The day started out promising. We picked up Massachusetts and Rhode Island and were heading for New Hampshire and Maine when the CB crackled with an accident about 20 miles ahead. We were on the I-495 bypass around Boston. After checking with the truckers we took a detour down to I-95 and then back up to where it and I-495 joined. As we approached the New Hampshire Turnpike, we were pleasantly surprised to see the short lines waiting to clear the toll gate. Then it was on to get the New Hampshire receipt and finally to Kittery for the Maine receipt and the location of Ron Ayres now-historic departure site for his 7-49 ride. At 12:35pm on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend we checked in with Belinda Wagner who was recording on the 48+ web page the various riders’ progress. We reported that we were at the furthest northeast point and were heading west.
As we returned down the New Hampshire Turnpike, when we got to the toll gates we had cleared an hour earlier, we were amazed to see the line for the gates was now at least EIGHT miles long and growing. It was Memorial Day Friday but we quickly realized that all this traffic was also a result of clearing the accident we had detoured around. We considered ourselves very lucky to have avoided the accident because, getting caught in the toll gate traffic would really have put us behind. Little did we know our luck would run out in just a few hours.
As we turned off I-495 onto Hwy 2, our progress was slowed by two lane traffic. We got to Battlesboro VT and got our receipt for that state. It was about 3pm so we took a break and ate a deli sandwich. We noticed a lot of traffic on this road and asked a local if it was busy all the way across to Albany NY. We were assured that it was only local traffic. However, proceeding west, we did not even get out of town when the CB came alive again. An eighteen wheeler had crashed and burned up the road. The fire truck responding to the call had broken down and the road was going to be closed for several hours. Our good fortune had just ended……
After weighing several operations, we decided to back track a bit and go south to the next major east/west road and go to Albany that way. This happened to be a continuation of Hwy 2. Going across it, we hit our first rain but managed to get to Albany unscathed. There we picked up the New York Turnpike and headed west. It was now early evening and we were back on the efficient, if boring, interstate. Sixty-two miles later, we stopped for gas and our New York receipt. About 10:00pm, the events of the last couple of days started catching up with us. Bill had not slept well the night we realized we had missed Georgia and the next night we only had 3, 1/2 hours sleep due to the difficulty of finding a room. It was time for a nap. We took about a 15-20 minute break and awoke, refreshed and ready to push on. We finally made New Hamburg, just outside Buffalo about 1am. That was one long day for 819 miles!
Saturday, May 25th – 950 miles (7 states)
With almost a 6 hour rest, we were on our way again, The interstate, toll booths and rain would dominate our day. Crossing Pennsylvania, and Ohio, we made it into Indiana. The clock became confusing because Indiana is all screwed up. Some parts of it do not recognize daylight savings time so the time appears to be the same as Central time. This confused us for a few minutes until we sorted it all out. Then we needed to take a side junket to get Michigan. That is when the skies opened and stayed opened off and on until we got into Illinois when the rain stopped.
Kenn Clark, who was riding the same route only a couple of days ahead of us had reported that there were no problems riding right through Chicago so that’s what Bill and I decided to do. After a myriad of tolls, and what seemed like an eternity of riding, stopping, paying tolls, riding, stopping etc, we finally reached Rockford IL about 5:30pm where we took our one hour break at the now-familiar Denny’s. You see, Denny’s has a receipt with time, date, city and state on it (at least most do) so we could kill two birds with one stone, rest and get a state receipt. Then it was on to St. Paul MN at 11:15pm for the night’s six hour rest. I knew the motel where the first Butt Lite was headquartered and that is where we stopped. I kibitzed that we should call Adam Wolkoff and tell him we were in town. However, we decided midnight was a bit late to call even Adam. That six hour rest would be sorely needed for the next day’s ride.
Sunday May 26th – 1087 miles (7 states)
As we awoke and prepared to start the day’s riding, the weather channel indicated storms would move into the area later in the day. It was then our objective to be long gone by the time that happened. Riding north towards Fargo ND, we cut west about 50 miles shy of Fargo and headed for Wahpeton for our ND receipt. As we rode I-94 toward Fargo, my mind drifted back to the first Butt Lite and Eric Jewell’s great ride to finish first and how he must have felt riding from St. Paul to Fargo and back.
After getting our ND receipt we turned south on I-29 headed for Rockport MO 450 miles away picking up Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska along the way. We fought miserable cross-wind most of the way down I-29. At one point we met an oncoming bike that looked like another Long Distance rider. We would learn in Hyder that it was another rider doing the 48+ ride but using a different route.
Getting the MO receipt, it was onto the longest stretch of two lane in the lower 48 over to Colby Kansas. The roads in that part of the country run north/south or east/west. That would prove beneficial to us. As we rode west, I could see a thunderhead building off at 1-2 o’clock. I mentioned it to Bill on the CB but he said, “Nah, we won’t run into it”. The further we rode the worse it looked. Then there was another thunderhead building about 11 o’clock. I think these storms finally got Bill’s attention. We started adjusting our route, stair-stepping south and west. We got on this one great road that was smooth and a bit of a roller coaster. We were making good time and it looked like we were going to ride between the storms when I crested a hill only to meet officer “Barney” going the other way. He immediately flipped on his lights then his rear radar. Thankfully, by the time the radar came on, I had scrubbed some speed off. I guess he was on his way to dinner because that was the last we saw of him. Whew!!!!!
We got to Colby KS around 10pm, took a break and then headed west. I encountered my first of a few electrical gremlins when I could not hear Bill but he could hear me. Less than an hour later we were in Burlington CO where we called it a night. Each night, when we got to the motel room, we would flip on the weather channel to see what we could expect the next day. It was then we learned that storm off a 1-2 o’clock had spawned 5-7 tornadoes.
Monday, May 27th, Memorial Day – 1181 miles (4 states)
Up before the sun and heading west to Limon CO where we stopped for breakfast at, you guessed it, Denny’s. My radio was “listening” again so, after doing a FFE (Full tummy, full tank, Empty bladder) it was on to Colorado Springs where we turned south on I-25. Into New Mexico, the skies darkened and it started to rain a bit again. Stopping in Las Vegas NM, we got that state’s receipt and then pushed on. At one point, I noticed Bill’s headlight was off. I called to him to ask if he had switched it off. He stated that he did not have an on/off switch so he must have lost BOTH low beams. This meant a maintenance stop in Santa Fe to replace his headlight bulbs. I also took the opportunity to troubleshoot my electric clothing rheostats as they appeared to not be working. They were always on. Bill got his headlight bulbs replaced but I determined there was nothing I could do to fix my problem. That meant that, as we went over the mountain passes of Montana, Idaho and Washington, I had two choices, bake or freeze. I would come up with a solution that would help me out not only then but also on the way home…..
Back on the road we made it to Albuquerque and turned west on I-40. Dinner was in Flagstaff at…. Denny’s. We then pushed on to Needles CA. It was 9:30pm local time so we decided to head for Las Vegas NV for the night. Turning north for the last time, we sensed that we had turned the corner and could see the end in sight, even if Hyder was still 2847 miles away! We were heading north to Alaska! Truckers told us of a motel on the north side of Las Vegas so that is where we headed. As we topped the last hill going into Vegas, the view was nothing short of AWESOME! There, below us lay the city, spread out in all it’s neon glory. That alone made the day’s ride well worth it. At 11:30pm we called it a day, a good day, our longest day of the ride, mileage-wise. The best was yet to come…..
Tuesday, May 28th – 1093 miles (4 states)
Up with the sun, as usual and on our way. After gassing up, checking oil etc, we headed north on I-15. The morning was clear, there was no wind to speak of and we were heading to Alaska! What a great morning. What made it better was the scenery. It was beautifully arid. Bill and I both commented on it. It crossed my mind as we were traveling this road. God painted this land for man to enjoy, not destroy. What a magnificent painting it is too…
As we were heading for Salt Lake City, it dawned on me that the BMW dealer there may have a rheostat that could solve my electric clothing dilemma. As we approached SLC, I called and sure enough they had what I needed. 1 side trip to the dealer solved my problem and would be a blessing for the rest of the trip. After getting the parts I needed it was back east a few miles to pick up Wyoming. Bill and I had traveled this road on Butt Lite II so we felt like it was familiar territory. After getting the receipt in Evanston, it was back west to I-15 to resume our trek north. At Pocatello ID, we got that states receipt. This time we stopped at an Applebees (sorry Denny’s) for dinner and a bit of work on my rheostat to confirm that the new one worked and then it was on to Montana.
At 11:30pm we stopped at Deer Lodge MT but there were no rooms available so we decided to push on to Missoula where we got a room at 1am and called it a night. The ride from Deer Lodge to Missoula felt like an eternity but every mile we did that night was another mile behind us.
Wednesday May 29th – 799 miles (2 states)
This was to be a day of ups and downs, triumphs and let-downs. We started the day in dreary conditions as we headed west. A few miles into the day, Bill’s bike started acting up. We finally pulled into a rest area where he changed fuel filters which cured his problem. Then it was on through the rain and the cold as we traversed a couple of mountain passes before breaking into the sunshine in Washington state. We then headed south to Oregon, getting the last of the lower 48, 8027 miles, seven days 20 hours to the minute from the time stamp back in Plano TX. Now we turned north for the last time. As we rode towards Seattle, it became evident that we would be caught in rush hour traffic. I am told that is no fun. When we got back to I-90, I called Mark Reis in Marysville, north of Seattle. I wanted him to look at my communications system. He suggested we take the back roads to his place which we did, arriving about 5:30pm. Three hours later we were on our way. Heading north up I-5 again we ran in and out of rain.
We crossed the border into Canada at Sumas and headed for Hope BC, arriving there at 12:15am where we bedded down for a five hour rest. The day was long on time and short on distance but we knew we were in good shape to make Hyder in nine days. The two breaks for bike repairs made the day seem long but the breaks were worth it.
Thursday May 30th – The LAST DAY – 837 miles (1 state)
This was all in Canada. We headed up the road to Prince George where we had originally hoped we would be on Wednesday night. All the delays, backtracking for Georgia etc set us back about four hours. As we rode up through British Columbia, I saw signs for all the towns and cities I had heard of, growing up in Canada, but had never visited. We made Prince George by noon. I stopped at a Radio Shack to buy an electrical noise suppressor for the CB to install it in Hyder. Then it was on toward the final destination. At Burns Lake, we took a break. I came out of the 7/11 to realize I had lost my license plate somewhere between Prince George and there. No going back so we pressed on. We arrived in Kitwanga, the last place before Stewart BC/Hyder and topped off the tanks for the final push. The scenery was phenomenal all the way up from Hope with the mountains getting whiter and whiter with permanent glaciers.
The last stretch was again ridden in the rain. We had several “white-outs” from road spray off a couple of trucks until we turned onto Hwy 37A, the last road into Hyder. The rain was now intermittent and we could once again enjoy the scenery. We started to notice the bear population. We saw no less than five black bears on that last stretch.
Finally, 9291 miles and nine days, 4, 1/2 hours after leaving Plano Texas we arrived in Hyder. Ron and Barbara Ayres were just heading to dinner so we had Ron witness our finish (remember, he had witnessed our start nine days ago). Then it was on to the motel for some badly needed rest. The motel is another story which I will pick up next…..
Friday, May 30th – NO MILES
The motel we had reserved was pretty bad so, the next morning, we checked to see if the King Edward hotel in Stewart was available. It was. We then went back and checked out of the Grandview in Hyder and moved over to the King Edward. The day was one of continuous light rain. I needed to work on my bike so, finally, in desperation, I found a protective overhang and worked on my bike. Friday night, Bill and I treated ourselves to Alaskan King Crab legs (how appropriate) as a reward for our ride. Then it was to bed early for some much needed rest.
Saturday, June 1st – Minimal miles
The weather broke late morning so we went out to get some pictures. I found my auxiliary gas tank was not pumping over to the main so more work. I AM going to fix all these nagging problems before the Butt Lite in August but for now, the objective was to bandaid it until I got home. Saturday evening was the Hyder Seek dinner. We found out that fifteen of us had successfully completed the 48+ ride ending up in Hyder for the dinner. Over 90 people had ridden to Hyder to eat with other LD riders but only 15 of us had done it the hard way. Seventeen started but two dropped out with mechanical failures and two others had not started. After a dinner of halibut fish and chips it was back to the room to pack and prepare for a three day 2800+ mile ride home.
Sunday June 2nd – Mileage not recorded
Daylight comes early that far north so, at 5:30am we were on the road. It was a cold morning for riding so the electrics felt really good. We passed several other riders who were also heading out. At Kitwanga, we stopped for gas and breakfast. As we rode and the sun rose in the sky it warmed up. The ride down to Jasper was pleasant and enjoyable. We then turned south and rode Hwy 93 down through Jasper and Banff National Parks. The further south we rode we ran into rain AGAIN! Finally, about forty miles south of Calgary we stopped for the night. I don’t know how many miles it was but it was a good chunk.
Monday June 3rd - Mileage not recorded
Watching the weather channel, it looked like we were going to run in and out of rain for the day and sure enough, we did. When we got back to the US border, the customs officer asked about my license. He gave me a bit of a hard time but, in the end, let me go. By the time we got to Billings MT the skies were clear but road reports had it getting bad again in Wyoming. Sure enough, South of Casper it started again and lasted all the way, on and off to Denver. When we got to the south side of Denver it was 10:30pm and the roads were flooded. We found a motel and quit for the night. Total mileage for the two days was just over 2000 miles.
Tuesday, June 4th – The LAST LAST Day.
We got up early and headed south determined to get home that day. The weather was fine and just south of Trinidad, we pulled over and took pictures honoring 100,000 miles on my bike. When we got to Raton and turned southeast the side winds were fierce. We rode with cross winds all the way to Dalhart where we turned south. By the time we got to I-40 the winds had subsided. Stopping in Amarillo, we got something to eat, called home and headed out on the last leg. We ran into more rain all the way to south of Vernon where we hit the front. The temps went from 70 to 85 degrees in a matter of minutes but the rain quit. The rest of the ride was uneventful.
When Bill and I split, a wave was not sufficient. We stopped, shook hands complemented each other on one heck of a ride. I then rode the last 3 miles all by myself, arriving home at 8:00pm fourteen days and two hours after leaving the Mobil station at Spring Creek Pkwy. The total ride was 12, 255 miles in 14 days, with two layover days in Hyder, making it 12 days of actual riding…..
Epilogue.
Am I glad I did it – Absolutely
Will I do it again – Not any time soon.
As Bill says, we only have the memories. Everything else fades away or changes. I will have this memory in my rocking chair (along with my other major LD rides). That is the redeeming reason that I do these rides. Yes, I do them to prove to myself that I can do them but after the ride, all that remains is the memory.
Having ridden with Bill for the last 27,000 miles or so, there is no doubt we are almost 100% compatible in our riding styles, stop frequency etc. We also adjust to each other very well. He will be missed for the next two years as he runs off to Australia with his wife but he WILL BE BACK……
Norm