One Week to first SS1K attempt...

[terham]

Good luck with this. Hope the rain we've had in Philly all night and day is headed out to sea rather than north.

[colt03]

When Derek rode his firs MM1K event I was riding with ( or behind him)

Here is a copy of what I wrote.

It seemed like a great idea 24 hours ago! I was riding in the Minuteman 1000 and executing the ride I had planned out. Sure, I have done a few Saddlesore 1000ÔÇÖs before, but this was different. I knew it was going to be a long day and night as the route that I had chosen was going to bring me up to northern Maine and into New Brunswick, Canada. The last time I rode in Northern Maine was on Fred BurgessÔÇÖ Black Fly Rally. Street Atlas said it was do-able but I had to estimate time and distance in Canada since the mapping software only covers USA. After reviewing all the bonus options and routes, it became apparent I was going to ride the ÔÇ£simple routeÔÇØ, ride to Bangor, then Eastport, Me into New Brunswick toward Saint John and beyond to a little lighthouse in W Quaco. Then back to Houlton, Me and maybe up to Presque Isle if time permitted.

I used my ÔÇ£LifelineÔÇØ and called Fred for his input - Fred gave me a few pointers and directions, and said it was easy. Now that I think back, I donÔÇÖt think he said ÔÇ£easyÔÇØ, but he did confirm you could make the ride in 24 hours or less.

Saturday was a wonderful but hot day. I stopped in Lexington and Concord for a few early bonus points and continued up to Yarmouth Me for another bonus stop. Things went great, and although the temp was pushing 95, I was in great spirits and it was good to be on the road! Leaving Bangor and heading towards Eastport, the temp dropped 20 degrees. The cooling effects of the Atlantic Ocean were working their wonders. It was then I saw three riders getting gas and having a smoke. These riders had naked sport bikes, not farkled out Iron Butt type bikes. I went by them to take a bonus picture of the Coast Guard in Eastport. They arrived when I was leaving; later I was topping off my gas tank before going into Canada and they rode by. We waved. I arrived at the W. Quaco light house and decided to walk down and take a close up picture of the lighthouse and my rally flag. Unfortunately the wind would gust every time I went to snap the picture! While I was trying to take the picture, the three sport bike riders had arrived and being a little smarter, took the picture from the parking lot. A line in an old Redford and Newman movie kept popping into my head - ÔÇ£Who are those Guys?ÔÇØ

On the road again, I headed towards Houlton, Me., another bonus location. A few questions at the border, ending with a final question.Are you with all those BMW guys?. allowed me passage to the good old USA. It was about 8:00 pm and since I hadnt really stopped all day or eaten anything but granola bars, I decide to just relax a bit before my ride back to Greenfield. I met fellow Yankee Beemer Kyle Hanlon on his R75/6. The 45 minutes I lounged at the gas stop proved to be a mistake. Soon after I left Houlton, I hit rain which was almost welcome as it was still hot! That was the good news, the bad news was fog rolled in, and stayed with me until I hit Massachusetts. I planned on being back around 3:00 AM. The fog coupled with the early morning hours was taking its toll. Quite a few stops were made to keep me alert. Jumping Jacks, Tom Petty on the IPOD and plenty of water from the Camelback kept me going. (I drank almost 6 liters during the ride!). I finally arrived in Greenfield at 4:20 AM, obtained my starting rest bonus receipt and parked in the hotel parking lot. It seemed like I was the last person to arrive, as bodies were scattered on the ground like people were gassed. I chose a place toward the back of the hotel and set my Screaming Meenie for an hour and one half. It never went off, I woke up after and an hour and 1/4. When I looked over towards the hotel, I saw Sandy Becker, who left just in front of me about 24 hours earlier! He was wide awake and getting ready to get scored. At the post rally meeting, I found out who those guys are : YB new member Derek Hiron, and his friends Robert Connor and Ian Roberts. Some pretty impressive riding, covering 1200 miles on sport bikes in less than 24 hours! Rally Master Rob Nye nicknamed them the Three Hooligans! I am glad to have the chance to ride with you guys, a great job. It should also be noted that YB Secretary Fred Kolack placed first in the Saddlesore 1000 scoring and Kurt Schmucki placed second in that category. It was a lot of fun and a great way to see New England (and New Brunswick) in 24 hours! Check for details for next years event! Special thanks to Rally Master Rob Nye for his tremendous efforts and Max Stratton for the financial support MAXBMW Motorcycles gives to this and many other events.


Firing on all four plugs,
Craig

I hope all you guys and gals have a great ride this weekend.

[EMPEG9000]

So I completed the MM1K last weekend and got my SS1000 done. I am now officially a member of the IBA. Sweet!
You can read about the ride here if you like.

I am too lazy to retype all of that.

Oh I forgot to note. That blog post is crazy long. Just a warning.

[terham]

I'm only part way through your final blog entry, but am enjoying it. I'll finish it tonight but I think I know how it ends.

[Semper_Fi]

So I completed the MM1K last weekend and got my SS1000 done. I am now officially a member of the IBA. Sweet!
You can read about the ride here if you like.

I am too lazy to retype all of that.

Oh I forgot to note. That blog post is crazy long. Just a warning.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Will check out your write up.

Hope to do it next year.

Luis

[PAULBACH]

Congratulations!

Your ride inspires at least one jelly butt to think about an Iron Butt.

[EMPEG9000]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it.

[tessler]

Great ride and great report, Steve! (took me a while to get to this )

Congratulations!

[EMPEG9000]

Thanks Jon!