Highway to Hell

Well I am getting ready to ride to Hell and back. I just like the sound of it. I will be leaving tonight on my second Iron Butt Run. This one is to Hell, MI and back.

For those who are unaware of what an Iron Butt Run is... It is a ride sanctioned and certified by the Iron Butt Association. The minimum ride is the Saddlesore 1000. That entails riding your motorcycle 1000 miles in less than 24 hours.

Last year we did one from Harrisburg, PA to the Indianapolis Speedway in Indianapolis, IN and back. Last year's ride took 21 hours, but 17 of those were riding in the rain which was very heavy at times.

This year promises to be somewhat less challenging in that, the weather forecast is much better than last year, although a bit cooler temperature wise. We will leave Harrisburg tonight at 1:30 am. It is the plan to be in Hell by 11 am when the Dam Site Inn opens for business. We will get a light lunch, pick up a souvenir or two, a couple of pics and then run for home. It is our hope to be back in Harrisburg around 9 pm.

I am really looking forward to this ride. There are 6 of us scheduled to go as of this writing. I am not exactly sure what makes these sort of rides so attractive to me. It is not particularly pleasant while doing it, and I am always really beat afterward, but I guess it is the challenge and sense of accomplishment when you are able to do what so many others cannot. Long distance riding is not for everyone. In fact most think it is just crazy. I have been asked why I would want to bother since at least half the trip is in the dark and you really have no time to see anything along the way. The best answer I can give is just "because I can". I don't know how long I will be able to participate in such events before physical limitations make it impossible, so I will just enjoy the challenge now and look for new ones later.

I would be remiss if I did not thank my wife Kim for allowing me to pursue such silly treks as these. She enjoys riding, but not this sort of riding. I really appreciate her support in letting me abuse my self for my own amusement. I will post the story of this ride along with pics, sometime soon after we complete it. It will likely be a few days so I have had the time to relax and recover.

Here is a link to the story of our ride to Indy last year.

Here is a slide show of our trip last year