I loaded the bike a day early and the first hint of trouble started right away, a ticking noise upon startup. Oh well too late now I thought to myself. It’s probably just a lifter that bled down.  Loaded it up got all my gear in the van and the next day headed for Denver.  I ended up sleeping near Lincoln for a few hours and getting in early Friday afternoon.  On that Friday morning, droning across I-80 I thought to myself, I wonder how many times I will see this stretch of highway???  After arriving in Denver I saw a few familiar faces and a few new ones as well, with more arriving hourly over the weekend.    Over the weekend I would make several trips to Wal-Mart and Home Depot for last minuet items.  Tech inspection was a breeze as I had already checked with the Tech team prior to arrival about any issues I may have.  All was well and it was nice to be able to hang out with entertaining people like the Team Strange crew and AMA's head of road riding Eddie James.  I was there plenty early and I am glad I was, even though it gave me lots of time to contemplate my ride ahead it also gave me some time to get into "rally mode". 

After several meetings and form signings and such we had the opening banquet Sunday night.  Dinner and a short meeting then the moment we were all waiting for.  Rally flag and route sheet hand outs.  After all had their packets and flags in hand we were allowed to open them,  The Team Strange wrecking crew looked everything over and then reconvened in one of our hotel rooms and set to plan our first leg.  The big anchor of the first leg for us was Key West FL via the Fontana Dam at the other end of the famous tail of the dragon highway!  There looked to be equal points or maybe slightly more if we decided to go west but traffic and slow roads made it seem like it would be tough to get as many points and get back to the first check point on time.  So East it is…

Leg 1

On the first day when switching from the aux tank to the stock fuel tank, I moved the petcock too far and burned off almost all of my reserve before I knew it.  This was in Kansas on I-70 (which is the same as I-80 just in Kansas) headed for Key West.  Not a good way to start.  Coasted into a fuel station empty where Leir and Mills were fueling, so all is well that ended well with that, they were leaving and we would end up leap frogging across the eastern states.  Late into the first night I was pretty tired and decided to get some sleep.  I knew I had time so I grabbed a motel for 3 hours.  Took a quick shower slept for a couple hours, and was back on the road refreshed.  One of the bonus locations on the way to Key west was the Fontana Dam, which routed me up the Dragon in Tennessee, The Sporty was fun on the dragon but I wished I didn’t have the Panniers….=;^) 

When I got close to Fontana Dam I saw Kiecker, Leir, and Mills leaving which made me feel pretty good as at least Kiecker and Leir are well known experienced IBR riders.  Not that Andy is a slouch by any means. That motivated me to keep going and try to catch up with them. On the way out I grabbed McDonalds and headed south.  An uneventful ride until I got to Florida where I ran into sporadic showers, gee imagine that.  Ended up catching up with Kiecker, Leir, and Mills near Miami and rode the rest of the way to Key West with them.  Took our rest bonus there and picked up the daylight bonus and got out of there.  From there we went to Chicago, I was still riding with Kiecker, Leir, and Mills, or at least until we got to Chicago. We got separated at a toll booth where an (clueless) attendant made me pay even though I had an I-Pass, Grr. 

Anyway from there we went west to pick up Scottsbluff NE.  From there it was an easy ride to Denver for Check Point number one. One of the things I found entertaining on this ride was riding with Kiecker and Leir they have developed their own sign language and they also pass notes between them.  It is quite entertaining watching them and then trying to interpret what they were trying to tell me.  And of course I had to tell Lisa that those two were passing notes during class…

Leg 2

This leg was shorter but ended up being a little more eventful than we really liked.  Again the Team Strange crew did a group planning in one of the rooms.  We had decided to head straight east and get Beaver AR, Chain of Rocks Bridge near St. Louis MO, and Lynchburg Virginia before heading north through NY.  After Beaver AR and St.Louis we were headed east on I-64.  This is when things turned for the worse.  I was riding with Leir, Kiecker and Mills and it was dusk I was leading at the time.  I was coming up on a slower moving Pick up with a big, cargo or car type trailer on it, dusk sun setting behind me, and I did not see the trailer, (trailer lights were not on), until I was about 10 feet off of it.  I wasn't paying attention, completely my fault; I grabbed a handful of front brakes and lost the front wheel.  I did not have my feet in position to get to the rear brakes either.  The front wheel washed out and I fell off, sliding down the highway looking back at my riding partners, then as I spun around while sliding on my back I saw the Sportster do a 1 1/2 gainer twist.  I slid off the highway and the rest of the wrecking crew stopped to help.

We gathered up as much of my stuff as we could, strap the pannier and top box shut. And duct taped the windshield back in place and was down the road.  Andy Mills noted the time and we were stopped for a total of 15 minutes.  A lot of people commented about me being able to just get up and get back on the bike.  All the years of my racing I learned how to fall off.  Not by intention but by necessity and experience.  And for the most part when I fall down my first focus is bodily inventory, all limbs attached and functioning, no bleeding, and calm down.  Then it is getting back on the bike NOW.  So with all that experience racing and crashing at much higher rates of speed on the race track, it was only second nature to get back on and go.  Anyway, after that we rode for a while, stopped at the Iron Butt motel for an hour, when we stopped the bike was handling funny, and when we left the Iron Butt motel it did the same thing.  After we ran another 100 miles or so and stopped for fuel I realized that in the flip the tire had received enough of a blow to the tire that it pounded dirt into the bead causing a leak, I had run 100 plus miles on a flat tire.  Thank God for Dunlop run flat type tires!  This is when I had to tell the rest of them to get going and I will get this fixed and see you in Buxton for the second checkpoint.  After several phone calls and a very helpful dealer from the Knoxville area Dale, answered my call at o dark thirty in the morning and tried his dandiest to get me some help. 

I finally calmed down enough to pull out the tire irons and fix it myself.  I leaned the bike's engine guard onto a curb near the tire and water station which kept the bike more stable and lightened the load on the front tyre enough for me to find the spot and get the bead far enough out to get the dirt cleaned up.  After I got the tire to hold air I bought a shower, I was at a flying J or was it a pilot????  I can't remember.  Changed clothes got some goodies and plotted a trip to Buxton to get some real rest.  I found that my direct route took me past 2 bonus locations which were easy to get and I plotted them into the GPS and rode on!  The two bonus locations I got after that incident were Philippi WV and Harrisburg PA.  After that I had to stop and get a receipt on the Washington Bridge in NY NY no easy task in that traffic and even worse since I had an EZ-pass and didn't even need to stop.  The guy working the booth was a dick too.  Anyway I ended up getting into Buxton late evening where some MN Long Distance friends had a hotel room ready for me, dinner staying warm in the room. And a spot for the bike to sit in some light so Ron could try and work on it. 

THANK YOU RON AND CARRIE HANSON!!!  Ron worked on the bike for me I called home and woofed down the food, took a shower, and sacked out.  Ron got some stuff reattached and straightened out a few things too.  I got extra sleep and after the events of the previous 24+ hours and I needed it.  I got up and talked with Ron and Carrie, got my stuff together to get to the checkpoint.  After a couple of wrong turns I got there with about 30 seconds to spare before I started accruing penalty points.  At Reynolds Motor sports is where I removed one of the Panniers and filled it with some of the unnecessary stuff I had brought along.  I took that inside and had them ship it home for me.  At least the luggage the bike had on it was usable now.  And even though the bike was lopsided I felt better having the bent up pannier off.  One less thing to worry about and with that I was psyched up to get the last leg underway.

Leg 3

 I was ready to ride but not really prepared for the mental work needed to help route the final leg.  Kiecker, Mills, Leir, Conway and I were tossing towns and bonus locations all over the room we found to work in.  Before I knew what had happened the route was laid out.  We were going to Ilwaco WA which is just on the north side of the Columbia River which is at the border of Washington and Oregon.  With stops planned in Portsmouth NH, Chicago IL and Sioux Falls SD. After that there were several options for additional bonus locations in northern California and Nevada on the return to Denver.  Leaving Buxton Kiecker, Leir and Mills got out ahead of me, so I just followed the GPS route of the fastest which took me down some county roads.  I was thinking to myself I am loosing time here, but I got to the freeway in short order and when exiting to go into Portsmouth sitting at the light who pulls up?  Kiecker, Leir and Mills, the GPS is not so stupid after all. 

We grabbed our newspapers at the Federal Cigar Store and got out of town. This is where Kiecker and I got separated from Leir and Mills.  We blasted out of town and got to I-90 which would be our home for a majority of the next couple days!  Uneventful ride across NY, OH, IN where we stopped to sleep short of Gary IN for a 3 hour sleep bonus.  We were up at the crack of dawn to head into Chicago for the second bonus of this leg.  Just off of I-55 is the Chicago Portage national monument.  From there it was I-290 up to I-90 again.  From there it was only gas stops until Sioux Falls for the Falls Park Bonus.  Then back on I-90 with only needing to get off the freeway for sleep or gas until we got to the wet coast.  Running in SD, WY, MT, ID, and WA is much faster pace than out east.  With Speed limits 75mph the miles click right on by.  Pushing fairing, pulling the big square pannier through the wind was starting to take its toll on the Sportster. 

The slight ticking noise I heard at the start of the rally, of which at the time I thought was a lifter that had bled down, was becoming noticeable while riding. At this time there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it other than ride it.  At these speeds Kiecker’s VFR definitely had the advantage being much slipperier in the strong winds.  He was getting better mileage and was able to cruise just a little faster than me.  As he slowly ran out of sight I started to realize the depth of this ride.  We left Buxton at approximately noon on Monday and we were going to be On the Pacific Ocean coast on Wednesday night?  HOLY CRAP!  That is like 3300 miles!  I though to myself, AM I INSANE?  Then I snapped out of it, why yes I am and I am riding in an event with 90 like minded fools.  Anyway I ended up riding into the night alone and through the mountains in WY and MT.  Not a good place to be overly sleepy.  It got to the point I had to stop and couldn’t find a safe place to pull off.  So I had to stop on the shoulder.  I set the screaming meanie for 20 minuets hoping that would be enough to get me to a safe place to sleep.  After ten Kiecker whizzed by, saw me, and tried to turn around to check on me and in the process tipped over in the right hand lane of traffic. 

I woke up as he tipped over but I couldn’t do anything I had to put my head down again and I got 2 more minuets.  I felt a little better and now had a riding partner again.  We rode into Billings from there but I was still having a hard time staying awake, even in town, with a riding partner.  So I had to pull of and sleep.  I tried the Iron Butt Motel on an off ramp for an hour. But did not feel any better.  After that I called Jodi,  she was at least coherent enough to say, you have time, get some good sleep then get up and ride!  So off to a hotel that was close by.  I took a very quick shower and sacked out for 3 hours.  Wow I needed that.  I then grabbed some food and topped off the fuel tank before continuing on.  It was going to be light soon which really help’s me a lot. Across the rest of Montana and ID in to WA I was talking with Andy on the phone occasionally, and text messaging Kiecker when I had a signal and I knew that Kiecker was going to make Ilwaco before dark and possibly another bonus in Oregon.  I was hoping to make Ilwaco, but I knew that was the only daylight bonus I was going to get today.  Riding across Washington State I didn’t realize how many onions they grow out there.  Wow does it smell good out there.  If you like onion I guess. 

Out of Spokane and continuing west the motor was continuing to get noisier, I even called home and a Dad to say I don’t think she’s going to make it…  And it wasn’t too much farther when the motor felt like it was going to seize, then it freed up and ran for a few miles before it really started hammering.  It was toast, I could tell right away it was something in the lower end. I pulled the spark plugs just for curiosity sake; they were clean so it was not a valve or major top end failure. I also checked the primary chain and that too was in great condition and at the proper tension.  So approximately 50miles short of Seattle I thought I was done.  My first thought was get a Ryder or U-haul truck and head for the finish; I might just as well be there.  I called the local dealer, their hauler was not immediately available, and then I remembered that I had AMA MOTOW.  I called them and within 20 minuets I had a flat bed with a motorcycle friendly driver there.  I called the Rally Master, Lisa Landry, and informed her of my demise and she suggested renting a bike and finishing.  Oh yea I can do that, I forgot. 

After flip flopping on my mental state and the ability to ride anymore. I received a phone call, “rent a bike and go get the *@%^ points.”  All right then that is just the kick I needed.  Got to the dealership and rented an Ultra.  Now I just needed to find a way to get it home.  While in the tow truck I had called Lisa and after a wasted hour or two at the dealer ship I had a way to get the bike back, and I was on my way to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse for the biggest bonus of the leg, 30102 points!  I got there just after dark, which was a bummer cause I could have gone for another bonus if I would have been an hour earlier.  Oh well I am not going to win anyway as I will loose half my points because of the bike switch.  So I ended up getting a room right in Ilwaco, I ran into George Barnes who won the rally in 99. 

We walked down town and had a great big greasy burger and shared company and a few tales too.  That was a cool experience.  Back to the motel and about 6-7 hours of sleep as the bonus wasn’t open until 8:30.  We were not alone at breakfast or at the location. 12 of us were there waiting for the gate to be opened.  Tim Conway, Allen Dye, George Barnes, Al Holtsberry, along with Jim and Donna Phillips riding their wing, to name a few.  I know I am forgetting some of them and I apologize to those riders.  Al is riding the Same BMW he rode on the IBR in 1986.  After nabbing that bonus which was a 1.5 mile hike total there and back I now only had to ride and fuel and get fuel in Green river WY for a small bonus.  This ride was about 1350 miles.  I left Ilwaco at about 9:00 on Thursday morning and I needed to be in Denver by 8:00 am Friday morning to avoid any more penalty points.  By 10:00 to avoid a DNF.  Subtract an hour for the time change that is 22 hours to do 1350 miles.  Good thing it is all freeways cause that is a 61 mph average including stops!  And I will have lots of stops now that I only have 5 gallons of fuel instead of 11.25.  And it was a good thing I got some real sleep.  That came in handy, that and the fact that I had not used any caffeine on the rally yet. 

At o’dark thirty Friday morning I needed a kick start and I had a muscle cramp in my back like I have never had before. I stopped and got fuel, stretched my legs and got a cup of coffee, while looking at the ibuprofen, Aleve, etc my attention was drawn to a medicine that said for back pain and muscle cramps…  Midol…  I am not afraid of that! So I bought a pack of it and that with a cup of coffee, I was wide awake and within an hour my back had some relief!  From there it was a pretty uneventful ride.  As I got close to Denver I realized I was going to be coming in to town during rush hour.  I managed to work my way through traffic and get to the finish at 7:45 if I remember correctly.  That last half hour to 45 minutes was a little nerve racking as I really didn’t want any penalty points and I was at the mercy of traffic.  All’s well that ends well.  I am very happy with finishing with a gold medal, of course there is a little disappointment with the bike breaking and losing the potential to get a top 10 finish. With all that happened, if I did not have to replace the bike I would have finished 15th had I got no more bonus locations, if the bike wouldn’t have broke I had the potential to get at least 2 more locations which would have put me 9th barring any other problems…  All in all I am proud of the ride I put in and am anxiously awaiting the drawing for the 2007 IBR. 

Now I just need to decide, Sportster again so I can be the first to “finish” on a Sportster, or Set up one of the new Buell Ulysses… Hmmmm, decisions, decisions, decisions.

Brett Donahue
Donahue Harley-Davidson
Sauk Rapids MN