2006 100CCC/SS5K Bonanza

[crazykz]

You can read the report here or go to my website where I have cleaned it up a bit and added pictures from the trip.
100CCC SS5K B2B (http://www.hard-core-ware.com/trips/100ccc-b2b/index.php)

Curt


Executive Summary

This was a trip that Charlie and myself had been planning since about January of this year but we had talked about it since 2005. It was just a matter of time before we put it all together and made it happen. There was a lot of prep for both of us and logistics was part of the challenge. In the end we settled on May 13th - 20th. For me though I was going to need an extra day to get to San Diego so I left on May 12th and returned on the 21st. It was a total of somewhere around 10000 miles in 10 days. Here was the breakdown:

1. Milwaukee to San Diego: 2.5 days, 2000 miles
2. Coast to Coast to Coast: 4 days, 4700 miles
3. SS5K finish: 1 day, 350 miles
4. Border to Border Insanity: 1 day, 1400 miles
5. Blaine, WA to Milwaukee: 2 days, 2000 miles

10,450 miles, in 10.5 days. I guess I should have done the paperwork up front to do a 10/10ths but I'm dumb.

I took measures to make sure the bike was ready to go and I put on a fresh set of Pilot Roads that would last me the entire trip. The tires held up great through the trip and I even put some more miles on them after I got home. Love them PR's.

Charlie has given a great summary of the ride we intended to do so I won't repeat that here. It was one of the most challenging rides I've done to this point and it was great to have Charlie there for support. Doing the ride alone would have made it even harder to the point where set backs would make me second guess doing the ride. Sometimes it's nice to have someone to bounce questions off of and help make smart decisions.

It was a great ride and I'm glad that we did it. I was disappointed that we couldn't both do the border to border ride but I knew ahead of time that I may have to do it myself so I was prepared mentally to do it if Charlie had to head for home early because of work commitments. It was 2000 miles to home no matter if I was in San Diego or Seattle so other than an extra day there wasn't a difference for me other than doing over 1400 miles in a day to accomplish it.

I'll try to keep adding to this report as the days go by. I'm following Charlie's example.

Stay Tuned,
Curt

[crazykz]

Planning for the trip

Charlie was nice enough to set up a private forum for us to let us keep a record of our plan so we starting with dates and then the real planning began. We decided to split up the tasks to make it easier. I took planning the routes and gas stops with some past plans Charlie had from his previous 50CC. I then used the MC Tourers Forum to get other gas stops and verified them against "The Next Mile" and "Fuel Finder". It took a while to plan out a full coast to coast to coast trip but it wasn't very hard with all those resources. Also Yahoo maps has a section to find gas stations also that I found very useful. After planning the CCC I focused on the B2B. That was much easier to plan. Charlie focused on the witnesses and had people in all the right places at the right time.

For maintenance I did all the normal things and arranged for two sets of tires to be delivered a couple weeks before I left. I scheduled to have one set put on a few days before and left the other set to be put on when I got home from the trip if I needed them. I decided that if Honda says 8000 miles between oil changes is ok with dino oil then it should be able to do 10,000 with synthetic oil without a problem. I didn't want to have to mess with changing oil on the trip because each day was miles we had to do and I wanted all the rest I could get when we weren't traveling. I did arrange to have a pillion shelf made by a generous man in Indiana. There are posts on the site of it from Earache. It gace me a nice flat surface to store anything I needed to put on the bike and that's where my water bottle can be securely fastened. Big thanks to Eric for building it for me.

I really didn't have any major issue in getting the bike together since I spent the winter getting it ready to go. I did add a set of PIAA 910's though because I knew I would need them in west Texas on the return leg of the 100CCC. Joe Sears at http://www.spoiledbiker.com set me up with everything I needed and I did write a tutorial (http://www.hard-core-ware.com/howtos/index.php?page=piaas) on the installation to help others that might want to tackle the same job in the future. I did start training though for the trip. I started running again and lifting weights. I knew sleep would be an issue. I'm use to sleeping with a fan and I have a hard time falling asleep. So I started sleeping without a fan. I didn't get much sleep for a few night but eventually I kicked the habit. I used ear plugs to help me sleep after that in noisy situations. Some people snore on occasion. ;) I also had to focus on a pinched nerve and tight muscles in my shoulder. Those would wear on me during the trip but a perscription level dose of ibuprofin every 6 hours took care of it. That was my real savior because that was the one thing I thought that might end my trip before the finish.

With all of that in order I was ready to set out on the biggest trip I have undertaken in my life and would put me to the test. This was my testing ground for the ButtLite and other big rallies in the future just to see if I could manage sleep and still do the miles. I was nervous about it but I did take measures to prepare myself so I was ready for the challenge.

[crazykz]

Milwaukee to Denver to San Diego

Even though I didn't want to push it I would need to get to San Diego in 2 days. Luckily this would give me a chance to visit with friends in Denver and spend the evening with them. It's never long enough time to get to visit with them but I always enjoy getting out to their home and seeing them. That's the great thing about LD riding. It really opens up your weekends to more possibilities. Denver in 14-16 hours is a very do-able ride with all interstate and 65, 65, 70, 75, 75 speed limits across, WI, IL, IA, NE, and CO.

The weather was fine out to Colorado and I made it there in decent time. But that's where the adventure would start. I was looking at leaving Denver at 4:00am to head over the Rockies and into Utah. Even though I new I would be running in desert heat on the CCC I packed my Gerbing and I'm glad I did. The temperature in the mountains dropped to 25 degrees and the roads were wet. Luckily there was no ice so I'm assuming they sprayed the roads with calcium sulfide liquid at least that's what I kept telling myself. The ride through the mountains was unnerving but I made it safely out of there and headed into the heat of Utah.

I met up with a guy on a V-Strom and since there was not many places to stop for gas we both pulled off at the exit for gas. He was on vacation and working his way home to California the super long way and having a great time. I wish I could have visited longer but I needed to make San Diego by evening if I was going to get some decent sleep. It was hot that day but I loved the rock formations of Utah. It was one of the few states I had not toured through and I enjoyed it immensely. I came across some brush fires that threatened some homes. You could see the smoke for miles but it looked like the firefighters had it under control.

Nevada would throw 100+ degree heat on me for several hours and boy you could feel it but I made sure to stay hydrated and focus on getting across the desert and into California. It was a tough ride but I new I would be doing more desert on the return leg of the 100CCC so I told myself to get use to it. I managed to get across the state and into California.

California meant rush hour traffic and traffic jams. It would also give me the opportunity to lane split. I waited until I saw a motorcycle cop working his way through traffic and then jumped in behind him. The ST isn't a narrow bike but the mirrors do stick out to the width of the bike so I was cautious as I worked my way through. I was able to get out in front of the stalled traffic and make time down to San Diego. I got to the hotel on Hotel Circle and waited for Charlie to arrive so we could check into the hotel. I made a trip to the drug store for some supplies and when I returned Charlie was there and we shared traffic stories and then headed to the room to go over the plans.

We doubled checked our ride and set up witnesses and then went to bed.

[crazykz]

San Diego, CA to Kerrville, TX

We were able to sleep in because we would not leave San Diego until 8:00 pm that evening. I had been meaning to visit a long time friend and her family for a long time so since it was my first visit to San Diego I had to be sure to see them. It would give us a way to enjoy the day a little bit instead of hanging out at the hotel most of the day waiting for evening. We stopped at a Kinko's to copy some paperwork and then headed off to their place. I had a good visit but we couldn't stay long to eat because time was soon approaching to leave and the nerves were starting to get worked up for me anyway.

We made it down to the Shell station that attendents are use to seeing LD riders there on a regular basis. George Zelenz and Chuck Hickey met us at the Shell to sign us in on our 4700 mile trek across the southern part of the US. It was great to visit with them for a while but the impending ride was the only thing on my mind and doing the southern California hills at night was going to be something I was unfamiliar with. Thanks to both those guys for coming out to see us off. I think it's a 3 hour trip for George so I was grateful that he came all that way for us. The sun was setting on us and it would be dark before we got to the beach. Charlie thought that in the spirit of the ride we should start our ride and then go to the beach so that we would truly go coast to coast to coast in under the 100 hours we had available to us. Chuck and George wished us luck and we headed off down the most unmaintained street in the US to get to the beach in the dark.

We made it to the parking lot that was pretty full and just as unmaintained as the street was. As I put my kickstand down and stepped off the bike I realized that suddenly I couldn't move and there was this crushing pain on my hip. I realized it was my bike leaning on me and me between a parked car and the bike. The ground was so uneven that the kickstand hit a bump in the parking spot and wasn't all the way down. I put a very slight pressure dent in the car and thought this was a great way to start the ride. Charlie helped me upright the bike. The pillion shelf turned out to be pretty strong as we basically picked up the bike using the shelf supports. After that fiasco it got better. There was a cop right there who saw it and happened to be giving the owner of the car a ticket for having alcohal on the beach. So now I have to contend with this as the cop starts to explain to the women who owned the car how to handle reporting this minor MINOR dent on a POS car to her insurance company. This cop was not helping my case at all. However after looking at it she said that it wasn't an issue and I could forget about it. Man was I relieved. She was very nice about it and I wish the officer would have just shut his mouth about the whole thing and leave us alone to deal with it but it all worked out in the end. Chuck showed up at the parking lot just to check on us only to catch the end of the whole incident. I'm sure he was thinking he is never going to make it across the US and back if can't navigate a parking lot but he didn't say anything of the such and after making sure we were ok he took off.

We made our way out to the beach and took a few pictures as we got a lot of unusual stares from the people that were hanging out around there. Didn't matter to me I had a ride to worry about not people enjoying their normal lives. I-8 was waiting for us and I was ready to get out of California and as far away from that cursed parking lot as I could. we rolled out and a few blocks away was I-8 just waiting for us.

Making out of the city was even a challenge with the amount of traffic there was that evening but that soon thinned out and we were on our own before you knew it. As we rolled up into the hills we started to get some curves and I was having some fun with them. Charlie played the smarter more conservative ride but for me the tougher it gets the more agressive I tend to become so I attack the curves but with a managed speed. It was neat to see the rocks rushing by on the sides of me in the headlamp light. It makes it seem like you're cutting through the night. It was a great road to ride on and the night time meant more of challenge and it was a good way to start the ride. After the hills came the vast desert of New Mexico and Arizona.

I'm not use to the desert being from Wisconsin and as we ran across the desert at night it was a omnious scene to see this vast flat area with scarce vegitation being lit up by almost a full moon. I enjoyed it but I'm sure that would change once the sun starting coming up but hopefully we would be far enough along by the time it warmed up which was pretty much the case.

The sun eventually came up over the desert but by the time the day started to heat up we were on our way to Texas. Now Texas is one huge state and it takes a long time to get acrossed it. West Texas has a real deer issue and running it at night is a real nightmare and I wouldn't recommend it. However we would get to cross it in the daytime at least on the first leg so lots of rolling hills and grass was the main scenery for the bulk of the afternoon. We had aimed to make it east of San Antonio before we stopped to rest but that plan would be altered quickly as we saw the storm clouds start to roll in coming north to south across San Antonio. The rain started in and it got heavier and heavier. Then the hail started in on us. It was every man for himself. I really didn't know what to do but we were dodging hail, looking for cover, avoiding cars doing stupid things, trying to find shelter, and trying to figure out how we were going to get through this undamaged.

Luckily the pads in my jacket helped protect me but I took a few to the backs of my hands and my arms. I saw a tree down in the ditch that I shot down under with my trusty Pilot Roads on the bike. However Charlie wasn't having any of that with his Metzlers so we decided to head out and find shelter down the road. I got back up out of the ditch without an issue. Damn I love those tires. A few miles down the road we found an underpass so we could talk about a plan. A lot of other people were under there also and probably thought we were nuts but everyone was very nice and let us in to park the bikes. We decided that we would try and make it to basically the half way point which was Kerrville, TX.

With a little more hail we finally made it to Kerrville. We stayed at the Days Inn that wouldn't give us a checkout receipt with a timestamp. We got in, covered the bikes, hung up our stuff in the room and order some pizza. We caught a few Zzzz's before the pizza showed up and once the pizza was gone we were out cold. I don't sleep well on the road but I got some sleep. We were up before you knew it 4 hours later and ready to head out on the second half of the trip.

[crazykz]

Kerrville, TX to Jacksonville, FL

It was about 10:00pm when we checked out of the Days Inn in Kerrville, TX. Luckily west Texas was behind us so we didn't have to worry so much about deer. We went around San Antonio and got to our first gas stop east of San Antonio.

This gas stop I worked on the most. It was just a bad spot to find a 24 hour gas station around this area so I spent a lot of time finding this stop so that it fit our schedule. My diligence in finding this spot and suffering through the hail would all pay off though.

As we gassed up we noticed that the receipts sucked and we would have to go inside to get a decent receipt. As we come back out and start getting ready to go a young lady in a Lincoln Navigator pulls up and asks if she has to prepay. We let were know that you didn't and then she came over to see our bikes. She said that she had posed for a few different bike magazine and had never seen bikes like ours before. I think she was referring to all the farkles that were mounted all of the place. She also didn't know that they put TV's on motorcycles. I let her know it was a GPS, not a TV. She couldn't get over the my bike at that point and asked if she could take a picture of it. I said sure and she went to get her camera.

Now at this point I'm sure Charlie is thinking let's get the hell out of here before this whole situation goes south but I was sticking around for this after the stupid hail. After what seemed liked forever she came out with her camera. As an aside, about the same time two guys pull in hauling a trailer and rip off a hose on the pump across from us. Weird stuff happening all at once. So as the young lady goes to take a picture she tells me to get on the bike, then she hands her camera to Charlie and she climbs on the bike with me. Then BAM BAM BAM! She's on the tank, hanging on me, and opening up her blouse. It had snaps instead of buttons, of course. The woman running the service station is looking at the window like she's about ready to break up the whole thing but she stayed put.

Charlie wasn't having any of that for fear of the Cass retaliation. ;) We were in Texas and I'm sure her spidey senses were tingling about that time. Charlie was a real gentleman and let me have a little fun. We did talk him into one picture with her, fully clothed of course, and then we were off. Now that was the most fun I've had at a gas station in a while. That sort of crap never happens to me so there was no way I was going to pass up that opportunity. What a riot. We said our goodbyes and she gave me her email and website. Then we were out of there. We would pay a little for our indulgence later though.

As we rolled into Baton Rouge we hit morning rush hour. Some people hit it a little more than others and as we crossed the bridge towards downtown traffic came to a stop. We could see an accident at the base of the bridge. If we had come through 10 minutes earlier we would have missed it. Guess we shouldn't stay so long at gas stations. The interstate was blocked off and we sat there for almost exactly an hour before they cleaned up the accident. Now we were a little worried about making it to the east coast on time but we still time. We just could not afford to spend any time doing anything else but making time to get to Jacksonville.

The ride through Mississippi and Alabama was short but you could start to see some of the effects that the hurricanes left. The ride across some of the long bridges was great. Things were getting greener and we were ready to be done with this leg. The heat and the humidity kicked up but the sun was ready to go down. Florida is another long state along the I-10 route but we knew at that point we had this leg made. We pulled up into Jacksonville with around 45 hours on the clock. That wasn't bad considering everything plus there were two of us.

Charlie had organized an ST-Owner patron to be one witness for him and I asked a coworker that lives in Jacksonville to be one of my witnesses. They both were on time and helped us take pictures on the shoreline before the sun went down. They signed our paperwork and then we decided to grab a meal at a chain restaurant where we met Pirate John who signed our other witness signature. It was bike night at the restaurant so we got to enjoy ourselves for a little while but we knew we were cutting into our sleep. By the time we got to our room which was a challenge to get into because they left the key in a lock box that we had to call a number to get the combo. We then had to find the room and unpack in the rain. I was so tired I couldn't figure out how to work the hot water on the shower and ended up taking a cold shower. Now I was WIDE AWAKE. So much for sleep. Didn't really get a lot but the morning was coming and we needed to head out.

[crazykz]

Jacksonville, FL to Ozona, CA

Day 3 was actually pretty tame. It took a while to shake off the fog and get going again. It takes your body a while to adjust to the sleep schedule that is demanded by a ride like this. We made sure to get 6 hours even though we knew it was going to cut into our time to head back. Didn't matter we needed the sleep or at least that's what Charlie kept telling me. I was just staring at him in a big daze nodding my ahead "uh huh uh huh".

The morning started off with me getting acclimated to the bike again after being off it for a whole 6 hours. We were on the interstate again and it there wasn't much traffic but we managed to have this Cadillac that just would not leave us alone. He wasn't aggressive but we just couldn't seem to lose him and at that hour of the morning I have little patience. I had set a 100 hour timer that was counting down our time. It was velcroed to a spot on my right handlebar. As I was working on adjusting my mirror and knocked it off. I saw it bounce once and nail the front grill of the Caddy. We didn't have a problem with him anymore. Oh well it was the best $10 I ever spent.

The big issue on this leg was going to be Houston afternoon rush hour traffic. There just wasn't anyway around it. When you plan these things you try to take into account traffic, weather, etc. and you can do that to a certain extent but only for so long. We avoided the heat of the desert by starting in the evening and we avoided the rush hour in San Antonio too but morning rush hour in Baton Rouge, evening rush hour in Houston, the deer at night in West Texas, and the day long heat of the desert on the return leg were all things that we were going to have to contend with. You better stay on your toes at those times and just make it go by as quick as possible without letting it get to you. So where was I? Oh yeah, Houston rush hour.

We knew this was coming and we had one shot at the express lane. Charlie knew about it but had made a failed attempt previously or just barely made it previously. I forget which it was. So Charlie would lead and get us onto it because if we didn't we were screwed. It was in the high 80's low 90's and traffic was building before we got to the lanes. We slowed to make sure we made the lane and I let Charlie stay in the lead as I tried to decipher the stupid signs. There were other express lanes but they were for other roads and that kept throwing me off. We made the split, or so I thought so I was rolling ahead of Charlie when all of a sudden the road split again and I didn't know which way to go. Thanks to my quick cat like reflexes I aimed for the little island right in the middle of the two lanes and jammed on the binders. This allowed Charlie to pick which way and then I would worry about catching up. I'm sure Charlie thought I was going to bite it right into the divider but I had it under control. Charlie blew by me on the left so I looked back over my shoulder to see if the lane was clear and gunned it. Then of course I missed the shift (stupid gear box) and probably slammed that thing into second hard enough to make any seasoned mechanic cringe. ;) No matter me and the transmission were still in one piece and we were now in the express lane.

As we started to move towards downtown I could not believe that this one lane express lane was moving at 55 MPH while the rest of the lanes were all but grid locked. We would have been miserable if we had not made the express lane. Sooner or later I thought we would come to a stand still also or at least a steady crawl but nothing of the sort like that happened. We kept rolling right through Houston at 55 and never really dropped much lower than that. We cleared Houston and rolled back into the general population. The traffic had cleared up and we were west of Houston. Unbelieveable!! I would have never made to choice had I not been riding with someone who knew the city. That had to be one of the biggest saviors of the trip.

The rest of the day we had great weather, good roads, and light traffic. We made excellent time all the way around San Antonio as night fell. As it did I could tell we did a lot of miles and I was ready for more sleep. We had traveled almost 1300 miles at that point and I didn't want to chance west Texas without a good amount of rest. We managed to schedule our gas stop and a hotel in Oconto. The woman working the desk was very nice and was nice enough to sign them and verify that the receipts were an hour off. She use to drive out to west Texas to see her grandchildren but doesn't do it anymore because of the deer and it's too far for her to drive. I didn't like the sound of that as we would be heading out from there when we still had plenty of dark to deal with.

[crazykz]

Ozona, TX to San Diego, CA

The alarm went off and the first thing I thought is that I have to deal with deer for the next 3 to 4 hours. It was not going to be pleasant. We had talked about our strategy since we both had PIAA 910's we would each take a lane and light up both sides of the road. We decided to take it slow or if we could tuck in behind a semi we would do that. We were still trying to use our CB's as comms but they were hit and miss the whole trip. We made one pit stop because I had lost a headlamp at some point along the trip and of course I picked the worse possible time to replace it. It was pitch black out and after I got the bulb in I couldn't find the connector or the wiring harness it was attached to. I bet you we spent 10 minutes looking for it before I realized it had slipped behind the right inner cowl. How it did that I'm not sure but it did and it was frustrating to look for it in the dark and with sunburned hands reaching down in there and getting them scraped up. We got the bulb in were ready to tackle west Texas.

We set out slow and starting along. All I could think is that I have to ride at 60 MPH for the next 3+ hours and I was groggy from sleeping and still waking up. It was difficult at first but we were making time. Then they started. Every 10 to 15 miles we would see a few deer on either side of the road. Most just stood still. A few just walked away and didn't pay much attention to us. I think between the PIAA's and the quietness of the bikes we were basically by them before they could get spooked. After a while of that we were able to tuck in behind a truck or two and make better time. It seem to take a while for the night to pass but when day finally broke we were listening to a couple truckers that were chit-chatting for about 100 miles.

The day would have a lot in store for us. I kept thinking about the hills in California that we would get to see in the daylight but before we could do that we had a little area called the Arizona desert. It was hot that day I tell you and I am made of Ice Cream being from Wisconsin. I did everything I could to stay hydrated and made sure to keep sunscreen on my face and neck. I always keep a little bottle in my tank bag so I can reapply while I ride. I also keep some 30 SPF Chapstick on the bike also and some eye drops to fight the sun and heat.

We were cooking and we had hours of heat to deal with. I think the hottest we recorded was 108. Now I know people have been warmer and I have ridden in 120 degree on a different trip but hot is hot and it was miserable. You could feel the difference of 5 degrees here and there. It went from hot to where you could feel your skin just start to sizzle. Now all of this after 4 days on the road and it got old. It seemed like we would never get to Yuma but we did. We pulled into a gas station and spent some time inside just to cool off. We made a call to Chuck Hickey to let him know we were in Yuma so he could meet us at the Shell when we arrived back in San Diego. That's if we didn't turn into a puddle of blue ST poo on the interstate from the heat.

We were finally to the hills of California. It honestly to me looks like a big pile of rocks. Someone called them dinosaur turds. Either way it was very unique and interesting to look at. After our trek over the hills we roll down into San Diego and head for the beach. We have to work our way around a small fair where the streets were blocked off but make it to where we started around 90+ hours ago. We snapped our photos and then headed to the Shell to meet Chuck. I went to fill up my tank and I knew my brain was fried because I had forgotten that the pumps in California have the fume recovery system. I wasn't pressing that down and couldn't figure out why I couldn't get any gas. It took another pump and some thought to figure out that I had to press down on the nozzle to get my final receipt. It was done.

We had ridden across the country and back in under 100 hours. If all our documentation holds we will have done what few motorcyclists have done. Although this was only the first of three certificates that we would attempt on this trip. What a ride and an adventure. It does test your wits and limits but it is very gratifying to complete it. I'm not sure if anyone that has done it would say it is an easy ride after the first time they did it but I know I would say that it was a challenge and I'm glad I had a riding partner to share in the brain power to get across the continent in one piece. Cass should not be reading this. ;)

[crazykz]

Barstow, CA Loop

The next day was a simple ride. We slept in until about 9:00 to catch up on some well deserved sleep. We then needed to get 350 miles in that day to make a 5000 miles in 5 days run. We decided to head to Barstow. Charlie had picked out a path that would ensure we got the miles in we needed and we set out in the heat again to do an easy ride.

We tried to find a gas station near the hotel. That was more of a challenge than we thought it would be but we found one and got on the way. Out into the heat again but not like the day before. Before we knew it we were in a traffic jam. We decided that we needed a receipt at that point and I needed to hit a Walmart to replace the cap on my water jug that I left in Yuma the previous day. I was also trying to find a Roady2 radio as mine second one had fried. I learned that you can't run them inside an Aqua Box or they just fry. Oh well. My search for the water bottle lid was successful but there were no Roady2's to be had and I tried a few stores before I gave up. We grabbed some McDonalds also. I find that breakfast burritos are handy and easy to eat on the bike. Also the front fairing pocket keeps them nice and warm. I have a hard time getting my stomach going in the morning so dry snacks won't do it in the morning. Breakfast burritos are just the trick for me because they are quick and easy.

We made our way up to Barstow and headed back to the hotel. We used the same gas station and got our final receipt. We then headed over to the local Applebee's to get some food and a couple witnesses for the end of our ride. It's fun looking at people's expressions when you ask them to sign a witness form and explain what you just did. They were both happy to help us out and verified our odometers and then signed our paperwork. Number 2 was done and it was 5K in 5 days.

That morning Charlie had let me know that he would not be able to do the border to border ride that we had setup for this trip to complete the tri-fecta of certificates. However he had all ready arranged for witnesses in Blaine, Washington right next the Canadian Border. Charlie need to get home and wouldn't be able to do it in time if he went to Canada. I understood and I was mentally prepared to do the ride on my own so it was dissapointing that we couldn't do the whole trip together but that's just how things work. It was 2000 miles for me to get home no matter if I was in San Diego or Seattle. The good thing was that Charlie could be my witness to start the Border to Border ride.

I headed back to the hotel to catch a couple hours of sleep as I planned to start my ride at the Mexico border in Otay Mesa at 8:00pm. We had been told by a few different people on the LD list that Otay Mesa is the place to use rather than the regular crossing at Tijuana. It's a smaller crossing and most of the traffic is trucks. It's only about 8 miles from the Tijuana crossing and is easy to get to and to get in and out of. There is also a Shell gas station right next to the border.

We left the hotel around 6:30pm or so and starting heading down. As we got further south there were signs up pointing us towards Otay Mesa. I knew that this was not good. It turned out that I would be correct. A US border crossing guard shot a driver as they tried to cross the border smuggling illegal immigrants into the US. This was right on the tail of the president visiting the area earlier in the week. We found this out while we ended up waiting for almost 2 hours in line waiting to get into Mexico. I knew I was going to have a hard time with proof of being in Mexico and I had heard horror stories of the street that lead to the nearest store with good receipts was littered with potholes. Not little everyday potholes. These are potholes that would swallow your front wheel. I had heard of at least two people who had dumped their bike on that road. There was no way I was going into Mexico alone and at night with the fear of some sort of retaliation against Americans because of the shooting. At that point I was convinced that I would be able to get pictures of my bike on the Mexican side of the border even though I knew that taking pictures at the border crossing is not aloud.

After sitting in line for about an hour and with no real progress in getting to the border I really lost it and I'm sure Charlie was glad to be there but I warned him ahead of time. I really lost it. I was ticked as hell about having to wait through that line and what kept going through my mind is that this was risking me making the trip on time. Even though I was not on the clock it was the arrival time in the Seattle. This was going to risk putting me in the middle of Friday afternoon rush hour. After beating the crap out of my tank bag for a while I got it out of my system. I'm sure it had some to do with the fatigue that was building from the days of being on the road also. I got it out of my system though and made it to the border. Charlie cut off at the last exit and went over to the Shell and wait for me to ge back across. We had no idea how long it would take me to get back across. If it was another 2 hours I didn't know what I would do.

When I went across the border I decided to try and see if I could get a border gaurd to sign a witness form but when I started to ask they asked me to open my top box and proceeded to search my top box. After they were finished with that they told me to get going. I decided asking them for help was not going to happen so I cut over to the other side of the barrier and point myself towards the US crossing. I captured a few pictures on the Mexican side of the border but it was hard to make out much because of the bright lights at the border crossing. I managed to snap a few pictures without using the flash and drawing attention to myself. I got the bike, my license plate, and the US flag to the right of the crossing all in the same shot. Hopefully that holds as proof. It was hectic to go through that so hopefully it was worth it. I answered a few questions to get back across and I was back in the US within a few minutes. I think most of the border gaurds were ticked because of all the traffic they had to deal with that evening. I snapped one more picture of the Otay Mesa building as the gaurd flashed his light at me and told me to get going. Man it was nerve racking to try and get some pictures for proof. No matter, it would have to do so I made my way to the Shell station where Charlie was waiting. He was surprised to see me so quickly.

We conversed for a little while after I filled up, got my receipt, and filled out my paperwork. It was the parting of ways at that point as Charlie would head back to the hotel to get some well deserved sleep and I would cut into the night around LA and make my way towards Canada. It was a little hard to ride off and split ways but I kept focused on the 1400+ mile ride I had ahead of me. We hit the split where we parted ways, both waved, and then I was on my own to finish this part of the journey.

[crazykz]

Otey Mesa, Mexico to Surrey, British Columbia

After my spaz attack I needed to calm down but I knew I wasn't going to be able to relax until I was north of LA. I charted a route around LA even though it was evening. It probably added 40 miles to my total route but I'm glad I did it because I made good time. I had planned to keep my gas stop a bit shorter on the first part of this leg. The reason was that I didn't know if I would be able to get gas right at the border and also I figured I would be able to run higher speeds on the highways I would be taking to get around LA. I was right.

The ride around LA was an adventure even though it was all major roads. The reason is that some of these roads were tight two lane highways with no shoulder to speak of and high walls on either side. It was like being a mouse in a maze. Also there were stop lights in some places where I just didn't think there should be some. As I was making my way north there were a few times where I thought I might be lost but the GPS seem to know where it was going and since it looked right to me I just kept following it. It isn't good to have to depend on your GPS but when there isn't a second alternative it's nice to know that it can get you out of a jam. I kept checking the GPS to make sure I was still going the way I was suppose to and that I was on the road it said I should be on. Looked like I would make it to my first gas stop without an issue.

As I had about 40 miles to go I was overrun with a group of sportbikes. Probably about 20 of them out for a ride in typical California style. I decided that I would stick with them since they seem to be making good time. I'm sure they wondered what the heck this old fart on a sport tourer thinks he's doing. I'll tell ya what he's doing. He's letting you guys attrack all the attention as I slip away undetected. That's what I'm doin'. It was pretty neat to run with them for a while but eventually they hit there exit and I had to back it off again and play it safe. My first gas stop was just a few more miles up the road and I made it there without an issue. With that one in the bag I could finally start to relax. Of course the station attendent looked like he was relaxed sleeping behind the bullet proof glass. I made him get up and get me some Chex Mix. Sorry I had to disturb you while you were "on the job" sleepy.

Nothing much happened on the way to the next stop but as I made my way up along the east side of the bay I started seeing places that I recognized from years ago when I was stationed at the now closed Mare Island Naval Station. I spent about 2 years (1986-1988) there when I was in the Navy. I enjoyed that area but would have enjoyed it more with a car. There was plenty to do and Napa Valley wasn't far away. Great places to ride and spend the weekend. Nothing compares though to northern California which was the part of the ride I was looking forward to as I had never been much above Sacramento.

My last couple gas stops were slow because I had problems staying comfortable so I was getting food, changing clothes, and adjusting things on the bike. It was probably in some part do to days of being on the road and some fatigue but it was still manageable. I still had plenty of ibuprofen so I didn't really have any muscle aches or joint pain. This gas stop I tried to tell myself that I need to get gas and get out of here. Of course before I pulled off the interstate I ran out of water which meant going into the truck stop. It turns out I had to go in anyway because the receipt at the pump didn't have a good timestamp. I went in to pay for my gas and water and got another receipt. No timestamp. I asked the clerk if she had another receipt that might have a good timestamp on it. She tried the one for the truckers but it didn't have one either. I talked with her for a little while and she was very helpful in trying to get me something that would work but in the end I had her sign a receipt and verify the correct time. Veronica, (what a cool name) was very nice about the whole thing as I'm sure I look whipped from the road. I wished her a good day and headed out. So if you're ever in Corning, CA stop by the truck stop and say hi to Veronica.

Northern California was upon me and it was a real treat. The mountains, the pines, and the redwoods all make for great scenery. Those are the times that you are glad you're on two wheels. There's just nothing like it but I'm preaching to the choir on that I'm guessing. I really couldn't get enough of it. You get that beside yourself feeling. As I rode north though reality would set back in as my delay of getting started from Mexico would come back to haunt me just as I had suspected. Sorry to be a buzz-kill.

As I approched Vancouver, Oregon it started to rain and traffic became heavier to the point of a slow crawl. It was stop and start driving for over an hour to get about 10 miles. Looks like everyone in Vancouver gets out of work at 2:00 in the afternoon on Friday. The off and on rain along with the traffic and the thoughts of the delay getting to Mexico really brewed in the back of my head. There was no sense in getting worked up about it because there's nothing I could do about it and so I just tried to put it out of my head. Man, it really got to me though. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans.

Once I was around Vancouver traffic thinned and the rain let up so it was easier going at that point except for the fact that everyone seems to drive the same speed in every lane in Washinton state. Of course Wisconsin drivers aren't any better. Everyone has an opinion about drivers in other states. We think Illinois drivers are nuts and jags and Illinios drivers think we're all clueless and stupid. To each his own. I decided to start weaving in and out of with respect to everyone that was driving because driving the speed limit for about 5 hours behind someone in the left lane was not my idea of a fun ride. That made the time go a little quicker and I was making my way towards the next major traffic jam which is Seattle rush hour. Charlie had arranged for witnesses in Blaine, Washington for me and luckily Lisa and Tobie Stevens answered the call making the 3+ hour trip to Seattle to help out with the paperwork. I had promised to call Lisa as I was getting to Seattle so I made the call and Lisa was at the ready with information about Seattle which would turn out later to be a real godsend. I let Lisa know that I was pretty much on schedule but it didn't look good for rush hour traffic. She let me know about the express lanes through Seattle and that I only had one shot at them. I thought to myself, that's sounds familiar. Hopefully I wouldn't have to aim for the island again like I had to in Houston.

Traffic slowed to a crawl again and I had to make my best judegement on what I was going to do about trying to keep a decent pace through traffic. There wasn't much I could do but wait it out and hope I made the exit for the express lane. After some more stop and go traffic I made it to the express lane but it seemed like it took forever. The express lane was like being transported into another world. It pretty much went down underneath the other road ways and made like an open sided tunnel right through the city. I'm sure the Bat Cave entrance was down there somewhere. I was also surprised at how little traffic was on these lanes. At some points it was 3 lanes wide and it was great to know that I was saving myself a bunch of time getting through the city. It would be short lived though because as they ended I was right back in the thick of it and back to stop and go type traffic that would last for over an hour.

I kept getting further north and the traffic would just not let up. Exit after exit and very little traffic was getting off. I started thinking to myself if all these people just drove up to the Canadian border on Friday and parked their cars and then walked away just for fun. I kept looking at the GPS thinking there's no way all these people are going to Canada for the weekend. After another half hour or so I realized that everyone in Seattle lived at Exit 206 off of I-5 because it was like the line to get into Disneyworld to get off at that exit. Finally I had some breathing room to move and I needed gas. The 208 was my exit after I decided I was not getting gas at the 206. I filled up quickly and made my way back out on the road to start on the last leg to Canada.

[crazykz]

Day 6 continued....

Another tip I had received from Lisa was to use the border crossing that was in the town of Blaine and not the one on the interstate. The one in town was mainly used by trucks and was much lighter than the one on I-5. I would believe that with the amount of traffic that I had endured over the past 5+ hours through Washington. As I pulled up I could tell the border gaurd was in great spirits as he started barking questions at me. I was thinking to myself that all I want to do is get over to your stupid duty free store and get a valid receipt and then get back into my own country. I didn't think he really wanted to hear that though so I answered his questions politely and he was kind enough to let me come and spend some money in his country. The duty free shop had plenty of things to blow my money on but I picked up a celebratory cigar to smoke when I got home and also picked up a little Canada trinket for a friend. I almost fell over when I saw the receipt marking the end of the trifecta of rides that I had just finished (and would hopefully get credit for). It wasn't from the fact that I had just ridden across the country in every direction but the fact that the receipt was complete with more than enough information on it to prove my time, date, and location. After over 6000 miles of nothing but problems with receipts this one was worth framing on the wall as a shining example of what every gas station in the US should strive to provide. So there was one positive thing to say about Canada. The receipts at the duty free shop are perfect in every way. They should be printed on gold leaf foil.

It was all over and the only thing that stood between me and the US now was an hour wait in line. Luck would have it though and the duty free shop actually had people working there that would insert you into the line so after 15 minutes or so I was back in the US and looking for the Burger King where Lisa and Tobie would meet me. It would probably be sometime next week though if they had to deal with the traffic like I did so I set up camp in the Burger King parking lot and prepared to wait. I had picked a table outside and ate something while I went over my paperwork and my receipts to make sure everything was in order. After I had checked it all out and finished my meal I saw two FJR's pull up to the light and figured my witnesses had arrived.

Lisa looked happy with her new FJR that she seemed ready to start farkling. Tobie's was already set up for LD riding with an aux tank and some of the other usual farkles. They both were in goos spirits and I was glad to take the time to visit with them and relax for the rest of the evening knowing I was finally off the clock. They signed my paperwork as Tobie snapped some shots to capture the moment. I'm sure I looked great next to a very photogenic Lisa as I looked like some sort of flaming wreckage but at that point I was just glad to be in good company and be done with my rides. We decided to hunt for a hotel at that point and find some dinner. They were spending the weekend in the area to do some riding. I wish at that point I could have taken the time to ride with them for the weekend but I think my employer might have had a few things to say about that come Monday morning.

As we pulled up to the "International Hotel" I wasn't quite sure about the choice but Tobie was already inside and getting a room as Lisa and I looked at each other like "He can't be serious?". No matter it was a done deal and overall it was not a bad hotel. The decor was straight from the early 70's and it smelled musty but everything worked and everything was clean. We parked the bikes and found a nice sports bar down the street to get something to eat. I shared my blurry ride pictures with them as we waited for our food and swapped riding stories. I know, pretty unusual for a bunch of riders to talk about riding over dinner and drinks. As I finished my second beer I was headed down hill fast and Tobie knew it so we said our good nights and hit the hay.

The morning came and we grabbed a quick breakfast at the "International Restuarant". Pretty original name. It was ok but I've had better meals on the bike. They were all set to roll out so I went back to my room to pack and go over my route home. I waved good bye from my room as they left the parking lot hoping they would have a good day of riding ahead of them. I was hoping for the same myself. I planned my stops so I wouldn't have to think about them on the way home and it would allow me to make better time not having to worry about gas. At that point I had a plan and loaded into the GPS. I packed up the bike and prepared to head out. Lisa had left me a tasty Otwalla bar on my tank bag. We had talked about them the night before and they were better tasting and easier to eat then some of the dried out power bars I had been eating. I'll have to add them to my riding menu for the next trip.

Blaine, WA to Milwaukee, WI

So the bike was packed and my destination was east. I didn't know how far I would go that day but I knew I wanted to do at least 1000 miles to make it half way home. I also knew that I wanted to clear most of the Rockies before I called it quits for the day which would make the next day easier. At this point I was just wanted to make good time and try and give me as much of my Sunday as I could before I had to go to work on Monday which meant making good time across the Western states. It wasn't hard since speed limits are elevated in the west. I decided to take I-90 home instead of I-94 even though it was a little longer because I never have taken I-90 along that route. This would be a chance to see some of the things I had been missing. I didn't miss much.

Night rolled in and so did the threat of storms as I made my way to the foothills of the Rockies. I could see lightning off in the distance but had no idea which way it was headed. I tried asking a local police officer but he didn't have a clue but the truck stop I decided to get gas at had a small lounge and a TV so I could look at the weather channel. It was basically hit and miss and I would either get lucky or I wouldn't. My luck was with me, which is bad luck, and it poured. Pitch black, pouring rain, windy mountain roads, and a pucker factor of 10. My only real saviors were the reflectors on the roads and my Pilot Roads which really stick in the rain. After a few hours of that the rain let up and I eventually made it over the two mountain ranges to put myself in or around Billings, Montana. That would be all I had energy for and it was just shy of 1000 miles. I decided to hang it up for the night and just make up the time the next day.

I checked in for 5 hours of sleep and chatted with an insomniac outside who also likes to ride but was on a family vacation at the time, so no bike. I covered the bike and we finished our talk and I went inside hoping he wouldn't scam all the stuff off my bike after I went inside. Waved to the clerk who I'm sure I would be seeing again in a few hours and went to bed.

Up and at 'em 5 hours later, dressed and out the door. The clerk said "You didn't stay very long". I said "I know, how about a discount". She laughed. I didn't. She gave me my trip and wished me a good day. I was too busy muttering something to myself inside my head, said thanks, and left. There's never a cheap motel around when you're just dead tired. Didn't matter today was the day I would sleep in my own bed again so I was ready to get and in a pretty good mood after I wasa back out on the rode.

As I rode east it started getting colder and at some point I decided I wanted the Gerbing on so I waited until my next gas stop to put everything on. I pulled in to bundle up as I watched a couple on a Harley with barely anything on pull in to. They obviously underestimated the weather that day as I could tell the were both pretty cold. I thought to myself, "Yeah but you look really cool." No pun. On the road again and a little warmer now. As I got about half way across Minnesota I thought it's either getting colder or my jacket isn't working. It was the later and I started investigating. The thermostat kept shutting off. No matter, I'm prepared. I have another thermostat at the ready. Plug that one in and it starts working. 10 minutes later the same thing. It shuts off. Great, it must be the jacket. So I stopped and put on my thermals to make the rest of the trip home. I would find out later is was the connector to the battery which I should have been able to figure out on my own being the electrical genious I am... not. It was corrided and they sent me a brand new harness free of charge and redid all the connectors on my jacket also free of charge. I was pretty happy about that but still kicking myself for not realizing it on the road.

I was home at last. I was glad to be home and was praying that all my documentation would stand up in the Ironbutt court. We'll see. I learned a lot of things on this trip and it was a good testing ground just to see if I could do the miles. I know now, for the ButtLite, that I can do the miles and know what to pack. Hopefully I'll bring my brain along to plan my bonus stops.

My conclusion is buried later on in this thread. I couldn't fit it in here...

[sttourer]

Congratulations on a very impressive ride. But what about the picture and the milk stop?????? Inquiring minds want to know....

Pat

[crazykz]

Congratulations on a very impressive ride. But what about the picture and the milk stop?????? Inquiring minds want to know....

Pat

That's on Day 2. I may get to it tonight.

Curt

[sherob]

Like the way you have this report laid out ;) Them party folks in Kerrville... I'll never forget stopping in a Wendy's there once on the way to Mountain Home. The whole town must have been in there watching the TV mounted on the wall... LOL!!!

Look forward to reading the rest... :bow1:

[Louie Louie]

It is sincerely a terrific accomplishment!:bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1: :bow1:

Congrats Curt;)

Louis

[sherob]

This is getting better and better Curt... LOL!!! :bow1:

[crazykz]

This is getting better and better Curt... LOL!!! :bow1:

If anybody actually reads all this I'll be surprized. It's friggin' huge. It;s taking a long time to write this thing up. Ugh.

Thanks for reading though.

Curt

[Mellow]

I think it's great, I keep checking for updates as you do them.. Great work!

[crazykz]

I think it's great, I keep checking for updates as you do them.. Great work!

Well I'm glad Joe is entertained. Got to keep the site gods happy. :) I'll post a new reply when I'm finished to make it pop up on the new posts.

Curt

[Tarheel_Rider]

Great ride reports. Thanks for taking the time to do them. Great little side stories (and not just the woman at the gas station). Looking forward to the ending.

[Ken]

Fantastic ride reports, Curt. The insights in planning, ride experiences, and reviews were really well done and fun to read. Thanks!

[sherob]

If anybody actually reads all this I'll be surprized. It's friggin' huge. It;s taking a long time to write this thing up. Ugh.

Thanks for reading though.

Curt

Keep it coming Curt... this is great! ;)

[AZST]

Good read.

--Bryan
04ST1300A
STOC# 5197
:04biker:

[LandRover]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up for us ... I've been very anxious to hear the tale. Congrats to you both .....:capwin: :hotpepper :clap2:

[AzDesertRider]

Great Rides, Awesome planing & GREAT read.

Good Job Guy's!

[jeffmiller]

What is her website?!?!?!?

[crazykz]

What is her website?!?!?!?

Check this thread post Jeff:
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showpost.php?p=132498

Curt

[crazykz]

I missed a whole big chunk, the highlight, of day 3. Houston rush hour. I don't know why Charlie isn't reminding me of this crap. Like, "Yeah dumb***, remember who saved your butt in Houston?" You know, like that. ;)

Curt

[crazykz]

Oh yeah that's RIGHT! I blame you. ;) Made another attempt at Day 6. Hey can you insert a reply for me for another part to Day 6? If not no big deal.

Curt

[crazykz]

Conclusion...

I want to thank everyone from LDRiders, ST-Owners, and friends that helped with this trip and for their support. A big thanks Charlie for inviting me on his insane plan and thanks to Cass for giving him up during that whole time. It's always a pleasure. Thanks also for putting up with what I'll call "The Mexico Incident". What happens on the border stays on the border or some crap like that. I'm such a spaz. Thanks to all our witnesses who went out of their way to help us. Chuck Hickey, George Zelenz, Kevin Jay, (insert other ST-Owner member), Pirate John, Lisa, and Tobie Stevens all get big thanks in my book. Thank you all for helping us with this ride and spending time with us. I know I appreciated the high caliber of witnesses we had and I think some of the their good mojo rubbed off on us over the trip. I'll take all the luck I can get on these rides. It was a real adventure for me and the lessons I learned on this trip I'll use along the way in the future I'm sure.

Ride safe and thanks for actually reading the whole thing.

Curt

[sherob]

After my little SS1K... man, you and RC truely have an Iron Butt ;) Thanks for the great read... glad you enjoyed the HOV lane in Houston ;)

[crazykz]

Thanks Rob but you're ride is no joke. There's plenty of people that have attempted an SS1K and not made it. You've got the stuff.

I put my report on my website where I have cleaned it up a bit and added more pictures from the trip.
100CCC SS5K B2B (http://www.hard-core-ware.com/trips/100ccc-b2b/index.php)

Curt

[Mellow]

Very nicely done, not too many pics, not too much text.. just the right amount.. good work!

[crazykz]

Thanks Joe and Charlie. It was a lot of work. Probably took as much time as the ride did. Man what a lot of work it is to put that stuff together.

Curt