SS1K Attempt

[nurseBob]

Well, last Sunday, while recovering from my graduation celebration, I figured that with good weather and nothing urgent due for the next couple of days, that I could finally make my first run at an SS1K, as well as test out my new Russell.
The plan: Pretty simple, really; I didn't have any time to put into a complex route so I opted for the familiar; I would go to Death Valley for the 4th time this year. Of course, no time to dally, but time enough for lunch at the 49er Cafe in Furnace Creek.
The route was simple: Take 29 south out of Napa to 12 east to 680 south to 580 east to I5 South to 158 east to 14 north to 395 north to 190 east. That got me to Furnace creek and halfway. From Furnace Creek it was 190 to 127 to I-15 south then back to 158 west and then reversing the original route down. I had considered taking 99 north, but by the time I hit Bakersfield it was dark and cold, and I just wanted to move fast, not enjoy the sights in the dark.

So, the ride. I was up at 4:00 AM and out the door by 4:15. It was a brisk 33 degrees, but I was bundled-up, expecting it to warm as the day progressed. I stopped for breakfast at my "usual place," Millie's Kitchen in Lafayette. Millie's opens at 5 and caters to a crowd of regulars who frequent the place in the early mornings. I have my ritual of reading the paper, having a couple cups of coffee and some friendly conversation with the other regulars. After a forty minute break it was back on the road at 5:40. I took my time, cruising at 75 (indicated - the speedo reads about 9% high, the odometer is only off by about 1.5%).
As the sun started to crawl above the horizon it warmed to about 36. The one attribute of I-5 is that it's fast, not much scenery, just mile after mile of mile after mile. Stopped at 290 miles for my first fill in Buttonwillow. This is the Hwy 158 exit to Bakersfield. In the station I took a couple of minutes to stretch my legs, take a quick sip of the gatorade in the top box, and also a couple handfuls of cashews and M&M's with almonds. (I guess I like the nuts...)
From there I found myself sitting in traffic on 158 as I entered Bakersfield. I didn't expect to see myself sitting in traffic at 9:30 in Bakersfield, but so it goes. Once past the jam and on over 99 it was smooth sailing. The Tehachepi pass was clear and cold, at 10:30 it was still only 35.

Oops! have to go back to work; to be continued!

[georgeorge]

The ol' "hook em and reel em in" then keep em waiting routine!

Anticipation......Is making me wait! (I love Ketchup)

[sherob]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I hate to be continued's :eek:

[nurseBob]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I hate to be continued's :eek:
Sorry about that. Sometimes events in the hospital take precedence; something about lives at stake...

Ok, to pick up where we left off!
It was clear and cold reaching the summit of the Tehachapi pass (though, not much of a summit by most of CA's standards, only about 3793'). Cruised on to the intersection of 58 and state 14, taking the exit off the freeway and on to the 2 - 4 lane hwy. Some miles up the road 14 ends and joins U.S. 395. Nice scenery in this area. It's all high desert, somewhat lacking in foliage, but rich in mountains, mineral deposits and some great colors. The eastern slopes of the Sierra's are to the west, and to the east there are various and sundry ranges: the Panamints are the ones of interest in this trek.
I was having an inner debate about staying on 395 to Lone Pine and stopping for gas, or just heading straight into Death Valley (DV from here on...). Well, the 190 intersection comes up and... I take it. To heck with gas, besides, I should only have 270 or so on the trip meter when I reach Furnace Creek... (I pretend that picking up the pace, and the climb out of Bakersfield won't have any impact on fuel economy).
Of couse, heading into the Panamints, there are a few more climbs and dips. In fact, there's a very nice 12 - 15 mile stretch of twisties into Panamint Springs, just outside the park boundary. However, due to the time I'd spent on the bike (about 8-1/2 hours now with only the stop for food at Millies and then gas in Buttonwillow), I realize that this is not the best time to test my mountain road skills. Not only that, the temp still hasn't gotten above 38, and even through the extra layers I'd put on, this was taking its toll. I was getting cold.
I cruised through Panamint Springs, looking briefly at the self-serve pumps for the lone Shell station, and then continuing on. I can make it! Only about 45 miles to go. Heading out of Panamint springs there's a nice 5 mile straightaway crossing the valley separating the Panamints from the next bump. Last time on this stretch (in August) it had been 105 degrees, and I think the speedo exceeded that value as I passed a corvette who was dawdling along at about 80... I didn't want to get caught behind him when I got to the twisties on the way out, but I digress... Back to the SS1K.
This last stretch has nice high-speed sweepers (on an upgrade in this direction), that I took at a moderate 75. Topping out and starting the final descent into the valley there's a 9+ mile 6% downgrade into Stovepipe Wells. Lots of fun with some wonderful desert "dips" to manage flash flood runoff (dangerous in summer when they can have mud and water flowing through). From Stovepipe Wells to Furnace Creek is only 23 miles. When I took this stretch in April, the last 15 miles was solid blooming flowers. DV had a bloom that exceeded all living memory this last year (due to 7" of rain, rather than the normal 1"). At this time all that's left are the dry twigs...
I finally arrive in Furnace Creek at 1:30. Gas up, get my receipt (and wouldn't you know, it's the only one on the trip with no date or time! And no attendant in sight...)
No problem, the 49er Cafe is next door. I spend close to an hour working my way through a huge bacon/cheese burger and several hot cups of coffee. Then, a time and date stamped receipt and I'm on the road again.
However, I didn't want to just retrace my route home; so, continuing east on 190 I head out of the park looking for state 127. At this point I'm realizing that if I keep up the leisurely pace I won't get back until maybe 1:00 or 2:00 AM on the 6th. While this would be within 24 hrs, I suddenly decide I want be home before midnight. It's time to cruise just a little faster, once I'm off of 127 (posted at 60, I may have driven a little faster). Passed through the Shoshone tribal lands and finally reached Baker CA where I intersected with I-15. While I had only put about 120 miles on the odometer, I realized that if I didn't buy some gas here, there'd be no way to document that I hadn't just turned back on 190 and retraced my original path. I wanted credit for the extra miles. So, a quick fill-up and then back in the saddle just as the sun dropped below the horizon. Once again the temp is back in the 30's. While in DV it had reached a heavenly 61 (a bit cooler than the 115 I experienced there in August).
Now it's just a matter of staying warm and on the road. I find that I-15 has traffic! Out in the middle of almost nowhere... My main concern though is that I've never been on this stretch of road, and I'm concerned that in a moment of inattention I may miss the Hwy 58 exit to Mojave and back to Tehachapi. Luckily, this is not the case; it's clearly marked and I make my exit, only to find that this section of 58 is _not_ the 4-lane freeway that heads out of Tehachapi - no, it's a two lane with stop lights and "rush hour" stop and go traffic! Who'd have thought???
So, I suffer through traffic for about a half hour until finally reaching Mojave and the 4-lane. Now it's a repeat of the trip down. I fly over the pass and down into Bakersfield. While I'd originally planned to take 99 north, I just want to get home now, and I-5 is faster and closer. I pass through Buttonwillow and head another 45 miles north to Kettlemen City for my next fuel/pit stop, once again with about 280 on the trip meter and flashing on the last bar for about 10 miles. The rest of the trip was one of watching the mileage to San Francisco and Sacramento count down. Interestingly, they're equidistant while on I-5 (something like 250 each from Kettlemen City), and what's more, Napa's also the same distance. So, I'm getting a countdown to home. The ride on I-5 is pretty uneventful, just cruising at 75 - 80, assuming that if the CHP is passing me, I'm still Ok. The main challenge on I-5 is all the semi traffic. Virtual convoys of trucks, with the cages darting in and out trying to make the trip as fast as possible. I reach the 580 east exit and say good-bye to I-5, now only about an hour and 15 minutes from Napa; it's looking like, with luck, I'll reach my gas station in Napa at about 11:45 on the 5th. Things are looking good, and I've pretty much stopped looking at the temp, I don't really want to know that it's dipping back down to freezing...
Luckily, traffic on a Monday night around 11:00 is pretty light in the suburbs of the SF Bay Area. And, the drivers here are all cruising close to 80, so I just pace traffic. I fly over the Martinez-Benecia bridge, happy that my fastrak pass means I don't have to stop for the toll. I stay on I-680 north until I get to I-80, go west for a mile then off at Hwy 12 west and on to Napa, now only 11 miles away. I cut back on the throttle here, 12's heavily patroled due to it's rather bloody history of head-ons. Finally I'm back on 29 heading north. I take the Trancas exit back into town and stop for my final tank. I've just done another 260 without a break and it's just 11:45. I fill-up, get my reciept, an then make a bee-line to the local Safeway to get something to warm up with, and celebrate!
Final statistics:
Total time: 19.5 hours
Total miles: 1185
Time at temps below 40: Approximately 16 hhhours

Would I do this again? In a flash! I've figured that with a little more dedication to not stopping for long meals, I could do BBG extreme (1500 miles in under 24).
Lessons learned: Dressing warm's not enough - get electrified.
If it's cold, have some warm drinks stashed in the top box along with the the other high-energy snacks.

Final lesson? I do love LD riding!

[nurseBob]

Cool! Can't wait. I've been having dreams about doing a CC100 someday. I just need to get back on the 12 hour shifts so I can schedule the trip without needing to use vacation time! :eek:

[crazykz]

Hey Bob,

I did a lot of planning for my first SS1K and made it as easy as possible. I left Milwaukee and headed straight to Lincoln Nebraska. I did it with a friend though so our pace wasn't that great but we still did it. The hardest ride I've done is a BBG. You've got the traffic to contend with more than I do though. For my BBG I went from Milwaukee to St. Louis (in a major thunderstorm), then to Oklahoma City, up into Kansas and over to Denver.

Here's a link where I list some tips if you're interested:
http://www.hard-core-ware.com/trips/index.php?page=bbg_ss1k

Great job on the ride. Any attempt that ends with you in one piece is a success.

Curt

[nurseBob]

Hey Bob,

I did a lot of planning for my first SS1K and made it as easy as possible. I left Milwaukee and headed straight to Lincoln Nebraska. I did it with a friend though so our pace wasn't that great but we still did it. The hardest ride I've done is a BBG. You've got the traffic to contend with more than I do though. For my BBG I went from Milwaukee to St. Louis (in a major thunderstorm), then to Oklahoma City, up into Kansas and over to Denver.

Here's a link where I list some tips if you're interested:
http://www.hard-core-ware.com/trips/index.php?page=bbg_ss1k

Great job on the ride. Any attempt that ends with you in one piece is a success.

Curt
Curt,
Thanks for the comments and the link!

Bob

[sherob]

Thanks for the Part Deux :) Excellent... most impressive. I'm hoping I can do one next year :D

[sherob]

I getting surgery done January... LOL!!! I want my back, back before I attempt that :)

[Kempo-STer]

Way to go Bob!...Congrats Bro!!

Here's my plan (someday soon..)
Old Saybrook, CT to San Francisco, CA for the CC50!

Recruit all of my ST-Owners.com Brothers to ride with me the whole length!
Establish the first true continuous cross country ride by multiple members on the board..I don't think this has happened yet. Shame on us! Kind of like a pass the baton type of thing:rolleyes: ..

C'mon..there surely is enough of us to escort me across the country!!

How about it Brian?? Time to start planning??

[sherob]

:D CWL class... :D

[nurseBob]

Way to go Bob!...Congrats Bro!!

Here's my plan (someday soon..)
Old Saybrook, CT to San Francisco, CA for the CC50!

Recruit all of my ST-Owners.com Brothers to ride with me the whole length!
Establish the first true continuous cross country ride by multiple members on the board..I don't think this has happened yet. Shame on us! Kind of like a pass the baton type of thing:rolleyes: ..

C'mon..there surely is enough of us to escort me across the country!!

How about it Brian?? Time to start planning??
Well, I'm sure there's a bunch here who'll witness your arrival in SF. Of course, we need to follow you back to do our CC50!:D

[Kempo-STer]

Well, I'm sure there's a bunch here who'll witness your arrival in SF. Of course, we need to follow you back to do our CC50!:D


Now thats an even BETTER Idea!..Wouldn't that make mine a CCC100!!

OH man..Time to do more squats!!!:weights1: :weights2: :wt1: :butt1:

[IntruderCruiser]

Good Job Bob -- hopefully I will make it up that way in the near future

I've been trying to get some one to go with me(my wife doesn't want me to go alone) on a SS1000 -- I didn't think that I wanted to do any twisties in the process -
but maybe that will change

[STPilot]

Good story Bob! Sounds like you had a good time. Congrats!!:)

[nurseBob]

Good Job Bob -- hopefully I will make it up that way in the near future

I've been trying to get some one to go with me(my wife doesn't want me to go alone) on a SS1000 -- I didn't think that I wanted to do any twisties in the process -
but maybe that will change
IntruderCruiser,
I'd be happy to meet-n-greet and ride too!!! I tend to agree about the twisties, unless they're early on in the ride, after that I worry about fatigue causing problems.

>hopefully I will make it up that way in the near future<
Drop me a note prior and we can plan to hook-up!

Bob

[nurseBob]

Good story Bob! Sounds like you had a good time. Congrats!!:)
Thanks STP - I did have a great ride.
Bob (Novus Ferrous Gluteus Maximus)