Matt Watkins Wandering North America

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As 7 p.m. approaches I’m catching up on little things including posting probably my last pictures.  Steve will likley give us a portion of the rally packet and after the meeting I’ll be crunching numbers.

Marbach (aka Skooter) had screwed up yesterday by finger tightening his brake caliper bolts…and they fell out somewhere between Phoenix and Milford, Utah.  When they fall out the caliper likes to rest on the rotor and score deep gouges in the rotor.

Another angle of the depth of scoring.

He actually only figured it out when he back of the bike and the caliper rotated the other direction and stretched the hell out of his brake line.  It loosened the banjo bolt and leaked a bit.  We bled out the lines and he was much happier.

But, one thing Greg needs constant reminder is………

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Being my 5th year I’m starting to feel like a bit of a veteran and look forward to the familiar faces.  Catching up with Jim Owen, having a pearl of pith and wisdom fall from Tom Melchild’s mouth, hugging Maura Gatesnby as she rides in.

Not weapy tears, but automatic smiles.

I was wiped out and got about 10 hours of sleep and if I get a decent amount of rest tonight I’ll be set for the task on Saturday.

On the “oh shit” department….my roomie Skooter did some maintenance including bleeding his brake lines earlier in the week.  Only problem is he forgot to torque the bolts on one side.

Conventional wisdom is now that finger tight gets you about 400 miles before the bolts fall out.  And when you try and back up after lunch….it will stretch your brake lines horribly.  He had to get new fasteners at a Napa, doesn’t appear to have any leaks now, but we’ll need to bleed to make sure.

After that it’s tech inspection, runing an odometer course, and rider meeting at 7 p.m.

Resting comfortably in the shade and contemplating a worn-out throttle lock (poor man’s cruise control)

The old Vista Cruise had 90,000+ miles on it and just wouldn’t lock…let alone hold anymore. You look at the plastic just to the right of the plastic rivet and it’s worn smooth. The new one cams into a locked position…..AND WORKS!

And the rumor is…well I won’t start one. Suffice it to say Skooter called and he’s in a bit of distress. He’ll be OK, but we’ll be giving him shit endlessly once I get a picture of his screw-up.

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Ready to Rumble

This particular rally was my 4th try at the Utah 1088 and I was mentally ready to tackle this thing with gusto.  Something about just seemed like it could be my best rally to date…and giving away part of the ending…it was exactly that.

Heroes Don’t Spill Beer

I’m not a superstitious guy, but I’ve watched for years the antics of baseball players as they shuffle step across baselines at the end of innings or the OCD like things they do while on deck.  And I always fancied myself as a non-superstitious guy.  But, I had to do a little gut check when I rolled in Thursday about noon.

Things started well…I got in at 11 a.m., the hotel had a room for me already and I got a nice little nap in.  An hour before the hotel van left for the barbeque I even remembered to go to the mini-mart and pick up two six-packs of beer for myself and Brian Roberts.  Having a frost beverage at the BBQ is always nice and I even filled the plastic bag with a bit of ice to keep it somewhat cold in transit.

Then stupidity struck as I obliged somebody’s idea to remove the now soggy six packs for the hotel van ride to Steve’s.

PSSSSHHHHHHHHH!

A six pack of Cutthroat Ale splashed on the concrete as I stood there stupidly with an empty and soggy cardboard container in my hand.

“Cleanup on aisle 6!”, I yelled to the small crowd around.

Hotel staff cleaned up the mess as I turned tail in the departing van…. with my remaining intact beverages.

That was bad luck and NOT the way to start things.  So much for being a rally Big Dog.  Instead I muttered to myself and tried to shake it off.

The Crooner Warms Up

Steve Chalmers typically hands out packets the morning of the rally…usually about an hour before the start time…enough time for people to frantically run to their rooms like hermit crabs and bang away on their laptops.

This time was different.

He handed out packets Friday evening at 7 to guarantee nobody would get any meaningful sleep.  This mandatory riders meeting was spirited with usual suspects asking dumb questions and being assigned “The Rock”…until somebody else would ask a dumb or smart-ass question.

The rock flowed from rider to rider with ease.

The bulk of the packet highlights a very specific “Main Route” course where one can follow directions and navigate from bonus to bonus and ultimately to the Checkpoint #1 in Heber City between 11:30 and 13:00.  A second packet for the remaining rally would then be handed out.  Riders…especially newbies…are encouraged to ride the Main Route.  Besides some guaranteed camaraderie of dozens of folks wandering the state in more-or-less the same direction it probably looks to the outsider and local cop like their county has been invaded by some strange looking motorcycle bee drones as they buzz around and then off over the next horizon.

Also in the packet are “Alternate Routes” that included one that caught my eye.  Steve made a special point in the meeting that we’d be riding more miles than usual and it instructed us to merly ride 1600 miles in the 26 hour period.  I wouldn’t want to demean the difficulty of doing what amounted to a Bun Burner Gold, but when you’re staged in Salt Lake City and the vast openness of Nevada is right next door this is actually a fairly easy task for me.

This route guaranteed 165 points.  Add in 50 for returning an envelope that my license and registration was sealed and it was 215 points.  Steve also mentioned that 200 points would be a good score.

I should also note that Alternate Routes are usually fairly exclusive of the Main Routes.
For example, another Alternate Route was to go to Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower, but you the RM may not let you also go after bonii on the main route.  They do this by design to make the calculus of what to choose as reasonably even.  Riders pick and choose because either a route may be more to their liking, they  see some tactical advantage, or the rare chance that the RM missed something on their own puzzle and they can have some fun surprising them.

A picture is worth a thousand words they say…so here’s what would be my final route….realizing I’d only know for sure until about #6 at this point.

It’s a bit convoluted to understand if you didn’t ride it…so here’s the story to go along with it:

The alternate was to ride 1600 miles for a bunch of points…that’s it.  It’s actually Warchild’s favorite route because they go get to clear their head in the unfettered and higher speed two-laners of neighboring Nevada.  While I get that appeal…I also wanted to win.

So, both myself and Brian Roberts saw that we might be able to stitch together a 1600 mile ride plus snag some bonii from the main route.  Through careful reading and a dice roll we knew that would could declare the alternate route, scoop up a few bonii on the main route available to us, but still go to the first checkpoint and get the packet for the next leg.

Heber City by way of Bonneville

Estimating the time to get the first leg bonii we realized we still needed to ride some extra miles so just set the compass west towards Wendover…which included a bonus on the main route.  If main route riders were watching us they’d actually wonder why we turned around at the exit before Wendover…which added to the devious part of hiding your intentions.  The fact the exit was also for the Bonneville Salt Flats made it even more symbolic.

Brian and I thought we were on to something and started our 24 hour long grind of piling on 1600 miles by getting ahead of the curve the first 3 hours of riding.

The first checkpoint in Heber City (*6 on the map) was littered with people and we were happy to find the next bonus packet had a decent collection of bonii to go after.  Unfortunately, one bonus worth what would be about 1/3 of the points, sit-ups, was not available to us.  Oh well, that’s the gamble and was a threshold I would never be able to get over to snag a 1st place, but I still would have a monster ride trying to disprove it.

Mapping forward I saw that there were at least decent mile-eating roads before I’d have to make a choice at I-70 to pile on more miles or continue on ever-twistier and slower two-laners in Southern Utah.  While riding I was able to plan ahead and realize there was yet another checkpoint I could go to in Beaver to then unlock a bonus to me….very subtle wording and reading comprehension that I totally was into Steve’s mind with.

I even pondered a ride east to Steamboat (#14), but it just didn’t compare to the accumulation of smaller bonii on the main route.

One of my many stops:

Crossroads to a Hybrid Route Only I’d Travel

When I got to Henrieville (#14 a checkpoint that I had no reason stop stop at, but good gas stop) I initially also wrote off an outlier (#17), but about 15 miles west of Henrieville I turned around and decided I had time.  It’s actually rare that you can double back on a choice and it not really have an effect on your rally because I still had to log 1600 miles and at this point I knew I was going to be cutting that minimum close for the whole rally.  So, besides timing, number of bonii, slowness of two-laners, and minimum miles I felt like a U2 pilot that actually had a very narrow window of speed and physics to fly at the extreme altitudes they did.  Too slow and I risked stalling (DNF), too fast and I risked breaking off the wing tips.

And that choice to go to Natural Bridges was phenomenally beautiful…and my favorite stretch in my first Utah 1088.  Tar snakes baked in the afternoon heat, but the waning sun made the red rocks look like leather in textured shadows and earthy patina.

Back through Henrieville the masses were checking in and milling around the parking lot socializing.  I rode by without slowing and thought about how much my head was in the game.  I realized that other than the times I’ve gassed up (with a usual pee and cooler recharge) and the first checkpoint I literally hadn’t been off the bike or shut off the engine.  I found myself at stops efficiently straddling the bike, snapping photos, documenting material, and then darting off to the next bonus.

I caught up with several riders that I think were Ken Morton and Scott Schmidt.  They had a certain look and pace to them that I could tell they were doing well.  I had no clue how many situps they had done (turns out nearly the max of 100 where I could have only done 30 or 35) and they turned off to a bonus I remembered was for main route riders, but blocked to me.  I’d leap frog with them another time or two that evening.

The Bryce Canyon bonus had been listed as between checkpoint #2 and #3, but mapping it out (#28) it seemed so much more obvious as something I should snag after #3.  Another one of my wise moves.

My only encounter with a LEO was

After Lyman I had a little confusion of how to tackle Bryce, a UHP Memorial, Milford, and others, but I headed to the checkpoint.  Once there I was ahead of schedule, but thought a break might be in order.  Standing with Dave McQweeney it felt weird to be off the bike and I felt totally unproductive so I looked over the bonus list again and realizing I was eating into my 1600 mile buffer I figured out I should go up to Milford and get the bonus even though I’d ride through it again.  The only goof I think I really made in the rally.

CHECKPOINT #3 Redux

Checking back in with McQueeney I got a signature on my packet…and he looked concerned knowing I was riding an alternate route.  He reminded me I got no points for being there, but I showed him I knew that, but the special rules of the Cedar City bonus that required a signature.  Nothing in the packet said I couldn’t get that signature….so he obliged and smiled…knowing that I still had some higher-level brain cells firing this early in the morning.

Heading south to Cedar City I found even more LEOs prowling I-15 and radar over the place.  Cruising smoothly through I gassed up and headed back north towards the barn.  This was the apogee of the rally.

Heading back through Milford for the second time I then caught up with riders heading to the Old Fort (#30) bonus.  The road was smooth, straight, and fast.  I hadn’t been on this road before, but once I got to Delta I had been on that road before several times.

Approaching Nephi I had another throught in my head.  I felt like Neo revisiting the Matrix.  I and Brian had chosen the Blue Pill for this rally and it felt like everybody else were plugged in unaware of the real world.  The past three years I had been the same way, but this time was different.  I felt like George Zelenz did in 2005.

Counting My Chickens Too Early

Descending out of the low mountains west of Nephi I readied for a gas stop and reconfirmed I was still ahead of the 1600 mile curve.  I figured I had about 30-45 minutes to spare and gassed up and scored a bonus for it.

As I downed a Red Bull and munched some cashews I double-checked my packet to make sure I only had two bonii left (Rush Valley and Beer bonus) and set out on the final leg as the sun started to come up.  I did and pushed the bike off it’s center stand to a depressing thud.  It didn’t feel right and felt about 3 inches too low.

FUCK! I’ve got a flat rear tire.

Trying not to panic I put it backon the center stand and looked for the hole.  I found it and the object.  With some pliers I tried to pull out what was probably a nail, but part of it flaked off.  When I finally removed it I looked puzzled over it…for it was clearly animal and not mineral.  I still don’t know 100% for sure, but several people thought it was part of a porcupine.

The whole was far more jagged on elongated than the previous two punctures I’d fixed in my travels.  I put the plug in, aired things up, and got on the freeway, but within a couple of miles I threw the plug and had to stop.

Full blown panic set in.  I tried another plug, but it wouldn’t hold.  Riders wandered by and I waved them past….no sense them not making the finish line.

Then an angel on FJR stopped.  It was my roomie Eric V. and he had a decidedly calm look on his face.  I crumbled and fell apart in front of him and asked, “Eric, you got time or are you need all the time to finish?  I’m so screwed, freaking out, and am looking at a DNF!”

Quite politely he took charge of a normally calm person and set about helping me fix my flat with calm I was unable to muster.  He also used the Wal-Mart string I had never used before and I actually got why there’s an appeal for this method as it seems to work better on irregular holes.

As it was airing I called Steve and told him I might not make the finish…but it would be close regardless.  He appreciated the heads up and as I got to 40 psi I looked at my clock again and did the mental calcuation.  I had enough time and if I skipped the last 2.9 bonus, rode straight up I-15 at the speed limit, rode an extra 30 miles past the finish line, and reversed course…I’d have about 1610 miles…and about 10 minutes to spare.  Nothing could go wrong.  I couldn’t get another flat…I couldn’t hit too much traffic….I couldn’t miss an exit….I had to go to a specific exit…and I had no time to double-check my packet.

I was totally working without a net and the adrenaline flowed.

I thanked Eric profusely, he followed me for a couple of miles, and I gave him the thumbs up that I was holding air.  I went sub speed limit and avoided leaning left as if it was a blister about to pop.  And the slog through Provo and SLC was the most conservative and nerve-wracking I had ever experienced.  The a.m. Sunday traffic was light and the world had no clue to my knife-edge existence.

Even more nerve wracking was deliberately riding past the exit to the hotel knowing I had to pile on extra miles.  Scenarios of absolute disaster played in my mind as well as the fear that the 2.9 point bonus would be the difference between me winning and not.  It also felt like I had just downed a buffet Steve had laid out in front of expecting nobody could it all…and I had…..except for one shrimp.

That one made me chuckle and I loosened up as I cruised west on I-80.  At the exit I planned I turned around and headed back to the starting line recalculating time and distance again.  I had about 15 minutes extra, but I was second guessing what I had calibrated my odometer at the day prior.  0.1 miles different on a 25 mile round trip made a different at this level of closeness…..and I needed every mile.  I knew that if I came in with 1599.9 miles….I would DNF.  I thought 1507 corrected miles was the minimum, but aimed for 1513 best case scenario and 1504 worst case.  I also hoped that the smaller diameter of a tire that had been worn down would help a bit.

Counting Chickens Again

And the last bonus of 3.0 points for cold beer proved too much to resist.  It was only blocks from the hotel and the parking lot was not full.  I even played the scenario that my tire would go flat while I was inside and I’d ride the rim the last mile down the road if I needed too.  I’m such an animal!

As I left with the 6 pack I rode down the street and just couldn’t help but add more miles.  I rode around the block and added 2 miles from my worst case scenario and aimed for 1506.  (As it turns out I’d be credited with 1514.6…so my best case scenario was very close)

I rolled in and Steve motioned me to park in front of the table.  He told me I had 9 minutes and I suddently found myself having to travel only 15 feet in that amount of time and felt like I had all the time in the world!  Although I couldn’t thoroughly double-check the whole packet I did a 5 minute scan.  Everything looked solid so I dropped the packet in with a full 4 minutes to spare!

Afterwards I told Steve that I rode hard got every bonus available but two….”Burp!”  He was a bit surprised doing the math and knew the Colorado one wasn’t possible and when I told him the other one was because I didn’t want to risk the flat tire and would have done it otherwise he was a bit wide-eyed…which made me smirk.

Nappy Time, Banquet, and More Nappy Time

Waking up for the banquet I was treated to the usual camaraderie and baked looking people.  No big drama and I was tickled with my best finish so far.  I was the highest finisher for the alternate routes and rode a nearly flawless ride.  I had some drama and panicked, but then came home and practiced the string method of repair.

Another Utah 1088 in the books and my shaman was impressed.

2.9

This weekend was full of fixing and identifying little niggly bits on the bike and farkles. I don’t have a lot of patience for this stuff as it tends to be signs of aging and used equipment–especially equipment that has logged lots of miles.

Done:

Cam Chain Tensioner - A lot like a watch spring one of the few weaknesses of the FJR is the cam chain tensioner.  They wear out after 60,000 miles or so and I’ve been rolling around at stop lights with something that sounds like marbles in a coffee can.  $65 worth of parts and $80 in a new set of ratcheting wrenches to reach a very inconvenient 8 mm bolt.

Replace a fuse to the audio system and V1 – Near Boston in 2008 my water resistant radar setup showed a shortcoming and popped a fuse.  I thought DC was supposed to be immune, but it wasn’t for some reason.

Valentine V1 – I bought a RAM mount with magnetic base used from a friend and need to secure

Audio in the helmet – I have a Starcomm that does a great job at mixing various audio signals including my GPS, V1, and potentially cell phone, but the headgear part is just a PITA.  It involves a connector to the Starcomm, a boom for the mic (which I don’t really use), and feed to the earphones, and a set of earphones that are also double as earplugs.  Ideally, it all needs to fit into the nooks and crannies of the helmet to avoid windnoise and snagging with the glove….but is tedious to get right.

SPOT – I changed sides and need to get the RAM mount dialed in so it doesn’t all scrape with the windshield.

Thermometer – There is just not reasonably priced inside/outside thermometer that’s also water resistant.  I’m trying a unit with a wireless transmitter for the outside and is secured to a light bracket.  I tediously dabbed silicone all around the seams and hoping it waterproofs it up.  $10 investment plus an hour of time…we’ll see.

To Do:

Replace RJ45 cable – The tang basically a telephone cable is broken and doesn’t “click” into place anymore.  I need to replace the cable and it will involve lifting the tank.

GPS audio cable fix or replace – I’ve actually worn metal off on the the headphone plug to the GPS and it’s cutting out.  This is good and bad as I had thought it was my old GPS with a deteroriating ear jack, but the same problem with my 2820 and I think I can see the metal is either worn away or corroded.  Hopefully I’ll be able to buff it up or add some conductivity paste as the cable is a special isolated $60 cable and another tank raising to replace.

Just got back from the Lion’s Scavenger Hunt and it was a GREAT little rally.  It was actually the perfect rally for a newbie wanting to get a taste of what it is to route and ride on the clock, also appealing to the social riders looking to go to a few new places at a leisurely pace, as well as a great season opener for veterans to get rid of the cobwebs.  Not exactly a lot of promotion…this was the sum total:

Registration 8am–9am
Start: Space Age Truck Stop south of Hermiston, Highway 207 and I-84.
Finish: 4pm, West Park, Umatilla, Oregon.
Take this 7-hour ride and collect points by visiting famous scenic sights and answering historical questions about Eastern Oregon. Bring a digital camera or a cell phone with camera is OK.
Call Deb Decker 541-922-1903 for additional information.

I’m glad I went because Scott (aka Fazer1 on PNWRiders.com) came up with the route and he did a phenomenal job.  Even with me as an Iron Butt Rally seasoned veteran with my full compliment of electronic warfare–I found myself riding home after the event thinking how I might have done things jjjjjjust a little differently.

Cutting to the chase two rookies got first and second.  Scott (96ssportsp) and his new friend, Carey, that happen to be staying in the hotel next door and decided to run because bikes suddenly showed up in the parking lot rode together.  Scott was the brains behind the routing knowing the area well and the two of them ate almost the entire buffet of bonus possibilities except three smaller point items.  They estimated they rode about 350 miles and Scott was self-effacing after the rally e knew the area and had an unfair advantage, but I’m here to tell you…..HE’S A NATURAL and picked ever after I did post-rally analysis the most efficient route for points per mile.

Since they were tied at 273 points, the rallymaster had them cut cards for 1 point and Carey won.  Not bad since he didn’t even know about the rally until it started.

I placed third having picked up several of the smaller ones they didn’t, but I just couldn’t see making it to Ukiah and left that one on the plate.  It was a big bonus so I netted about 268 points.  Without adding Ukiah I couldn’t have one, but that was the choice I made and probably would do again…unless I could have possibly got out of the parking lot at 9:00 exactly instead of the 9:17 I actually did.

I can’t say this strongly enough…..if you were thinking about it but weren’t sure (cough…..JimmyZ……ahem)…you MISSED OUT.    I got rained on for about 10 minutes the whole day and that’s because of my funky route to Condon.

They’re going to do it next year and HIGHLY recommend it whether you’re just wanting to go ride or want to see if you have an internal rally skill you didn’t know about. :mfclap:

A couple pics:

Heppner Mural….crossed paths with Scott and Carey here the second time after passing them near Condon.

The courthouse at Heppner.  I wasn’t sure from the rally instructions whether pictures were required or not for photos and took one anyway.  In competitive hindsight I could probably have saved another 15 minutes had I not taken photos of everything….but then again I was trying to have some fun and have a soft spot for courthouses since my special WA Courthouse Ride in 2007.

And my one self-portrait about 5 hours into the rally.  I’d shortly be heading east to LaGrande, pass Scott and CArey, and realize that they chose the twisty Heppner to LaGrande route.  I knew that route having ridden most of once before (but got stopped by snow) and figured they’d been hoofin’ it.

Bonus at Meacham…notice the one page rally instructions at the bottom of the screen.  As I complete bonuses I’d cross them off making it visually easier to see how much of the laundry list I had crossed off.  This was nicer than previous rallies with multiple sheets as it’s visible while riding.

The GPS tracked me backwards to get on I-84 and I couldn’t remember from the dozens of other times I had gone by this area if it was fibbing or not.  I suspected it was, but believed it.  That cost me another 10 minutes, but didn’t mean I skipped any bonuses at that point in the rally.  A minor error, but a reminder to not always follow the GPS.

After I cleared Pendleton there was a bonus in Holdman…which is pretty much just a grain tower, a deteroiating remains of a schoolhouse and a few houses.  I ran across a Goldwing rider wandering looking for a “USGS benchmark” for over 10 minutes and stressed a bit if I’d find it.  I did in less than 2 minutes…..I’d like to think because of my experience surveying in college.  Try and spot this flat thing 50 feet from the highway!  (Actually I spotted the witness monument as I rode within 10 feet of it near the grain tower).

I made it to the finish line with about 7 minutes to spare…..too few to be comfortable.  I had planned for about 20 minutes buffer, but got in the middle of a traffic jam for 15 minutes…..IN PENDLETON!  Also, I had never been to the park at the finish line before, it didn’t show up on GPS, and I couldn’t find it the night before the rally even with Google.  Fortunately, I had asked Scott’s wife right before I departed and she said West Park was “near McNary dam to the left”.

Here’s my #3 route at 346 miles showing 7 hours 16 minutes at an estimated rate I use according to Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008…which a program heavily used by the folks that run other competitive rallies.

And a hit list of the bonuses.  The only ones missing is the 3 points for Butter Creek and the 45 points of Ukiah.

Here’s what I think the the #1/2 route was at 345 miles (curiously 1 mile less than mine) with MS&T showing 7 hours 44 minutes.  ( the road from Heppner to Ukiah and to LaGrande is going to be slower than I-84 and require more manipulation by the right hand if you know what I mean :devil:)

In the meantime, the year of the Heppner Flood was in 1903, the elevation of Holdman is 1008 feet, and there are zero cows in the field next to Little Butter Creek…and many other history nuggets we learned on the rally.  What’s in store for next year is anybody’s guess, but I’m looking forward to it and plan to get others to ride with me!

I found a Lion’s sponsored charity scavenger hunt Saturday.  It’s 7 hours and we’re supposed to go to historic places in Eastern Oregon.  I’m sure it’s not competitive the same way I’ve become used to, but a perfect chance to go out and do some riding and dust off my skills.

It starts in Hermiston with sign-up between 8-9 a.m. and finishes in Umatilla at 4 p.m.

I’ll have my GPS tracker turned on here and excited about where I might end up riding.  Tracks before  9 a.m.  and after 4 p.m. would be me commuting to and from home.

Futzing around tonight getting the bike reasonably rally ready and too try out my new 2820 GPS.

And I shot this 15 second exposure tonight at 10 p.m.  The grapes and LED lights look nice as does the pergola and increasingly metropolitan Tri-Cities in the background.

I basically wore out an HJC Symax over the past three years.  I bought it gently used for $80 and it served me well….but was a bit on the cheap and noisy side.

Well, at Christmas I tried a SHOEI Multitec on in Phoenix and was sold.  $400 later and the idea that it would match my yellow Aerostich I now have a state-of-the-art flip-up helmet.

I’ve had a SHOEI before and their fit, finish, and general feel just are solid…and you pay a bit of a premium.  I bought an additional dark tint shield for $40 that pops off in about 30 seconds and another thing I found indispensable after I kept getting my face sunburned on rallies.

Since it was new and made me look even more like Big Bird I added some special Applied Graphics black stripes that are reflective white at night.  And I got a sheet of blank material that I could fill in the rear of the helmet even a little more for traffic behind me.   Cheating with a flash you get the effect it would have at night.  Another $30 well spent.