Iron Butt 5K Rally Finish

The Iron Butt 5K Rally was dedicated to the memory of Eddie James (Click) and the charities now in his name. Eddie was a long time, active member of Team Strange (Click) and the Iron Butt Association (Click) and a much loved Rally Master. Eddie lost his life (Click) in a bike/car accident in Atlanta in December, 2009. Had Eddie lived, he would have been the Rally Master for the inaugural Iron Butt 5K Rally.

This rally began in Denver, Colorado at the conclusion of the Iron Butt National Meeting. The rally took place over two legs and the average rider had to ride in excess of 5 thousand miles in 5 days to be competitive.

Kevin Pugh and I made the decision to be in Spartanburg, SC to watch the finish of The Iron Butt 5K Rally. Naturally we could not pass up an opportunity to play in the Smokies on the way to Spartanburg.

Click Photos to Enlarge.

Heintooga Ridge Road - Balsam Mountain Road ~Click~ 

The Blue Ridge Parkway

Mike Blevins 

Kevin Pugh 

After riding some awesome Smokey Mountain twisties, we arrived late Friday afternoon.

Rally Central for the finish was The Marriott Hotel in downtown Spartanburg, SC.

Saturday morning we were in front of the hotel early, only to find a few bikes had already checked into the riders area.

It was not long before other riders quickly followed.

Dale "Warchild" Wilson (Click), Iron Butt Rally Chief Technical Inspector, checking in an arriving rider.

One rally bonus required the above logo to be painted on the bike by noted pin stripe artist Steve Kafkal (Click) enroute. Many color variations could be seen on the arriving bikes. I was told this logo could be easily removed later if the rider preferred.

The Rally was a great place to see interesting license plates and specialized decals.

More importantly, if you enjoy examining competitive motorcycles up close, this rally finish was the place to be. Every conceivable auxiliary fuel tank, light configuration, and latest farkle could be seen.

These motorcycles belong to some of the top long distance riders in the country. It did not take long to come away with a deep appreciation for the long hours of careful planning and meticulous work that went into the setup of these bikes.

As the 10:00 am time deadline drew closer, the parking lot filled quickly and the atmosphere took on a more intense feel. 

The rider of this 400cc Yamaha Majesty Scooter lost the windshield when he grabbed it as the bike accidentally tipped over. Can you imagine finishing a five thousand mile, five day rally on an open scooter without a windshield? He certainly deserves major credit for his grit and determination!

It seems like there is always one bike showing tire cord at the finish of these long rallies. This rear tire was on a Harley Sportster. 

It should also be noted that this was a very hard rally on the animals. At last count, one each, deer, elk, bear, cow, rabbit and mouse were hit during this rally. 

The Rally Finishers

Saturday night the banquet was held and the riders finishing positions announced. Congratulations to all, especially to the top finishers. The finishing order and bike details can be found here. (Click)  For individual rider information, click on the name.

As always, Lisa Landry (Click) and all the Iron Butt Staff did an amazing job coordinating this rally. Every detail was first class!

There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.                              ~Beverly Sills~

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”          ~Mark Twain~

In Memory of Two Good Friends

Bill Hulen

We all lost a good friend yesterday, after a long and courageous battle with his failing health.

Bill Hulen (Click) was a Founding Member of the FDR "Riders of the Long Table" and a life-time member of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association (GWRRA). Riding his "Yellar" Wing, Bill loved to "bring up the rear" of the daily rides out of FDR Honda in Paducah. 

Bill rode with me on one of my County Courthouse Tours and commented regularly on this blog. Bill and I met almost every morning, riding down Broadway to check out the Ohio River, before joining the rest of the guys at FDR for a cup of coffee and a bull session. 

Bill was a class act and a genuine " good guy."

He will truly be missed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill Coplen

It is almost surreal that we lost a second good friend barely one day later, due to a tragic accident. 

Bill Coplen lost his life (Click) Tuesday morning (8:30am) when a car pulled into his path.

Bill was a well respected member of the Long Table and regularly rode local daily rides. Bill had recently outfitted a new Wing and loved long distance motorcycle trips with his wife. Bill usually sat to my right each morning at FDR. I came to appreciate his life experiences as a Ballard County Deputy Sheriff, his reasoned intelligence and his subtle sense of humor. Bill was a caring person, always ready to help anyone in need. 

Bill Coplen will also be greatly missed.   

The World is my Country 
All Mankind are my Brethren
And to do good is my religion.
 ~Thomas Paine~

Dances With Turtles V - RTE

Dances with Turtles V, the "Ned" Siddens Memorial Ride To Eat was held Saturday June 5, 2010 at Giant City State Park Lodge, approximately 12 miles south of Carbondale, Illinois.

There is simply no way I can identify each of the riders in the following pictures, much less attempt to spell their names correctly, so I will simply say it was a great group of people. 

Several riders met at the rest stop in Metropolis, IL. and rode as a group to the park.

Arriving at Giant City State Park, we found a lively "tire kicking" session already in progress.

Both sides of the large parking lot were lined with bikes.

New friendships were made, and old acquaintances renewed.

One unnamed person (Tim Yow) arrived with his lovely wife in a very sharp, "cage". I am told there is a good story involving the alarm on this car.

Once we were all assembled in the parking lot, we moved inside as a group to begin the family style fried chicken lunch in a private dining room.

Like many of us, it was quiet apparent Sal married "well over his station in life."

Long time Motorcycle Touring Forum members were well represented.

During the lunch, a slide show ran continuously about the life and times of Ned Siddens.

Buck Lemme gave some fitting comments about his long time friend and co-sponsor Ned Siddens and his life-long love for riding. He also related an  interesting story about Ned and about how the Dances With Turtles Ride to Eat earned its name.

Several awards were also presented.

I very much enjoyed meeting old friends and making new ones. I was able to put a lot of new faces with familiar forum names. A big thanks to Buck and his hard working crew for making Dances With Turtles the class act it always is.


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Buck Lemme's Dances With Turtles V Summary;

"Sixty nine of the finest people on the planet attended DWT V, the
"Ned" Siddens Memorial RTE, at the Giant City Lodge.

Following a family style lunch of fried chicken, turtle pie and fresh fruit
bowl, awards were presented in the below categories.

Longest distance. Doug Graves, Camas, Wa. 2468 miles.

Shortest distance. Steve Maxwell, Marion, Il. 30 miles.

Oldest motorcycle. Andy Simons, South Carolina. 1982 Goldwing.

Motorcycle with most miles. Roger Riley, Missouri. 178,553 miles. (Goldwing)

Fun Award. Bill Yarian, Indiana. Presented with blue "water wings"  for riding thru flooding rains of Biblical proportions returning from Ezell's Fish Camp RTE.

At DWT II, "Ned" presented dollar coinage randomly to some in attendance.  Today, his son-in-law (SIL), Chris Sloss was presented with four golden  Presidential Dollar coins to commemorate the memorial RTE.

Special Award. Presented to Jason Jonas, SpotWalla Master, for his  continuing support and dedication to the motorcycling community."

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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. ~Edward Abbey~

Until hounds and helicopters get involved, you're not really lost. ~Adventure Rider~

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Iron Butt Bun Burner 1500

(Click Map)

Iron Butt Bun Burner 1500   (Spot Map)

Starting Date: Saturday 05/22/2010 
Starting Time: 4:31 am (CDT)
Starting Location: Paducah, KY
Ending Date: Sunday 05/23/2010
Ending Location: Paducah, KY
Ending Time: 11:14 am (CDT)
Total Elapsed Time -  31 Hours  23 Minutes
Total Mileage - 1576 (Garmin/MapSource)
Motel Stop - 6 hrs 35 mins (8:58 pm to 3:33 am)
Total Stops - 10 (not counting beginning and ending)

Typically, I first rode the more extreme Iron Butt Bun Burner Gold (24 hr), back in November 09. Even so, I wanted to complete the 36 hour Bun Burner and felt this was an ideal time to get it done. This Iron Butt ride is somewhat unique because time is not really a factor. Thirty-six hours is more than enough time to enjoy the ride, include a reasonable rest stop, and remain well within the Iron Butt time guidelines.

I left Paducah, KY at 4:31 am (CDT), just before daybreak, again following my normal pattern of starting early. I rode east to Beaver Dam where I made my first fuel stop. From there it was on through Elizabethtown, Lexington, and Winchester, KY for the second stop.

To this point the weather could not have been better with temps in the low 60's and a promise to be warmer later in the day. However, as I entered West Virginia at Huntington, dark clouds began to accumulate to the south along my intended route. By the time I reached Charleston a light sprinkle had developed and was gradually intensifying .

South of Bluefield, WV, following I-77 (The West Virginia Turnpike) I entered the first of two, mile long tunnels. The East River Mountain Tunnel and the  The Big Walker Tunnel . The East River tunnel enters on the West Virginia side and exits on the opposite side of the mountain in Virginia. The Big Walker Tunnel is entirely in Virginia and equally as long.

I crossed I-81 near Wytheville, VA, continuing south on I-77, over The Smokey Mountains at Fancy Gap, VA. The always unpredictable Blue Ridge weather turned into a frog-choking downpour and did not let up until I reached the lower elevations on the east side of the Smokies.

 As I neared Charlotte, NC the traffic increased dramatically due to the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and Race Week. I soon departed Charlotte on I-77, headed south to Colombia, SC and on southwest to Augusta, Ga. via I-20. 

While planning this ride, I entertained the idea of combining this IBA Ride with one of the many Motorcycle Touring Forum - Ride to Eats (RTE) in this area. Unfortunately, I could not do so without starting the ride in the middle of the night. After carefully considering my route, I concluded  this idea added unnecessary risk and was not advisable.

Arriving in Augusta, I made a quick fuel stop, along with a call home to let my family know I was well. My original plan was to evaluate how I felt at this point and then decide whether to continue or find a motel. I felt fine so it was on to Atlanta.

I expected the traffic to increase as I neared Atlanta but was nonetheless surprised at the amount of evening traffic headed into the city. As I passed the center of town traffic lightened considerably. Once completely clear of Atlanta to the southwest, and having ridden nearly 1,100 miles, I decided Newnan, Ga would be a good place to stop and get some rest. (8:58 pm CDT)

When riding alone, it does not take much to satisfy my motel needs (Think Clean). With this minimal requirement in mind, I quickly spotted a "Motel 6 With The Light On". In short order I had a down and out room, covered my Wing, and was settled in.

A short six and a half hours later (3:33 am, CDT), at the insistent, low-pitched demand of my Screaming Meanie, I gassed up and continued southwest, following I-85 to Montgomery, AL. I purposely left at "O'Dark Thirty" to avoid the heat wave predicted for Sunday afternoon. In what seemed like no time at all, I had ridden 150 miles, arriving in pre-dawn Montgomery, AL for a gas stop, a quick "Butler Cup" of coffee and a turn north on I-65.

I encountered low lying areas of moderate fog and very little traffic in the early Alabama dawn. The fog soon dissipated, leaving a perfect morning to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. Interstate 65 through early morning Birmingham was eerily deserted as I rode north. 

After a quick gas stop near Decatur, AL, it was on through the Sunday morning quiet of Nashville, officially ending the ride back in Paducah, KY at 11:14 am (CDT).

I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I have come to enjoy planning and executing a challenging Iron Butt Ride.

"When it's time to die, let's not discover we never lived" ~Henry David Thoreau~

"Absorb what is useful, Discard what is useless, Add what is uniquely your own" ~Bruce Lee~

The 6th Annual Moonshine Lunch Run - 2010

(Click Pictures to Enlarge)

I had long been told by my Motorcycle Touring Forum buddies that I would never be a true Long Distance Motorcycle rider until and unless I had attended a Moonshine. With that sage advice in mind, I left Paducah early Friday morning for the short 200 mile ride to Casey, IL and my first Moonshine Lunch Run. 

Unlike many of the past years, the weather this year could not have been better! I am told proper credit for the stellar weather goes to this years Weather Chairman, Tim Yow.

Fortunately, I took Terry Hammond's advice and followed friends to the Moonshine Store, ignoring my lying Miss Garmin!

Bikes poured in while we were eating our burgers.

Yep, the burgers were delicious, just ask Ray (jumper5392). We were there early before the line formed. I learned quickly you can kiss your diet goodbye at any Moonshine event!

John (Sarkri), keeping an eye on the somewhat scarce Diet Dew. 

Diet Dew, Cheeseburgers and Chocolate Rice Krispies 

"Moonshine's Breakfast of Champions!"  

Hundreds of different bikes could be seen at Moonshine.

A great place to put new faces with old names.

From adventure to full touring ... they'll all be at Moonshine!

Tail Dragger Fuel Cells, Power Windshields and Aux Lighting. Obviously I was very interested in any Wing set up for LD Riding and there were plenty of them.

Tim Yow led 250 Moonshiners to Fridays BBQ Lunch at The Stovepipe Grill and Smokehouse

The Stovepipe Restaurant is located at The Lincoln Springs Resort, the home of The Worlds Tallest and Ugliest Lincoln Statue.

Four hundred people showed up for Friday Nights Awards Dinner, held at Richards Farm Restaurant in Casey. Riders converged on Moonshine from as far away as California!

Hundreds of bikes arrived early, filling the parking lot and lining both sides of the road.

Moonshine benefits several deserving local charities in a big way. Terry Hammonds and his many helpers have done a wonderful job pulling it all together each year. The event is truly a credit to everyone involved.

Moonshine is also a lot of fun! It's a great place to meet old friends and make new ones. Also, if you love to kick tires and ogle LD bikes you'll love Moonshine!

The only  fault with Moonshine I found was there were so many people attending I wanted to talk to but never got a chance. Many I didn't even know were there until afterward. That is all the excuse one needs to attend next year.



Moonshine Update:


The Official Count!

1,908 Moonburgers ate at Moonshine Saturday!
Beat the old record by 789!

1,100 Motorcycles

250,000 miles 1 way

500,000 miles round trip!

39 States and Canada!

Farthest riders are 2,132 miles 1 way!

.

With all due respect... "Because I said so" wasn't a valid response when I was 5, and is even less valid as I approach 65.  ~Michael Jordan~ (LD List)

"All great truths begin as blasphemies."  ~George Benard Shaw~