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I needed a route home from San Diego. What better way to see the sights I wanted to see and of course get some Ironbutt Association points than to tackle visiting at least 50 National Parks in 25 or more states. My 4000+ mile home got me halfway and subsequent forays into Florida, Massachusetts, and some Rallies took me to a total of 27 states and 76 national parks. |
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After the 1000 mile trips a truly long ride niggled at my brain. San Diego has two of my children and the grand kids. Cross country in 50 hours sounded like a plan to me. |
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Riding cross country wasn't enough. I really wanted to see if I could ride 24 hours straight so the 1st half of the 50CC Quest was a 1567 mile 23 1/2 hour endurance run. After doing this I ran across an important quote; "It doesn't take a lot of courage to keep going. It takes a lot of courage to quit." |
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No big deal here just got the paperwork for the second half of the 50CC. Could have earned a Saddlesore 2000 but didn't want too much overlap. |
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My second Saddlesore 1000, what I call the 5 State Springtime I-Mountain Tour. Eric Justason (a coworker) emailed and asked if I wanted to join him for a qualifying run. It was short notice but I figured that was what makes a long distance rider - good sense overriding good judgment :-) |
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My initial Ironbutt Association qualification. Raleigh to Kansas City 1060 miles in 17.5 hours. |
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The 4th mini-rally. Getting better with practice and learning the tricks. Came in 10th in a field of 41. |
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This was an even shorter mini-rally, only 10 hours. Doesn't give you much time to make up for drastic mistakes like mine. Placed 28th in a field of 37. |
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The snowstorm 2 days before the start of the rally just about squelched it but after an icey cold ride to Columbia on Friday and a frigid start early Saturday the weather turned nice. Didn't perform too well but the trip to Sheldon Church made it all worthwhile. |
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I thought my route planning and riding skills would yield a good score. Little did I know how much I had to learn, 37th of 47. |
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Rode to my daughters house in Pensacola, Fl for the family Christmas get together. Naturally I had to truck over to visit with my fellow LD riders. |
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I had a new motorcycle and an itch for some traveling. Jacob was in Orlando for business during Bike Week and I figured it was high time to see what it was all about. If you haven't been I can't explain. Just check out the pix. |
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Hadn't been on a long ride for years. Jacob was at UIUC and riding a bike, so we teamed up in Kansas City and spent a week visiting relatives and touring Missouri. |
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Jacob had finished up the trike and wanted it for transportation at UF Gainesville. Unsure of this bike's long distance roadworthiness, to appease Mom, and to log some miles I accompanied him on the trip down. It was a good thing, check out the story. |
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The first plan for touring the southwest and western United States abruptly aborted due to a crash--Not the long ride just the enjoyment. Check the story. |
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I understand this was one of the early long distance events. It certainly was an experience. Glad I kept all the paperwork and pictures. |
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Had to test out the fuel cell and some other LD farkles in preparation for the upcoming rally. Decided to go to my Mom's house for dinner. |
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I think this was the hardest and the best one day rally I've ever attended. Planned aggressively, rode hard, did pretty well for me. Experience counts. |
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My first real rally. 48 hours and do all your planning on the clock. I did miserably but I learned something of my limits (more than I thought). Two thirds of the way in I was tired, cold, and wet. The way I felt this was my last rally. Naturally, less than 24 hours later I'm thinking it's Iron Butt Rally time. |
Past events, rides, experiences, and stories
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How quickly time passes. Creation of these web pages didn't seem so long ago and now I find myself moving content from the "present" to the "past" [sigh] |
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May 1977 |
Iron Butt Achievements |
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October 2005 |
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May 2003 - April 2004 |
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May 2003 |
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May 2003 |
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April 2002 |
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2001 |
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Endurance Rallies: |
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October 2005 |
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May 2005 |
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Palmetto Ramble 2005 |
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March 2005 |
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October 2004 |
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Palmetto Ramble 2004 |
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March 2004 |
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October 2003 |
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Long Distance Rides: |
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Stagecoach XIII |
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December 2004 |
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Daytona Bike Week |
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March 2001 |
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Branson, Mo |
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1996 |
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1991 |
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1980 |
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1978 |
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