shoulders were sore as well as my butt.  It had now been roughly 16 straight hours on the Magna.  However, I must admit I wasn't as sore as I was in 1997. I circled around Rockford, paid another toll and continued north.  The sun was now beginning to set and I could feel the temperature drop just a bit (maybe 5 degrees).  Beloit was now in my sights.  It would be a relief to be back in Wisconsin.

Before I reached Beloit, I decided I would stop for gas there.  Since my planned fuel stops had been off course all day, I was way off by now.  My original plan was to get my final fill-up in East Troy. It was evident I would never make it that far.  Further, I wasn't familiar with the exits on the Rock Freeway.  I crossed back into Wisconsin at 8:15 PM. Boy, it felt good to be back in my home state.  I hadn't been there for 15 hours.  I took the second Beloit exit and pulled into the first gas station I saw.  Now was my fourth scare of the day.  As I swiped my credit card, the pump wasn't taking it.  I tried several more times before getting a message that said "see attendant".  I suspected that my GM Card was suspended for overuse.  This had happened to me once before on a long motorcycle trip, and I should've called them beforehand to let them know of my travels.  Another lesson learned!  I used my bank debit card instead which worked.  Thankfully, I would have no more stops until I got to Jackson. After filling up, I noticed a missed call on my cell phone from my parents.  I quickly called them to tell them I was almost home.  My dad informed me that the temperature there was in the low sixties with a brisk wind.  I responded that it was in the mid-80's in Beloit. However, being a lifelong Wisconsin resident, I knew it was certainly conceivable that this was true.  I then also quickly called Anne and was finally on my way home.  It was now truly the home stretch.

I cruised onto the Rock Freeway (I-43) at 8:45 PM with an anticipated arrival in Jackson of 10:15 PM. The sun was down now and darkness was setting in.  On my previous Saddlesore ride in 1997, I had a difficult time with this stretch.  However, this time it was about 4 hours earlier and I wasn't nearly as tired as my other trip.  I passed by the Clinton, Darien and Delavan exits without incident.  I was riding at about 70 MPH and feeling pretty good as I passed the 1000 mile mark of the trip.  As I neared the Elkhorn exit, the wind shifted and there was an abrupt temperature drop.  I was now hit by the cold front my dad was speaking of.  I thought to myself I could make it another hour in this suddenly uncomfortable weather. However, my legs were really getting cold, along with my hands.  I would have to stop and change gloves at the very least.  I decided to stop at the next opportunity.  I went past the Hwy 11 exit because I saw a sign for a rest area ahead.  I exited at the rest area and parked the Magna under a light post.  The wind felt bitterly cold now.  In reality, it was about 60 degrees with a 20 MPH wind.  Not that big of a deal under normal circumstances. However, I had spent the last 16 hours riding in mostly 90 degree weather and I was getting tired, irritable and impatient with this sudden turn of events.  While I was getting my cold weather gloves, I decided to put my cold weather Ballistic pants on as well.  Boy, was I glad I brought these along.  I was now dressed warm enough that I could've probably gone on a snowmobile trip.  I did not have to log this stop because it was under 20 minutes.  I got back onto I-43 after a ten minute stop and kicked it back up to 70 MPH and headed for home.  I was now on a quest to get back to Jackson as quickly as possible.  The bitter northeast wind was hitting me hard.  It was blowing my face shield open and I couldn't adjust my position on the Magna to relieve myself of any of this turbulence.  If I hadn't been so close to the end, it certainly would've been a much greater strain on me.  I just opened the throttle and passed by exit after exit in this discomfort until I reached the Milwaukee area.  Once in Milwaukee, I turned north.  Now, I was not driving directly into the wind, but bucking it at an angle.  The rest of the trip would now be child's play. I got through Milwaukee without incident and within 20 minutes I reached the Jackson exit.  Finally – the end was at hand.

As I did to start the trip, I fueled up at the Village Mart and took note of the time – 10:16 PM. This was the official end of my trip. My ending odometer reading was 10,695. I rode a total of 1066 miles in 18 hours and 27 minutes. 

As I think back on the ride, I had most everything go my way.  I had no mechanical problems whatsoever.  My only problem with the Magna was when the windshield came loose in Coralville, IA.  I also had good fortune with the weather.  Despite the heat, there was no rain and the sun was out the whole trip.   The only weather drawback was the severe heat in midday, and the cold front the last 65 miles.  Aside from the fact that I got very little sleep the night before, I didn't feel very tired the whole ride.  Physically, my shoulders were a bit sore and my surgically repaired knee bothered me somewhat throughout the day.  I was also fortunate that I was able to keep the Magna on the small two foot strip of asphalt when I was cut off in Iowa.

The ride also gave me a chance to think about many things.  A long day on the road with no radio to occupy your time gives you a chance to clear your mind.  My sights are now set on a Bun Burner 1500 ride (1500 miles in 36 hours).  I have already mapped out this ride.  I plan on going from Jackson to Winnipeg, Canada and back.  Well, this ride may have to wait until next year.