Sport Touring In Northern California, Iron Butt Ride, Bun Burner Gold

I purchased my 2000 Honda ST1100 to commute on the weekdays and for touring on the weekends. As I began to learn my way
around the road riding / touring community I learned about certified long distance rides referred to as "Iron Butt" rides. Having
experience as an off-road endurance competitor this drew my interest. Hearing about and talking to other riders that had done these
rides helped me decide that I had to try this.

In the process of making a decision on what type of ride to attempt, I realized that I did not want to attempt one of the easier rides
because my thinking was that if I was going to do this, I was going to make the trip worth the effort. I was told that the Bun Burner
Gold 1,500 miles in less than 24 hours is one of the most difficult rides and immediately decided that it was the ride I wanted to
attempt. This ride would also allow me to certify the Bun Burner 1,500 miles in 36 hours if I decided at some point that I wanted to
pull the plug and get some rest.

Now the fun part, planning. Because it's hard for me to get away from family and my responsibilities at home for extended periods,
I planned this attempt as a "there and back" version of the Bun Burner Gold. I decided that the western desert would be the best
place to attempt this and because my sister lives in Truckee California I planned to start from there. By starting from Truckee I
could be in the desert very close to my starting point and take advantage of the wide open highways. I contacted an IBA certified
witness in Truckee and he agreed to be the witness for the start and the finish of my attempt.

My research on the Internet and my work with Microsoft Streets & Trips had me starting from Truckee and riding to Wamsutter
Wyoming before returning to Truckee. This was a little over 1,600 miles but I couldn't see anywhere closer with enough distance to
qualify other than Wamsutter. Now that I've got my route planned it's time to prepare myself and my STeed for the ride.

The ST1100 is a bike designed for extended highway use with a little helping of "sport" thrown in just to keep things interesting.
Being on top of the bike's maintenance left me with very little to do in the way of preparing the bike. I had new tires installed in
March, the oil was fresh and the Honda recommended 16,000-mile service had just been performed. The rest of my preparation
was mental. There were quite a few thoughts that went through my head leading up to the "day".

The main thought that kept recurring was, WHY? I am still not sure if I can answer this question to your satisfaction. The best I
can do is, "because it was an unknown and I wanted to find out what the attraction was". Summed up, CURIOSITY. Throw in a
good measure of my desire to face a challenge and this set me on the road to attempt a ride of over 1,500 miles in less than 24 hours.

It's time to go....................

Friday, April 23, 2004 I left work at my job in Pacheco California around 9:30 AM, picked up a tire repair kit on the way home to
Fairfield and finished my preparation before leaving for Truckee. Friday afternoon I arrived in Truckee around 2 PM and went to
visit my sister and have lunch at the deli she and my brother-in-law have there in town. Pete Bansen, who was to be my IBA
certified witness stopped by around 4 PM. We visited for a while and planned to meet at his house in the Glenshire area around
3:30 AM on Saturday, April 24. Because he lives about a mile from my sister's house, we planned that I would meet him at his
house to fill out the paperwork for the start and I would ride into Truckee for a fuel receipt before taking off to Wyoming.

Because I did not want to be riding around the area at 3 AM trying to figure out where I was supposed to be, my brother-in-law
showed me the streets to Pete Bansen's house in his car so I would be familiar with the area. Things look different in the dark and I
could just picture myself riding around the Glenshire area lost at 3 AM. So the ride with John and picking out landmarks was worth
the effort.

Now it was time to try to get some sleep. Quite a few thoughts are going through my head right now. I have heard about how tough
this ride is and I am still wondering, WHY? After finally getting to sleep around 9 PM, I awoke about 1:30 AM and felt ready to go.
But I wasn't scheduled to meet Pete until 3:30. I did doze off for a few minutes, then my alarm went off at 2:40.

Time to brave the 20-something temperature outside and meet Pete for the start. Mr. Bansen was true to his word and was coming
out of his house as I pulled up at 3:30 AM. After filling out the paperwork, a handshake and a good luck from Pete, I rode into
Truckee for fuel and a time-date stamped receipt and away we go...............

This time of day I'm feeling very tired and still wondering what the hell I am doing here. Riding in the dark through the Sierra
Nevada Mountains I'm careful with my speed because of all the critters that live there. I know any time I sacrifice here will be made
up in the desert east of Reno.

After I clear the towns of the Reno area it is still dark. I am still wary of putting on too much speed. My Phillips Vision Plus are
good to about 80 MPH on low beam so I keep my speed down and patiently wait for sunrise. The first hint of light comes around 5
AM and I am closing in on my first scheduled stop in Winnemucca Nevada. As the daylight arrives all sense of being tired leaves
and I am really starting to let the STeed stretch its legs. Fuel and a quick stop in Winnemucca and back in the saddle. My time is
still okay even with the reduced speed around Reno and the road construction zones I have passed through.

In between Winnemucca and Wells Nevada I am trusting my Escort Solo II to warn me of pending "certificates of achievement" and
letting the STeed eat the miles. What a rush! The desert is a fascinatingly beautiful place at times and this morning does not
disappoint me. The clear night with every star ever created shining in the sky had given way to a fantastic view of snow-dusted
mountains and the harsh terrain that is the desert.

My stop in Wells is brief as I set my sights on Salt Lake City Utah. My time is looking good now that the STeed has been fed close
to 400 miles and everything is coming together.

About 30 miles east of Wells Nevada the only two trees growing in the state are hiding a radar unit between the freeways. He is
probably still wondering why his radar went from a very delicious reading on his intended victim to a legal 75 MPH. Thanks to my
Escort and Helmet Alert Radar Display my driving record remains spotless.

About the 61-mile marker in Utah there are four vehicles pulled to the shoulder of the highway and a motorcycle is down by the side
of the road. I cannot just ride by without knowing that everything has been done to help this rider. So I turned around on the
deserted highway and rolled back to check. I saw that everything was stable and asked if help was on the way. I learned that
emergency response was en route so I turned the STeed east once more and rode on. As I rode I kept thinking about the downed
rider. What went wrong in that deserted place to send him off the road?

As the Bonneville Salt Flats roll past I get a very special view of the snow covered desert mountains reflecting in the endless shallow
water that covers a lot of the "flats" this time of year. The Wasatch Mountains on the horizon are beautiful as well and I am
comfortable letting the bike do its work while I enjoy the morning.

In Salt Lake City I work my way through the local highway mess and finally find a place for fuel only a short distance off my route.
This causes a little anxiety because I had planned to use service stations with direct access to the Interstate and now I'm off my
route. What a relief it is when I am back on Hwy 80 heading in the correct direction.

As I am leaving Salt Lake City the terrain starts to change. Now the mountains are taking on a "mesa-type" appearance. I am
passed for the only time of the ride in the mountains east of Salt Lake City by a car that is running very fast through the high-speed
sweepers. Normally I would have been pushing a lot harder on sweet pavement like this, but I'm being cautious due to the traffic in
this area. I am also aware that after the run through the Salt Flats I am having to acclimate myself to sharing the road with traffic.
After riding for over 500 miles "at speed" with very few vehicles sharing the road, I have to adjust my attitude to the dangers of
riding in traffic.

One thing I notice in Utah is motorcyclists on the highway without helmets. What is someone thinking when they get on a
motorcycle and don't put a helmet on? "I'm different?" "It can't happen to me?" I don't agree that the government should mandate
helmet use, but what thinking person would get on a bike and ride in traffic without one? I guess because I've broken two helmets in
motorcycle accidents I appreciate that I am alive, TWICE, because I wear a helmet.

Riding into Wyoming the mesas and mountains make for some beautiful scenery. There are some ugly clouds in the distance and I
am trying not to think about what that could mean to me and my progress towards my goal of riding over 1,500 miles in less than 24
hours if those clouds and I were to experience a "oneness".

When I reach Rock Springs Wyoming the wind is blowing very hard and the clouds are threatening to complicate things. In the
distance I can see that it is raining and I am wondering if I will make it to my turn in Wamsutter without getting wet.

Leaving Rock Springs I now have about 68 miles to my turning point. As I am going down the highway I see a sign showing the
next service is 13 miles away. I'm thinking to myself that the turn in Wamsutter puts me at 1,608 miles. If I stop at this service that
is 13 miles away will I have enough miles to qualify my BBG attempt?

The service shown on the highway sign turns out to be Table Rock Wyoming. I pulled in to find two pumps mounted on a concrete
pad and a gravel parking lot. I did some quick math and discovered that I was about 780 miles towards my goal of 1,500. I walked
into the store and asked the lady inside if she had a calculator so I could recheck my math and if she would act as my witness that I
was in Table Rock at this date and time. She was happy to help and made a comment about me being on "one of THOSE rides".
I'm glad I didn't have to continue to Wamsutter because the clouds I had been watching were about to enjoy a "oneness" with me.

Awesome! I'm on my way back! I plan to use the same stops on the way back that I used on the way out, (except for the
misadventure in Salt Lake City), to eliminate any "thinking" and taking any chance of making a mistake. So I stop in Rock Springs
again for a quick gas station sandwich and a splash of fuel. Now I'm checking my time and beginning to realize that at this pace I'm
going to succeed.

As I am getting on the highway there is a BMW 1150 entering the highway from a different service station. After a thumbs up upon
seeing his Colorado plate and getting a thumbs up on my California plate I tried a few lame attempts at sign language. My attempt at
signifying "Iron Butt" by making an ironing motion and patting my butt probably still has this guy wondering what kind of freaks
California is sending out on the highways. After I decided that my attempts at sign language were probably making the wrong
impression I got back down to business.

He stayed with me through a squall of rain and hail that included winds that were trying to tear apart my upper cowling and shred my
windshield. Around Fort Bridger he must have realized that I was going to maintain this speed all the way to Salt Lake City and he
wanted to get away from this crazy, butt-patting Californian as soon as possible. It was somewhat nice sharing the road with another
motorcycle, but it was also good having the highway to myself again.

Back through Salt Lake City with no missed turns but I'm still wondering why the route through there has to be so screwed up.
Maybe they think that if they get enough people lost in town they'll stop and spend money?

Onto the Salt Flats again and the wind that was absent this morning is making its' presence known. While it's not as bad as what I
ran through in Wyoming, it's blowing hard enough to keep you interested. Rolling along into the lowering sun I am fully aware of
how great a job Mr. Honda did on this motorcycle. This bike loves to eat the miles and I'm impressed at how it has performed
today. There may be other motorcycles that eat the miles as well as the STeed, but I am convinced that there are none better at the
pure destruction of long distances.

Sunset greets me at my fuel stop in Wells Nevada and I take a few minutes to clean the visor of my helmet to reduce the glare and
make sure everything is tight for another run through the night.

As the sun goes down I am once again aware that there are critters out and about on the highway once it gets dark. Surprisingly I
feel the fatigue but I'm mentally alert. I'm watching the patterns of the roadside reflectors for "reflectors" that don't belong there and
will identify the eyes of an animal on or beside the road. I'm also watching for critters that may have committed suicide on the
highway and are inconsiderable enough to remain there after the deed is done. When I approach gullies or any terrain feature that
will restrict critters to a crossing, I'm using the horn as a warning to any contemplating suicide that I am not big enough to do the job
properly and they should wait for a bigger vehicle.

My headlights give me enough light to maintain a reasonable speed, but reduced from what I have been able to achieve throughout
the day. Now I have to keep reminding myself to keep it down and stay focused. After the early start and the long day I need to be
aware of my physical and mental state so I don't make a mistake. Out here at this time of night it will be a long time before anyone
knows I'm here so I can't afford to get too comfortable.

One thing I should have packed is eye drops. Even with the full-face helmet my eyes are so burned that it's hard to focus. The toll
of the last nineteen hours has tired my body, but my eyes are the only parts giving me trouble. So when you pack for endurance
riding, add eye drops to the list of things you want to have. Something so simple can make a big difference in being comfortable or
not.

I make my last stop in Winnemucca Nevada and take a mental inventory. Yes I'm a crazy bastard for doing this and yes I am fit
enough to finish the ride. A $6.95 bottle of eye drops makes the world a better place and I'm on my last leg through the night.

I finally meet the only critter in between Reno and Truckee. I have to laugh as the little mouse hurries across the road to safety on
the other side. I am almost done and can slow down and relax a little. I am also aware that the long day has dulled my senses so
extra caution is the rule.

I arrive in Truckee and make my last fuel purchase to obtain a time and date for documentation of the finish. As I'm leaving the
store after using the restroom, the cashier offers a greeting. I decide to share my accomplishment. I tell him that I left his gas station
at 3:30 AM the previous day and have been to Table Rock Wyoming and back. It's now 1:05 AM and I can see the wheels in his
head turning this over. He finally decides on "THAT'S CRAZY" as the appropriate response and we share a laugh as I head out the
door.

Over to see Mr. Bansen to document the finish of my ride and back to my sister's house for some much needed sleep. I negotiate
my bike into the garage and make enough noise so the dogs don't eat me when I come in the door then head for the mattress.

The one thought that comes back into my mind is, WHY? Why did I do this? Am I glad I did it? Yes. This was definitely an
adventure that any motorcyclist should experience at least once.

Will I do it again? No. Too much wasted scenery and lost opportunities for exploring places that are unique in that I may not be
there again or something that may be unique to the time of year I visited was missed.

Motorcycling has always been an adventure for me and this ride has definitely been: