Posted: 03 June 2006 at 8:13pm | IP Logged

Not sure if any body is interested or not buthere is a trip report on my recent 4 corners/50CC trip.

I started planning this trip about a year ago with 3 very specific goals in mind. I wanted to accomplish a ride know as a Bun Burner Gold which is 1500 miles in 24 hours, a ride known as a 50CC which is coast to coast across the United States in 50 hours. Both of these rides are from the Iron Butt Association, also known as the IBA.

I also wanted to visit the four extreme corners of the United states which are Blaine, Washington, San Yisdro, California, Key West, Florida, and Madawaska, Maine. This is referred to as the four corners tour and is put on by the Southern California Motorcycle Association also know as the SCMA. Once you have been to the first corner of your choosing you have 21 days in which to visit the other three. My plan was to be back home within 21 days and my riding partner Tony Christopher said he was up for the trip so it was decided we would leave at 4:00 am on May 7^{th, 2006 regardless of the weather.}

We live in Corvallis, Oregon so we had decided to ride to Blaine, Washington and come back home the same day for a total of over 700 miles. When we left it was still dark and not overly warm and shortly after it began to drizzle off and on and steady rain at times. On the way north we saw a large cow elk that had been hit and I hoped that we weren’t going to see any live ones in the road on this trip.

We arrived in Blaine and took the required pictures, gather the information we needed to send to the SCMA and dropped it all in the mailbox. As we started back the rain really began to pour down with standing water on the freeway and the cars were shooting rooster tails at us as they passed us. We stopped at a rest area north of Seattle to try and let the rain slow down a little. The only part of me that was wet were my feet and the only part on Tony that was dry were his feet. After about 30 minutes we got back on the road and the traffic through the Seattle are was fairly heavy which made things a little more nerve racking.

Crossing the bridges in Portland it began to rain so hard that there were small rivers running across the freeways. When the cars passed us the rooster tails were so bad that Tony described it as having a five gallon bucket of water thrown in your lap. We finally made it home at about 8:00pm and we were both tired and hungry.

Left the house at 6:45am heading for the Mexico border. It was dry and not a hint of rain in the sky which was a welcome sight. A little north of Sacramento the freeway was stopped due to a wreck but we moved through it without a lot of problems. Things went smooth all day until about 150 miles north of Los Angeles a tractor trailer had lost a load of five gallon buckets of white paint. It was already dark but it was very obvious that this was going to be a terrible mess to clean up. Traffic was backed up and took a little while to get through and once we were moving agin we decided to get a motel about five miles down the road and call it a day. We had covered about 767 miles for the day. We had both tried padded bicycle shorts for the last two days and now realized the padded ones were a mistake as we were both very sore where the seams for the pads were.

Left the hotel at around 7:30 and headed for San Yisdro which was to be our second corner. As we came up the grape vine the smog was unbelievable and hard to imagine living in that every day. By the time we got to Los Angeles the traffic had come to a stop multiple times just because of the amount of cars on the road. No one on the road seems to cut a motorcycle any slack and a safety cushion in front or behind is a thing of the past at this point.

We made it to San Yisdro and had to ride the bikes up on the sidewalk to get the pictures we needed for the SCMA. After getting the pictures developed and the paperwork mailed for the second corner we headed back north in search of our hotel. By 3:30 in the afternoon we were at the hotel, the bike was covered and I had called it a day. Tony went out to get a seam ripper to remove the pads from the bicycle shorts that had caused us so much pain and discomfort. We had only ridden about 320 miles for the day.

I had already made arrangements for two IBA witnesses to sign our paperwork in San Diego. Jamie and Leslie Edmonds came to the hotel to sign the IBA paperwork and were kind enough to ship a package home for Tony as we had lightened the load on his bike by 10 or 15 pounds. It was a real pleasure to meet these two.

The plan was to leave San Diego at midnight to begin the 50CC. We got in bed at about 3:00 pm but probably did more resting than sleeping. I probably got about 3 hours sleep and I think Tony got even less. We are back out of bed at 11:00 and uncovering the bikes to get ready to leave. Bt 12:10 we have fueled the bikes and are heading back to highway 8 to begin our journey east.

We have been running our electric gear since leaving San Diego and we cross the state line into Arizona in the dark. I’m wondering how much I have missed seeing in the last few hours but before the trip is over I will come to realized that there is a lot of things and places we missed along our journey. As the sun begins to rise I realize we are in the middle of a Saguaro cactus forest. These cacti outlined against a beautiful sunrise make for a perfect morning to be alive and on a motorcycle.

When we arrive at the New Mexico border there are border guards and a dog. It is obvious the dog doesn’t like me and has to be restrained by one of the guards. I am asked to explain the auxiliary fuel cell in the back seat and the purpose for it. I am then asked if I am an American citizen to which I replied yes and was then allowed to proceed. I thought this was all a little strange since I was pretty sure I was still in American and not some foreign country.

We began bucking a pretty good head wind which had a dramatic affect on the mileage Tony’s bike was getting. The wind had knocked his mileage down to 27 mpg and about 5 miles west of Lordsburg, New Mexico I heard the word gas on the CB and saw Tony pulling over in my mirror. I pulled over and walked back a little ways to learn he was out of fuel. We both knew that the Bun Burner Gold was now out of the question. I rode the 5 miles east to a gas station and asked if they had a gas can I could borrow to which they replied no and pointed me to the section of the convenience store that had quarts of oil. I bought 2 bottles of water for $5 and poured the water out so I could fill them with gas. I rode back west to the next exit where I turned around and stopped where Tony was at on the freeway. After pouring the gas in his bike it would not start and after multiple attempts I decided to go back for some more gas. As I was on my way back west I passed Tony going east, he had gotten the bike started. We talked on the CB and met up at a Love’s gas station where I topped off my bike and we got back on the road heading east.

The original plan was to be to Ozona, Texas before dark due to the large deer population. In my original figuring I forgot about the time zones, and that it would be dark earlier in the east than in the west so by the time we made it to Ozona it was dark and there were deer everywhere. Running with all 5 lights on and I can see lots of them standing on the sides of the highway.

We arrived in Junction, Texas at about 10:00 local time and decided it was time to get a little rest. We soon found out that there is not much in Junction, Texas so I went inside a country store and asked if they would mind if we slept on their picnic tables for a short time. They looked at me like I was nuts but said that would be OK with them. I woke up and was freezing so I got my jacket liner out of the bike and laid back down. The next time I woke up was again because I was freezing. We had been there for a total of about 3 hours. I walked over to the bench that Tony was sleeping on and he had one glove under his head for a pillow and was using the other one over his ear for warmth. I woke him up and we got back on the road. At least if we are riding we can plug in the electric gear and stay warm. Again the deer are everywhere and I find it impossible to relax.

We were not sure about the bypass around San Antonio so we decided to stay on I-10 since it was still in the wee hours of the morning. We almost missed an interchange in downtown but we made it through and at least we were still putting miles behind us.

By the time we got to Flatonia, Texas I am aware that if I don’t get a break and a cup of coffee it is probable I will end up wrecking this bike. We stop and wash our faces, fill the bikes , get a snack and some coffee. The sun is beginning to rise and we had covered around 1222 miles to this point. I feel a lot better when we get back on the bikes to continue this journey.

As luck would have it we hit Houston smack dab in the middle of commute traffic but they have HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes that motorcycles are allowed to use and we breeze right through Houston. The air is pretty thick with smog and there is a stink in the air that I assume must be form the oil refineries we see in the distance.

Louisiana has the worst roads I have ever ridden on in my life. It is like constant speed bumps an 60mph and after a while my back is killing me but we just keep going bump, bump, bump for mile after mile. We get to a point that the traffic has come to a stand still and since we are on the clock for the 50CC we decide to ride the emergency shoulder of the road to get around the stopped traffic.

As we pull into Mobile, Alabama we are in need of fuel but when we pull off we find that the stations are all boarded up so we double back and find a Standard station that is open. There are cars at all the pumps but nobody is pumping any gas and the cars are all unoccupied. I pulled up next to a car and started pumping but the pump shut down at $5. I then realize I have pumped someone else’s gas. He comes out and I ask if he has change for a $20 and he does not so I apologize and go inside to make things right and put $5 back on his pump. While inside someone vacates pump #6 so I give the clerk my credit card and head outside to move the bike but as I am pulling up to the pump there is a woman trying to force her way into the same pump. We exchange words and in no uncertain terms I let her know that pump #6 is mine and I am going to use it. When I went back inside to get my card and receipt I asked the clerk if the date and time was correct on the receipt. He said it was and then asked if we were doing a motorcycle rally across the United States. I replied yea something like that and he handed me my card and receipt and wished us good luck.

Just outside Mobile the traffic has come to a stand still again and so once again we take to the emergency shoulder of the road to save time. We also find there are 2 long stretches of steel grating to go over at a fairly slow speed which is a drag but we get through it and soon find

ourselves in Florida. It is still daylight but only for about another 3 hours or so. We have no idea how long the pan handle of Florida is or how far we have left to ride.

Stopped in Tallahassee for fuel and find out that Jacksonville is only about 165 miles and we still have about 8 hours to go before our 50 hours is up so we kick back and ride at about 60mph the rest of the way in. It really felt good to ease up.

When we get to Jacksonville we ride out to Jacksonville beach to a shell station to get our final receipt and stop the clock. According to the timer I had in the bike we made it coast to coast in 45 hours and 46 minutes. Another 1346 miles had passed but we had made it to the east coast. We had passed some hotels on the way so we doubled back to get us a room. We saw a Best Western but we were unable to navigate our way through the maze of streets to find the entrance. Tony asked a guy in a car for directions and he led us right to the hotel. It must have been somewhere around 2:00 am so we took a hot shower and crawled in bed.

I am not really sure what time it was when I came down stairs to the lobby but I was sitting there drinking a cup of coffee and someone asked if the guys with the bikes had come down yet. I said yea that I was one of them and asked if there was an issue. I was told that we could not park our bikes by the front door and that the fuel in Tony’s fuel cell had expanded and had leaked. The hotel had called the fire department and they had clamped off the line and put some absorbent on the ground but the bikes would need to be moved. I moved mine and then went and told Tony about needing to move his.

The chief of maintenance for the hotel came by and we apologize and began talking. We soon found out that he and I were in the Philippines at the same time and that he was a master at arms and had escorted me to both of my article 15 Captain’s Masts. Small world. We asked if he would mind witnessing our IBA forms and he said he would be glad to. Later in the day we went to Fire station #28 to get a firefighter to witness our forms as this is preferred by the IBA.

When I check the oil on the bike it was low so I thought I would add some. I guess the oil in the bottle had expanded some from the heat and I was probably squeezing harder than I thought but when I opened the bottle I spilt oil all over my clean pair of levis so it became time to wash some clothes. Didn’t do a lot for the rest of the day but get a meal in our stomachs and try to catch up on some much need rest.

Took off heading south for Key West the next morning around 6:30 and thought we would stop somewhere down the road for breakfast. We tried a couple of restaurants and they were packed and outside one of them we were told there was a 40 minute wait. It was then we realized that it was Mother’s day. We finally stopped at a small Waffle House and managed to get a seat at the counter after a short wait and had an excellent breakfast.

Had no idea how much the toll road would cost us but we had been advised to avoid Miami so we opted for the toll road and found out from Fort Pierce to just south of Miami it cost each one of us $10.70. Seems like every few miles your stopping and paying another $1.00 but if the people who live here pay it to avoid Miami we figure they must know something we don’t.

The ride out to Key West is a very slow one. It is about 120 miles from the main land to Key west and most of the speed limit is 45 mph. After what seems like a very long time we finally arrive in Key West and find these little yellow rental scooters running around the island like mosquitos and they are everywhere. It was about a 516 mile ride from Jacksonville.

We manage to make our way through town and head for the famous buoy that says you are at the southernmost point in the U.S. and only 90 miles from Cuba. When we get there we find they have placed cement barricades around it and our assumption is that they don’t want motorcycles driving on the pavement area around it. Tony and I discussed it and decided we didn’t come all this way for nothing so the plan was for me to ride down the sidewalk and Tony would take my picture next to the buoy and them I would park my bike while he rode his up the sidewalk to the buoy for his picture. We had to ask people on the sidewalk to excuse us as we went down the sidewalk but we managed to get our pictures and get out without any trouble.

Getting the paperwork for the SCMA was a real hassle as the map was incorrect and it stated they wanted four phone numbers instead of just one. By the time we finished it all and dropped the envelopes in the mailbox we were dead tired and began looking for our motel. We found our motel and quickly realized it was pricey. We ordered a pizza delivered to our room and never even walked down to the beach.

Not really sure what time we left the hotel as our days are starting to run together but I think it was some time around 8:30. We had a pretty good discussion about riding across the everglades as this was one of the things I wanted to do while we were back there. We finally came to the conclusion that the weather on the gulf side didn’t look all that good and it would be smarter and faster to go back up the east coast. Later that evening we found out just how good of a decision we had made. One hour after we left Miami they got hit with 60-70 mph winds, rain that flooded the city and two inch hail. Had we made the decision to ride across the everglades we would have been caught out in the open with that storm.

On our way up I-95 we began to see smoke from the fires and soon found that we were being detoured because they had shut down I-95 in the vicinity of the fires.

After arriving in Jacksonville and finishing dinner we went out to cover the bikes and the rain and lightening started just about the time we got them covered. According to the weather channel that night Jacksonville was under severe weather warnings. I also realized that I had lost my mud flap with my IBA plate somewhere between Key West and Jacksonville but I will get another one when I submit the paperwork for the 50CC quest. Covered about the same 516 miles going north that we had coming south.

Got up and got a fairly leisurely start heading north to Fayetteville, North Carolina which was about 400 miles. It was a great day to ride with no rain in sight and some beautiful country to ride in. We were going to stay there two nights so that we could change the oil on the bikes at my sister’s house the next day and take a little time to relax.

Myrtle beach bike week was going on and we had talked about stopping by but decided we didn’t have the time or energy to put up with the crowds. I am sorry to say that we saw far more trailer queens heading to bike week that we did actual riders.

We got into Fayetteville around 5:00 and got a motel which turned out not to be the nicest one we had ever stayed in but I think we were both too tired to really care. Within about an hour after hitting the room Tony was asleep on the bed and I was not far behind. The miles and lack of sleep day after day was beginning to take its toll on both of us.

Got to my sister’s house in Hope mills at around 10:00 and she had everything ready for the both of us to change the oil on the bikes. We got the oil changed and gave the bikes a pretty good looking over and both bikes seemed to be in pretty good shape. Spent the day relaxing and visiting and then that evening they took us to their dance club for a short time. We finally said our goodbyes around 9:30 and headed back to the hotel in Fayetteville about 15 or 20 miles away where we put in for a wake up call at 4:15.

Managed to be on the road by about 5:15 and had a great sunrise as we were riding north. We had decided earlier that we did not want to take I-95 up the east coast so a detoured at Fredericksburg, Virginia and worked our way over to I-81. We rode through some very nice Virginia countryside of green rolling hills which was so much nicer that the slab we had been running on for days.

We stopped in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for fuel and within minutes the skies opened up and dumped an inch or more of rain in a matter of minutes. Fortunately we were stopped but while waiting it out a guy rode in on a new triumph with a 2300cc motor and it looked to be quite the bike. We talked for about 20 minutes and told him where we were headed and the route we were thinking about taking. His suggestion was to take I-84 instead of the route we had been looking at and so after some discussion Tony and I decided we would try the new route the next day and as it was it turned out to be a good decision.

After leaving Harrisburg and about 45 miles up the road we caught up with the storm and it was almost impossible to see the road since it was already around 5:00 we decided to call it a day and got a room around Pottsville, Pennsylvania. We had ridden about 538 miles for the day

We wanted to get an early start to the day so we got up at 5:00 with the intent to be on the road by 6:00. The weather didn’t seem to be cooperating much as it was a very steady rain and by 8:30 it had slacked off enough we figured it was time to ride and get wet. The first 200 miles was a very steady rain and for the fist time in 2 ½ years my jacket was leaking all down the front and down both arms. I thought that maybe I didn’t get the vents closed correctly but later figured out that by wearing the heated liner directly against the outer shell I had compromised the waterproof membrane and my jacket was no longer waterproof.

After crossing the Hudson river in New York we saw the infamous SING SING prison up on the hill and it is a huge ominous facility that definitely looks like a place that I would want no part of. Since it is so close to the Hudson I now understand the term "being sent up the river".

As we got into Hartford, Connecticut the traffic and construction both increased and somewhere in the area I hit something in the road. I asked Tony if he had seen what I hit and he hadn’t and so we just kept going. When the traffic came to a stop because of the construction and I started to slow down I realized my rear brakes were gone. The pedal went all the way with no resistance at all. We managed to work our way to a rest area where we found brake fluid leaking from somewhere under the bike.

I got out the HOG book with a list of all the dealers in the U.S. and found that we had passed on 20 miles back. We made a call and were given directions on how to find them and we back tracked the 20 miles to the dealer. Since we were traveling they got the bike right in the shop and found a hole in the rear brake line so I guess whatever I hit had done it’s damage. The bad news came when they also found a nail in the rear tire that I had put on just days before leaving for the trip. Tony and I sat in a little café for about 2 ½ to 3 hours and just minutes before the shop closed the bike was ready but the total was $405.00. I didn’t like it but I didn’t have any other choice.

We were back on the road and wanting to make up for the lost time due to the bike issues but as we got to Sturbridge, Massachusetts there was a sign that said the Massachusetts turnpike was closed which was they way we needed to go. We got a room in Sturbridge and found out that there had been a methane spill and the turnpike had been closed since 8:00 that morning. Due to the bike issues we had only covered about 300 miles that day but since the turnpike was closed it was a good day to have the bike problems.

Within minutes of pulling in and getting a room all hell broke loose with heavy rains , lightening , and thunder. It was a very good time to be off the road for the day.

DAY 14

Got up the next morning and the goal was to get to Madawaska, Maine which was the last of the four corners. We made pretty good time and even though the skies were cloudy all day the only rain we hit was light and was only for about the last 30 miles into Madawaska. We saw 3 young moose just south of Madawaska and for me it was the first time I have ever seen one.

The last 100 miles into Madawaska were a pain and reminded me of getting to Key West. The two lane road goes through all kinds of little towns and the speed limits are somewhere between 25 to 55 mph. Took us a little over 2 hours to go the last 100 miles. We stopped on the edge of town and took our pictures next to a large sign saying we were in Madawaska, The most northeastern town of the United States. We got some gas and figured we would do the rest of the four corners paperwork tomorrow morning.

We checked into the motel which was as Tony put it "not up to our standards" but we had been told this was the nicer of the 2 motels in town. I don’t even want to think what the other one must be like. We realize that we have no water in our room and so they have to call the maintenance man from home to get our water turned on. A little over 500 miles for the day so we had a bite to eat and called it a day.

The hotel did not have any kind of continental breakfast but the did have some lukewarm coffee so after a cup of that it was time to finish the pictures and paperwork for the four corners. By the time we got the pictures developed and the paperwork done and in the mail box for the SCMA it about 9:00 and time to start heading for home. We had discussed going back across Canada but decided to stay in the states and go below the great lakes.

Today was not one of your ideal days for riding. It was cold and wet most of the day and just east of Worcester, Massachusetts the sky was looking pretty dark and we started picking up some pretty strong winds. When small tree branches began blowing across the freeway we decided it was time to take an off ramp and let this thing blow over. We found a Burger King and let the worst of it blow through which took about 30 minutes. We ended the day back at the same hotel in Sturbridge, Massachusetts that we had been at just 2 days before and rode the same 500 miles we had covered going north to Madawaska, Maine.

We left Sturbridge, Massachusetts at around 9:00 in the morning. According to the weather channel the wind chill was 38 degrees in Worcester, Massachusetts which was just up the road but at least it was dry and we were beginning to head for home. It didn’t seem to get any warmer through the day . We stopped in Hubbard, Ohio for a days ride of about 535 miles. We took advantage of the hot tub to soak for a while and felt a little better when we finally crawled into bed.

I have no idea what time we left Hubbard, Ohio but it was early enough that things were frozen including our motorcycle covers. It was noon before we removed any clothing at aa rest stop somewhere along the road.

When we got to the Chicago area the freeways were all tore up with construction and there was a massive amount of traffic. Not sure how but we actually managed to make the correct interchanges we needed and I think both of us were happy to finally get on the west side and get out of the entire area. Some where during the day we had a semi loose a tire in front of us and start throwing pieces of rubber our direction but we managed to get around him before the tire came completely apart.

We have severe weather heading our way so after a little over 600 miles we decided to call Iowa City, Iowa home for the night. The storm that hit had thunder so loud that it work both Tony and I up during the night.

We uncovered the bikes the next morning and once again got hit with some severe weather that made us wish we had left the bikes covered. As we got ready to leave Tony realized that he had left his parking light on all night and that his battery was dead. A hotel employee brought out a portable battery jumper but it didn’t have enough juice to start the bike. I had a small set of jumper cables with me so the same employee gave us a jump from her car and the bike fired right up.

The day had a pretty steady wind blowing against us all day. Sometimes it was a head wind and sometimes it was a cross wind but it blew pretty much until the sun went down, It was dark by the time we pulled in to Cheyenne, Wyoming and we had covered around 750 miles for the day. By the time we got a room it was to late to order in and most everything seemed to be closed so we each ate the MRE we had carried with us for the trip. We knew that the Runnamucca bike rally was going on going on in Winnemucca, Nevada over Memorial weekend so we were on the phone until after 11:00 trying to find a room. The rally must have grown quite a bit in the last 3 years because there was not an empty room in town so we decided we would just head toward home the next day.

It was a dry day but we were both pretty tired at this point. We covered about 750 miles and got a room in Twin Falls, Idaho for the evening and had a great meal at the Outback steak house. For me that was probably the best meal of the trip and for sure the best we had had in a number of days. Met 2 bikers at the hotels from Canada and I’m not sure but when they heard where we had been in the last 19 days I think they thought we were nuts. We figure to ge home some time tomorrow but the weather doesn’t look like it’s going to be very good.

We chose to stay out of the Columbia river gorge because of the weather and decided to take highway 26 across the center of Oregon and go up over the Cascade mountain range. It was cold and wet all day and before we reached the summit my windshield was completely covered in snow. It was a long 600 miles but we finally arrived home around 6:30.

The entire trip was a little over 11,000 miles in 20 days and we rode in 30 different states, some of them we rode in twice. I have been asked a couple of times since I got home if I would do it again and my answer has been yes, but I would like to take it a little slower next time. Tony and I both knew this was not going to be a sight seeing trip before we left home and we would pass many things and places we would want to stop at so the trip was what it was. A 50CC and a visit to the four extreme corners of the United States. Three weeks before the trip I turned 50 years old, completed a 50CC on this trip and turned over 50,000 miles on my 2004 ultraclassic. What more could a guy ask for?

Posted: 05 June 2006 at 8:50pm | IP Logged

Awesome Ride & Report.

Thank you.

Bob Smith
Yuma, AZ.

Posted: 13 June 2006 at 8:44am | IP Logged

Baggerman,

GREAT ride report.  Sounds like the weather didn't cooperate too much.  I was watching the weather in the Northeast pretty closely at that time because I was planning to leave on my 4 Corners ride on May 20, going the opposite way you went.

Did we cross paths somewhere?

Here's the link to my ride report/daily journal if you're interested:

http://ldmike-mctouring.blogspot.com/

I had 2 days of rain in Maine and Massachusetts, got thoroughly soaked from Miami to the Upper Keys and a little bit of rain coming down from Eau Claire to Milwaukee in Wisconsin. 106* in the Arizona desert and a lot of wind in Montana and North Dakota.

Other than that, it was a delightful trip and like you, I would do it again, but next time at a more leisurely pace.

Congratulations!

LDMike

Milwaukee