IRON BUTT
I have had people tell me, at various times, to “get the lead out”. Guess I finally listened—now it’s an Iron Butt.
Last summer, a friend told me he was doing an “Iron Butt” ride---1000 miles in 24 hours. I’ve come close before—600-650 in one day, but never a goal to do 1000 miles or better. Of course, of the 9 or so people that were going, only 3 of us showed up…Will (our leader and witness), Reid and I.
I rode down to Northwest Harley in Olympia early on a Saturday morning (yes, early, 4am) to meet up for our departure at 5am. We set our trip meters, made sure the gas tanks were full, and hit the freeway about 5:15. We headed up I-5 to Highway 18, then headed through Auburn and over Tiger Mountain to the junction with I-90. Rolled over the top of Snoqualmie Pass, freezing our asses off (38 degrees!) and dropped down into Cle Elum for our first gas/rest stop. The temperature had warmed some by then , so I was able to shed the neckie and face mask, but not the coat just yet. Back on I-90, we headed east through Ellensburg and the Kittitas Valley, down to Vantage, crossing the Columbia River and climbing back up toward Moses Lake. Our next stop was about 9:30am in Ritzville, a little town at the junction of I-90 and Highway 395. Now it was time to shed the leather coats and heavy gloves, gas up, grab a snack, and hit the road again. Back onto I-90 toward Spokane and the Idaho border. We stopped in Wallace, Idaho just before noon for another gas/rest break. Reid’s shifter had come loose on his bike, so we spent a few minutes getting it fixed. Next we headed over 4th of July Pass and Lookout Pass into Montana, following I-90 all the way into Missoula and the Harley dealer there.
By now it was just after 2pm (our time, 3pm theirs) and we were at our halfway point. A brief rest, some souvenir shopping, and gassing up…then we headed west toward Idaho again. Back over Lookout Pass and down toward Wallace and Kellogg, Idaho…our next stop. And, yes, things went terribly terribly wrong. Ok, maybe not TERRIBLY wrong, but Reid comes over after gassing up and says his bike is making noise. And it was. We checked his oil, he was about a half quart low, so we topped it off, but no change.
We were headed into Coeur d’Alene for dinner at the Wolf Lodge Inn (more on that in a minute), and we figured there was nothing we could do in the mighty metropolis of Kellogg, so off we went. Got to the exit for Wolf Lodge, and decided that the Harley dealer in Cd’A was only 6 miles away…so we limped into Lone Wolf Harley abut 10 minutes before they closed. Great people---they came out and listened to Reid’s bike, and confirmed our fears that the cam chain tensioners had failed and destroyed the oil pump. Reid’s ride was over. Will and I got him settled, and we headed back to the Wolf Lodge for dinner.
Ok, I gotta tell you about this place: little old log cabin looking building, sitting in a gravel parking lot, not very inviting. But, if you ever find yourself in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho around dinner time, this place will feed you the best steak you have ever had! I had a 12 oz. Ribeye that was cooked perfectly, along with bread, salad, baked potato and baked beans, all for $23. This is definitely a must-stop for anyone in Northern Idaho.
By now it was pushing 8:30pm, and we still had many miles to ride. Off we went on I-90, through Spokane, a gas stop at Ritzville (9:30pm), back across the Columbia River and up Vantage Hill. We had stopped briefly at rest areas just outside Ritzville and Ellensburg to keep hydrated and walk a bit. Coming into Ellensburg is when the wind hit---sideways wind, gusting hard enough o almost push up into the other lanes! We hit Cle Elum for gas at midnight, then motored up over Snoqualmie Pass and onto Highway 18. About 2 miles after the Tiger mountain summit, I reached my (official) 1000 mile mark, measured from Northwest Harley in Olympia. Will and I took Highway 167 at Auburn, stopped in Algona for gas (1:38am), and went our separate ways home.
Pulling into my garage in Bonney Lake, I had clocked 1064 miles in 22 hours---kinda tired too!
If you are interested in doing an Iron Butt, go to ironbutt.com for all the details and requirements. This is not a ride for occasional riders, nor is it a Sunday drive---we averaged 70- 75 mph the entire trip, stopped for gas and snacks only…the only exceptions were Missoula for our “1/2 way” break and an hour for dinner. But, it was a blast!
Last summer, a friend told me he was doing an “Iron Butt” ride---1000 miles in 24 hours. I’ve come close before—600-650 in one day, but never a goal to do 1000 miles or better. Of course, of the 9 or so people that were going, only 3 of us showed up…Will (our leader and witness), Reid and I.
I rode down to Northwest Harley in Olympia early on a Saturday morning (yes, early, 4am) to meet up for our departure at 5am. We set our trip meters, made sure the gas tanks were full, and hit the freeway about 5:15. We headed up I-5 to Highway 18, then headed through Auburn and over Tiger Mountain to the junction with I-90. Rolled over the top of Snoqualmie Pass, freezing our asses off (38 degrees!) and dropped down into Cle Elum for our first gas/rest stop. The temperature had warmed some by then , so I was able to shed the neckie and face mask, but not the coat just yet. Back on I-90, we headed east through Ellensburg and the Kittitas Valley, down to Vantage, crossing the Columbia River and climbing back up toward Moses Lake. Our next stop was about 9:30am in Ritzville, a little town at the junction of I-90 and Highway 395. Now it was time to shed the leather coats and heavy gloves, gas up, grab a snack, and hit the road again. Back onto I-90 toward Spokane and the Idaho border. We stopped in Wallace, Idaho just before noon for another gas/rest break. Reid’s shifter had come loose on his bike, so we spent a few minutes getting it fixed. Next we headed over 4th of July Pass and Lookout Pass into Montana, following I-90 all the way into Missoula and the Harley dealer there.
By now it was just after 2pm (our time, 3pm theirs) and we were at our halfway point. A brief rest, some souvenir shopping, and gassing up…then we headed west toward Idaho again. Back over Lookout Pass and down toward Wallace and Kellogg, Idaho…our next stop. And, yes, things went terribly terribly wrong. Ok, maybe not TERRIBLY wrong, but Reid comes over after gassing up and says his bike is making noise. And it was. We checked his oil, he was about a half quart low, so we topped it off, but no change.
We were headed into Coeur d’Alene for dinner at the Wolf Lodge Inn (more on that in a minute), and we figured there was nothing we could do in the mighty metropolis of Kellogg, so off we went. Got to the exit for Wolf Lodge, and decided that the Harley dealer in Cd’A was only 6 miles away…so we limped into Lone Wolf Harley abut 10 minutes before they closed. Great people---they came out and listened to Reid’s bike, and confirmed our fears that the cam chain tensioners had failed and destroyed the oil pump. Reid’s ride was over. Will and I got him settled, and we headed back to the Wolf Lodge for dinner.
Ok, I gotta tell you about this place: little old log cabin looking building, sitting in a gravel parking lot, not very inviting. But, if you ever find yourself in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho around dinner time, this place will feed you the best steak you have ever had! I had a 12 oz. Ribeye that was cooked perfectly, along with bread, salad, baked potato and baked beans, all for $23. This is definitely a must-stop for anyone in Northern Idaho.
By now it was pushing 8:30pm, and we still had many miles to ride. Off we went on I-90, through Spokane, a gas stop at Ritzville (9:30pm), back across the Columbia River and up Vantage Hill. We had stopped briefly at rest areas just outside Ritzville and Ellensburg to keep hydrated and walk a bit. Coming into Ellensburg is when the wind hit---sideways wind, gusting hard enough o almost push up into the other lanes! We hit Cle Elum for gas at midnight, then motored up over Snoqualmie Pass and onto Highway 18. About 2 miles after the Tiger mountain summit, I reached my (official) 1000 mile mark, measured from Northwest Harley in Olympia. Will and I took Highway 167 at Auburn, stopped in Algona for gas (1:38am), and went our separate ways home.
Pulling into my garage in Bonney Lake, I had clocked 1064 miles in 22 hours---kinda tired too!
If you are interested in doing an Iron Butt, go to ironbutt.com for all the details and requirements. This is not a ride for occasional riders, nor is it a Sunday drive---we averaged 70- 75 mph the entire trip, stopped for gas and snacks only…the only exceptions were Missoula for our “1/2 way” break and an hour for dinner. But, it was a blast!
