December Bun Burner Gold

Feasting on Miles for the Holidays
by Herbie Saint

My wife, Catharine and I were planning a trip to St. Louis to join her family at her sister's new home for Thanksgiving. And I still had a couple of weeks of vacation time to use at work so I devised a brilliant plan... buy Catharine an airline ticket and I'll ride the motorcycle (a.k.a. The Freshmaker). Then, after the Thanksgiving holidays, I could ride on to California, see some friends and ride a 50cc back across the country (which requires riders to ride between any two US coastal cities, cross country, within 50 hours). 

I left Raleigh NC at 7am on Tuesday, November 24, 1998 to spend the day working in Greensboro NC (about 2 hours away). Catharine flew to St. Louis later that morning. St. Louis is roughly 750 miles from Greensboro which I should easily be able to make within a day. My plan was to sleep over in Greensboro after work and leave during the early hours of the next morning (around 3am). However, I finished my project at 4:00pm that afternoon and the weather was excellent. Sunny and in the 60's, so I decided to ride for a while and get a room somewhere on the road.

I took I-40 up to US 52 North in Winston-Salem, up to I-77 to Charleston WV and then I-64 West to Lexington KY. It was getting dark about the time I reached West Virginia (about 6:00pm) and the temperature began to drop rapidly in the mountains. I pulled over and put on my Widder vest and gloves and settled into a comfortable ride. My guess is that the temperature was in the mid 30's that night through the mountains.

I arrived in Lexington KY around 11:00pm that evening and took a room at the Red Roof Inn. It was cold and I was beginning to get a little sleepy. No one was expecting me in St. Louis until Wednesday afternoon anyway, so I might as well take my time. After checking in, I tuned into the Weather Channel to see what would be waiting ahead for me. The weather report predicted rain between Lexington and St. Louis but nice temperatures. I set the Screamin' Beacon for 6:00am and went to sleep.

I was loaded and leaving Lexington by 7:00am. At Evansville IN, it began to rain lightly and the Thanksgiving traffic was beginning to grow a little thick. I arrived in St. Louis around noon to my anxiously awaiting wife at her sister's (Elizabeth) home. Just a few moments later, Jesus (her husband) returned from the airport with their parents and grandmother. And for the next few days, we had a wonderful and festive Thanksgiving which included many of their old friends and several of Jesus' family members.

On Saturday, November 28, Catharine and her family were leaving for the airport to return home shortly after 9:00am so I loaded the motorcycle and bid farewell to all. I took I-44 west from St. Louis through Springfield MO, Oklahoma City and finally into Amarillo TX, arriving around 9:00pm. The temperatures were pleasant but the entire trip had been very windy and gusty all day and I was tired. My plan at this point was to travel I-40 west over to Barstow CA and then up CA58 & CA99 up to the San Francisco area to see my buddies at CBT Imports (Bernd & Jeff) and to have my bike serviced at California BMW before returning. I checked into Motel 6 just off the interstate and discovered they didn't have the Weather Channel. So I tried to get as much info as I could from their local weather forecasts (i.e. not much). What I did find out though, was that snow was coming down in the higher elevations between Albuquerque NM and Flagstaff AZ, and that severe rain storms were on the way into Amarillo. Time for a change of route.

I determined that the best way out of Amarillo was to go south on I-27 into Lubbock and turn west again on US82, which would eventually hook up with US70 near Alamogordo NM, and then onto I-10 at Las Cruces NM.

I woke up at 5:30am on Sunday and was on the road within the hour. I turned west on US82 in Lubbock TX, into rain. Light at first, but heavier as the miles grew. The winds also picked up to over 30mph (with higher gusts), and driving rain. I spent much of this leg leaning at a 10-15 degree angle on my right side. Several hours later, I arrived in Artesia NM...cold, wet and tired. As I was coming into town, I pressed the rear brake to slow down for an upcoming train track crossing and ... nothing. They were so wet, I had to pump them a couple of times to engage. I stopped for fuel and hot coffee and struck up a conversation with a driver who told me I'd never make it over the Snow Canyon pass. Well, I guess not with a name like *Snow Canyon.* He told me he had just come from there and the rain that had just blown through, had dumped fresh snow up there. Lucky me, I get to change my route again. He suggested I take US285 south back into Texas, and then onto I-20 at Pecos, over to I-10 and back up through El Paso. He hadn't heard of any snow down south. So off I went. I guessed this detour would cost me at least another 200 miles, by conservative estimates.

On US285, the wind gusts became increasingly worse, sometimes blowing me into the next lane, but there was absolutely nowhere to stop. This part of the country is desolate. Almost 2.5 hours later, I came into Pecos TX, fueled up and turned west onto I-20. The winds had returned to steady. My gas mileage had been lousy on that leg.

I arrived in El Paso around 5:30pm as the sun was going down, and so were the temperatures once again. I was exhausted but determined not to spend the night in Texas since that's where my day had begun. I opened my Atlas at the El Paso fuel stop and noticed that Las Cruces NM was roughly only 40 miles away. So I decided to ride there, treat myself to a nice dinner and turn in early. At that point, I had expected to be in California, but the weather had thrown me off an entire day... and I was still at least a full day (@1100+ miles) away from San Francisco (or two days if the bad weather persisted).

My schedule had been for me to be in San Francisco by Monday (mid-day) to meet up with Bernd and Jeff, spend Tuesday at their shop installing PIAA lights on the GS, have the bike serviced on Wednesday and ride to Los Angeles on Thursday. I had arranged for Terry Smith (West/Narley) to witness my 50cc departure early Friday am. That plan would change soon.

As I came into Las Cruses NM, I caught a second wind and decided to push on another 75 miles into Deming NM before retiring. I stopped at the Motel 6 in Deming and asked first if they had the Weather Channel. She replied "no" and asked how many were in my party. I respectfully told her that I wouldn't be spending another night in a motel without the Weather Channel and left. I'll bet she doesn't hear that everyday. Back on I-10 for a couple of exits, I found a Super 8 motel and went there to ask the same question. They did have the channel, so I checked in and tuned in once again. I had not seen a decent weather report since leaving St. Louis and the news was not good.

The California coast was being pounded by a huge storm system from Santa Barbara CA and on up to Seattle WA. Lots of rain, wind and snow in most of the higher elevations. At this point, I decided to alter my plan to ride into San Diego where I would begin my 50cc ride back to Jacksonville FL. Since I was already a day behind, and the weather would be horrible in California for several days, my original schedule was blown, and being stranded in California was not an option. I needed to be back in North Carolina within the week.

I woke up the next morning and turned the Weather Channel on once again to discover that the storm system in California had moved down and into San Diego. And also that within the next day or so, would be moving across the country. The last thing I wanted to do at that point was to ride through driving rain again, into San Diego where I would turn around and ride with the rain and wind all the way back across the country at a 50cc pace. So once again, I changed my plan.

The 50cc was off. But since the weather looked good all the way east, I decided a suitable replacement would be a Bunburner Gold (requires a rider to ride a minimum of 1500 miles in less than 24 hours). So I took the opportunity to rest the day in Deming NM, read a little and have my oil changed at Deming Cycle Center. Don (the owner) was a great guy and worked me right in (I believe they are a Honda, Yamaha, BMW dealership). I had a casual dinner, planned my Bunburner Gold route, scouted the local police station, a pay-at-the-pump gas station and prepared my paperwork. My atlas measured Atlanta GA to be around 1550 miles away, and since Atlanta is on the way home, it was the perfect choice. I called Terry Smith and the guys at CBT Imports to advise them of my changed schedule. Around 8:00pm, I set the Screamin' Beacon for 2:30am and went to sleep. Of course, I didn't sleep very well.

On Tuesday morning, December 1st at 2:30am, I threw the Screamin' Beacon across the room, only to realize that I still had to get out of bed to retrieve it and turn it off. I dressed and went outside to check the weather. The winds were relatively calm (only 5-10 mph) and the temperature was in the high 30's. The good news here is that it is normally around 20 degrees in Deming this time of year (according to the Weather Channel).

I loaded the GS and was at the Deming Police Station by 3:29 am (MT), to obtain the required starting signature from one of the town's finest and was on my way to the pay-at-the-pump gas station just a few blocks away. I gave the GS one last inspection (motorcycle, packing and myself). Once I was ready, I pumped the fuel, took my prize receipt with my official starting time of 3:37am and jumped onto I-10. Official starting mileage was 19,249.

The night air was crispy and clear. The stars glistened as the full moon lit up the road in front of me. It was dreamlike. I cranked up the Widder electrics to the comfort zone and took my place on the highway behind a
couple of cars travelling at my desired speed for night riding (hoping to use them as a deer/animal buffer, if necessary). It was still dark as I rode through El Paso and I think I saw the lights from a nearby Mexican city to my right.

I watched the sun rise over the Devil Ridge Eagle Mountains in Texas before stopping for fuel in Van Horn TX at 7:50am (CT). I fueled up, ate a Powerbar and took off again on I-10. About 60 miles later, I switched onto I-20 east. I had run the first leg at 71.4 mph for a distance of 232 miles in the dark. Now that the sun was up, I should make better time.

My next stop was in Big Spring TX. I think I had counted three State Troopers in that leg. And that was just a sign of things to come. I'm certain that every State Trooper in the state of Texas had shown up for work that day. I would count at least a dozen while riding through Texas. At Big Spring, I had ridden a total of 466 miles, averaging 75.5 mph on that leg. I have auxiliary fuel on my R1100GS which gives me a total range of around 350 miles. But I had decided to buy fuel every 250 miles since I wasn't too familiar with this part of the country (every 175-200 miles after dark).

Just before Ft. Worth TX, I filled up and ate another Powerbar (in Weatherford TX). It was 2:24pm (CT) and I was hoping to scoot through Ft. Worth and Dallas. Luckily, traffic was light for those areas and there were no real delays. At Weatherford, I had ridden a total of 712 miles which would make Dallas roughly the halfway point of my quest.

It was on this leg that I enjoyed my last few hours of daylight. The weather still looked great (sunny and 70). But in the winter, you trade off sunlight for high temperatures (in the summer). I haven't decided which is worse. I think I'd rather have the daylight.

By the time I'd reached Greenwood LA (near Shreveport) at 6:04pm, it had turned dark. There was heavy road construction in this area and quite a bit of traffic. I enjoyed yet another Powerbar (yum) and refueled. The pay-at-the-pump printer didn't work so I had to go inside to retrieve my receipt. I don't like to be rude, but when the cashier continued to chat with her co-worker, I interrupted her and firmly stated that I needed a
receipt for my gas. And after 13.5 hours of riding a motorcycle across Texas, I'm sure I was beginning to look a little rough. She readily obliged and I was on my way. Patience is not a virtue on a Bun Burner Gold. I was only 42 miles from the 1000 mile point and still feeling good. But it was dark now and I still had over 500 miles to go.

My next stop for fuel was in Vicksburg MS. My mph average had dropped to a measley 66.7 and fatigue was beginning to set in. At this point, I decided to walk around a few minutes and loosen up some. This helped a great deal, but once I was back on the road, I soon felt very tired again. I decided to stop more often if necessary to help stay awake. On this leg, I began to sing some fairly stupid songs out loud to stay alert (100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, etc.).

I made it as far as Meridian MS (137 miles) before stopping again. I was painfully tired at this point so I went into the store for coffee. I went back outside and walked around for about 10 minutes. The caffeine jolt worked wonders and I was good for the next three hours. As I was coming into Birmingham AL, I spotted a road sign which read, "Atlanta, 145 miles." And at the same time, I was riding into a blanket of fog which had set in over the city. Panic began to take hold and I was suddenly wide awake again. It was 2:00am (CT) and I needed to be in Atlanta and have my official receipt by 5:32am (ET, 2 hours and 35 minutes). I fueled up in Leeds AL (just past Birmingham) and took off for Atlanta. Not far out of Birmingham, the fog let up.

For the record, I reached the 1500 mile mark at highway marker 175 on I-20 in the Middle of Nowhere, AL. But because the Iron Butt Association calculates mileage with a computer program, I couldn't rely 100% on my odometer. And an odometer that's off by only 5% can cost you as much as 75 miles on a Bun Burner Gold.

At this point, I wasn't tired anymore. I was pushing it to reach Atlanta in time. My mph average was back up to 71.4 for this leg...in the dark, riding through the Talladega National Forest, hoping my cheap deer whistles were actually doing anything.

I crossed the state line into Georgia with about 50 miles to go. As I approached the outer loop in Atlanta, I began to look for any reasonable exit to claim my prize receipt. I had plenty of miles, it was 4:45am (ET) and I was completely exhausted. I took exit 14 and claimed my official reciept in Austell GA (an Atlanta suburb).

Official Ending Time: 4:47am (ET)
Official Mileage: 1595 miles
Official Ride Time: 23 hours, 12 minutes
Average MPH: 68.75mph (including fuel stops)

I had noticed a sign for a Red Roof Inn off exit 13, so I (painfully) returned to I-20 for one more exit. My witness verification would have to wait until after my nap. I found the motel and rode over to the office, where two Atlanta police cars had pulled up. As I walked inside, they were questioning a person whose car had apparently been stolen. I didn't care. I checked in anyway (5:00am ET). I figured that it would be daylight soon and the police were already there, so it would probably be a safe place to park the bike. I thought about asking them to sign my witness form but they were busy and I didn't feel that would be appropriate. And I certainly wasn't going to wait for them to finish with their investigation. So I went to my room and left a voicemail message for Catharine, letting her know where I was and that I was still alive. Then I immediately fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up a few hours later and found the Fulton Co. Fire Station #11, where I obtained my final verification. Fait Accompli.

I returned to the motel to load the bike and check out. The desk clerk reminded me that I had checked in only a few hours before and that I could keep the room until the following morning. I told her "thank you, but all I wanted was a nap and shower."

I then rode back to Raleigh NC (about 400 miles) at the most casual pace of my entire trip, with perfect weather (sunny and mid-70's). And I stopped for a Big Mac and Fries to get the taste of Powerbar out of my mouth.

It's just smart riding to be willing to change plans in order to avoid disaster. I had hit the proverbial wall (due to weather) by New Mexico and knew that a 50cc would not have been safe to attempt (riding mostly at night) with the incoming storms. And with my schedule, I couldn't wait for the storm to pass. I'll get the 50cc next time.

It's like the old saying, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade," or in my case...GOLD.



Herbie Saint