| Posted: 10 October 2006 at 8:36pm | IP Logged
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I started from home in Sanger, CA at a few minutes after 4 in the morning on Thursday, Sep 28, headed to San Antonio TX to meet my son, and head to the Ozarks for a few days of what else? Riding!
Nobody stirring at 405 AM PDT when I left. My girlfriend, Kathryn dropped by and we said goodbye. She was really a good sport about the early hour. She reminded me to call every four hours. We managed to talk that often through the whole trip. I’m amazed at how well the cellphone / Autocom combination works.
My first stop was at the local Chevron, Johnny Quik, a few minutes down the road on Clovis Ave. in Fresno. 4:15 AM and not much stirring. Sleep still trying to take me back. I turned South, and as the road unfolded, I merged with a few straggling truckers trying to make LA by daybreak and some of those unfortunate souls who were on the way to work at that ungodly hour.
First fuel stop was in Lebec, top of the Grapevine. It was 6:40 AM. The sun was coming up, and there were wildfires in the area that morning. A couple of residents were talking pros and cons of evacuating or staying put. Four or five idling LA county fire engines and their crews waiting amidst the faint smell of distant smoke. Fumbling with fuel and coffee in the sunrise, I woke up and got to moving. Riding over I5’s infamous pass, the smoke became much thicker. Lake Hughes, a few hundred feet below the highway, was obscured under a thick cover cover of smoke that was no longer distant, nor faint.
LA rush hour, and sunrise in my eyes. All you can do is put your head down and push through it. And I was going in the EASY direction. The only major slowdown was for a stalled SUV.
I hit the first rest area on I10, a couple of guys who looked like they’d hit some hard times were lurking, trying to start a conversation. About that time a CHP on a Beemer came into the rest area, hopped up on the sidewalk and scouted the area. I was impressed at how well the guy handled the bike over obstacles at low speed. It was getting hot. I took off a layer, and headed out. It was 9:16 PDT (9:16 Local).
A stop for fuel and water (which became equally important this trip!) at a non descript exit in Cathedral City, CA at 10:13 AM.
At 12:30 PDT (12:30 Local), a stretch at an I10 rest area in Arizona after crossing the Colorado River and leaving CA behind.
Tonopah, AZ, 13:25 MST Local, fuel running low, a stop for a bite, more water, and a chat with a guy out of Salt Lake City on a Harley headed the other way.
Then South on AZ 85, skirting the Phoenix area and a stop for fuel at Gila Bend, AZ on I 8. It was 14:46 MST Local.
Through the Tucson rush hour and on to the “Thing” at Benson, AZ, a chance for gas, food, water, Mexican imports and the finest rattlesnake jewelry and accessories I’d ever seen.. More fuel and water at 17:31 MST Local, and a realization that it’d be dark soon. Real soon.
That prediction came true. When I hit Deming, NM it was pitch black. Threading through construction sites and heavy truck traffic on bad pavement, I decided that dinner was in order. The Sonic was open, crowded with high school kids and hot rodders burning rubber, tearing up the street and coming back to do it again. It was 20:35 MDT local. I was tired. I just didn’t write the mileage down here.
More dark riding, and a real curiosity about what El; Paso would look like during the day with the open hearth fire in some of the industry near the freeway. . I got to my hotel at 2301 CDT Local, an elapsed time of about 17 hours. The night manager at La Quinta East in El Paso, Albert Acosta, was kind enough to act as a witness. The folks there were excited about the idea, and let me park the bike by the front door where the security guard could keep an eye on it.
A few hours rest, the Saddlesore 1000 under my belt, and I figured I had it made to complete the 1500 for a Bunburner miles in the remaining time.
In El Paso, I slept in a little, leaving at 0925 CDT Local.
I took a couple of miles as a side trip to Balmoreal, TX, and bought gas there. It was 1204 CDT Local. I ran into a fellow white bearded guy on an ‘80’s Gold Wing, he had a few good suggestions for my ultimate destination in the Ozarks.
Not too far up the road was Ft. Stockton, TX. Time for lunch. It was kind of a run down town, in decline, waiting for the next boom in whatever would make it a boomtown again. Parking meant leaving the bike where I couldn’t see it. I decided to take my tank bag in with me, with most of the valuable stuff I had with me. When I came back out 45 min later, I noticed that the key was still in the ignition.
Next stop was Ozuna TX, on the Bus 10 bypass. I encountered something here that I’d also seen in Balmoreal, TX. The 30 year old gas pumps didn’t allow for pay and receipt at the pump. I had to pay inside. Now, if I were truly in a hurry, that might get in the way. It was 1305 CDT Local. Just about three hours from the 36 hour limit for a Bunburner 1500.
Since early in the day, I’d been enjoying the 80 mph West Texas speed limit, and light traffic. I was able to cruise well above that speed unmolested for quite a while. But, speed increases fuel consumption, and I was working in my head the tradeoff of stopping for fuel one last time and risking missing the deadline, vs. going all the way through and taking a chance on running out of fuel.
I stopped in Kerrville, TX, topped off. It was 1502 PDT, (1705 CDT Local). There was just about an hour to go. In my haste to get out and get back on the road, I left my tailbag unzipped. Watching the cover flap around in my shadow, I pulled off once more and fixed it.
Once I was sure I was in the city of San Antonio, it was time to stop and get timestamps. One on the gas receipt, and the other on an ATM receipt. Minutes to spare, just minutes to spare. It was 1755 CDT Local. Ten minutes to go.
A ride to the Alamo Exit and the Red Roof, once again I was at a hotel with people behind the desk who were enthusiastic and helpful. The desk clerk, Vincent Mares, was glad to sign my witness form at 18:40 local time.
End of the Iron Butt part of the ride, and the next morning my son, Jeremiah rode up from Houston to join me. We walked through the Alamo, then headed East for the Ozarks. All in all, it was a great week.
Edited by cbrister on 11 October 2006 at 10:54am
__________________
Cameron Brister
MERA
ABC 3512
IBA 27986
2006 FJR1300
1982 R100/7
Astoria, OR
Worlds Best End of the Earth
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Topic: Austin and El Paso Area Witness Wanted
