I'm not sure what the tagline for this ride should be:
Overcoming adversity?
Butt-Scapades?
A cheap-*** buys sup-par gear and pays the price?

Let the inmates decide!

Feb 1st I woke up and decided it would be a good day to take a long road trip.

I took a look at the weather forecast and saw a cold front coming into Texas that was supposed to head for Dallas.

No problem, grab the assortment of mismatched cold weather gear and get ready to hit the road. (Santa Clause was supposed to bring me a nice new riding suit that simplifies and improves upon the hodge podge of gear that i currently have, but that took a back seat to other "domestic needs" this year. It's taking some getting used to...)

I decided that I would ride from Austin to El Paso to Socorro, NM and back for a Bun Burner Gold certification. 1500 miles in 24hours. This route should also keep me clear of any "winter" weather conditions according to the weather report...

I loaded up my gear, put some air in the tires - cause they appreciate little things like that, checked the fluids - noted that my Harley still doesn't have any coolant in it, printed off the paperwork and hit the road.

I stopped at a gas station just down the road from my house to fill up, get my receipt and find some witnesses.

At 12:15pm I was on the clock and heading down the road. The weather was nice as I rode down Hwy 29 towards Junction. I stopped for gas and laughed at the fact that I was glad to have brought some sunscreen with me.



Heading out I-10 isn't a particularly scenic drive to most, but I like it every once in a while because you can set the cruise and take time to reflect on life. I know i must slowly be transitioning into an old person, because people that are truly young at heart don't do those kinds of things. I'll be 30 this year.

I watched the sunset as I drove out of Fort Stockton... Nice views. It started to cool off at this point and I threw on an extra layer to keep warm.



Coming into El Paso a group of 3 riders on BMW's came up on my tail and blew buy. They were fully geared up and had the look of a long day of riding about them. I joined the group as we worked through the El Paso traffic together for a bit of "spirited" riding through the traffic.


Heading into Las Cruces, NM we all got split up, but I randomly stopped at the same gas station as one of them and BS'd for a bit. They were doing a 1000 mile day from Albuquerque to Big Bend and back.

At this point it was starting to get cold. The temps were down in the mid 30's. All the gear came out. marino wool base top and bottom, jeans, chaps, waterproof pants, down jacket, Leather jacket, Overboots, Waterproof top, balaclava and my new winter waterproof gloves..... more on those later.

When I got to Socorro there were snow flurries in the air. I was making great time having ridden 775 miles in 10 hours and 26 minutes. I was well ahead of schedule for completing the ride on time. (80mph speed limits on I-10 have a lot to do with this.. not necessarily my riding ability)

Turning south out of Socorro the temp hovered somewhere in the mid 30's. I was warm and still making good time. I got through El Paso and headed for the I-10/I-20 split where it started to Snow, then sleet, then ice...not good.

There are a few things that you need to keep track of while riding. Speed, oil temp, voltages, road debris, the crazy lady driving next to you.... but this was the first time I was actively noting how much ice was forming on the fairing...things were looking grim. I check the temps and it was 34F with rain/sleet. My waterproof gear was actually building up ice on the legs from the road/truck spray due to the windchill.



I pulled off of the Interstate to check the weather and try to figure out why my hands were freezing. I snapped this screenshot of my weather app.
This showed the storm was heading NE away from me.
It seemed to be a bit off because it was snowing on me when I took that screenshot.



it was also at this point i found out my winter waterproof gloves were light on the "Proof" side and heavy on the "water" side. Wet gloves = cold hands. I'm pissed. I threw on my backup summer gloves with an extra set of girls cotton ones that the gas station had. No, they aren't fingerless leather ones, but I live in Texas... its hot (normally). They don't have any insulation or waterproofing.

The next 400 miles were spent driving well below the speed limit and pulling over every 50 miles to dry my hands out on the exhaust pipes and to check the weather to see if there was any ice on the roads. Any time the hands went from "burning" to "throbbing" it was time to pull over.

I think I may be the only person in Texas that has ever verbally wished for their Air-Cooled big-twin Harley to "run a little warmer" at that point.

I ended up missing the BBG time by over an hour. I had reached the half-way point with over an extra hour to spare meaning it took me over 3 hours longer on the way back.

I'll still get the BunBurner cert for 1500 miles in 36 hours as a condolence prize if all the documentation is in order. But, I was a bit upset with myself - NOT because i didn't get the BBG. Because I wasn't prepared enough and I can only blame myself.

On the other hand, I'll use this as another learning opportunity in the game of life and try to improve on my current setup and LD riding.

 

Nice write up. Got to give you props for your spirit and tenacity. Great majority of riders would never even consider a BBG let alone go for one this time of year. Guess the old saying applies that if you have to explain it to someone they'd never understand. I'll look forward to reading about your next, and I predict successful, attempt.

 

Very nice try! You will succeed next time.

 

Nice write up and thanks for posting,, Your rides give me motivation to try a iron butt ride myself someday.

 

You faced a lot of adversity on that ride with the weather, but I think you handled it well considering. I'm sure you will reach the goal another time. Good job.

 

Well then... Congratulations on the BB 1500. Job well done! And great write up. :-)

 

Congrats' on the BB1500....I feel your pain. I am writing this from a hotel room in Central Louisiana because of that three letter word (ice). Last week I headed to Ft Lauderdale Florida but had to cut my SS at 800 miles due to I-10 in Florida was shut down for 4 hours. I figured I would just do it on my way back to North Louisiana....wrong, two hours from home and half the damn state is shut down due to ice. I think my Iron Butt days are over, just too dangerous, I seem to push myself past stupidity sometimes. To complete one of these the weather has to be on your side. FT

 

Please stay safe. You don't need an award letter to prove what you already know.

 

Man, pretty impressive regardless. At almost 30, you have a ways to go to show that your are getting old in body but it seems maybe you have an older soul, some tenacity and a good bit of writing skill9riding skill too,lol).
keep up the good stories! i have been waiting for a bit more of spriing before tackling a road trip with us heading to Leakey in 2 weeks to ride the 3 sisters...

 

Great iron butt write up, looks like you had a liquid cooled bike at least externally for a while. That type of weather is typical for Northern NY in April and May. Safe riding.