I got a notice from Catfish that he was safe at the final checkpoint.

After reading some of the latest news about other participants and the unfortunate events that befell some of them, I just want to say…

Thank God, Allah, Yahweh, the guy on the Hale-Bopp Comet and whomever else I left out that Tom made it through this undertaking safely. With the countless hours put in, the sleepy eyes, the sweltering heat he made it. Rain, fog, dark of night, he’s through to the other side. No major mechanical failures, no accidents, no flats or blowouts. Amazing!

I don’t know his point status, but I don’t really give a shit.  As far as I am concerned he made it. He completed the Iron Butt Rally, rode the ride, picked up points and cruised in to the Final checkpoint.

I’ve said it 100 times already so one more for the road…  I AM SO PROUD OF HIM!

It is the final 12 hours before the close of the 2009 Iron Butt Rally. This year with a personal stake in watching Catfish’s rally unfold, it has been an emotional rollercoaster. The feelings of excitement and pride in a friend’s accomplishment stayed with me throughout, though.

Now that Catfish is 400 miles from stopping the IBR checkpoint rally clock for the last time in 2009, I find myself happy that his long journey is coming to a close and yet, strangely sad at the same time. There can be so much personal value in the undertakings of others. I think I will miss being excited for him. I will miss wondering how he is doing in those quiet spells when there is nothing more than the knowledge that he is in the middle of nowhere and just how exciting and terrible that can be.

He spent last night in Jasper, Canada after having a tough go of it. The route that he was following from Montana into Canada had roadwork going on. As a truck was approaching he turned off his HID lights so as to not blind the oncoming driver. While his eyes were adjusting and while traveling at highway speed the paved road turned to dirt. He said, ’I basically jumped my FJR into the dirt at 70mph. I screamed like a little girl in my helmet. Not the first time this week, either.’ Some participants didn’t make it through their trials so easy. Catfish is one of the lucky ones. ::knocks wood::

The Final Curtain Call

At last glance around 10:30pm EST, he was on the move around Vancouver, Canada. I’m hoping that crossing back in to the States doesn’t eat a lot of time. From there,according to Google Maps he’s looking at a 400 mile ride on the slab in to Spokane. Each and every person back here at home on Long Island is sending an assortment of good will, prayers, wishes and every other thing we can muster to try to carry him along safely in the final stretch.

It’s been a long ride for him and I know that he is concerned that maybe he hasn’t acquired enough points to be a ‘finisher’. Though we’ll find out tomorrow morning just what his status is, no matter what, to us he’s really number one. What an awesome task. We’re so proud. I hope he is too.

For the last time before the final check in…Go, Catfish, Go!

Checkpoint 3 – Rally Finish

Friday September 4
Spokane Washington, 7am-9am PST
Scoring opens at 4am

[edit] As of 11:00pm, he just picked up his last bonus in Canada. He said he’s hoping to take a quick cat nap at Customs before heading for Spokane.

Around the Web:

Photos from Checkpoint 2 in Santa Ana:

• http://dcrosby.smugmug.com/photos/636430096_XfNS9-L.jpg
• http://dcrosby.smugmug.com/photos/636478385_XZguW-L.jpg

Reports:

• Official Iron Butt Rally – Day 8 pdf
• Official Iron Butt Rally – Day 9 pdf
• Official Iron Butt Rally – Day 10 pdf

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

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

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!

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

I got a chance to speak with Catfish on Wednesday night (August 26) after he checked in at St. Charles, Illinois and finished scoring. He arrived in the rain at about 4:30 central time. He was very chatty and sounded like he was in good spirits.He was looking forward to a shower and sleeping. The whole process sounds like it is a beautiful mix of terrible and wonderful all wrapped up into one. I’m certain that as time passes, the experience will provide him with long lasting memories.

• Catfish after arriving in St. Charles

He’d mainly worked on picking up bonuses around Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Tennessee. When he first answered my 10 questions about the rally about a year ago, he noted that he’s never really done any traveling. He echoed that sentiment again but peppered it with a clear interest in the traveling aspect of this undertaking.

Catfish had been plagued with a problem with his fuel cell right out of the gate at Spartanburg. The first two and a half days of the rally he’d been riding with his regular fuel tank only. With the weight he’s lugging around, he said he was turning about a 180 mile range or so. That makes for a few gas stops, huh? Luckily, he was able to fix is ailing fuel cell at the St. Charles. It turned out to be an issue with the filter. At the risk of sounding extra stupid I will leave my technical assessment at that.

At the close of night two before settling in for a few hours sleep in a Home Improvement store parking lot, he realized he’d left his rally flag about 4 miles back. So, in the wee hours, he had to pack himself back up, ride back to retrieve his flag and re-settle in for 40 winks.

Arm Chair Rally

With the first leg of the rally now a thing of the past, the Iron Butt Association has posted a listing of the leg 1 bonuses. Now you too can get a glimpse of what it is required to string a route together. Some other folks around the web have taken the time to put the bonus listings in to excel and csv files with you can find on the web to monkey around with. I particularly like this Google Maps version.

For your armchair rally-ing pleasure:

• Official IBR Leg 1 Bonus Listing PDF
• Leg 1 Bonuses in Google Earth
• Leg 1 Bonus Snapshot

I hope he’s safe and getting some sleep along the way. Less than 24 hour before Checkpoint 1 officially closes in St. Charles, Illinois.

What do we know?

• Today was the first Call In bonus
  This is when riders call in to rally staffers and leave their name, their rally number, where they currently are, the last bonus that they picked up and the next bonus that they will be shooting for.

  Did Catfish make the call in? We don’t know, but we sure hope so! This seems like a easy bonus to get, but then again I cannot imagine what its like to be out there competing. I am sure it’s pretty easy for things to slip your mind.

  Apparently rider locations will be released some time tomorrow (August 26) based on the call in, so we’ll be able to see where the ‘Fish is. Where ever that may be, I hope it’s with a fist full of bonus points.
  
  

• Catfish shows up in video and pictures
  There are some photos and video floating around the web from Spartanburg, which happen to catch Catfish or his bike in them.
  • A nice YouTube video of the riders leaving rally headquarters.
    Look for the hi-viz yellow jacket shortly after the 1:40 mark. That’s our guy!
     
  • The FJR Forum has a picture of Catfish’s “Farkle” FJR.
     
  • In Monday’s official Iron Butt dispatch pdf, Catfish can be seen in the staircase group shot, peeking over the rally sign on the lower left corner.

If you spot any Catfish pictures or video from Spartanburg on the web, please let us know!

The riders rolled out of Spartanburg, SC at 10:00 am today.  They are due at Checkpoint 1 in St. Charles, Illinois Wednesday, August 26 between 9 – 11pm Central Time. Scoring is to start any time after 5pm. Points get deducted every minute past 9pm with riders who fail to make it by 11pm being time barred. Riders will rest there until receiving their next leg bonuses at 4am on August 27.

What do we know?

• Suggested bonus points for this leg to be a finisher: 9000 points
  If a rider has not collected the suggested 9,000 points at Checkpoint 1 that does not mean that they will not be able to accumulate enough points in the next 2 legs to be considered a finisher.
   
• Bonus Theme:  Crime
  Each of the Bonuses has something to do with or is related to crime.
  
  
• Hours to ride for the leg: 10am Eastern (August 24) to 9pm Central (August 26) is 60 hours.  Obviously riders can’t do 60 hours straight riding. You have to factor in sleep, biological breaks and eating.  I just took a stab at what I think someone being kind to themselves could do using 2500 miles as my target:

  This is totally hypothetical. I’m not so hot with the math but, I’m pretty sure I have this right…

  Based on 1,000 miles per day.

  • 1000 miles per day x 2.5 days = 2500 miles
  • 60 Hours Available in the non-penalized Time Window
  • -20 Hours of Rest (2 8hr sleeps & 4 hours of assorted stops)
  • Leaves 40 Riding Hours
  • 62.5 mph    Moving Avg

•  Rally Participant Numbers that are open to solo-riding rookies:  53 to 101
  Could he have gotten every boys fantasy number, 69? We’ll know for sure in 10 more days!

Go, Catfish, Go!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Saturday – August 22, 2009

• Catfish arrives at the Rally start point in Spartanburg after 1am.
• He confirmed that he left New York with a fresh Pilot Road 2 up front and a car tire on the rear.  Cross your fingers that the Pilot Road 2 will have no issues pounding what will be in excess of 12,000 miles with the trip to South Carolina. He’s hoping to not require a tire change during the rally.
• Catfish completes his official odometer check and passes tech inspection.
• An oil change was completed in Spartanburg.
• Worried about carrying extra weight, our favorite pack rat was jettisoning anything that he deemed unneeded off of the bike and sending it home with his wife.
• Riders attended a sleep seminar as well as a media seminar

Sunday  – Less than 24 Hours before Take Off

The web is all a-flutter with news of the communication blackout outlined in the IBR media seminar on Saturday.  Any 2009 rally participant who is found to be communicating news of their rally trip publicly any time after 10am tomorrow (August 24) and through the 11th day of the rally is in deep doo-doo and will be disqualified.

That means no blogs, no texts, and no public SPOT tracker links. I personally think its crap, but it’s their rally, their rules. Not wanting to endanger Catfish’s ride in any way, I will not be publicly communicating any updates as I’d hoped to do, during the next 11 days.  Insert super-sad face here.

Riders have received their rally books and bonus listings. No doubt in this time when relaxation would be ideal, it must be in short supply.

What do we know?

• Rally Start
   Monday August 24, 2009, 10am
  Spartanburg,  South Carolina
   
• Check Point 1
  Wednesday, August 26, 9 – 11pm Central Time
  St. Charles, Illinois
   
• Checkpoint 2
  Sunday, August 30, 9pm – 11pm Pacific Time
  Santa Ana, California
   
• Rally Finish
  Friday, September 4, 9am Pacific Time
  Spokane Washington

We’re almost in the dark time

If I read any official IBR public updates noting Catfish’s progress, I will pass along a link.  I’m hoping to not hear from Catfish after 10am tomorrow for the 11 days following. That would mean he’s made it through to the other side.  Go, Catfish, Go!

Please join me in sending out thoughts and wishes of safe traveling to all those participating.

•    Official Iron Butt Rally 2009 Website