The alarm on my phone went off at 4:45 a.m. EDT Sunday
morning. I didn’t want to get up but I
could hear the clock in my head ticking away.
I needed to get moving and back on the bike…I had a lot of miles to
cover in order to complete my ride within the allotted time. My dad knocked on
the door to ensure I was awake; he was my back-up plan just in case the phone
alarm wasn’t able to wake me. I told him
I was up and slowly rolled out of bed.
Tick-tock, tick-tock. By 5:15, I
was showered and dressed.
I felt good but my backside and the bottoms of my feet were
slightly tender. I knew it was going to be a long ride home. I drank a big glass of orange juice before
heading to the garage to re-pack the bike.
It was chilly outside. Dad said
it was 54 degrees. I knew I needed to start the trip with my heated jacket
liner. I didn’t want to repeat yesterday’s mistake. I gave the bike a quick once over, put on
my gear, and gave my dad a hug goodbye.
I was glad I had the opportunity to see him, even if it was for such a
short period of time. My dad opened the
garage door and at 5:45, I rolled out of the driveway.
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| Shortly after sunrise in Kentucky |
I made a quick stop for gas at the Five Star station by the
Interstate. I got my gas, completed my
log entry, and got back on the bike. It
was an excellent time to be on the road. The Interstate was almost empty except
for the occasional big rig. I rolled
back on the throttle, mindful not to out run my headlight…I didn’t want an unforeseen
animal encounter to ruin my day. Within
minutes, the sky began to lighten as the sun made its way above the
horizon. I could feel my spirits lifting
with the dawn of a new day. The 118
miles between Louisville and Franklin passed quickly. I enjoyed the ride while soaking in the scenery
and chasing the shadows. I thought to myself, “Life is good.”
I pulled into the Pilot station in Franklin at 6:42 CDT just
under two hours from when I started my journey home. I was making good time but started thinking
about the number of miles I had left to go.
It was overwhelming. I went inside to pick-up my gas receipt and noticed
some pre-made breakfast sandwiches. I grabbed one and stepped to the
counter. I paid for my bacon, egg, and
cheese sandwich, got my gas receipt and hustled out the door. As I woofed down my food and a bottle of
Gatorade, I told myself to focus only on the next stop and not the entire
trip. I don’t know if was the food or
the positive self-talk, but I felt better and got on the bike with a renewed
sense of energy.
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| Farming is big business in Tennessee |
Sunday was turning out to be a great day to travel. I made my way down I-65 through Nashville and
picked-up I-40 without hitting any traffic.
I kept my mind occupied on the stretch between Nashville and Jackson by
jamming to the “Taylor Swift” and “ZZ Top” channels on Pandora. I was thankful for the great cell reception
because it might have gotten ugly had I been left alone in silence with only my
thoughts. Bluetooth headsets rule! As I made my way off the Interstate and to
the Love’s station in Jackson, I realized my backside was getting very
tender. I was happy to get off the bike
for a few minutes. I thought about the
movie “Groundhog Day’’ with Bill Murray as I gassed-up, completed my log, ate
some jerky, and got back on the bike.
The routine was getting old.
I snapped a few photos as I crossed the Mississippi River
into Arkansas and prepared myself for another round of road construction
slowdowns. I was pleasantly
surprised. With fewer cars and trucks on
the road, traffic didn’t slow to a crawl as it did the day before. I made good time to the MAPCO in Wheatly
beating my 12:04 planned arrival time by almost 20 minutes. I decided to give my butt a break and make an
extended stop. After going through my
normal fuel ritual, I went inside for a repeat of yesterday’s lunch…two chicken
strips, two biscuits, and a bottle of Gatorade.
Lunch was good and I enjoyed the air conditioning. I was glad to have the opportunity to shed my
heated liner and sit in a position that didn’t make my backside feel like it
was on fire. Sadly my leisurely lunch
was cut short by that damn clock inside my head…tick-tock, tick-tock. Next stop Prescott, Arkansas.
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| Over the Mississippi River into Arkansas |
The ride to Prescott was enjoyable with blue skies and warm
(almost hot) temperatures. The only downside
was I couldn’t find a seating position that would stay comfortable. I felt like I was squirming all the time…and
there’s not much real estate on a Sportster to squirm. At one point I discovered I could put my feet
on the passenger pegs and achieve a whole new riding position. I’m sure as I passed through Little Rock
several drivers thought I was crazy, “Hey, look at that guy, he must think his
Harley is a sport bike.” I didn’t care what people thought, it felt good. I enjoyed being able to lift slightly off the
seat and let the air cool my burning nether region.
When I arrived at the Paramount Travel Center in Prescott at
2:37 I couldn’t wait to get off the bike.
I’d ridden 602 miles in 9 hours and 53 minutes and I was feeling it. I let myself think for a moment about the 484
miles I had left to cover and I felt defeated.
I was ahead of my ride plan by about 26 minutes so I decided to take another
extended break. I grabbed a bottle of
Gatorade from the cooler and went inside.
They had an Arby’s so I got a Beef-n-Cheddar and sat down. I tried not to rush but that clock inside my
head kept pushing me. I told myself only
two more stops before I reached home and then I’d be done…and it was only 148
miles to Sulphur Springs. As soon as I sat on the bike my backside
started burning again but with a renewed outlook I fired-up my trusty steed and
pointed her west.
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| Arkansas Road Construction |
The ride along I-30 in Arkansas is pretty scenic when you’re
not hassled by road construction. There
are a nice variety of trees lining the highway with a couple of bridges and
water crossings. I tried to get
comfortable and soak it all in. For as
much discomfort as I was in, I still felt an overwhelming connection with all
that was around me. It was a good day to
ride. I crossed the Texas State line at
approximately 3:40 and felt like I was almost home. There’s something mentally refreshing about
knowing you won’t be riding across more state lines before completing your
ride. The 75 mph speed limit just east of
Texarkana was a welcomed sight. I rolled back on the throttle and pushed
towards Sulphur Springs.
It was 5:04 when I got
to the Pilot station. I dismounted slowly
as any movement in the saddle had become very uncomfortable. I followed my routine – gas, log, and hydrate
then took an extra minute or two to stretch my legs and back. I plugged my headset into the power on my
bike so it wouldn’t run out of juice and made my way back to the
Interstate. Daylight was burning and I
had one more stop before my final push home.
The leg between Sulphur Springs and Waco was the longest leg
of the trip at 171 miles. I tried not to
think of the total distance to Waco but rather the landmarks in between…Greenville,
Lake Ray Hubbard, and Dallas. The
thought of completing the challenge with the 48 hours motivated me despite the
burning sensation I felt in my backside.
I adjusted my riding position frequently and performed the stretches fellow moto-blogger Tina Walker had recommended every few miles just as I
had throughout the trip. I was surprised
at how the traffic picked-up as I got closer to Lake Ray Hubbard and then got even
heavier in Dallas. I didn’t experience
any slowdowns but the number of cars and trucks on the road at 6:30 p.m. on a
Sunday was a little unnerving.
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| Somewhere between Waxahachie and Waco |
Luckily traffic thinned-out south of Dallas and I could
relax a little. I never gave too much
thought about the lack of civilization between Waxahachie and Waco…there’s just
not much there to see. Fortunately as
the sun got lower in the sky the shadows came out to play. Anything to take my mind of the continual
discomfort I felt in the parts of my anatomy that never see the sun. I took several photos of the Shadow Rider and
thought it might be cool to put together a collection of photographs revolving
around riding and shadows. The mind
works in mysterious ways after being on a bike for over 14 hours and 851 miles.
The timestamp on my Valero Corner Store fuel receipt read
8:00 p.m. I had made it to Waco and hour
and nine minutes ahead of my ride plan.
I was excited. I could officially
end my Saddlesore 2000 ride in Waco because I had already crossed the 2000 mile
point. I’d ridden 2008 miles in approximately
43 hours. I decided to wait and end my
ride at home as planned. I knew barring
any unforeseen circumstances I could complete the entire 2172 miles within the
required 48 hours…I only had 164 miles to go.
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| Shadow Rider as sun sets in Texas |
The sun dipped below the horizon as I rode out of Waco and
the sky was completely black by the time I made it to Temple. Strangely I was nervous about riding the rest
of the way in the dark. I think the
mental and physical fatigue from riding so hard over the past two days had caught-up
to me. I watched the sides of the road
closely for any movement. I didn’t want
to be surprised by a deer or other animal darting across the road. As I neared Georgetown, traffic started to
pick-up and I was actually happy to see other vehicles on the road. I decided there was a modicum of safety
riding in the midst of the swarm. I
could at least use their headlights to “see” farther down the road and for a
reason I can’t explain felt less threatened by a potential animal encounter.
I must I lead a pretty sheltered life because the traffic
through Austin seemed heavy for a Sunday night at 9:45 p.m. I’d normally be getting ready for bed, so I
wondered what all these people were out and about doing. I ticked-off the miles after Austin getting
more excited the closer I got to home. Buda, San Marcos, New Braunfels…I was
almost finished. My bubble burst when I came to three full lanes of stopped
traffic less than 5 miles from my exit.
Apparently TexDoT in their infinite wisdom had shut down several lanes
for construction. I struggled to keep
from dropping the bike in the stop and go traffic for almost a mile. I was physically exhausted. I didn’t know how I would finish the ride if I
stayed on the Interstate. I watched for
an opening and made my way to the shoulder and then through some roughage to
the access road.
Traffic on the access road moved smoothly and it didn’t take
long to make it to the EZ-Mart for my ending gas receipt. I gingerly got back on the bike and rode the
last few miles home. When I reached my
subdivision, I called my wife to open our garage door. I pulled into the garage and turned off the
bike. It was 11:03 p.m. and my
Saddlesore 2000 was complete…2072 miles in 46 hours and 13 minutes.
PROLOGUE
This ride gave me a new found respect for riders who do multiple1000 mile days. I don’t know if I had
another 1000 mile day in me. My backside
was tender for a couple of days after the ride but I felt good about my accomplishment. I love my Sportster but may have to re-think
its suitability for longer Iron Butt rides. I have no doubt that I could easily
tour on it as long as I kept the mileage down to under 500 miles a day.
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| St Judes Chlidrens Hospital in Memphis |
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| No this isn't one of the Great Pyramids...this is in Memphis |
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| It's a Great Day to Ride! |
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| On Bike Selfie |
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| I look like hell - 2008 miles in 43 hours |
