2009 IBR: The Plot Thickens Leaving St. Charles, Illinois

Catfish 2009 Iron Butt Rally Logo - IBROn 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

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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