Girlie Motorcycle Blog

Catfish Results from Checkpoint 2

Catfish sounded less than excited about his ranking after scoring in yesterday. He’s currently in 85th place. I understand that maybe that isn’t where he’d like to be in the standings but you know he really is working hard. Everyone I know is still proud of him and the rally isn’t over yet. The key here is to finish and do it safely.  Win, lose or draw, everyone around these parts is still in awe.

Is second place always first loser?

Let me start by saying I don’t generally subscribe to the If you had fun you won mentality. I am totally down with being competitive. But the deeper I get in to reading what these competitors in the IBR go through; my point of view here may be altered a little.

Sure it’s great to ‘win’, to be number 1. Who wouldn’t love that? Those folks work really hard to earn that. But I also think that its important to remember that with the amount of hours on the road, each of these folks ups the odds for mishap or mechanical breakdown. Every person that makes it to the end of the rally picking up points along the way really needs to be applauded for their stamina alone. Yes, yes, yes, I understand there has to be some level of points here. I get it. Riding directly from one checkpoint to the next would absolutely not be sporting.

The guys and girls who have been at this game a few times are hardcore. But, everyone has to start as a rookie. I applaud anyone who thinks they’ve got the stones to do this. I mean, really do it – belly up to the bar and put their money where their mouth is. It’s really an impressive task.

Onward They Go

Catfish was last spotted around Vegas today. He said that it was only 110 degrees out and that it felt like winter compared to the previous day. I wonder if it’s cooler in say… Canada?

Checkpoint 3 – Rally Finish
Spokane Washington, 7am-9am PST
Scoring opens at 4am

Around the Web:

• Catfish’s zip tied brake – Its apparently not returning to its normal position. Its gunked up.
• Official Iron Butt Rally – Day 7 pdf

*Curtis* – Sorry, I didn’t capture your email address to respond to you~ Thanks for helping with the fuel cell! You’re a life saver

Closing in on Checkpoint 2

Checkpoint 2
Sunday, August 30, 9pm – 11pm Pacific Time
Santa Ana, California

Sunday August 30

It looked like Catfish was making good time along Route 10 from Phoenix into California. Knowing that he’s riding a conservative ride I speculated that he was very clear on and comfortable with how much time he had left to make it to the Doubletree Hotel in Santa Ana. He was making good use of his last remaining hours before 9pm at Checkpoint 2 to pick up bonuses. He was spotted stopping off around the Salton Sea. The temps around that area were showing highs over 100 degrees today, so he must have been cooking out there.

He touched down in Santa Ana at around 7:00 PST.

Spoke to Catfish from Checkpoint 2. He was his usual irreverent and cantankerous self. Considering he’d been baking in the heat across Arizona and California for the day, he was surprisingly chipper. I think he’d said he pulled into the checkpoint hotel lot, didn’t stop his clock yet and just went directly to shower. Temperatures for his final day of leg 2 steadily hovered above the 100 degree mark, topping out at around 115.

At one of his gas stops today, he bought a bag of ice. He refilled his hydration system; put some ice in his pockets and down his shirt to try to keep his body cool. At 115 degrees the moving air is like a hair dryer. During a short but poignant rant about why in God’s name anyone would actually choose to settle in this part of the country, in his characteristic Long Island accent he said, ‘If I woulda bought a steak I coulda made beef jerky in my tank bag, it was so f’n hot.‘

Counting our Lucky Stars

Apparently one rider named Rick struck a deer and another rider, Bill from the Ramapo MC club had a serious accident heading for one of the North Dakota bonuses.  We’re wishing Bill a speedy recovery.  I’m always thankful to see ‘Catfish’ pop up on my cell.  His gang of friends here at home are all glad he made it through his leg safely.

The third and final leg of the Rally kicks off after the 4am riders meeting tomorrow (August 31). Hopefully the riders get a good night sleep in their air conditioned rooms. The Rally train is heading for Spokane, Washington. This last leg is the longest of all at 99 hours. Riders must be at the Spokane checkpoint before 9am on Friday September 4.

Checkpoint 3 – Rally Finish
Spokane Washington, 7am-9am PST
Scoring opens at 4am
 

• Official Iron Butt Rally – Day 6 pdf

We got a check in call from the Fish Cat this morning. He was happy to report that his battery was steadily charging and was handling its load fine. Apparently riding these farkled out bikes must be murder on a battery. He gave another rally rider a jump in Wisconsin at one of the bonus stops on Thursday.

Friday, August 28 had Catfish moving across the plains and ultimately in to Colorado where he stopped to sleep in a real bed and eat a real meal. Apparently Catfish is a bit of a night owl. He is finding himself most tired during the day and feeling his best at night once the sun starts to set. It seems that he spent a little time sawing logs on a bench near the Hobo museum sometime during the day. 

When we spoke, I said something to the effect of – ‘Wow, for the boy who hasn’t been anywhere, you’ve been all over now!’ In his very nonchalant way, he basically said everything looks like upstate New York just in varying sizes. I chuckled to myself thinking of how Ewan McGregor harkened everything to Scotland as he traveled the world in Long Way Round.

Yesterday Catfish’s Buddy Christ that rides shotgun on the FJR sacrificed himself to an off ramp. Catfish pulled off and ran back to look for him. What he found was a headless and armless Buddy C.  He’s a bit worse for wear but he’s still along for the ride. Depending on your religious leanings you might find this pretty fitting. Good ole Christ, taking one for the team

1 More Day until Checkpoint 2 – Santa Ana, California!

The plot thickens, the drama continues. I’m excited to see how Catfish’s next 24 hours unfold.

Checkpoint 2
Sunday, August 30, 9pm – 11pm Pacific Time
Santa Ana, California

From around the web:

• Official Iron Butt Rally – Day 5 pdf
• Catfish’s Buddy Christ pre belly flop
• Great pic of Catfish snapped by the AMA on Facebook
  (you will need to be logged in to FB)

If you spot any pic of videos of Catfish around the web, please let me know!

Inspired by reading a post on hellforleathermagazine.com, I dug out some photographs from Badlands National Park in South Dakota. In May of 2005, Kenny and I rode from New York with the intention of visiting Mount Rushmore. One of the stops that we simply had to make on the way was Badlands National Park. Kenny was piloting his 3 week old Triumph Speed Triple and I rode out on my old 98’ ZX6R.

Even if you view photographs prior to visiting Badlands Park, you will be unprepared for the sights that unfold in front of you. Some things just require your physical presence to understand the magnitude of them. The landscape is so unlike anything I’d ever seen before or since. Though these mountain formations have stood for thousands of years, they give the appearance of being as fragile as dollops of meringue. I got the distinct sensation that if you touched them they would crumble into a mound like a sandcastle. The park is nothing short of beautifully fascinating.

• TravelSD.com
• National Park Service – Badlands

click to enlarge

On August 27 the leg 2 bonus listing was distributed to the riders, dark and early at 4am. This 3 1/2 day leg puts riders to the task of accumulating 27,000 points to be considered a finisher. After the riders meeting, everyone was clear for takeoff. Unfortunately, for Catfish, he did not get an early start.

When I heard from him on Thursday morning it was short and sweet. ‘Bike is dead, swapping the battery.‘ My heart sank. I expected to hear that he was already underway with a couple hundred miles under his belt. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Thirty minutes later, I got the news. Not only was his battery dead, but if you can believe this cruel twist of fate, so was the replacement.

Day 4 was a tough one for Catfish.

I am unsure now if he got a jump on the second battery or if a 3rd battery was in play. But I do know that he didn’t get rolling until after lunch time. I didn’t hear from him again for the rest of the day. I can only imagine that every minute that ticked by must have felt like an eternity as he fiddled with his bike. Frustrating probably doesn’t begin to cover the way that morning played out.

It did my heart good to finally confirm that he was on the move. I know that on Thursday he was moving through Wisconsin, specifically around Spring Green. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin is there. This has to be a bonus location. It was the scene of a horrific crime that resulted in the death of his companion Mamah Borthwick Cheney and her 2 children amongst several others. Kenny and I passed through in 2005. Upon hearing the town name, what else but Frank Lloyd Wright and this crime can you think of? Well, except House on the Rock, which we visited that May. That too is a crime; against good taste.

You just never know what will happen from one day to the next. The Iron Butt Rally is like a soap opera for motorcycle riders. There is intrigue and adventure, excitement and plot twists. I can’t get enough!

Onward toward Santa Ana, California!

Checkpoint 2
Sunday, August 30, 9pm – 11pm Pacific Time
Santa Ana, California

• Iron But Rally – Day 4 pdf
• Leg 2 Bonus Snapshot