I was planning a four week ride about this year but circumstances intervened. I was planning it around the Motorcycle Tourer’s Forum (MTF) ride called the Moab Cloverleaf Tour & Rough Road Ride. In my original plan I was going to be riding Brutus, my BMW R1200GS, and doing a considerable amount of off-road riding. After my trip got shortened and my back problems resurfaced I decided to just go flower sniffing on Rufus, my BMW K1200LT. As luck would have it I had just installed Wilbers Shocks on Rufus and this would be a good opportunity to give them a workout.
Events conspired to force me to totally re-plan my routing. The primary event was my youngest son’s graduation from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. So I am now going to be heading down I-5 to Grants Pass, OR and cutting over to the California coast. I am going to ride a good deal of CA-1 all the way to Carpinteria. I am then working my way East to some back road riding into the Big Bear area. From there I will be heading to Palm Springs for a few days visit with my Dad and then we will go to Los Angeles for my sons Graduation.
After that event I will boogey to Moab,UT to meet up with 50 to 60 MTF members for three days of flower sniffin’ around Moab. I will then travel South to Monument Valley, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and possibly Antelope Valley. I will then head home riding through Southern Utah, across Eastern and Northern Nevada and up Central Oregon. Weather conditions may alter my Oregon route but only time will tell. 
I purchased a SPOT Satellite Messenger along the tracking service option. This will be a test post embedding a Spot Trip Manager map into my blog. This is a great tracking application developed and hosted by Jason Jonas.
If everything is working correctly there should be regular updates of my position from May 1st though May 20th. The trip will start and end in Renton, WA. You may need to pan and zoom around the map to see or get better detail of my track. There have been some recent reports that the application that feeds the Trip Manager tracking points, Yahoo Fire Eagle, has been corrupting the data. Hopefully it is fixed by now. If not then my track may not make much sense.
SPOT me if you can! 
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The Pacific NW Road Riders (PNWRR) have been doing an Ice Cycle Run for a number of years. This is a Yahoogroups mail list for riding enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest. I participated on this run two years ago and decided I would run it again this year. I haven’t had an opportunity to mix and mingle much with the group in the last two years and I wanted to reintroduce myself.
JD’s Route for the 2008 Ice Cycle Run
I didn’t communicate my intension to join in on the mail list as I was planning on just doing my own thing. I wasn’t sure how my back and shoulder were going to hold up and riding solo would allow me to ride my own pace or abort if need be. The plan was for folks to meet at the Olympic Club in Centralia on Sunday November 30th between 1PM and 3PM for the meet and greet. There was a group coming from Lynnwood area, a group coming from the Vancouver area and other smaller groups and individuals from points in between.
Seeing as how I haven’t been able to ride much I decided to get an early start so I could take the “long way down”. The thermometer on our porch indicated it was 48 degrees so I decided I wouldn’t need any heated gear. I had already prepared Brutus, my R1200GS, so I geared up and headed for the garage. I left my home in Kennydale at around 9:00AM and fueled up at a local gas station in the Renton Highlands. I then headed over to Cemetery Road (NE 4th) and headed East to pick up SE May Valley Road. I then turned East on the Issaquah Hobart Road and followed it on out to Ravensdale.
I then worked my way out to Kanasket State Park, Palmer and Cumberland. This is about half of my normal Taco Thursday route, when I ever get an opportunity to do them. After passing Nolte State Park the landscape opens up a little and there was an opportunity to stop and take a few pictures of the valley and Mt. Rainier. As it turns out it would be my only chance to take any “scenic” pictures that day and the last view of any blue sky. 
I continued South into Enumclaw and then made a short hop on Hwy 410 to Buckley. From Buckley I headed South on WA-165 and then turned SW on Pioneer Way E in South Prairie. This follows the Carbon River for a few miles and then I turned South on Orville Road E.. This follows the Puyallup River down to the berg of Electron then turns West along the North side of Lake Kapowsin.
About three mile past the lake there is a Texaco mini mart. I hadn’t had a cup of coffee yet and this was a little shy of half way on my outbound leg. I have stopped here on a number of other occasions. The bar across the street is a biker hangout in the summer but was pretty much a redneck bar (no offense intended, I happen to like rednecks) the rest of the year. I parked in the lot and pretty much had the whole place to myself. I pulled off my helmet and gloves and went in to get a cup of coffee. The gal running the place was by herself and she must have been bored because she followed me outside and we chatted for a while. Well she actually needed a smoke and I was conveniently located nearby 
.
We had been chatting for about five minutes when a local pulled up. She headed back into the store and the local started talking to me about Brutus. As it turned out he was a biker so we introduced ourselves and then talked about his bikes and then my bikes and so on and so on …
About that time four motorcycles pulled up and stopped at the four way stop intersection in front of the mini mart. They were talking about something, I assumed they were were figuring out which direction to go. They pulled through the intersection, saw me and turned into the parking lot.
So here I was in the middle of nowhere and who should I run into but Randy, Fred, Roland and one other rider that 
were part of the PNWRR group from Lynnwood. They were indeed trying to figure out where they needed to go and as it turned out they had lost almost half of their group somewhere along the way.
While they were figuring out what route they wanted to take I finished my coffee. Then it was kickstands up and we were back on the road. I rode at the back of the pack seeing as how they were already used to the riding order they were in.
We headed West from the Texaco and then turned South on WA-7. There are some nice twisties between here and Alder Lake. WA-7 turns South at Elbe and we stayed on it until we got to Morton. Somewhere along the way the lost sheep from Lynnwood caught up and we were then a group of eight. There are just some slow sweepers along this section but it’s a pretty ride. From Morton we headed West on WA-508.
I think Randy wanted to turn onto the 
Centralia Alpha Road but Fred either missed the turn of didn’t know it was the way to bypass Chehalis and get in couple more twisties. Fortunately we were fine as far as time was concerned even with the stop and go on city streets through Chehalis and on into Centralia. We arrived at the Olympic Club at about 12:45.
There was already a good number of riders parked and milling around on the sidewalk near the cafe. I guess most folks didn’t know that a room had been reserved for the group. Once that info got spread around 
the group congregated in the cafe.
I ordered one of the house brews and it took a little while for everyone to get seated and order refreshments. We kind of broke down into smaller conversation groups with whoever we happened to be sitting next to. It was an informal gathering and a fun environment.
We eventually ordered lunch and a few 
late comers came in from time to time. I had a club sandwich which was pretty good. I think the semi-official tally was 26 people. I guess this is the largest gathering so far and it has grown steadily every year. The good news for most folks is that there has only been one year where they actually had icicles 
.
A few people started to leave around 2:00 and I got up to leave about 2:30. It 
had turned into a pretty gray day but no rain so far. I guess the folks coming from Vancouver had run in the rain most of the way. I knew it would start getting dark around 4:30 so I wanted to get headed home.
I did a not quite direct back roads route home. I ran WA-507, WA-702 and then backtracked part of my outbound route back to South Prairie. Then it was WA-410, WA-167 and finally I-5 for the last couple of miles home. Overall it was about 250 miles and it was probably good that it wasn’t much farther. No lasting ill effects but I am still working back into a “normal” routine. Thinks are looking good so far 
.
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The Snoqualmie Riders, otherwise known as the American Legion Riders Chapter 79, hosted their first poker run fund raiser on May 10, 2008. It was called the "Over the Hill for Lunch Bunch". That’s because the route would take us over Snoqualmie Pass and into Eastern Washington. The kick off point was at American Legion Post 79 in Snoqualmie, WA.
Riders started collecting at around 7:30. The weather was predicted to be mostly cooperative with only a slight chance of rain. The morning was overcast and cool with temperatures in the low 40s. As people signed in they were give the route instructions and the run information. There were some rider options as to how to route some parts of the run, after all we only needed to hit the check points. I mostly followed the recommended route. The following is the route I rode for the poker run.
The start and end point for the poker run overlay each other so the "A" marker is hidden under the "E" at the NW corner of the route.
Here is Brutus and a few of the other bikes that were parked at Post 79. Riders would start heading out between 8:00 and 9:00 after they got there route sheets signed off for the first check point. Of course coffee and baked goods delayed a few of the departures 
. A couple groups had already left and I eventually hit the road at about 8:30.
I headed out of Snoqualmie on WA-202 and pick up I-90 East at North Bend. Traffic was light and I was moving along nicely. I expected Snoqualmie Pass to be chilly so I had my Gerbing jacket liner on. As I-90 climbed towards the pass the temperature dropped below 40 and a little 12V energy was all that was needed to keep me snug as a bug .
I passed both the groups of riders that left before me before reaching the pass. I was running solo at about 3-4 mph over the speed limit, at least that was what my Garmin Zumo 550 GPS was telling me when it wasn’t serenading me with music spanning 50 years of Rock 
. I was just keeping pace with the main traffic flow. I think that both the groups had some new riders with them and they were probably just maintaining a speed that they would be comfortable with. Either that or they just preferred a little slower pace. When riding in groups going a little slower is a good safety precaution, especially with less experienced riders.
The second check point was in the parking lot of the now defunct Homestead Restaurant in Cle Elum. Not that it mattered but I was the first rider to the check point. It was a pretty lonely post at the deserted restaurant. I stopped just long enough to get my checklist signed and have a brief chat.
So far the route had run on the super slab but from here to the turn around point it would be on state highways. From Cle Elum I followed WA-10 which wanders along with the Yakima River all the way to Ellensburg. I don’t ever remember riding this road so it was actually a new experience for me. It is a scenic run along the river valley and much nicer than running on the interstate. I will probably go back at some point because there were a number of good photo opportunities I would like to take advantage of.
At Main Street in Ellensburg I turned South. This works it’s way through town and becomes S. Canyon Road and WA-821. Canyon Road follows the Yakima River all the way to the North side of the city of Yakima. This used to be the primary highway between Ellensburg and Yakima. I was raised in Renton but much of my family lived in Yakima. I can’t count the number of times I’ve traveled the Canyon Road.
Interestingly enough, even though my family was from Yakima they had called this the Ellensburg Canyon Road for as long as I can remember. Folks from Ellesburg generally called it the Yakima Canyon Road. Regardless of the history of what the locals had referred to it as it had always been named just Canyon Road. Over the years the river along the Canyon Road has become a recreational area and that area is now referred to as Yakima Canyon. Anyone confused yet 
? We used to water ski and fish parts of the Yakima River many years before there was any official recreational area.
There are parts of the Canyon Road that would be quite fun if it were not for the 45 mph speed limit through the whole of the Yakima Canyon. At least one rider in our group seemed to be having fun anyway as he passed me on his BMW K1200LT and disappeared on the curves ahead of me. The State Patrol cruise this road regularly so I kept my speed at a less fun but also less likely to incur a hefty performance award pace.
I arrived at the third check point which was the Shell Station at the intersection of I-82 and WA-821. The poker run crew was enjoying the sun that was just starting to warm things up. It was about 60 degrees at this point, practically a heat wave 
. There were a few light sprinkles of rain when I had come through Ellensburg but it was pretty nice on this end of the Canyon.
I checked in, joked with the ladies, took off my Gerbing jacket liner and then fueled up at the Shell Station. From here I could either just reverse my route or take I-82 back to Ellensburg. Because I was in front of all but one of the poker 
run riders I decided to ride back through the Yakima Canyon.
The next check point was American Legion Post 8 in Ellensburg. This is a very interesting structure that sits on a bluff overlooking the Ellensburg Rodeo Grounds. I guess that’s why it is 
named Vista House. It was a little off the beaten path but I found it after a couple of tries. I managed to crash the wedding that was being held upstairs and then found the poker run folks downstairs . I got checked in and dressed down to get comfortable. They had set up 
a soup and sandwich lunch line for us. I finished my lunch just about the time the first group of riders came in.
From here the route was a straight shot back to the American Legion Hall in Snoqualmie. I had plenty of time so I rode back the exact route that I rode out on. The trip back was uneventful and traffic was again light. There were just a few scattered drops of rain coming back over Snoqualmie Pass. Back at the town of Snoqualmie, there was still coffee and snacks left over from the morning to tide us over until the remainder of the participants returned. For me the total run ended up being 225 miles.
Eventually everyone made it back to Post 79 and we drew our poker hands for the run prizes. I had a miserable Jack high hand so I wasn’t even in the running. All the prizes found happy winners and the group began to disperse shortly after. It had been a nice day of riding and a successful event for the Snoqualmie Riders. I even managed to join the American Legion before I left 
. All of the pictures I took during the poker run can be seen in this gallery.
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The Iron Butt Association has worked through the backlog of applications and are certainly back on track 
. I mailed in the certification applications for my "Brace of Chilly Bun SS1000/BB1500 Runs" on January 2nd and the certifications arrived in the mail on March 5th. They all came in the same envelope so they were obviously processed together.
This is the Bun Burner 1500 (BB1500) certificate for the 1553 mile ride from Issaquah, WA to Rancho Mirage, CA. A BB1500 is a ride of at least 1500 miles completed in 36 hours or less. I completed the ride in a leisurely 33 hours 18 minutes.
The IBA rules allow for multiple certificates to be issued for a single ride in some situations. For example a BB1500 can be accomplished without ever having ridden 1000 miles in a 24 hour period. The only certificate this would qualify for is a BB1500. A BB1500 could also be accomplished by completing a ride of 1000 miles in less than 24 hours as part of it. The IBA will certify this Saddle Sore 1000 (SS1000) because it is an extra effort that is above and beyond the basic requirements of the BB1500. There are many IBA ride combinations that can fall into this same multiple certification situation.
This is the SS100o certificate for the Saddle Sore portion of this ride. The 1041 miles ending at Gustine, CA was completed it in 17 hours 59 minutes.
The policy of issuing two certificates for one ride is not without controversy. In any endeavor involving more than one person there will usually be differences of opinion . There is a faction within the IBA membership that have the opinion that only one certification should be received for any ride. 
In spite of the fact that this is contrary to the written rules and policies of the IBA, they persist in criticizing people or calling people names like "certificate hog".
There is another contingent that criticize people for putting an IBA logo on a motorcycle that they haven’t ridden an IBA ride on. By logo I mean an IBA license plate backer or medallion. Again this is not an IBA rule, it’s just some people’s opinion. These are periodically recurring topics on some of the online forums or mail lists where the IBA is commonly discussed.
I certainly am not going to try and tell people what they should think or do, but I would also hope to receive the same courtesy. A pathetic hope I am sure .
The good news is that endurance riding is a rather solitary activity. Not that you have to ride alone but in many ways it is the easiest and most convenient way to get down the road. If you choose to ride with others you can certainly pick who you want to ride with. I personally don’t have much interest in the scavenger hunt oriented long distance rally events. Because of this the odds that I will meet, let alone have to associate with, any of these folks is rather small.
I really didn’t want to sound negative about the endurance riding community. The vast majority are just nice folks fitting their passion for riding into a normal hectic life. I have gotten a lot a good information and had nice discussions with too many people to count. I should just be hitting my delete key a little more often .
This is the BB1500 certificate I received for the 1564 mile ride from Lake Havasu City, AZ to Renton, WA. I completed this ride in 33 hours 51 minutes
The SS1000 portion of this ride ended in Brookings, OR. I completed the 1069 miles in 17 hours 25 minutes.
Now that I have received more than one ride certification I guess I can call myself a Mile Eater. I personally think it is one of their better logos. I’ve already ordered a pin .
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