Zip ties, duct tape and a ride to remember

It all started with some chatter about doing a memorial ride to honor two inspirational legends - Ardys Kellerman and John Ryan, and then turned in to planning for a ride in to the Iron Butt Association's Big-As-Texas Party in Dallas, TX and while doing this, attempt a Bun Burner Gold certificate ride.

It turned out to be one heck of a ride...

Leaving VT on Halloween

My friend Kate and I decided to leave from Jersey City, NJ and ride our bikes (she rides a BMW 800 ST and I ride a 650GS) on a route that would provide the minimum required 1,500 miles within the allotted time as we arrived in Dallas. Kate did all of the route planning using her fancy software with average speed, number of gas stops needed, traffic considerations and much more.

Prior to the ride I purchased a Sena system so we could talk via intercom. I have never used anything like that before and all I can say is "why did I not discover this before"!!! I also invested in some auxiliary lights for Blackie and thanks to the help from Mr. Mills they were installed prior to the departure from New Jersey.

Rain - Rain - Wind - Wind

My ride from home to Kate's was cold and wet. Did I mention cold? The temperature when I left home was hovering around 35 degrees and thankfully it warmed up all the way to 45 degrees by the time I hit Albany! The wind was hauling and the rain was whipping. Ye haw! Somewhere about an hour from the New Jersey border the rain stopped and didn't pick up again until just about when the light installation was completed. I slept good on the couch at Kate and Anthony's and woke up feeling fairly refreshed. I'm not sure Kate could say the same about her sleep but she is one determined chick!

We checked the weather and with the incoming storm we decided to push back our departure two hours to avoid the worst of the storm - mostly the wind. It was a wise choice! When the rain and wind arrived it was like a car wash on crack outside the window.

Getting ready to ride!

Once we were ready to head out we got our paper work ready, got our required start witness signatures and headed to the gas station for the required gas receipt. Then we hit the road! Traffic was not too bad but the head wind made up for the "lack" of traffic.

We literally had windy conditions from the start of the ride to the end - and when I say end - I mean until we were back in New Jersey!!!
Gas mileage was not what we had hoped for and we had more fuel stops than expected. But as they say - plan for the best but prepare for the worst. Like loosing parts....

Somewhere in Virginia

It started with the chest strap on my Camelback. Suddenly just gone! Good thing I had my ROK straps with me. Used one of them as the chest strap. I think that happened somewhere in Virginia..I just remember noticing the Camelback kind of flapping on my back.  The scenery through West Virginia and Virginia is beautiful. I love how you see the Shenandoah's and the Blue Ridge in the distance from the highway.

Sun is starting to go down

Entered Tennessee and lost a bolt and washer from the right side of the handle bar which caused the hand guard to flop around. Out came the Duct tape to tape the hand guard in place. Some nice roads and quite a few hills and twisties on a major highway. A detour in Nashville due to construction, time for a gas stop (at a closed gas station...) and suddenly Blackie would not start. OH NO!!! Panic, frustration - and a little bit of stress. No, not out of fuel. Lights came on. She just would not start. Drained battery! Too much electronic garbage plugged in at once. Sorry Blackie! Won't do that mistake again!!! On the phone with the insurance company to get road side assistance. No such luck. Nobody answered the call! SUCKS!!! Kate on the phone with Anthony to trouble shoot and reaching out to friends in the motorcycle community (thank you Jason Jonas for offering to come and assist!). Thankful for Kate who approached a guy out walking (at 12.30 am) as I was too frustrated to think straight at that point. Nice guy (from Adelaide, Australia originally - did not get his name) went and got his car, jump started Blackie and yes! we were on a roll again. Now in search for a gas station that was open. Found one. Pumped gas as fast as we could and then hit the road again, behind schedule.

Blackie's new lights

Thankful that traffic was light and  not too many trucks out on the highway during the wee hours of the night. Nor were there any live deer to be seen. Super thankful for that! The last I would have wanted is to have to swerve for Bambi or give her a ride. We motored on. Time for another gas stop so we turned off the highway on to what felt like a GS Giant track with gravel, humps and God knows what. There was no warning signs for aconstruction zone. Lovely! Kate was in front of me and I saw her bouncing and fish tailing on the off ramp so I literally came to a crawl and held my breath. I can tell that her off road class has paid off! Impressive! She made a right turn off the ramp as I was starting to breathe again from the "off road" experience. Then I buzzed her on the intercom asking why we were heading out in the country? Her GPS was showing a GS station down the road. Thanks a lot Garmin! I told her the Pilot truck stop was right off the ramp to the left.

We turned around on a "dime" and headed to the gas station. Kate turned in to what she thought was the entrance to the gas station. Next thing I knew this girl was "jumping a curb" with Snotrag (the name of her bike). It was not exactly what she had planned but again, a sigh of relief that she has taken an off road class, as she handled the curb jumping like a pro. I'm glad she was in front of me and I just turned around and took the easy way in to the gas station. It was pretty cold out side at this point and I was feeling it. Started pumping gas and suddenly I saw it... my top case was GONE!!! I literally rubbed my eyes and looked again. What the frick??? The case was not on the bike. Are you kidding me??? Talked to Kate and we decided to check the off road off ramp... Really stupid thing to do actually, two chicks running down a dirt ramp with their cell phones as "flash lights" but thankfully we did not get ran over. No luck with the case. Kate asked if I want to ride back to look. I just shook my head.

We hit the road again. I was mad as heck at myself. I know better! You double check everything before you

Ardys and John keep me company

go. All I can think of is that somewhere in the cluster frick of the "break down" something did not get put back correctly. I went through the list in my head of all the items that were in the case... my tablet (brand new!), my tools (brand new!), my favorite ball cap (arghhhh), all the chargers for my stuff (phone, camera, GPS.. blah blah blah), the new book I was going to read, my paperwork (jeez!) and a bunch of other things. Luckily my wallet was not in there. Yay - one positive! And really, no lost limbs so what am I crying about!!!

I noticed Blackie was running really rough. She did not want to go over 75 mph without racing the RPM. At this point I just felt like I can't push it and that the chase of the clock was not worth it so I called Kate and told her. She asked what I wanted to do and while I would rather have had company, I understand the pursuit of making the Bun Burner Gold, so I told her to go on, ride safe and make it to Dallas ahead of me.She is gone in the blink of an eye. I rode along and besides feeling a bit frustrated, I was also feeling the effects of a 5 hour energy taken a few hours earlier. When I say effect, I don't mean a boost of energy, I mean wanting to vomit. I pulled in to a gas station and let's just say - the 5 hour energy left my body in more ways than one. I grabbed some snacks, a handy tool and Duct tape while I was there. Checked my phone, a voice  mail from my friend Hammy. It lifted my spirits! He mentioned that John Ryan used to call him at that hour of the morning to encourage him and make sure he was OK during a long ride. A little "tinkering" with Blackie and back on the road. Suddenly she was running pretty good again. Hooray!

We are still up and running.

It was cold and I was feeling it. I cranked up the music, I sang along. I did jumping jacks on the bike (ha ha ha) and I continued the journey. At one of the gas stops a man was asking me why on earth I'm riding a motorcycle in the middle of the night when it is so cold outside. Could not help but to smile and told him jokingly that I had nothing better to do...

And the ride continued. I felt better after loosing the 5 hour energy! I thought about the ride so far, about the importance of planning for the best but preparing for the worst. I was not giving up even if I knew that I would not make the Bun Burner Gold. This ride was about honoring two great long distance riders who are legends in their own - Ardys Kellerman and John Ryan. Both of them left us this year, doing what they loved - RIDING.

Entered Texas and the sun was starting to rise. It gave me renewed energy and a boost. I did a quick calculation on the mileage and figured that maybe, just maybe I could make the required distance within the required time. I flew by big horse farms and ranches. Long stretches of road and flat land as far as the eye can see. The sun was bright and it felt good to be in daylight again. I called Kate. We had a bad connection but I could make out that she was very close to her final stop and that she was going to make it with about 10 minutes to spare. Wohoo! Way to go Kate!!!

Blackie in Sulphur Springs, TX

I continued my ride and as the clock crept close to the 24 hour deadline I stopped at a gas station to get a receipt. At that point, according to my calculations, I had ridden the required 1,500 miles within the allowed time. It turned out to not be the case. I missed it by a few miles. I called Kate again and she was heading to the hotel. She had made it for the Bun Burner Gold! So proud of her!!! Go Bunny Mama!!!

After my stop and a quick snack break I continued the ride towards Dallas. Traffic had increased quite a bit. It was windy - surprise, surprise. I was thinking of a bed. My body was ready to lay flat for a little while...
The last miles were the hardest, only because now I wanted to be done with the ride. Suddenly I noticed that I had lost the bolt and washer from the other side of the handle bars. Grrr!!! Found a gas station close to the hotel and got a receipt for my ending time so I would qualify for a regular Bun Burner. Pulled in to the hotel parking lot and as I got off Blackie I let out a huge sigh of relief. I had arrived to the Big-As-Texas party head quarters!

Half of the Bunny Hat Brigade

Found the room. Threw myself on the bed. Laughed and cried. Hugged Kate and then filled out the paperwork. Went and registered. Met a bunch of IBA folks. Everyone was very nice and encouraging. Got my paper work signed and my odometer was checked. I knew at this point that I had missed the Bun Burner Gold by a couple of  miles but that I had completed a Bun Burner. Showered and laid down. I am not much of a "napper" but there was no debating with my body - we slept for about 45 minutes. Then it was time to get ready for the party! Met up with Lynne Carey, one of the riders I have met on Facebook. I'm pretty sure that Kate and I were among the "younger" crowd and women were not exactly in over representation. Felt a bit proud to be there - having done the ride in to the party, completed the memorial ride, dealt with some "issues" along the ride and for not giving up. Kate and I wore our Bunny Hats to represent the Bunny Hat Brigade. Go Bunnies!

Getting my certificate!

The grand poomba of IBA - Michael Kneebone was presenting all riders with their certificates. Kate got her Bun Burner Gold. I got my Bun Burner. Proud as can be! There is no shame in having done 1,566 miles in 25 1/2 hours. I was proud of my Blackie. It is not all that easy for a "Thumper" (single cylinder) to blast down the road for hours and hours at end... She is a tough cookie! And I'm not too bad myself.

Had a nice dinner with all the IBA folks and managed to stay up until about 8.30 pm before my body was yelling at me to go to bed. Slept like a dead person and woke up feeling a bit groggy. Room service breakfast while planning for the ride home. Based on the temperatures and the cold front lingering we decided to take the southern route. Before heading out we went to spread some of Ardys ashes in Lake Caroline. Ride On Ardys Ride On! Had to fix the other hand guard since the bolt was missing. Thankfully zip ties did the trick! I will never under estimate the power of zip ties and Duct tape again.

Spreading Ardys ashes

Our ride home took us back through Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and even a detour through Washington DC which was not planned. The foliage was still visible in both Maryland and DC. Don't worry, we didn't do the ride back in one swoop. This time around we spent two nights in hotels. The wind did not let off the entire trip! Blackie ran rough for a while through Texas but we think it was mostly due to some bad fuel. After the second fill up she was running like a charm again. Kate's Gerbing (heated liner) stopped working somewhere in North Carolina which made it for a chilly ride once the sun went down and with the the darn wind. Oh, and the State of Maryland are crooks! They charge an $8 toll on a stretch of road that I don't think was more than 50 miles!!! Living in a state that does not have road tolls I always cringe when I have to pay them. I figured that I paid over $50 in tolls on this trip and they were all in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and DC. Oh yeah, there was a minor toll charge to drive in the express lane in Atlanta. It was worth it!

When we stopped at a rest area in New Jersey to part ways and say good bye for this trip I got some sad news. My sweet dog Milky had passed away earlier in the day. But that is for a different story. I made it home safe and without any other issues. I was so glad to pull in to the garage and the warmth of my home. And things can be replaced but lives can not. That is why I enjoy each day and thank my lucky stars to be alive.

I like to thank all the people who cheered me on during this ride, the tech and pit crew of Anthony Mills, my co-pilot and bunny mama Kate Johnston, TT my guardian angel,  the two people who inspired me to do this ride - Ardys Kellerman and John Ryan, and my sponsors - me, myself and I. This was a trip of zip ties, duct tape and a ride to remember!!!

TT says "we earned it the hard way"