My First Saddlesore

Although I have ridden several saddlesores to date, this was my first one.

The thought of riding a saddlesore 1000 (SS1K) had been lurking through my mind for many years. I had read about covering 1000 miles-in-24-hours ten years back and it loomed hauntingly in my mind ever since. Well, recently, I had discovered the Iron Butt Assn. and the LDriders email group. There, I had read several articles on the SS1K.

I decided to take off work on a Friday thinking somebody would want to go riding. After having no luck on finding a riding partner for a leisure Friday ride, while traveling home from work on Thursday afternoon I decided to run my SS1K on Friday. I wanted to sneak-out and make the run without any fanfare. If I made it, then I could tell about it, if not, I didn't have to say anything.

Well, after checking the map and confirming the mileage, my choices were between Memphis, TN down to Jackson, MS and back, or out to Pecos, TX down to I-10, back over to San Antonio, and back. Well, I wanted to make the leg between Pecos and San Antonio, but the current heat wave stymied my thoughts. The Memphis route held some rain forecast which sounded good! I chose Memphis.

I woke (before the alarm) at about 3:30am. I messed around as much as I could then eased over to the Eagles Nest for the necessary computer stamped fuel receipt. My wife was the witness for my departure time. I left promptly at 4:30am.

I hammered over to Greenville, TX on 380 the up I-30 to Little Rock. This leg was very uneventful except the nodding head that persisted during the early hours. At this time, my scooter would only go about 120 miles before needing fuel. This was definitely a pain-in-the-butt. I've got to make a change in the future! Anyway, I made the trek over to Memphis and stopped at a local fuel station to refuel. The Iron Butt requires evidence of each turn. So, not only did I get the receipt, but I got a signature from a nice lady that was fueling at the same time. Being a novice, I didn't want to take any chances on "not" getting this thing "right".

Going southbound, I pulled in a Taco Bell and got a couple of Vegetarian Burritos to eat on the road. Hustling back on the interstate and trying to eat my burritos didn't make a good eating experience, but the many fuel stops were costing me more time than I expected. I made the turn at Jackson, MS and took my necessary fuel stop. I also begged another signature from a military man.

While turning back west, the raindrops started to fall. The clouds were dark up ahead. It wasn't long before I ran into a "full" parking lot on I-20. Obviously we had a big accident up ahead. The traffic was not even moving. This was costing me big-time! Not to worry, I have plenty of time. I'm not sure how long it took, but it felt like an hour. It did give me a chance to eat a muffin I had stored in my tank bag. When I got to Vicksburg, Ms and ran into my second traffic jam. The time elapse was similar to the first. I decided to stop and call Joy at Monroe and tell her I might be a little late. It was about 6:00pm at Monroe, LA.

The leg home was at a steady pace, but there was much more traffic than I had expected. In fact, from Shreveport to Dallas, it was bumper-to-bumper. I arrived home at about 11:30pm and got Jana Furr to sign my documentation after getting my fuel receipt. I was definitely tired, but I was confident I could do this again. I met Bobby at 7:00am the next morning to ride in a poker run. Just another scooter day!

The Man