Posted: 23 June 2007 at 9:21am | IP Logged

I often don’t sleep well, and Thursday was no surprise. I just wasn’t sleepy. I forced myself to go to bed about midnight. After tossing and turning for a while I did manage to go to sleep. It didn’t last, though. I woke up at 2:00am, 4:00am, and finally 6:00am. I had made plans to meet my starting witness between 7:00 and 7:30, and I had done everything I could think of to get ready Thursday night, so I had plenty of time to get up, put on my clothes, eat a bite of breakfast, and watch the weather. Happy day! The weather man said no rain for the entire route. I would be heading north out of Tampa on I-75 to I-10 where I would turn west and ride to Pascagoula, Mississippi, where I would turn around and head home. A total ride of about 1100 miles. All interstate. It should be a piece of cake.

So, about 7:00 I jumped on the bike and headed out. I noticed the weather seemed a bit dark, but hey, the weatherman said no rain. I rode to my buddy’s house and while he was signing my witness form he looked around and said it looked like a good day to get out of Florida. But the weatherman said it wasn’t going to rain, I said. I get my gas, stow the receipt, and head north. Official start time 7:25am. Then, just an hour out of Tampa I notice a bit of moisture on my windshield. Then I see a bit of rain, just mist really. Maybe I should put my rain suit on. But where? No overpass in site. The shoulder looked a bit dangerous to me. Ok, I’m starting to get wet here. Not to worry, a mile up the road is an exit, so I pull off and put the suit one. I really wasn’t wet except for my knees down. Since I was stopped anyway, I went ahead and gassed up. While I was putting the suit on, the rain picked up. But five miles down the road the rain stopped. And it started to warm up. No way I was stopping again to take the suit off, though. I made it to I-10 and headed west. I decided to stop in Madison, Florida to gas up and take the suit off. From there, things went pretty smooth. I noticed some things I didn’t expect though. For one, I am usually the slowest guy at all gas stops. I just like taking my time. I also like to stop pretty often. But not on this trip. I find myself very focused. No time to eat. I even find myself saying I’ll use the bathroom at the next stop. The only problem is that I have to stop too often. The range of my Dyna is fine for my normal riding, but not the best for a Saddle Sore. Still, with the short stops and clear traffic I am making good time. Things slow down a bit in Pensacola, with construction and lower speed limits. Not too bad though, and I roll into Mobil, Alabama, about 3:30. Seven hours out of Tampa. According to my odometer, Mobile is already over 500 miles, but I am going to Mississippi.

In Mobile, I-10 goes through a tunnel. It was easy sailing heading west, but I look over on the eastbound lane and the traffic was backed up forever. Boy am I glad I’m not going that way. Oh yeah, I will be soon. I don’t see a wreck, but I figure it must be in the tunnel. Not good. On top of that the day has gotten really hot. Not drinking water is starting to take its toll as well. So, I decide that when I make it to Pascagoula I will stop for an early dinner and try to rehydrate a bit. I lost a good bit of time, however, as I had to stop just before Pascagoula for gas, then in Pascagoula for a turn around receipt, and then for some food. But then, I hit Mobile going east and the traffic was still backed up. Nothing to do, but tough it out. I never did see an accident or even the sign of one. I think there is just heavy congestion there. Keep that in mind if you are ever traveling east on I-10 through Mobile. And I am starting to pay the price physically as well. I am just trying to make it until the sun goes down and things start to cool off. I noticed the stops began to get a bit longer as well. Every stop I need water. Still, the traffic once I got east of Pensacola opened up and I had no trouble on the road. At about 950 miles I began to get really tired. Those last 150 miles were the hardest. I wouldn’t say I was sleepy, mainly just tired. To make matters worse, my left foot starting slipping off the footpeg. I couldn’t figure out what was going on, but in the end I found out I had stepped in some type of green goo that made the bottom of my boot very slippery. I spent the last couple of hours having to really focus to keep my foot on the peg. The final problem worth mentioning is that I had trouble with my credit and debit cards. Even though I was well under my limit on the credit card and had plenty of money in my bank account for the debit card, the cards started not being accepted. That really slowed my stops down as well. I guess it was some fraud or theft protection cutting in, but it was a real aggravation. Anyway, I made it back about 1:40 am Saturday morning. 1100 miles. Just over 18 hours. I made my goal of averaging 60 mph. I’m glad it’s done. I can’t imagine getting back on the bike today for another 1000 miles. You guys who do that amaze me.

Dan

Posted: 23 June 2007 at 10:55am | IP Logged

Excellent ride and report, Dan!

Even though you may not want to get back on the bike today, my guess is in the couple of days you will start thinking about your next one. And of course that one will have to be just a little bit tougher than the one you just did...and that's how we get hooked.

Congratulations and welcome aboard!

Posted: 23 June 2007 at 11:18am | IP Logged

Sachi,

Thanks for the tips.  I think I'll try a small cooler with a few bottles of gatorade or the like that I can get to quickly for a fast few swallows at each stop next time.  And I will try calling the bank next time. 

Mike,

Thanks for the kind words.  I am sure I will try another ride at some point.  I learned from this one and next time I can do some things better.  I am pretty sore right now though.

Dan

Posted: 23 June 2007 at 11:27am | IP Logged

Oh, there is one more thing I wanted to mention.  It was hot and I sweat alot.  In the past this has caused some discomfort in the seat region, the dreaded monky butt.  I really wanted to avoid that on this ride.  So, I employed three strategies.  First, I bought a bead seat cover from www.beadriders.com.  Second, I bought some baby powder like stuff called Anti-Monkey Butt or something like that.  Third, I bought a pair of Under Armour like shorts that are supposed to wick moisture away from the skin.  I bought mine from Wal-Mart for $10 instead of the $30 or so Under Armour gets for theirs.  Since I used all three of these I can't tell you if it was one of them or the combination that helped.  What I can say, is while I got tired of sitting in one position and I did sweat some, I didn't have any discomfort from the seat.  I can recommend these things whole heartedly.

Dan

Posted: 24 June 2007 at 10:14am | IP Logged

Hey Dyna.....congratulations, nice ride report enjoyed reading it.  A few things tha work for me, I use under armor as well, with a removable gel pad on the seat called air rider. On my last ride, after about the halfway point, I stowed it in my bag, and it gave me many more hours of riding comfort(?). I guess the pressure points change with it as compared to without it, and it just feels "better". I haven't tried the powder yet, but monkey butt hasn't been an issue yet. As far as hydration, maybe try a camelback. I think mine is a 70 oz., the night before my ride, I filled empty water bottles halfway, froze them, then after topping them off, stowed them in my bag. When my camelback was empty, at my next stop, I just refilled it, with no need to go in the store. I think if you drank more water, it may help you feel much better.

chopped58

Posted: 26 June 2007 at 12:41pm | IP Logged

Dan - -

Hopefully, you will receive more attention and a quicker response than I.  I completed a SS1000 on 9/08/2006 and have yet to receive my certificate.  Congrats on your ride.  Good luck with your certificate.

Kelly