Iron Butt/Saddle Sore - Write up
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Mark and Rich's Excellent Iron Butt Ride.
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| I will spare lots of the details. We left at around 0 dark 30. It was dark for quite a while. We stopped for breakfast in Gila Bend at the Space Age Diner. Off we went on our ride. We headed west to avoid the sun in our eyes. Next north on 95 to Kingman and east on I 40 to Albuquerque NM. We were lucky enough to avoid several huge dirt devils and the usual cagers on cell phones. Pretty much just nice cruising. We headed south on I 25. Our goal for that day was to make Truth or Consequences NM by around 9:00 PM. Well that did not happen. We have been on some long rides, but we mis-calculated our lack of sleep, stops and getting stuck behind slow moving RV's and Semis on 95 heading north. There was also this tweaker, drunk, stupid person at one of the stops, well there was one of them at every stop on the interstate we made for fuel, but this guy came pretty close to having his life shortened. He just could not get it into his head, to keep his hands of the bikes. We were pretty wiped out by the time the sun was going down. Once it was dark, time seemed to not move. Miles did not advance at the same rate. We were just tired. We stopped more between Albuquerque and Truth or Consequences then we really planned on. We arrived at our destination much later. All I know is I was so tired, my contacts were so crapped up, I had trouble signing in at the hotel. Some thing of note on our trip: First, New Mexico has a problem with road to bridge deck height. What that means, in there is a big bump on to and off of any bridge/road. It was amazing how many of them we crossed. It was worse the more tired we were. Second, it is amazing how we forgot how cold it was when the sun went down. Third, do not rest your boot heal on the exhaust. It will cause you to walk like a drunk when you get off your bike. Fourth, sleep more then 5 hours before doing this. We had done close to 1100 miles by this point. We had a good nights sleep. We had a good breakfast. We felt good, rested and ready for the rest of the ride. We headed south east for El Paso to the Harley dealer, Barnett's for our obligatory t-shirt purchase. El Paso., Hell Paso Driving in El Paso is brutal. The road, the drivers it is just brutal. We could not wait to get out of there. Of course, we were lucky enough to stumble on to a swap meet, some eye candy of the female and motorcycle type and a free lunch. Burgers etc. Once we were done, we headed west to home, another 580 miles or so. We did make one unscheduled stop near the AZ, NM border for some fireworks. But don't tell anyone. Phantom Fireworks is a cool place. I am just glad I did not have more room for stuff. I could have spent some $$$$. The ride home was pretty much just a cruise. Of course we had the wonderful construction in Tucson. Some observations along the way: There were exits for towns and nothing there. Where do these people live? Where do they work? A presumption on my part would be there is a lot of farming and ranching. There were towns like Lordsburg. At one time, this was a happening place. There were many old motor hotels, businesses and places to eat. All were closed, abandoned, boarded up. There were a couple of gas stations, a Comfort in and that is about it. There are RV parks, but kind of off the beaten path. Some tips for a ride like this. Don't just think you can do this with out preparation. First, know your limitations and your bikes limitations, and just as important, know your riding partner(s). If you are unsure of either, don't do this type of ride. Your seat will make or break this type of ride. I did this on my stock seat on my 07 FXD, with a pillion pad. I was pretty comfortable for the better part of the ride. I now have a Sundowner seat. Now that is comfortable. Be prepared for weather. Be alert. I could go on about what to bring, not to bring, but hopefully common sense prevails. Ride Safe, Ride Smart. Da Grump |
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