Comshaw
VAGITARIAN
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2000
- Posts
- 12,013
The Iron Butt Rally: 11,000 in 11 days, on a motorcycle.
Ya know what? I found out I probably couldn't do it! How? By taking a 1271 mile ride last weekend. I did see one hell of a lot of very beautiful country though.
Thursday 7:30 AM, left home and headed East. The first two hours of my ride was on familiar territory; The Straits of Juan De Fuca on one side, the Olympic mountain on the other. While crossing the Hood Canal floating bridge I was struck by the absolute magnificence of my home.
I hit the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at about 9:00 AM. The traffic was light and I was through Tacoma, Auburn, across Hiway 18 and onto I-90 in short order. Snoqualmie Pass was fantastic as always. It cuts across the Cascade range at a meager 3500 feet elevation, sandwiched between much higher peaks. The reservoir at the summit that feeds Seattle's water system was 2/3rds empty; evidence of the drought conditions here this summer.
Down the Eastern flank of the mountains, the fir forest turn to pine, then sage brush and farm land as I pasted Ellensburg. Half an hour later I dropped into the Vantage cut, and started across the bridge over the mighty Columbia River. That day the river was calm and the wind light. The cross winds here can be vicious. Two years ago a tractor trailer was flipped over the rail into the river by a gust estimated at over 100 MPH.
As I climbed out of the cut I passed the entrance to the Gorge, the largest natural amphitheater in use. John Mellencamp was scheduled to play there that weekend.
I was cruising at 80 MPH when another bike pulled up beside me. It was an 1100 Honda CBR. The rider waved, shifted and accelerated. Less then a minute later he was over ths horizon and out of sight. I figured he was traveling at 160+ to pull away from me that fast. He either had balls the size of melons, or a brain the size of a pea.
I turned on to State Route 23 at Sprague. With no traffic as well as no cops, I made good time. The roads here are well maintained for the farmers. I kept the speedo between 80 and 90 MPH. After about half an hour I rounded a corner and had to brake to a stop. Two harvesters were being transported from one field to another down the road. One end of the harvester bar in the front of the machine hung over the ditch on the right side of the road, and the opposite end hung over the ditch on the left side. The two pickups coming the other way during the 10 minutes I followed them had to drive into the ditch to avoid the lumbering machines.
I finally got around them and half an hour later hit US 195.
An uneventful 45 minutes more and I was dropping down the grade to Lewiston; 7 and 1/2 hours, 407 miles, 100 degree temperatures, the first leg of my ride was over.
Friday 6:00 AM my friend (who had been waiting for me in Lewiston) and I fueled our bikes and head up Hiway 12 toward Lo Lo pass. We stopped for Breakfast and fuel in Lowell, the last place to get gas for the next 90 miles.
Hiway 12 follows the Lochsa river into the Clearwater mountains. There are no stores, houses or people other then National forest workers and fellow travelers and campers on the hiway. I could use numerous verbose words to describe it, but I won't even try. It has to be seen and experienced to be believed.
We hit the little town of Lolo Montana about 11:00 AM, filled the bikes with gas and proceeded on to Missoula. We shot through the town and stopped for lunch in St. Regis, a little town not far from the Idaho border. We hit the road and pulled into Moses Lake Washington at about 5:00 PM that afternoon, a 601 mile day. I opted to stay the night but my riding buddy was home sick and after taking a shower, rode on home that night, a total 864 mile day.
Saturday 7:30 AM, I pulled onto I-90 and headed home. 4 hours and 263 miles later I pulled into my garage.
Although I know I can't do the Iron Butt, I might try a mini: 1000 miles in 24 hours, or 1500 miles in 36 hours. What ever, I did see some fantastic country; The only way to see the country, astride a motorcycle! WhoooWaaa!
Comshaw
Ya know what? I found out I probably couldn't do it! How? By taking a 1271 mile ride last weekend. I did see one hell of a lot of very beautiful country though.
Thursday 7:30 AM, left home and headed East. The first two hours of my ride was on familiar territory; The Straits of Juan De Fuca on one side, the Olympic mountain on the other. While crossing the Hood Canal floating bridge I was struck by the absolute magnificence of my home.
I hit the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at about 9:00 AM. The traffic was light and I was through Tacoma, Auburn, across Hiway 18 and onto I-90 in short order. Snoqualmie Pass was fantastic as always. It cuts across the Cascade range at a meager 3500 feet elevation, sandwiched between much higher peaks. The reservoir at the summit that feeds Seattle's water system was 2/3rds empty; evidence of the drought conditions here this summer.
Down the Eastern flank of the mountains, the fir forest turn to pine, then sage brush and farm land as I pasted Ellensburg. Half an hour later I dropped into the Vantage cut, and started across the bridge over the mighty Columbia River. That day the river was calm and the wind light. The cross winds here can be vicious. Two years ago a tractor trailer was flipped over the rail into the river by a gust estimated at over 100 MPH.
As I climbed out of the cut I passed the entrance to the Gorge, the largest natural amphitheater in use. John Mellencamp was scheduled to play there that weekend.
I was cruising at 80 MPH when another bike pulled up beside me. It was an 1100 Honda CBR. The rider waved, shifted and accelerated. Less then a minute later he was over ths horizon and out of sight. I figured he was traveling at 160+ to pull away from me that fast. He either had balls the size of melons, or a brain the size of a pea.
I turned on to State Route 23 at Sprague. With no traffic as well as no cops, I made good time. The roads here are well maintained for the farmers. I kept the speedo between 80 and 90 MPH. After about half an hour I rounded a corner and had to brake to a stop. Two harvesters were being transported from one field to another down the road. One end of the harvester bar in the front of the machine hung over the ditch on the right side of the road, and the opposite end hung over the ditch on the left side. The two pickups coming the other way during the 10 minutes I followed them had to drive into the ditch to avoid the lumbering machines.
I finally got around them and half an hour later hit US 195.
An uneventful 45 minutes more and I was dropping down the grade to Lewiston; 7 and 1/2 hours, 407 miles, 100 degree temperatures, the first leg of my ride was over.
Friday 6:00 AM my friend (who had been waiting for me in Lewiston) and I fueled our bikes and head up Hiway 12 toward Lo Lo pass. We stopped for Breakfast and fuel in Lowell, the last place to get gas for the next 90 miles.
Hiway 12 follows the Lochsa river into the Clearwater mountains. There are no stores, houses or people other then National forest workers and fellow travelers and campers on the hiway. I could use numerous verbose words to describe it, but I won't even try. It has to be seen and experienced to be believed.
We hit the little town of Lolo Montana about 11:00 AM, filled the bikes with gas and proceeded on to Missoula. We shot through the town and stopped for lunch in St. Regis, a little town not far from the Idaho border. We hit the road and pulled into Moses Lake Washington at about 5:00 PM that afternoon, a 601 mile day. I opted to stay the night but my riding buddy was home sick and after taking a shower, rode on home that night, a total 864 mile day.
Saturday 7:30 AM, I pulled onto I-90 and headed home. 4 hours and 263 miles later I pulled into my garage.
Although I know I can't do the Iron Butt, I might try a mini: 1000 miles in 24 hours, or 1500 miles in 36 hours. What ever, I did see some fantastic country; The only way to see the country, astride a motorcycle! WhoooWaaa!
Comshaw
