Two days ago I attempted to do an Iron Butt Saddle Sore (1000 mi in 24 hrs) around Lake Michigan by heading north up the western shore then back down through Michigan and returning to Chicago.
The plan was to leave Chicago around 4-5 am and get cracking early. Well, I didn't leave the house until around 5:45 but that was still early enough to miss Chicago's rush-hour traffic.
The trip:
A. Chicago to Peshtigo, WI - 245 miles, ~3.5 hrs.
I filled up and got a fuel receipt at the local Shell and was on the road at around 6:00 am. This was my longest straight leg, probably because I was excited and rested. I was slightly worried about hitting traffic in Milwaukee and/or Green Bay but needn't have worried. It was smooth sailing.
B. Peshtigo, Wi to Manistique, MI - 118 miles ~2.1 hrs.
A fill-up and 20 minutes later I was back on the road. About 20 minutes in, I got a "low battery" indication from my phone. The phone was hard-wired to the motorcycle but apparently had gone kaput. My back-up 12V accessory plug with a USB adapter also wasn't working. This sucked since I was using my phone for GPS directions and, maybe, more importantly, entertainment. Fortunately, I had brought a lithium-ion battery. So, I pulled over, got the battery, stuck it in the glove box, and connected it to the phone. Problem solved! Except that my main reason to bring the battery was to recharge my Cardo headset if need be (the second part of the entertainment equation.
C. Manistique, MI to Vnderbilt, MI - 141 miles ~2.3 hrs
This stop was a bit longer (1/2 hour) as I decided I would try and jury-rig a hard-wired connection. After getting gas, I bought a cigarette adapter that has a USB outlet and two wired females (basically a cigarette-lighter Y with a USB outlet). My plan was to cut off one of the female plugs, wire that directly to an unused portion of my add-on accessory fuse box, plug the adapter in, and connect the phone to the Frankensteinian mess. However, when I looked at the wires, I realized there was no way to tell which was positive or negative and, as I didn't have a tester with me, I'd be guessing. I decided to take my chances with the li-ion battery.
I stopped at a Mackinaw bridge lookout point on the Upper Penninsula:
And then again from the Southern Pennisula:
It was as I continued south that I remembered that you had to take a picture of your odometer as well as your receipt for validation. I'd not taken any pictures of the odometer. I was just over 1/2 way done and realized that I wouldn't be able to get the trip validated. Damn! Oh well, I guess the satisfaction should be in completing the event, not the recognition. Dammit, anyway!
D. Vanderbilt, MI to Bay City, MI - 127 miles, ~1.6 hrs.
I grabbed an odometer/receipt pic anyway even though I figured it would be for nothing since I couldn't verify the 1st half of my trip. The leg was pretty uneventful. Just followed the fastest traffic I could find and bolted down I-75. I gotta say, these ST-1300s sure eat up the miles. Really smooth. I had to constantly ease back on the throttle 'cuz I didn't realize how fast I was going.
E. Bay City, MI to Toledo, OH - 139 miles, ~ 1.8 hrs.
After fueling up at the Meijer I stopped off at McDonald's to grab dinner. At this point, I began to formulate a plan. The first stop I could validate was Vanderbilt, and I could get my wife to sign a witness sheet and that would validate my starting point. The only problem was that google maps would show the best way to go would be to head south under the lake and then back up on the Michigan side. This, plus my travel back to Chicago would put me short of 1000 miles. So I decided to detour via Toledo, OH, and reassess once there. My Cardo's battery was calling "uncle" by now so I switched the Li-ion battery to it. I decided to switch as needed rather than have wires run from the phone mounted between the handlebars, the battery, and my helmet. It worked out pretty well.
F. Toledo, OH - Warren, IN - 128 miles, ~ 1.8 hrs.
A quick fuel stop outside of Toledo and time for some soul-searching. I realized that if I headed straight back to Chicago, I'd still find myself short of my, verifiable, 1K by about 70 miles. If I headed back by way of Indianapolis I'd have more than enough miles under my belt. This was probably the most difficult choice I had to make. Do I head straight for home and fall short or push on? Logically, it should have been a no brainer and it probably would have been 8 hours earlier. But I was tired, it was getting dark (probably around 9 pm EST) and even though I was sort of heading home, I wasn't directly heading home. Had I not already committed to going as far as Toledo, I probably would cut my losses, thinking, "at least I know I did it," and took the shorter route home. Instead, I thought, "F*ck it," told my wife not to wait up and pushed on. I did many times, however, question my decision.
G. Warren, IN - Indianapolis, IN - 88 miles, ~ 1.2 hrs.
At this point, I think, this stop was to vary things up and keep my mind fresh. It was the shortest leg in both time and distance and I probably wouldn't have done it earlier. I can't really even remember the gas station at this point, so it was probably unremarkable.
H. Indianapolis, IN - Chicago, IL - 174 miles, ~ 2.4 hrs.
Stoped in a Marathon for fuel. It was completely empty and I didn't see anyone there. Most of the lights in the building were off but the pumps were still working. I didn't even realize that was a thing. I always figured that, due to liability, when the store was closed, so was the fueling. Guess not since I fuelled up and, with renewed energy as I was now directly headed home, I continued on my way. I made a quick pit-stop at a rest area, about 1 hour later, to grab a candy bar for a quick energy boost. I got to a Shell station near my house a little after 2 am and made it home shortly afterward.
Here is my final route:
Final Thoughts:
If I had to do it again, and I probably will (Bun Burner anybody?), there are a couple of things I might change:
So that's about it. It was fun to do, but I'm glad it's over (for now). Another thing I might mention is never to underestimate the value of heated gear! Even though it's summer, it started to get cold when riding at night. One option is to layer up, but by having heated gear you only have to do it once and can turn it on or off or increase the heat as needed and not have to stop. Having the gear probably saved me over 1/2 hour not having to pull over to change layers.
Now I just have to gather all my paperwork and send it off to the IBA. Hopefully, I haven't missed anything!
The plan was to leave Chicago around 4-5 am and get cracking early. Well, I didn't leave the house until around 5:45 but that was still early enough to miss Chicago's rush-hour traffic.
The trip:
A. Chicago to Peshtigo, WI - 245 miles, ~3.5 hrs.
I filled up and got a fuel receipt at the local Shell and was on the road at around 6:00 am. This was my longest straight leg, probably because I was excited and rested. I was slightly worried about hitting traffic in Milwaukee and/or Green Bay but needn't have worried. It was smooth sailing.
B. Peshtigo, Wi to Manistique, MI - 118 miles ~2.1 hrs.
A fill-up and 20 minutes later I was back on the road. About 20 minutes in, I got a "low battery" indication from my phone. The phone was hard-wired to the motorcycle but apparently had gone kaput. My back-up 12V accessory plug with a USB adapter also wasn't working. This sucked since I was using my phone for GPS directions and, maybe, more importantly, entertainment. Fortunately, I had brought a lithium-ion battery. So, I pulled over, got the battery, stuck it in the glove box, and connected it to the phone. Problem solved! Except that my main reason to bring the battery was to recharge my Cardo headset if need be (the second part of the entertainment equation.
C. Manistique, MI to Vnderbilt, MI - 141 miles ~2.3 hrs
This stop was a bit longer (1/2 hour) as I decided I would try and jury-rig a hard-wired connection. After getting gas, I bought a cigarette adapter that has a USB outlet and two wired females (basically a cigarette-lighter Y with a USB outlet). My plan was to cut off one of the female plugs, wire that directly to an unused portion of my add-on accessory fuse box, plug the adapter in, and connect the phone to the Frankensteinian mess. However, when I looked at the wires, I realized there was no way to tell which was positive or negative and, as I didn't have a tester with me, I'd be guessing. I decided to take my chances with the li-ion battery.
I stopped at a Mackinaw bridge lookout point on the Upper Penninsula:
And then again from the Southern Pennisula:
It was as I continued south that I remembered that you had to take a picture of your odometer as well as your receipt for validation. I'd not taken any pictures of the odometer. I was just over 1/2 way done and realized that I wouldn't be able to get the trip validated. Damn! Oh well, I guess the satisfaction should be in completing the event, not the recognition. Dammit, anyway!
D. Vanderbilt, MI to Bay City, MI - 127 miles, ~1.6 hrs.
I grabbed an odometer/receipt pic anyway even though I figured it would be for nothing since I couldn't verify the 1st half of my trip. The leg was pretty uneventful. Just followed the fastest traffic I could find and bolted down I-75. I gotta say, these ST-1300s sure eat up the miles. Really smooth. I had to constantly ease back on the throttle 'cuz I didn't realize how fast I was going.
E. Bay City, MI to Toledo, OH - 139 miles, ~ 1.8 hrs.
After fueling up at the Meijer I stopped off at McDonald's to grab dinner. At this point, I began to formulate a plan. The first stop I could validate was Vanderbilt, and I could get my wife to sign a witness sheet and that would validate my starting point. The only problem was that google maps would show the best way to go would be to head south under the lake and then back up on the Michigan side. This, plus my travel back to Chicago would put me short of 1000 miles. So I decided to detour via Toledo, OH, and reassess once there. My Cardo's battery was calling "uncle" by now so I switched the Li-ion battery to it. I decided to switch as needed rather than have wires run from the phone mounted between the handlebars, the battery, and my helmet. It worked out pretty well.
F. Toledo, OH - Warren, IN - 128 miles, ~ 1.8 hrs.
A quick fuel stop outside of Toledo and time for some soul-searching. I realized that if I headed straight back to Chicago, I'd still find myself short of my, verifiable, 1K by about 70 miles. If I headed back by way of Indianapolis I'd have more than enough miles under my belt. This was probably the most difficult choice I had to make. Do I head straight for home and fall short or push on? Logically, it should have been a no brainer and it probably would have been 8 hours earlier. But I was tired, it was getting dark (probably around 9 pm EST) and even though I was sort of heading home, I wasn't directly heading home. Had I not already committed to going as far as Toledo, I probably would cut my losses, thinking, "at least I know I did it," and took the shorter route home. Instead, I thought, "F*ck it," told my wife not to wait up and pushed on. I did many times, however, question my decision.
G. Warren, IN - Indianapolis, IN - 88 miles, ~ 1.2 hrs.
At this point, I think, this stop was to vary things up and keep my mind fresh. It was the shortest leg in both time and distance and I probably wouldn't have done it earlier. I can't really even remember the gas station at this point, so it was probably unremarkable.
H. Indianapolis, IN - Chicago, IL - 174 miles, ~ 2.4 hrs.
Stoped in a Marathon for fuel. It was completely empty and I didn't see anyone there. Most of the lights in the building were off but the pumps were still working. I didn't even realize that was a thing. I always figured that, due to liability, when the store was closed, so was the fueling. Guess not since I fuelled up and, with renewed energy as I was now directly headed home, I continued on my way. I made a quick pit-stop at a rest area, about 1 hour later, to grab a candy bar for a quick energy boost. I got to a Shell station near my house a little after 2 am and made it home shortly afterward.
Here is my final route:
Final Thoughts:
If I had to do it again, and I probably will (Bun Burner anybody?), there are a couple of things I might change:
- Back up GPS. I've always found that my phone was more than adequate for my needs. This was the first time that it, almost, failed me. Although I was prepared to buy a physical map book, it would have sucked to not have had the actual GPS track for posterity. My hesitation has always been that it's one more thing I'd have to carry with me as I'd not feel comfortable leaving it attached to the bike in a city like Chicago. That being said, the Li-ion battery held up great and had no problems keeping my phone and Cardo charged for over 500 miles! If I do get a stand-alone GPS, it will have to give me the option to record and save a GPS track and store mp3 files on board for entertainment. The latter might not have been a priority until this trip.
- New seat. Or, possibly, a seat cushion. My butt was getting a bit sore by the 5-6 hundred mile mark. I was really squirming by the last 200!
- Cruise Control. I'm starting to be convinced that this is a must for long-distance riding. My wife and I towed our boat around 500 miles a couple of weeks ago and I didn't use the CC 'cuz I didn't want to strain the truck's transmission but boy did I miss it. CC on a bike seems like a no brainer now. I did have a throttle-assist device (see below) that lets you use your palm to control the throttle, easing the strain off your wrist. It was definitely appreciated, but it's not the same as true CC. Also, it interferes a bit with your throttle control when you are not cruising. I think an MC Cruise is in my near future.
So that's about it. It was fun to do, but I'm glad it's over (for now). Another thing I might mention is never to underestimate the value of heated gear! Even though it's summer, it started to get cold when riding at night. One option is to layer up, but by having heated gear you only have to do it once and can turn it on or off or increase the heat as needed and not have to stop. Having the gear probably saved me over 1/2 hour not having to pull over to change layers.
Now I just have to gather all my paperwork and send it off to the IBA. Hopefully, I haven't missed anything!
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