Iron Butt Challenge Completed
Well when it was all said n done I rode 2,800 miles in less than a week. Started off near Pittsburgh and rode down to Robbinsville NC with some coworkers. I organized a group ride and rented a cabin for the weekend. They’ve never been down and rode “The Dragon” before. Even though this was only my 2nd trip down it felt like I’ve been riding them a lot longer.
We got in 2 solid days of riding and hit up the popular roads like Dragon, Blue Ridge, Cherahola, etc. Managed to dodge most of the storms and overall everyone had a good time. Monday morning we all left with them heading north and me heading south to New Orleans. A buddy from the marines invited me to come down and celebrate the 4th “Nawlings” style
Figured I could hang out there for a few days relax and prep for my IBC. It’s roughly 1,100 miles from New Orleans to Pittsburgh. Little did I know the real challenge would be getting down to New Orleans... Everything was going well and making good time till I got South of Birmingham AL. I could see the dark clouds and lightning in the horizon. In my mind I thought to stop and put my rain suit on but figured I had time till the next exit. I didn’t......
Mother Nature is a bitch!!! Sky opened up and absolutely dumped on me! Bye the time i could get my suit on I was pretty much soaked head to toe. Seen quite a few cars pulled off the side of the road with hazards on so I figured if cars ain’t driving in this I should get my ass off the road too!!! Attempted to dry off @ a gas station/ subway for a half hour or so hoping the storm would pass or lessen. Eventually it went back to normal rain again so I jumped back on the highway. Sky opened up again but I wasn’t stopping...... Turned my 4ways on and stayed alert for cars in my rear view. Eventually a cop pulled up along side me and gave me the thumbs up sign asking if I was ok. Gave 1 back and I could see him shake his head and smile.
Harley’s might be slow and heavy but that’s exactly what I needed in this storm. Bike felt solid and planted on the highways. Wasn’t getting blown all over the place or hydroplaning. Once I seen what this bike could do I jumped out the slow lane and started following the flow of traffic 70-80+mph no problem. Thank Goodness I prepped my helmet the night before with anti fog on my visor!!! I rode from AL to New Orleans pretty much in a torrential downpour. A couple times I hit some sun and heat which made me take off my rain gear only to get dumped on again!!! Like I said right now me and Mother Nature still ain’t on speaking terms
Eventually I made it to my buddy’s house and was in desperate need of a hot shower n dry out my gear. The stuff I packed in my travel bags were dry as a bone. Shout out to OGIO and Nelson Rigg for that! I had a great time in New Orleans but the whole time in the back of my mind I’m thinking about that IBC..... Worried about the weather wondering if physically all the riding I did prior would have an effect??? Never rode or drove 1,000 miles before. Did 8 or 900 a few times in my truck but that is not this. The whole time I kept thinking 2 myself I can’t be worse than the ride down!!!
Turns out I was right...... While the IBC was long it was rather uneventful. Biggest concern was collecting the gas receipts and taking pics of the odometer. I pretty much stayed dry until a few thunderstorms got me in Kentucky but those storms were a joke compared to the 1’s I rode in to N.O. The thought of stopping never crossed my mind!!! I had a mission and this so called storm wasn’t gonna derail me from it. I just kept fueling up and watching the miles fall off my GPS.
Overall it was a great experience and it allowed me to see a a lot of this country I’ve never seen before. I was tested physically and mentally but kept on keeping on. Finished the 1,100 miles in a little under 19 hours or 20? Can’t remember cause I rode through 2 time zones. Either way I think I made good time and definitely felt like me and the Harley had more left in the tank if needed. One of the biggest takeaways from my overall trip was my Harley. I know they catch a lot of flack for being big, heavy, slow, underpowered and overpriced. But that “tractor” didn’t let me down. I kept it above 70mph most of the way and kept up with the flow of traffic which was usually between 80-85mph. Rode through all kinds of bad weather and bad roads for 19 hours straight and it still never faultered