30 May 2014 – Launch tomorrow

 

The day has finally arrived. All the months of planning and preparing the bike are over and the adventure starts again (in the rain, just like AK1). I plan on leaving at 6 a.m. on Saturday for the 375 mile ride up to St Louis. The early departure is so I get there in time to attend a Cardinals baseball game that starts at 1:15 p.m. Jim is within walking distance of the stadium so we figured we needed to go to the game for some cold refreshments and a few dogs prior to the hard run to Washington state. Sunday will be used to consolidate the gear we are carrying (eliminate duplication as much as possible) and to work out any bugs on the CB radio communication between bikes. The CB radio hook-up really made the difference on AK1. It provides some boredom relief but also makes comparing routes and coordinating stops much easier. It is also good to be able to point out the scenery and critters (buffalo, bears, etc) next to the road (happened several times on AK1). I usually follow Jim so anytime I hear “All Sh__” on the radio I know to slow down. Works every time.

On Monday 2 June we will depart before sunrise and try for the 1000 mile in 24 hours Iron Butt. We have to start with a time stamp fuel receipt (with site location identified) and end within 24 hours with another time stamp fuel receipt (with site location). I will also take photos of my GPS position at the start and stop as another back up verification that we made it in the required time. Possible impacts will be going through large cities (traffic) and weather. Since we are heading up through Kansas City to hit the interstate through Nebraska we do have potential delays there. Once on the interstate heading west it will be all out between gas stops. Somewhere around Cheyenne WY we will reach 1000 miles. If we average 70 mph that is 14+ hours. It is more likely to be 60 mph average which is 16+ hours. Leaving at 6 am would make it 8 pm or 10 pm. Either way it is getting dark or is already dark by the time we get to the end. Riding at night is not fun in areas where deer are present and will definitely reduce our speeds. Food stops and just getting off the bike to stretch both cut into this average. I’m making no promises that we can make it but this is really our best shot since we will be fresh and it is the flattest part of the trip. On the return trip we just are not as willing to put this amount of effort into a real long day’s ride.

Thanks for all your comments and interest. See you at the end of June, hopefully with an Alaska sticker on my saddle bags and some mud from the Arctic Circle on the bike.