Winter Ride, fore.

From the driver's seat.

Aft view, complete with snow shovel.

180 in process

The frozen tundra of Wisconsin.

Breaking the trail with a series of 180s.

Finally after a long arduous journey, carefully threading one's way  between glaciers -----

We arrive ---

--da Nort' Pole - - although for all I know it could be Irish, Italian or even Scandahoovian.

Our weather man.

The Eskimo, native guide.

Albertville Al

The Canadian

Mysterious lady, with chauffer.

The eastern contingent.

Can tell when get close to pole

Santa, Mrs. Clause and wonder dog King.

A story by a friend who is a bit crazier that the rest of us

I've been riding IBA rides for a bit now. I also live in the north of the US, barely, as I'm only 45 miles south of the border (to Canada). I already did a saddlesore ride in November, in cooler weather, with a little snow. So I decided to try a December Saddle Sore 1650 km in western Ontario. I have a sidecar outfit, and it’s in decent shape to ride in winter. It’s a great outfit, an EML sidecar conversion, one of the “Cadillac’s of sidecars".  It’s an outfit designed for long travel. However, the rig is old, a 1981 Honda Goldwing, a GL1100. But it’s dependable.

Riding a saddlesore in December will be a challenge for me. I work full time, so weekends are my chances. One weekend in December is already taken up with other commitments, so I decided to attempt this ride on December 1. Weather was sketchy. Friday night, as I was talking myself in to getting ready, it was -6F. The weather forecast said a low of +2 to -4…it was already below the forecasted low. The snow was way south of us, in southern and central Minnesota - lots of snow forecast. Living on Lake Superior, sometimes storms go below us. Our internet forecast varied, some of them saying a lot of snow, others not so much. My destinations had forecasts for only 1cm to 2cm snow – not so much. The internet is so good, in that one can obtain a weather forecast for anywhere in North America. However, the decision is up to me. Weather is not a big deal for me in summer, but winter, I was worried about subzero cold, and snow. I don’t have a lot of recent motorcycle sidecar experience in either of these conditions. I found myself packing my gear and getting ready. I was very indecisive about whether to go. I finally told my wife I was giving it a try and waking up at 1AM Saturday morning.

Morning came, and I got up and checked the thermometer. Still minus 4, and the moon was out. Good omens. I got my gear on and went out to the bike. My sidecar outfit is stored in a shed with no power, so I can’t put a battery tender on the battery, and I have no source of heat, like a heat lamp or anything, that I can use to prepare the bike for starting. I hit the starter, and as expected, not too much cooperation. I was prepared though, and used a propane torch in a stove pipe to heat up the motor. I had my pickup near by, and ran some jumper cables to the motorcycle battery, just for good luck. About 15 minutes later, I had the rig started and ready to go. With getting dressed, a very long process for winter riding, a few last minute equipment adjustments, plus getting the rig running, I wasn’t on the road until a bit after 3AM.

As I was heading to the border crossing at Pigeon River, I was starting to see little dustings of snow in the air. I was having doubts. The moon was gone, so it must be cloudy now. This ride was definitely going to be a challenge for me into uncharted territories. Who knows what the weather will turn out to be? Snow forecasts are notoriously inaccurate. I dismissed my doubts, continued into uncharted territory, and kept the rig headed north.

I live just south of the border, so I will be crossing the border at 4AM, while operating a motorcycle sidecar outfit. It’s a cold morning, almost winter. I was sure to attract some sort of attention, and I needed to come up with a good story. I surely wasn’t going to admit that I was planning to ride 1000 miles in 24 hours, on top of my unusual mode of transportation plus the time of morning plus the season of the year. My worries were relieved when I saw the border guard come to the window. She flashed a little humor in her eyes as I came up, so I thought I had a decent chance to pass a story by her. I told her I suspected she thought I was a very crazy Yankee for being here on this outfit – a bit of a bold move. She asked me a few of the usual questions. I told her I was going for an adventure ride to Dryden, and would be in Canada for only part of the day. She asked me “Who do you know in Dryden?” plus a follow up trick question that often follows. I had good answers that were close enough to the truth, which insured I would show no signs of anxiety or other nonverbal alerts. She told me to ride carefully, and I was on the road.

I drove the rest of the way to the first gas, which is 40km up the road in Thunder Bay. Gassed up, receipt in hand, mileage recorded, GPS zero-ed out, GPS switched to metric, and I was on the clock and on the road. My winter saddle sore 1000 was started.

The ride west was uneventful. It was still cold, and I was warm. I had good protection from my fairing and my winter wind deflectors made from plastic from a black 5 gallon pail. I also have a set of Hippo Hands, which are handlebar muffs that keep my hands out of the wind. I have electric clothing, including jacket, pants, and gloves. The clothing, plus a set of high wattage driving lights, are powered by a 750 watt alternator modification to my Honda. I wore quite a few layers of clothing too. I was well protected for the cold. I don’t have cold feet problems very often, so I used my winter work boots. I don’t have a set of bunny boots, but I brought along a set if Iceman boots. Eventually I changed to the Iceman boots, an unplanned stop that cost me about 20 minutes on the side of the road. At the same time I modified my helmet breath deflector. My breath deflector would sometimes be forced against my face, so I could not inhale any breath. My knife made the appropriate modifications.

One other problem with a winter ride is hydration and food. In summer, I eat and drink while riding. This is not possible in winter… wearing heavy gloves, cold wind-chill on bare skin, impossibility of putting gloves back on while steering a sidecar outfit that has Hippo Hands, breath deflector in my helmet… eating and drinking is now a stopped task. Another issue with this ride is that Canadian speed limits on the Trans Canada are 90km, about 55mph. I can do 100km to 105km and be somewhat safe. Radar detectors are also illegal. I figured I’d finish this ride in about 20 hours.

The ride west to Dryden was fairly uneventful. I saw no moose. The road became glazed now and then from very light snow in the air. When the road was glazed, I kept my speed in the 90km range, and when clear I wicked it up to 100km or so.

In Dryden I got gas, about 225 miles in to the trip. Dryden was my first turn around, and I had to document it with a gas slip. I also bought a sandwich and drank some tea I had brewed before I left home. While filling up, a fellow in a pickup pulled up next to me. He said I was the conversation of interest on the road, and wondered what and where I was going. Obviously the cb crowd was talking up this crazy guy on the sidecar outfit. About 15 to 20 minutes after I stopped, I was back on the road and heading to Thunder Bay.

My plan was to ride to Thunder Bay and continue east to Wawa. Wawa is on the Lake Superior north shore, as is Thunder Bay. I’d turn around at Wawa, return to Thunder Bay, and I’d have 1025 miles, about 1650km, a qualifying Saddle Sore ride. I usually won’t plan a ride like this, with my start and end near the middle of my route, but with the unreliable weather forecast, I gave myself a bail out option. That ended up being a good plan.

As I headed back east towards Thunder Bay, the weather became somewhat an issue. A very light snow started. As I continued, the roads became slicker, to the point where I kept my speed down all the time. Conditions changed along the way, sometimes better and sometimes not so good. One time my drive wheel slipped out on an uphill grade. I lowered my speed more. This whole process kept me hyper vigilant too, because crashing on a motorcycle sidecar outfit would be painful. I did not want to do that, absolutely, and the ride kept second chair to safety.

About an hour west of Thunder Bay the snow got heavier. It looks like the storm is really going to happen. I started to seriously consider aborting the attempt. My second leg, heading east from Dryden, had lowered my overall average speed to 50 mph, about 80km. My longer gas stop, plus the unplanned stop to change boots contributed to the lower speed average. I could still complete the ride, but if the roads got worse, I’d be in trouble. In addition, slippery roads require more vigilance. This is also a winter trip, so the cold puts ones metabolism in to higher gear, and fatigue becomes a bigger issue.

I took the 102 bypass north of Thunder Bay, my planned route to Wawa. As I continued, the road conditions and snow became worse. True, the 102 is somewhat less traveled, but snow is becoming serious. I decided to abort and head south at the eastern end of the 102. I was 450 miles in to the ride, close to the half way point. If I knew this kind of weather was going to happen before I left, I would not have gone. This was the right decision.

Home and back to the border I drove. No problems at the border – actually – interest once again. I had two border guards chatting with me, one admitting this was definitely a unique event for the day. As I continued home, the snow became thicker. It took me an hour to cover the 45 miles from the border to my home. In order to maintain traction, I had to keep my speed down on the way up Mt. Maude, a Lake Superior mountain – a 7% grade. The snow was fairly thick on the road now.

Several things I learned; The sidecar does fairly well in snow. I have car tires on the drive wheel, but they are not studded and not a lug winter tire. The rig handles snow like a rear wheel drive small car – 1960’s British sports car small comes to mind as a comparison. To make a 1000 mile day, it has to be a no snow day. My gear and wind protection are good. I don’t see many changes. The breath deflector in my helmet solved my face shield frosting problem, and it’s the solution as far as I know. Colder, sub-zero temperatures, I don’t have a good gauge yet. One’s metabolism increases as it gets colder, so this might be a limit to riding long and not getting fatigued to the point where riding is dangerous. I’m not sure how my feet will do in sub-zero, but probably fine.

 Hopefully I can get that SS-1000 in this month...

And then later in December:

Made another attempt at a December saddlesore. I hit really icy roads, even though I had a good forecast. I like living, and I'm allergic to pain, so I decided to abort. I fishtailed twice, and ended up driving on the shoulder some. 

Western Ontario has 55 mph roads, so keeping pace for a saddlesore is more difficult. In addition, because of winter, I no longer can eat or drink while riding. My stops take longer because of that. Routes are limited too, since the one major road is east/west, one road. Gas station choices at o-dark thirty are very limited, seriously effecting turn around choices, start times, and routes. Lots of strikes against accomplishing 1000 miles/1650km in 24 hours in winter in western Ontario. I struck out. With a lucky draw on road conditions, it can be done. It was a good challenge, and I'm glad I made the attempt.

Time to put the hack into hybernation and go downhill skiing. I'm sure I'll get crazied up within the next 12 months and give it a try again.

http://www.paulmondor.com/aboutus.html

Twilight Is Confusing

Having recently been certified as completing the SaddleSore 1000 and BunBurner 1500 it seems appropriate to discuss the adage seen on many t-shirts, usually worn by persons such as myself, i.e., that is, men with beards, who are likely bald or gray, perhaps a “bit” heavy, who are either entering their second childhood, or have never left their first and, above all, who ride motorcycles. The adage, “Age and treachery will triumph over youth and skill”. Here, in the august halls of the ferrous fannies, I would like to propose a slight editing so that it reads, “Age and tenaciousness will equal youth and skill.”

Since I had returned to motorcycling at the ripe old age of 59 after an almost 40 year hiatus, I had been intrigued by the “World’s Toughest Motorcycle Riders”, but alas thought my age and inexperience was against me.

I will not bore you, the reader, with details of my learning experiences over the last five years. Suffice to say, that I’ve been around Lake Superior 4 times, to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and more recently to New Mexico, up the continental divide to Montana and then home to Wisconsin (after being caught in a spring Rocky mountain blizzard and having to retreat in front of a relentless buffalo herd who thought that they owned the road – and who was I to argue with them?)

Nor will I belabor the fine points of side hacks, to which I have become addicted and the thrills of winter, snow and ice driving, doing 180’s, 360’ and more on the frozen lakes of Wisconsin.

At any rate, I decided, not without some trepidation, to attempt entry into the “Iron Butt Association this last July.

First, the rides. OK, the SaddleSore and BunBurner both seem doable, if in fact I can do anything.

Second, the route. Use the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) Principle so will not have to make many decisions, especially toward the end, when tired and maximize speed, will use interstate ,ride outbound 500 or so miles, retrace route, sleep in own bed with wife who firmly believes it tis  my head that oughta be certified, not my sit upon.

Consulting mapping programs the decision was made to leave home (Menomonie, WI) and travel via I94 to I90, turn right to Mitchell, S.D., return, eat, cuddle wife who puts up with this insanity, sleep and leave the next morning for Illinois via I94 but turning left on I90 to Roscoe, IL, thence returning.

Third, light. Living in deer country, plan to ride as much as possible in daylight. Ahh, but what is day light? Consulting the appropriate sources one finds there is “daylight” as well as morning and evening” twilight”. Further more, twilight comes in three varieties. There is civil twilight, naval twilight and astronomical twilight. Twilight is confusing!

 http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/RST_defs.html 

and

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html

Consulting the above links one finds that on July 14, morning civil twilight begins at 4:59 a.m. while evening civil twilight ends at 9:27 p.m. thus, suggesting time parameters to shoot for and doing 1000+ miles in 16.5 hours.

Fourth, preparation. Preparation of self and transportation. In terms of self, get plenty of rest the days before the ride. Trim hair, beard, nose/ear hairs, toenails, etc. and anything else that can flap in the wind inside a helmet and create a “tickle” in hot, humid weather, several hundred miles into the ride. Reduce caffeine intake so when take a cuppa on the ride it provides a needed jolt and other caretaking suggestions found in the AOW

http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aow.cfm.

Pack ice chest with plenty of water/ice tea and meals/snacks as will avoid restaurants in favor of rest and gas stops include, thermos of coffee for afternoon slump (Again AOW). Several plastic liter bottles (Canadian Dry fit best) of ice to put in “Stich” pockets when under hot mid day sun and temps in 90’s+ yields personal air conditioning with jacket vents closed. Also, perish the thought; on way to Sturgis have seen too many bikes broken down on road side at 100+ degrees, without a tree in sight. Pack beach umbrella and camp chair so if breakdown happens, can sit comfortably in shade sipping ice tea until help arrives. Side cars are nice – current decision is where to put hot tub and sauna.

For the rig, a new rear tire, change of oil, check lights, tire pressures, check all nuts and bolts on both tug and tub. Verify tool kit, tire repair, and spare parts, operation of auxiliary gas tank which gives me a total of 9.4 gallons. Check and recheck.

Had been getting up during morning naval twilight for a week or so, both to see what the various twilights were like and to get body use to getting up at such an ungainly hour. Thus when THE DAY arrived was up and out the door with no problems. Drove 3 miles to station, filled and got time stamped receipt. Tally Ho, Watson the game’s afoot. Still a bit dark and have seen much road kill for first 30 miles so found a speeding semi and tucked in behind at a safe distance (4 seconds) until light improved. Heading south east so rising sun not in eyes.

Turned right at Tomah (home of Frank King who wrote Gasoline Alley comic strip based upon characters he met there on Superior St.), on to La Crosse, across the mighty Mississippi, past Austin, home of the SPAM museum  http://www.spam.com/   and on to Mitchell, home of the Corn Palace http://www.cornpalace.org/. Here reversed course and headed home, again with sun at back.

Had pushed hard on way out, when fresh as figured mileage reports of participants in Iron Butt Rally also applied to me and mph would decrease as fatigue increased. Previous practices indicated with a gas station directly adjacent to the ramp, from beginning to slow for exit to pump arrival was about 2 minutes, gear removal (for comfort), credit card insertion, opening tanks and pumping, about 6 minutes, which left 5 minutes for other needs, eating, stretching, eliminating and the like as would take 2 minutes to get back on road at speed.. In planning, I had allowed 15 minutes per stop and had made 2 firm procedures to follow so judgment not be clouded by fatigue. 1) Always stop at or before planned stops and 2) Always use the full 15 minutes per stop so don’t tire out early on.

Had started with Aerostich Darien (Hi Viz Yellow, Yeeeech) and pants with jeans, t-shirt and flannel shirt. About 9:30 removed flannel shirt and left vents closed.  About 11:30 opened vents. About 1:05 closed vents and added frozen liter bottle to right external chest pocket. About 3:30 added second frozen liter to left external pocket.

Had hoped to get home between 9-9:30 so would not have dark driving, but missed by 15 minutes, arriving on doorstep around 9:45. But did pass normal exit in favor of going an extra 11 miles to insure the 1000 mile mark.

9:45 to 10:00 undress, unload and check rig.

10:00 on eat, cuddle with wife for putting up with this insanity, decide that having met minimum IBA qualifications (SS 1000), really didn’t need to ride tomorrow for the BunBurner (1500), and so to bed.

Habits die hard, awoke at 4am Friday remembered I did not HAVE to ride, turned over went back to sleep. Woke at 4:30, bathroom visit, actually I feel pretty god but the bed is so nice and warm. Woke at 5 am thinking I have 2/3 of BunBurner under the belt, do I really want to waste it? 5:15 WIDE AWAKE, I gotta do it as will forever kick self and regret it if don’t.

5:52 on road again.

AOK till Madison when saw lotsa traffic in opposing lane. Worried (I hate traffic) until  realized was seeing exodus from Chicago/Milwaukee a couple of hours earlier and would thin out, as it did.

Turn around at last exit before Illinois toll way and back to home. Both hotter and more tired than yesterday – soaked t-shirt with water and opened vents (kinda like the TV ad were fellow pulls underwares out of freezer before donning then), finally home.

Learnings:

I can do it!!!

It not be as bad as I thought.

This be my limits. While a Boarder to Boarder (36 hours) and a 25 states National Park tour may be in the offing, I could never do an IB Rally. Given darkness, even a Lake Superior circuit, which I’ve made 4 times over several days, would not be possible.

As bumper sticker on back of hack says, “It is never too late to have a happy childhood.”

Gust, # 23889 

Saddlesore on a Patrol*

Andrew Pain

"Make sure you choose a good route."

That was the advise of my fiancée when I told her I was going to take
the Ural to Kansas city for lunch, in an attempt at a Saddlesore
ride. My Ural is a Patrol, stock except for a windshield and
handguards. I happen to have a perfectly good ld bike sitting outside
that is even closer to the door, but that wouldn't be a challenge.

I had 3 motorcycling goals for this year. One was to buy a motorcycle with a sidecar. I liked the Ural for the 2wd and simplicity of it,
and never really looked at another bike. The second goal was to ride all the rustic roads in the state of Wisconsin (If you don't know
about Wisconsin's Rustic Roads, a quick google will tell you all about it, and give you something to do next year), and to certify a
Iron Butt ride. I have ridden the miles (On my ld bike), but never done the paperwork. I am not so good at paperwork.

I (Obviously) got the Ural, but did not get to all the Rustic Roads (I was on pace for it, but had some family stuff came up and I
decided that was more important), so the ride was last on the list. I decided, almost at the last minute, to take the Ural to add some
challenge to the ride, since taking the ld bike seemed to be a bit to simple. And I wanted a plate for the sidecar.

The final decision to take the Ural was made while I was at work, and I told my fiancée over the phone. All she said was to make sure I had a good route, but admitted later she was still asleep and didn't really understand what I was saying. I had about a week to get the
bike and myself ready. First on the list was the route. I wanted BBQ.  I like it, and there really isn't any good places here in Milwaukee.
Memphis came to mind first, but I didn't want to go through Chicago, so I started looking at other placed. Kansas City was a natural Plan B, and a quick internet search found Jack Stack, which also looked really easy to find – a nice bonus. Lastly, the route to KC was all interstate, over states known for their distinct lack of hills (Northern IL, IA and KS), important for the Ural, which really only
has a sustained top speed of 65, though I know it can go faster for a while.

Next was getting the bike ready. I was only a few hundred km from the 5k service, so I put those on (km are really short, a few times
around the block I think) and take care of the service. I also get a nice set of tank panniers from Wagner's, and use those to hold my
Autocom and hydration bag, as well as a few other power cords. The first aid kit goes on the sidecar seat, in what I hope is plain view.
The pusher tire is definitely showing wear, but seems fine so I leave it. I haven't used up a tire on this bike yet, so I don't have a good
sense of how much tread will go how far.

For myself I just picked up some snacks (I eat string cheese, beef sticks and granola bars on the road), and orange Gatorade. I like the
orange stuff because every gas station seems to have it, making refills easy. I can't keep drinking water. I also pack a couple
blankets, a change of clothes, and at the last minute throw in my heated jacket liner, not really thinking I will need it, but knowing
that I have a lot storage space, and feeling like I should use it.

I pick the day, 10-11-07, a Monday so everyone will be open (Except the post office, since it is Columbus Day), and decide to leave about 1am. I plan to be in KC between 11am and noon for lunch, and then ride home. I print out the paperwork and review it. All that I have left to do is get a decent amount of sleep and not forget anything.

Sunday was the reunion for the BRC my fiancée and I took last year, so she could get her license (I had never taken one, seemed like it
might be a good idea, and I would get to keep her company), and they had free food, so we went there for a few hours in the afternoon,
then to her parent's house to pick up more of her stuff that is still there. Then grocery shopping. My day was slipping away, and it was
5pm when I hit the sack for a short nap, but I got up again to watch the Packer's first loss of the year. Now it was 11pm, and I wanted to be on the road in 2 hours. I guess an hour or so will have to be enough.

I wake up at 12:15 am, shower shave and what not, just like any other morning. I work in EMS, and odd shift and hours and not new to my system. The bike is mostly packed, so I just grab a few last things, kiss my ever supportive fiancée goodbye (She had not gone to bed yet and had already served as my start witness), and headed out to the bike.

The Ural starts right up, and I got the gas station to collect my start receipt. It is the same station I go to everyday, so I already
know I need to go inside to get a receipt with the address. The time on the little piece of thermal paper is 0103am, and now the clock is
running.

I enter the interstate, I-43, southbound, and head to the south west, but I am not even out of the city when I realize I don't have my I-
Pass. My route includes part of I-39, which has tolls on it. I don't like tolls, so I return home to pick it up. Leaving the house again I
contemplate stopping to get a new start receipt, but decide against it. I want to be on the road. This has cost me 30 minutes.

The patrol will normally get about 200km to a tank of gas. If you do the math, it is around 120miles (Both numbers are approximate, of
course). This morning I will have a headwind for the entire westerly part of the trip, and my actual range is about 165km. I don't really
want to know what that is in miles. All I can do is ride from one thankful to the next.

Somewhere along I-88 I stop at a rest stop, get out the blankets and take a nap. I expect to run into rain and decide a nap now will be a
good idea, so I am fresher when the weather turns. 40 minutes later I wake up, 5 minutes before my alarm, to a much lighter sky and storm clouds to the west. I repack the bike and get back on the road.

When the rain hits, it is not that bad. The sidecar makes the bike (Obviously) more stable, and though I have not had it in really bad
conditions (This rain storm does not qualify), I have a degree of intellectual comfort. I have on a First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket and
HT overpants. It seems the pants always leak little, and I am wearing Under Armor coldgear pants under them. Since they are wicking, I don't feel wet, and they do a nice job of keeping me warm. I do have a change of pants packed, but don't think I will need them.

Near the end of the rain my GPS starts acting up. Actually, it stops working altogether. I am using a Delorme Palm os program, with a
Bluetooth GPS receiver, and my palm pilot will not maintain the Bluetooth link. The GPS receiver did get wet, but this isn't the
first time for that, and I spend a few extra minutes here and there trying to get it to work again, while working to keep my gas stops
under 15 minutes. I do have paper maps printed up, but like the GPS to keep me on schedule.

With the reduced gas mileage, the nap and the GPS issues I don't get to Jack Stacks until 1pm. Still, I came for the BBQ, and managed to get some. It was actually delicious. By now my fiancée was awake, so I gave her a call to let her know where I was, how I was doing and all that, letting her know I would send text massages from my fuel stops with my progress from then on.. I sent out a few other text
messages, and then got back on the road.

By now the sun was out, and it was comfortably warm. Even better I was expecting a tail wind for the trip home, and better fuel mileage.I was also quite awake, and didn't expect any problems with making it home in less time than it took me to get there.

I was back on the road around 1:30pm, expecting my next fuel stop at about 3pm. My phone decided to jump off the bike at 2:10 or so, and break into a few dozen pieces. I stop at the side of the road, and throw the Ural into reverse to fly back up the shoulder and collect
the pieces. The pieces are important for the SIM card and data card in the phone. Having gotten those, I head on the road again. I still
have my palm pilot and plan on stopping somewhere with wifi to send my fiancée a message, letting her know that my phone was destroyed, I was okay, but would not be sending her text messages anymore.

Iowa says they have wifi at their rest areas, but my palm won't connect to it. It sees that it is there, but won't actually receive
data. I wonder if I need a password, but not wanting to waste time I don't linger. Guilt, though soon has me stopped again, at another
rest area, trying again. At the 3rd rest area I really make a go of it, actually taking off my coat and helmet, sitting in the building
and trying to work out what is going on. I finally manage to connect and get online. I can't send a text message, though, and knowing she is at work and will not get email, give up and try to make up the time. I am now very behind the schedule I set for myself, but am
still very optimistic.

The route I set up, Milwaukee to KC and back, is actually close to 1200 miles (S&T), so I don't actually have to make it back to
Milwaukee, just to within 200 miles of it. I think. Anyway, I had a lot of good BBQ in the sidecar, so the day could no longer be called
a loss. I am thinking I am still in good shape.

There is a stretch of I-88, west of I-39, that doesn't have a lot of off ramps. I saw the sign warning me as I entered it, but I was not
on reserve yet, and decided to press on. Of course, I ended up going onto reserve not long after. With the winds, drafting and fatigue I
am having a hard time working out my actual range. I reach the next exit, but it doesn't list a gas station, so I pass it, only to see
the Shell station afterwards. I contemplate the illegal u-turn, but see another sign telling me about a Petrol station on I-39, so I keep
going. It is after I am on I-39, going slightly up hill and less than 50 meter from the ramp with the Petrol station that the bike finally
sputters dies. One thing about the Ural, there is very little warning between running out of gas, and being out of gas. My Yamahas will
sputter and cough along for 10 miles or so, but the Ural will only go about ½ a block. Tops.

Anyway, I had not brought a gas can, so I got to push 800 so pounds of motorcycle up the ramp, then over the overpass since the gas
stations were on the other side of the road. Of course, while the Ural would roll backwards down the side I had to push up, it would
not roll down the other. If I find the guy who made that overpass…

I get into the gas station (Where there are 4 state patrol cars. Popular place, and they just got donuts. No, really, they did) and
roll up to the first pump. I am hot and sweaty, but have a change of clothes. I drink some Gatorade, and swipe my card. Declined? I swipe it again, thinking that this just can't be happening.

Often when I take a long trip I carry a large amount of case, in case I have card problems on the road. I didn't this time, no particular
reason I suppose, other than wanting to just use my card for everything. I am better at getting receipts that way. I go inside and
use the pay phones to call the 800 number on the card, finding out that 2 gas stations pre-authorized amounts over $100 dollars. For &13 in gas. Yikes. So the card is basically empty now. I talk to an account rep, who states they will fix it, and it will take about 30-
45 minutes. Okay, I have some cash, not enough for a full tank, but I use it all for another couple gallons, get the bike restarted, and am
back on the road. It is not far before I realize I didn't change my t-shirt and am getting cold, but don't want to stop. I will have to
again soon anyway for more gas.

I hit reserve, and not wanting to push my luck any more I hit the first gas station I find. It is 1130pm, and I am in Rockford, IL. I
know it is about 1 and ½ hours to home from here, so I am cutting it close. It has also be 40 minutes since my card problem, so I am a
little surprised when it is declined again at the pump. I decide to wait a little bit, another 10 minutes and still declined. So I call
them again. This is a 30 minutes phone call, but at the end of it my card works, and I fill up. I have no chance to make it back to
Milwaukee, but am still less than 200 miles from home, so I take care of the witness form at the gas station (ending Odo 6888km), back on the road at 1230am.

I finally get home at 0140am, but didn't rush home. I am vaguely aware that, if I had gotten a new receipt when I went back for my
Ipass, and rushed to get home, I might have made it. But there are a lot of places where I lost time and didn't have too. Still, the Ural
did fine, great really, though the small range and low max speed is an issue. Even the stock seat wasn't all that bad, though I am used
to vintage jap seats so I might have calluses in the right places. I don't think a BBG would be possible without a lot of extra fuel. Hmm.

The paperwork is still on the coffee table. I kept a separate log and have to transfer the information over. I also keep forgetting to
bring the receipts to work to photocopy them. Oddly, having done the ride I am less enthused about getting the cert, but I guess that was
the point.

Oh, and the BBQ is gone. Good stuff. I may have to go back.

* Temporarily posted pending official certification


 

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