Ray's Iron Butt Ride #17
Bun Burner #8 (Gold)
1,515 miles, 23 hrs 38 min
Nov 14-15, 2024
Bun Burner Gold = 1,500 miles in 24 hours
"Ray, as I have said before, you are an inspiration to all of us!" -Michael Kneebone, President and Founder: Iron Butt Association - "World's Toughest Motorcycle Riders"
I'm back home, after a fantastic ride. 1,515 miles in 23 hrs, 38 mins.
My planned route:
If the map doesn't work, try reloading the page
Google Map 1,511 miles
Actual ride, as recorded by the GPS. Log reads 1,515 miles.
Iron Butt Motto: "World's Toughest Riders"
"Ridiculously Tough." Jenny says. "I don't know anyone else who would try something like that."
My objective for this seventeenth Iron Butt ride was another Bun Burner Gold (1,500 miles in 24 hours). That's a long ways to cover in a day, so traveling at high-speed was necessary. But I didn't ride above the speed limit (very much) as I didn't want any tickets. So I designed this route to follow high-speed freeways as much as possible. And that is what led me to a simple Out and Back, rather than a loop which I usually have done.
Also, my planned route was intended to avoid the freezing temperatures along I-40 and Flagstaff, and any ice along the highway in the black of night. So for the warmest ride, I stayed south.
The temperatures along my route looked best on Thursday the 14th, so that was my target start date. In retrospect, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The skies were clear, the wind was still, and the day was cool. Still, the night was really frigid along the I-8 and I-10.
I mounted a set of highway pegs to the bike, and they helped extend the riding comfort on those long hauls.
Also, The nice folks at Viking Bags sent me a tank bag and I'm trying it out. It's the Viking Apex 7 liter (427 cubic inches) with a 2L detachable hydration pack. The bag shows excellent quality and its nicely designed. The price is modest and I appreciate the lack of a bold logo.
Note that I'm 80 years of age and by all rights should be relaxing in a comfy recliner chair watching TV, rather than riding a powerful motorcycle on some of the toughest rides ever. (I don't even have a recliner or TV.) So what's my secret? I don't have any :) I just keep on doing these challenges, year by year, as a way to make life more interesting and to push my limits. Relaxing in an easy chair and watching TV is not fulfilling. Comfortable and entertaining, perhaps. But riding an Iron Butt Gold is definitely fulfilling and the stuff of memories. This ride was, truly, an accomplishment, which I'll remember for the rest of my life.
The Iron Butt Motto is "World's Toughest Riders." I'm not tough, by any stretch of the imagination! But what the IBA means by "tough" is - not walking into a Saturday's nights bar filled with outlaw hells Angel bikers and laying them to waste; but rather it means: highly skilled and displaying almost other-worldly stamina and endurance. I don't have that quite yet, but I'm working on it.
I spent several days planning the ride, for the best route - minimizing the slow going parts. During the ride, I tried to minimize the time wasters. And the night before the ride, I tried to get as much sleep as possible. I have trouble getting to sleep the night before each Iron Butt ride. I can't seem to shut off the mind. I had to postpone one ride earlier this year because I couldn't get to sleep the night before, and laid there all night wide awake. Another time, I took a sleeping pill, but it had no effect. For this ride, I tried a new method that seemed to have worked. Two days before, I cut off all foods and drinks containing caffeine. I don't normally drink caffeinated coffee, only during an Iron butt Ride to help keep me alert. I very rarely drink sodas. But two days before this ride, I cut-off the hot chocolate and the chocolate milk. The night before, my body was caffeine free, and I slept the whole night through - for the first Iron Butt ride ever.
One of the keys of riding all night is to drink lots of water. Tons of it, it seems. This calls for a drinking tube, so I can drink while blazing down the highways. It also calls for frequent pee stops. For this, I used to stop at various out-back pull outs that offered privacy. But I came to realize that these stops were time wasters. So now I use the restrooms at the gas stops. A "shy bladder" (Paruresis) is common with some people but I solved the problem with ear plugs, which I normally wear anyway when riding. Visiting a rest room, I don't touch the door nobs but grasp them with a paper towel or just the sleeve of my jacket. And I always wash my hands afterwards, mainly because I've handled the gas pump spigot - which in most cases is probably covered in germs.
I was blazing down the highway west of Dateland, headed for Yuma, when I needed more coffee to help keep me alert. The bike is not set-up with a coffee drinking tube. I have a blue Thermos filled with coffee and mounted to the bike within reach, but I can't open my visor when riding at 75 mph to drink from it. Nor can I slow down because the following traffic would be on my tail in short order. So I had to stop at a rest area. There was a fellow motorcycle rider parked there, and he looked about ready to depart. I waved, but didn't stop near him because I didn't have time for conversation. So I parked at the end of the lot, took a few sips out of the thermos, then roared back onto the highway. The fellow followed close behind, and we became a team for the next 70 miles. It was almost like we had known each other for years - two riders with the same mind-set riding together.
Reaching my exit to get gas at Yuma, I activated the turn signal - early, hoping he would turn-off also. We had a lot to talk about. But instead he signaled that he would keep going.
I'll remember that rider for many years, and in retrospect wished we had talked. Most likely he is wishing much the same.
After getting gas at Yuma, the furthest west on my route, I pulled back on the freeway, but this time heading east, rather than west. The irony suddenly struck me and I laughed out loud (inside the helmet). I rode all day, 12 hours, getting to Yuma. The mind and soul thought I was going somewhere. But no - now I am turning around and going back. What?! It was pretty funny! And a strange feeling.
During the planning stages, I didn't expect the traffic to be so bad on the I-10 starting at Las Cruces in New Mexico - both commercial truckage and private cars and pickups. It was intense. And I overlooked the likelihood of traffic jams during rush-hour getting through Tucson - where I encountered bumper to bumper, stop and go bedlam that went on for miles. Comparing my GPS log data from Willcox to Eloy, AZ and the same on Google Maps, I lost a total of 17 minutes. At the time it seemed like I lost an hour or more; and the thought occurred to me to quit and return home via the shortest route. But no, I'm going to finish what I started, and accept a BunBuner Silver (1,500 miles in 30 hours) rather than a BunBuner Gold (1,500 miles in 24 hours). For after all, I still wanted to ride a BunBurner to Yuma and back along the I-8. And just in case my finish time qualified for a Gold, I determined to continue and to devote my full concentration to the ride. And it wasn't until I reached Socorro in the early morning, that I realized I had more than enough time to complete the Gold. So never give up hope.
Start Time: 8:59 am
An Iron Butt ride begins at the first gas station, with a Dated Business Receipt (DBR) showing the date, time and location. The rider photographs the DBR against the bike's odometer, as an indication of the running mileage.
My itinerary called for a gas stop in Willcox; however, the bike didn't need gas yet, and I didn't need to get off, yet, to stretch my legs. So I continued on to Lordsburg. The pumps were not working at the Flying J, my usual gas stop in the area; so I relocated to the Pilot Travel Center where they were working just fine.
Finish time: 8:21 am
Start Time: 8:59 am - Finish time: 8:21 am = 23 hours 38 min
Planed Itinerary
Arrive Quemado 9:00 am MST, 46 deg
Quemado to Socorro 105 mi, 1 hr 44 min
Arrive Socorro 10:55 am MST, 51 deg
Socorro to Las Cruces 148 mi, 2 hr 2 min
Arrive Las Cruces 1:20 pm MST, 69 deg
Las Cruces to Willcox 196 mi, 2 hr 50 min
Arrive Willcox 4:20 pm AST, 70 deg
Willcox to Eloy 141 mi, 1 hr 58 min
Arrive Eloy 6:31 pm AST, 72 deg
Eloy to Yuma 165 mi, 2 hr 15 min
Arrive Yuma 8:58 pm AST, 68 deg
Yuma to Eloy 165 mi, 2 hr 15 min
Arrive Eloy 11:25 pm AST, 60 deg
Eloy to Willcox 141 mi, 1 hr 58 min
Arrive Willcox 1:36 am AST, 50 deg
Willcox to Las Cruces 196 mi, 2 hr 50 min
Arrive Las Cruces 4:36 am MST, 46 deg
Las Cruces to Socorro 148 mi, 2 hr 6 min
Arrive Socorro 7:01 am MST, 40 deg
Las Cruces to Socorro 148 mi, 2 hr 2 min
Arrive Quemado 8:56 am MST, 49 deg
Socorro to Quemado 105 mi, 1 hr 44 min
That's about it for now; until the next one . . .