Posted: 26 October 2005 at 10:11am | IP Logged

I apologize for posting this so late.....

Omaha  2005

Thank you Lisa.

Thank you to all IBA Staff & Volunteers.

You made this a great event, and for those that missed it….well, you missed IT.

In our alphabet, “N” comes before “O”.  In this case, the  “N” is for Niobrara.

“It’s bad enough you gotta go on these Iron Butt things, now you want to do this TeamStrange stuff too?”  Such was the conversation, I’m sure was heard in many an LDR household.  You don’t have to understand, just know that it is.

I had no idea what a National Meet would be like or if it truly was worth all the travel and expense for a one day event. (the answer is YES,  definitely YES) But I knew I had to go.  Hell, I was afraid not to go. I might miss something.  Besides, deep down I was hoping Mike would raffle off the ultimate door prize…a spot on the Line for the next IronButt Rally…..well he didn’t, but there is something about those nametags…..stay tuned.

When Lisa (The Great) first announced such an event, I thought….Cool.  Then when the good folks at TeamStrange proposed a pre-Omaha gathering…well now this is getting better all the time.  I had already entered the TeamStrange Anniversary World Grand Tour, so the trip to Omaha would allow many opportunities to collect city names, (see TeamStrange.com for full details). It’s not too late to enter.

The Omaha event was scheduled for May 14^th.  Living in New England, the weather in May can be dicey at best, but mostly rain, but it didn’t matter. I was looking forward to the ride.  You all can understand that, eh?  I had my reservations set. Not only for Omaha but for the TS gathering in Nebraska.

A “Night in Niobrara” was billed as “Just what is this obsession with Niobrara by TeamStrange…come and find out.  Along with the “International Motorcycle Light Competition.”  I just had to check this out.  With TeamStrange you just never know what to expect. But you always get more than you pay (or bargain) for.

I left  Kingston  at 04:30 on Wednesday the 11^th  and headed West.  Now I-90 is a very familiar road for me and I knew that new scenery would not arrive until Iowa.  I made what World Tour stops I could;  Duxbury, Massachusetts,  Hamburg, New York,  Rte 21 in Ohio, and was looking forward to bagging the Post Office in Riverside, Iowa (a TeamStrange favorite bonus site) Ask any Trekkie.  The weather was cool and cloudy but only spotty rain, so riding was bearable, but some sunshine would be nice.  It must have been colder than I thought because I did develop a bad case of “monkey paw” in my left hand.  It was so swollen and cramped, I couldn’t get my glove off.  I took some Advil, forced on dry gloves and continued on.   I arrived in Riverside early afternoon on the 12^th.  I found the P.O. and shot my photo.  Now on to Niobrara.  I didn’t want to miss the buffet at the Two Rivers Saloon.  Other than getting lost earlier, trying to avoid Chicago, the ride has been going well.  Through Des Moines, toward Council Bluffs then North on I-29.  Finally cross the Missouri at Sioux City and entered Nebraska…. Ah, won’t be long now, less than 100 miles to Niobrara.  Less than a tank away.  Wouldn’t you know it but just about then the clouds broke just a bit and the Sun shined down like a giant fat laser beam…I took it as a good sign.  Life is Good!!!!

What does all this have to do with Omaha?….nothing, it’s just part off the story.

Nebraska Rt 12 was a nice ride and I found my way to the Two Rivers Saloon.  Festivities where well under way, and the Bar-B-Q was delicious !!!! Thank you Two Rivers Saloon, you did a great job hosting another TS event.  The entire Friendly TeamStrange Staff deserves major kudos for another fun time.  These folks got it down.  I wish I had gotten there earlier in the day to take advantage of the full schedule of events.  As it was I was dead tired and by the time I found my way to the State Park campground and wrestled with my tent in the wind, I crawled inside and crashed.  I deeply regret missing the Light Competition.  I did have a chance to witness Arlene’s  presentation. This was excellent.  She told of her motorcycle travels through Europe and Africa, that she and her late husband Danny Liska did in the early sixties.  I was really impressed with her stories and photos.  I was particularly amazed at the series of slides she showed of the 1964 relocation of the Temples at Abu-Simbel. These consisted of the giant statues of Rameses II that were dismantled and moved to higher ground in order not to be flooded over by Lake Nasser, which was to be formed by the Aswan High Dam.  I remember when Life magazine devoted an entire issue to this massive engineering project.  Personal photos like that of such an historical event are very, very special. Arlene, you have a rare collection indeed.  We all enjoyed it very much. Thank you.

Friday morning found me inside a nearly collapsed tent. It’s was very windy.  Wish I had longer to enjoy the view.  Time to break camp and get organized. I wanted to take a quick ride across the river into South Dakota, just to say I did.  So I did.  I then returned to Niobrara for breakfast, then bagged my Post Office photo and finally wheeled on over to the Two Rivers Saloon.  A handful of Strangers (10 or so) where preparing to leave for our final destination….Omaha.  I fell in at the back and just followed the crowd, enjoying a very nice ride on some two lane that finally brought us to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, our host for the IronButt Association National Meet.  Thanks Brett, Eddie, Victor, Alex, Joe and the others for letting me tag along.  It was a nice ride for a good start to a great event. 

As soon as the engines were off, folks quickly mingled about with the 200 or so other riders already in the parking lot. It had been a great journey so far, now it was showtime.  I was glad to be there.   I entered the lobby and proceeded to check-in.  Everything was well organized with plenty of volunteers to help out.   I received my bag of goodies with an explanation of items.  All was going very smoothly.  Checked into my room, unpacked what little I had and declared it was “Fat Tire” time.  Strangers like Fat Tire Beer and for good reason.  We don’t have it in New England, so it was my first taste……damn good beer! “That’s all I got to say about that”.  I milled about and enjoyed swapping stories with new friends.  Being an H-D rider, I was clearly in the “Minority Motor Opinion”, but that’s what I like about the LD community, besides, no one cares.  Did I tell you, I was glad to be there.

At 7:30 pm it was banquet time.  The buffet was a gorgers delight, “hot, brown and plenty of it”.  Later, at the podium, Bob Higdon gave the opening remarks and introduced Lisa Landry, RallyMaster and event coordinator.  I have to interrupt here and acknowledge the fact that every time I hear Bob Higdon, I always start to laugh.  I remember the first Higdon Chronicle I read years ago, when Bob declared, “the loneliest road in America is NOT US 50 through Nevada, oh no my friends, it’s the road to Marion Barry’s drug counselor.”   I’m still laughing……

Lisa took the podium and thanked all of us for coming.  She gave a brief history of how this all came about.  She admitted that this event almost didn’t happen.  That’s hard to believe now with such a successful event in the “books”.  Lisa then walked us through the schedule of activities and hoped we all had a good time.  (We did!!)

Saturday morning brought the first of the many seminars.  First up was Admiral Don Arthur, M.D. and his presentation on  “Fatique and Motorcycle Touring”.  I remember Don Arthur from the 2002 Buckeye 1000, where he finish 1^st overall with twice the point score of the 2^nd place finisher.  That’s impressive.  I knew what ever he had to say about endurance riding and/or rallying, it would be valuable.  I paid attention.  I learned a lot.

Next was Dale Wilson, Chief Technical Inspector for the IBA.  He gave an entertaining and informative discussion on lighting systems for LD type riding.  He showed examples of different bulbs and compared their candlepower and beam patterns.  Dale had done a lot of research and when combined with his years of experience, this session alone was worth the price of admission, ( well, maybe when combined with Sergeant Steve’s “Microwave 101”) More on that one later.

Dale continued with another banner discussion on the proper care and feeding of auxiliary fuel cells.  Beware, if you build your own cell for use in the IBR….it better be clean, neat and strong.  Dale showed examples of construction and installations that would and would not fly for use in the IBR. If you are fortunate enough to have a spot on The Line, in Denver, in August, you needed this seminar.  Period.

It was now getting close to lunch time and I knew I was getting low on a few proteins.  When Tom Austin , Chief Tech Advisor for the IBA, began his session about technical care and feeding of your LD scooter, I could feel my brain misfiring.  When his discussion turn to the intricate topic of “Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) as a Function of Load and RPM”, let me tell you, I felt about as handy as a trap door in a canoe.  It got worse.  Tom put up a slide with some sort of engine performance/torque curve graph that baffled and befuddled everyone in the room and in the next county !!!!  What the hell is that (forgive me Lord). Looking at this graph was like dealing with one of those crazy locks that even if you know the combination, you still can’t open it.  Even after Tom explained what was going on, it was still hard to follow….is it time to eat yet?  To Tom’s credit, he did a good job at explaining the graph, I just didn’t do such a good job at understanding it….I’m going to lunch.

Lunch (or dinner if you prefer) was wonderful.  Another killer buffet, (These guys eat as good as TeamStrange).  With full table settings and cloth napkins… it was all pretty impressive.  There were comments overheard from hotel staff,…..”gee, these people aren’t weirdo motorsickle scuzzo’s….who are these guys?”  I love it.  Back to the program.

After our protein replenishment was complete, we awaited the start of the Women’s Forum.  Lead by moderator Karol Patzer who introduced four other well known IronButt Rally finishers; Suzy Q, Voni Glaves, Ardys Kellerman, and Phyllis Lang.  Each gave her testimony as to how she got involved in all this IBA nonsense.  Each told great anecdotal stories of there first entry in riding the IronButt Rally.  I enjoyed their tales of adventure and success.  Since I, myself, have yet to compete (let alone ride) the IBR, I didn’t pretend to be able to know how they felt….but I sure do appreciate their accomplishments.  For the most part, the women agreed that there’re really was not much of a disadvantage or advantage to being a women in the IBR. For anyone, it still comes down to You, your Machine, and a Boat load of miles….all at the same time.   Well done ladies.

No video taping.  No audio recording.  And NO donut jokes.  Such was the introduction of the next seminar. Highway Patrolman Sergeant Steve Hobart and “Microwave 101 – It’s not just for cooking anymore”.  Oh, this ought to be good !!!  Steve gave an excellent presentation  on the How, Why, Where and When, of law enforcement’s traffic radar.  Since no recordings of this discussion are available, if you weren’t there you really missed it.  Steve gave a rare insight into just what Police look for and how they execute the  “performance awards” we have all been subjected to.  Armed with charts, graphs, and photos, Steve showed a lot (but I’m sure not all) of the tricks and miracles LEO’s use in detecting, tracking and stopping  “velocity enhanced vehicles.”  It was all very valuable and worth more than the price of admission.  Thank you to all involved and to you Steve for doing this.  (not that I would ever have to worry about trying to avoiding a speeding ticket, but it was just good info to know.) Thanks again.

The days schedule ended with a special session featuring past IronButt Rally Winners.  Since I was unable to attend and deeply regret missing this forum, I will rely on others for comments about this discussion.  I’m sure it was excellent.  I’m sorry I missed it. (but it is on DVD….ah, life is good!)

It had been a great day with lots of info to digest and process for future use.  The whole event was a complete success.  I was very glad to have attended.  Thank you all very, very much.

The Final Banquet brought us another fantastically fabulous feed.  I like all this Ride to Eat stuff.  Bob (US 50 indeed…) Higdon again introduced Lisa to the gathering.  She thanked all of us for attending and hoped we enjoyed this first of its kind, National Meet, (and we did).  Many door prizes were given away.  Lots of cool stuff.  I was not fortunate to have won anything, but I was happy for those that did. Following the giveaways, Lisa then introduced the IBA staff people at the head table, followed by a question and answer period with IBA President Mike Kneebone.  Mike presented a brief history of the IBA and the Rally and expressed his greatest concerns about the explosive growth and popularity of the IronButt Rally.  What would the future hold?  Is the Rally even now too large to manage?  Many people asked the same question. Are there plans to revise or change the selection process for future entrants in the IronButt Rally?  Mike couldn’t say.  He keeps it as fair as he can.  With literally thousands of applicants vying for only 100 spots, it’s got to be a selection nightmare.  However, there was a little teaser that Mike tossed in, even repeated several times….”concerning those nametags….Don’t lose them,….DON’T LOSE THEM.”  And with that he said goodnight.

Sunday morning, time to pack it up.  It had been a great weekend. Meet some really nice folks.  Talked a lot of motorcycle stuff.  Listened and learned many new things.  Overall it was an excellent job by everyone.  I don’t think anyone experienced even the slightest bit of disappointment about anything.  Thank you Lisa, and all those involved.

It was a good show, now it’s time to go.  I decided to ride home a different route so I could cover more ground. Besides, I did have a few World Tour stops to make.  South from Omaha, I made a quick stop in Tarkio, Missouri, then toward St. Joseph.  I crossed into Kansas to bag the Atchison city limit, then continued South through Leavenworth and onto I-70 East.  Next stop, St. Louis and the Arch.  The weather was just perfect and traffic, well, not too bad.  Cruised on into the booming metropolis of  Springerton, Illinois for a P.O. photo then onto Indiana.  I finally find the Santa Claus, Indiana post office and do my best to get the photo in the dark.  Got it.  I make it to the East side of Louisville Kentucky and called it a day.  The ride had been flawless, it was really rewarding.  It was fun like a rally but with no time pressure.  All riding should be like this….!!!!!!

Monday morning finds lots of sunshine.  Good sign.  I-64 to Lexington was a nice ride.  Kentucky is pretty country.  Nice roads.  Next stop; Ashland, Kentucky and another P.O. photo.  Weather is still perfect as I make my way into West Virginia.  I stop for gas in Big Chimney.  This gas station looked familiar….had I been there before?…..weird.  Anyway, with a name like “Big Chimney” it’s begging to be a bonus location for someone’s rally. The Post Office in Elkview, West Virginia was easy to find and made for a good photo.  One thing I’ve noticed while on this TS tour;  99% of U.S. Post Offices are made of brick, regular red brick. Interesting.  On into Maryland for the letter “A”.  This would be provided by the lovely little hamlet of Accident, Maryland.  Got the photo, on my way.  Finally I cross the Mason Dixon Line and call it a day in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  Red Roof Inn to the rescue.  Clean room, short money, exterior doors, park outside your room.  Good deal.

Tuesday morning and still lots of sunshine, (much nicer than the trip out).  I was hoping the weather would hold, (it did). I crossed the Hudson and slam into Connecticut’s only pitfall, TRAFFIC !!!!!  I-84 is always jammed.  Time to hit the secondary roads.  Route 6 is a little better, at least it’s moving.  Squiggle my way through rural Connecticut and into Rhode Island. Back into Massachusetts and suddenly I’m home.  Great ride, and a better weekend than I could have imagined.

Thanks again to all involved.  Lisa & Company, you did a fabulous thing.  Thanks !!!   Special thanks go to the friendly folks at TeamStrange.  If you don’t know about TS,  you should.

To top this whole thing off; my granddaughter was there to greet me when I arrived home. She’s 2, and absolutely adorable.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.  Those of you who are grandparents will understand.

Good luck and safe travels to all in the IBR.  Here’s to you all having a great Rally….and then some.

See you Buxton.

Now what did I do with that name tag…….

Mark W. Collins

TS #524

IBA #5846

P.S.  Due to mechanical problems with my bike, I was unable to complete the TS World Tour on time. I deeply regret that, I had a great ride, it was alot of FUN.....

Congrats to all World Tour Finishers and a Special Congrats to all you IBR finishers.  Iron Horse Heroes....all !!!!!!

Posted: 28 October 2005 at 9:40am | IP Logged

Thanks Voni. I'm glad you enjoyed the report.

It has occured to me that I wrote the story back in June of this year and since that time we were all horrified of the severe accident suffered by Don Arthur on his way to the IronButt Rally.

Tha last I read anywhere was that the Admiral was in the hospital in DC.  Does anyone know how he is doing?.....better yet, Don, if you read this, please let us know how you are.

Signed,

A Former Naval Person     (USN '71 - '75)