Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my life

kromdom

wannabe HOON
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Thanks to warchild’s thread about his ToH Nevada ride, I was able to scramble to get California done before this year’s deadline lapsed. I tried to recruit other riders to do this with me but ended up with the prospect of doing it SOLO.
I initially envisioned to get combo credit for an IBA SS2000 along with the ToH ride but aborted that pursuit for safety reasons (more on that later). I used GOOGLE maps to plot out my course and split the 7 sites into Day 1 (3 sites, the longest legs and most grueling terrain) and saved the other 4 for DAY 2 (mostly straight and flat, homeward bound).
FINAL DAY 1 - Google Maps
FINAL DAY 2 - Google Maps

Used all my lessons learned from my IBA SS1000 ride last year to pack and prep for this one with one major addition: a 2.5 gallon gas can for CYA and peace of mind (got this tip from warchild’s thread). Like most Busas, my bike can go 170 miles on 1 tankful before the low-fuel light starts to flash so thought the gas can can extend my range and maybe save on time.
Did my best to load up on sleep the day before the trip (hit the rack @ 1900 on 09SEP) so I can be KSU NLT 0400 on 10SEP. Now enough with the chatter and on to some pictures (do not have much since I was chasing time, really wished I had bought a GoPro for this trip).


First off, my steed: a 2009 Hayabusa. NON-BUSA owners may ask: why attempt a 48-hr endurance run covering approx. 2,000 miles on a sport bike? But us Busa owners already know the bike is a very capable sport-tourer. Plus DAY 1 had lots of twisties while Day 2 had long stretches of empty freeways so I picked the Busa (I also have a Road King) for its speed and agility. I do intend to use the Harley for ToH 2012.
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First stop was Big Pine: 286 miles from my house. One hour into the trip, I was ambushed by a heavy donwpour in the middle of a dark, barren desert. I did check the forecast for all the cities/counties I was going to hit, slight chance of rain on Day 2 (not for Day 1 :banghead: ) Pulled over and put on my wet weather gear (which I packed last and positioned near the top) and almost like a cruel joke, the rain completely stopped no more than 20 minutes after I was back on the road with raingear on. NOTE: If the rain did not stop, I seriously considered aborting the ride (I have ridden thru heavy rain but only for short trips, 1-2 hours tops)
BigPine1.jpg




Second stop was Placerville, 246 miles, 4 hrs. 56 min from the 1st memorial. Some may notice that it is different from the actual site which was situated no more than 200 meters from this one. Yup, I may the first (and only) rider who flat out missed a stop and stumbled upon another. I begged Steve Brooks (tour organizer) for a waiver (or this was going to be a 1,000-mile round in itself to take a pic of the correct site) and thank God Steve said YES (must have caught him in a magnanimous mood when I asked him...WHEW!)
Placerville2.jpg



Third and last stop for DAY 1: Crescent City ( 416 miles, 7 hrs, 19 min of riding thru some wicked twisties that I was only half-prepared for). It was midway thru this leg that I began to entertain the prospect that I may not be able to make this an IBA SS2000 ride. I had a motel reservation waiting for me with a check-in time of 2100 on 10SEP. But at around 1900, I still had over 200 miles of twisty roads which I had to navigate at night. I had so many lapses in judgement on this segment that I am forever grateful to God almighty that I made it to my motel in one piece...at 0100 on 11SEP (a full 4 hours behind schedule).
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Before I got to the motel, I decided to postpone the pic of memorial #3 (pic below) on my way out of Crescent City later. While I was in bed, I was still toying with the idea that SS2000 was still within my reach (I had a 6-8 cushion in my timeline for delays, etc.). But how much sleep should I get before heading out for DAY 2 so I can do it safely (4 hrs, 6, more???). I was up, geared up and ready to go @ 0800 on 11SEP2011.....this DATE was a central reason in the planning/scheduling of this trip (details in my INTRO post here: Tour of Honor • View topic - Permission to come aboard! ).
CrescentCity2.jpg



First stop for DAY 2 was Alameda. This was the BEST leg of the trip and I still get jitters when I remember riding thru the forest along Hwy 101....enchanting and exhilirating all at once.I was on such an emotional high that I lost track of the 362 miles, 6 hrs, 37 minutes that I just covered.
Alameda1.jpg



Onwards to stop #2 for Day 2: Bakersfield which looked easy on paper (275 miles, 4 hrs/47 min) but turned out to be the most draining (fatigue and sleep deprivation were slowly creeping up on me). I think the long, desolate, flat stretches of freeway dulled my senses so badly that I resorted to singing to keep myself awake. And just when I thought I was already running on fumes, this is the sight that greeted me when I found memorial #5....the city was in the middle of their annual 9-11 remembrance ceremony and used memorial 5 as part of the stage. NOTE: I got such a huge mental/emotional boost that for a fleeting moment, I actually believed I still had a shot at doing a SS2000 (only 2 more stops to go with 10 hrs left in my 48-hour window).
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As I was leaving Bakersfield, I reminded myself of the reasons why I was doing this ride which in turn made it easier for me to make the decision to abort my quest for SS2000 credit. My focus shifted to making the trip home safely and this actually proved to be the most difficult part of the trip to accomplish. Something happened to me after a gas station stop that caught me completely by surprise and enveloped my entire body with fear: my neck and trapezius muscles seized up in a major cramp. I literally could not hold my head up and made a panic pull over, jumping off the bike as fast as I can.


After I recovered from the shock/fear/panic, I gingerly got back on the bike and promised myself to stop as many times as necessary so that I will make it home safely. So at around 2200 on 11SEP2001, with over 1800 miles covered (and around 40+ hours of riding), I pulled into my driveway...home sweet home)
Start1.jpg


Thanks for reading. BTW, stand by for Tour Of Honor HAWAII
 
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Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

After recovering from my epic ride, I visited the remaining memorials which happened to be local to me (after doing 200-300 miles/segment, these 2 stops were a breeze).
Memorial #6 in Riverside (35 miles away)
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Memorial # 7 in La Jolla (60 miles away) to complete ToH California (hooray for me)
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Here's a few bonus pictures (sorry fellas, it has my Road King)....I pass by these two every day on my way to/from work which may help put in perspective why I was drawn to the Tour of Honor. After I found out that part of the registration fees goes to the Wounded Warrior Project, I had to take a pic of the sign Wounded Warrior Battalion WEST (located in MCB Camp Pendleton, CA).
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The 2nd pic is of the NAVY CORPSMEN MEMORIAL located right at the corner on the way to the Naval Hospital in Camp Pendleton. This one is specially for Steve who informed me that he has a special fondness for US Navy Corpsmen
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Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

Totally awesome writeup, Krome! :beerchug:

Next time.... you need to be doing various isometric exercises, while underway, to help alleviate the onset of muscle cramps. Similarly, when you finish a refuel evolution, drop down for 30 push-ups, followed be 30 full squat-thrust exercises. This only adds a couple minutes to the refueling exercise, but pays mega, MEGA dividends down the road (metaphorically, and literally).

Again, awesome write-up... can't wait for your Hawaii ToH story! :agree:
 
Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

None of the pics in your first post are showing? They all say 'deleted'?

Good trip though and thanks for the writeup.
 
Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

None of the pics in your first post are showing? They all say 'deleted'?
Good trip though and thanks for the writeup.

operator error, have already contacted one of the mod/mins (MCMustang) to edit/fix it.

warchild,
I am open to any and all tips/pointers from an "endurance pro" like you....but may need to do a dress rehearsal first in full leathers :)
 
Congrats that's some wicked miles.
Awesome country though.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

:thumbs: way awesome!
 
Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

Awesome write up - and there's always another day to get that cert man, smart choice erring on the side of safety :thumbsup:
 
Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

Awesome write up - and there's always another day to get that cert man, smart choice erring on the side of safety :thumbsup:


As I was unpacking, my wife innocently pointed out that I had only two more memorials to visit, under 200 miles total distance involved with still a full six hours left before my 48-hour window expired.
So close and yet so far....you will not believe how tempted I was to to NOT give up the pursuit! I had just achieved a personal best in mototrcycle riding, survived dozens of close calls unscathed and most importantly, achieved the goals I had for doing this epic ride: to commemorate the tragedy of 9-11 and to honor/thank my past/present comrades-in-arms. I had more reasons top be grateful and proud :)
 
Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

operator error, have already contacted one of the mod/mins (MCMustang) to edit/fix it

Links to pictures have been fixed...thanks again to MCMustang :)
 
Re: Tour of Honor California: thus far, the toughest and most memorable ride of my li

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:
 
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