Team Aimless .com® www.Tyjeski.com®

That’s what got my attention too! Then to find out this place is a very, very small dot-on-the-map in central Illinois came as another surprise. You need a detailed map to find this one! I looked into this “Ride To Eat” event last year and it just didn’t fit into my schedule at all. This year after reviewing the postings on their website (www.moonshine-run.com) I was more than ever interested. I’m going to ride over a thousand miles roundtrip to eat a hamburger? WTF ! Hey, I like the town name. And I’ve rode farther for less of a reason.

A close friend of mine, Hoagy Carmichael, (www.hoagysheroes.org) had to relocate near Moonshine Illinois from West Virginia to keep his job. Well, That’s all the inspiration it took! It was about Thanksgiving time last year and I’m finding the host hotel in Casey Illinois already over booked. Finally found a hotel one exit east off of I-70. GREAT !

Now with a hotel reservation I’m ready to plan my route west. Getting signed up “on-line” was as easy as it gets! No registration fee, butt they want you to sign up to get a head count. So, count me in ! Ordered a couple of Moonshine Ride tee shirts, signed up for every meal they offered too.

April in northeast Ohio is as much of a weather gamble as you can imagine. So what, I’m still aplan’in this ride. Ride to Moonshine Illinois, eat a renowned “Moonburger”. Well, this Moonburger covers two of the major food groups in MY food pyramid: calories and cholesterol, the other two food groups in my pyramid can be changes as I see fit.

Checking the list of events on their website I keep plan’in. It’s April so I put on my weatherman hat and continue second guessing the TV weather forecasters. Its now Wednesday April seventh, with 8am tomorrow hours away and a huge storm is headed right up my route. No ice it seems, I’M Going !

Thursday morning launch time has arrived. Gotta ride three states, two time zones, and about four hundred fifty miles to get there. Sounds like the olde Lawson’s orange juice commercial from decades ago.

Departing from the southeast side of Cleveland Ohio in badly gray sky’s, I head southbound. Not too bad until south of Akron Ohio. Stopping for breakfast on the south side of Akron, the rain started.. Oh well, saw it coming at us on the TV. Here we go with rain gear. South to Columbus and the west thru Indianapolis it rained, it poured, we got wet, then it rained some more, and we rode for nine and a half hours to the hotel. Six plus hours in the damn rain.

Checked into the hotel, our neighbor had a touring bike and trailer, so our conversations had all of us going to the same place, Terrys’ house in Casey Illinois for his free Thursday nite BBQ! Again, his menu applied to most of my food pyramid and we don’t want to be late. Punched in the address into the GPS; (My GPS is named “Marsha”, actually “Mouthy Marsha” ). “Mouthy Marsha” got us going, and as we were within a few blocks of the destination the city streets were lined on both sides with bikes, a lotta bikes! Well, that tells me we’re where we need to be to get fed! All Terry asked for was a donation, and we gladly complied. We ate, dogs, burgers, brats, homemade ice cream, pie, beverages, beans, salads, and there was more that we could have. The 2010 Moonshine Lunch Ride shirts were available here too. GREAT DESIGN ! Enjoying the time with other riders that had come in from some of the other states. 39 states would be represented along with three countries too.

Thursday is done and it’s now Friday morning about 10am, lining up at the host hotel for a lunch ride and a visit to the Corvette Museum in Effingham County Illinois. Again, no registration fee, just pre register on-line to get a head count. As this is the sixth annual event Terry and his crew has this down to a science. The route is planned; Moonshine Lunch Run staff has it all set. And more calories and cholesterol awaits us! We’re headed to the Stove Pipe Grill and Smokehouse at the Lincoln Springs Resort in Ashmore Illinois. Just the name alone got my attention. I turned off Mouthy Marsha ‘cause I was tired of hearing the inevitable “re-calculating” . In this area of the country grain farming is king. With that in mind a lot of the side roads become dirt and gravel. So letting Mouthy Marsha tell me where to go could send me to disaster. So It’s a good idea to play Follow-The-Leader. This place was fabulous. It’s a resort with an excellent staff, and a banquet hall that fit over 200 hungry riders. The restaurant staff was setup, ready for our arrival, and answered all our questions, except for the really stupid questions about the ceiling fans while waiting in the buffet line. Salads, brisket, poultry, veggies, a variety of BBQ sauces. beverages, more, and more was offered. That’s before we got dessert. A guy behind me in line made it very clear that he was from South Carolina, and BBQ is a proper noun there. His compliment of these sauces gave added validity. Me, I sampled a mustard based BBQ sauce, and I want to go back there for more of it. There was a rather unusual attraction with this resort. A 30 foot tall Abe Lincoln. At the right, (or wrong), angle it shows olde Abe giving everybody the “finger”. Well, after a little tire-kicking with fellow riders in this ride, and a last look at olde Abe were off to the Corvette Museum. Ooops, forgot to punch this one into Mouthy Marsha and the pack’s starting to leave. Ramona and I go following. Well,, Its seems that the group we were following hadn’t much of a clue either. So as we sit on the side of I-70 collectively plotting how to get turned around and head west without getting tickets from Officer Friendly. We get headed in the right direction and get to the Corvette Museum in Effingham County. Now I really couldn’t give a damn about Vette’s, butt the place was inspiring. As you enter they have a 1950’s style gas station set up before you enter the building, That was neat! Inside there were many of these exceptionally built cars? This place also had two “VW’s” in a separate room with a few motors opened on display, concrete cows outside like in the VW commercials from decades ago;,,, yes I remember them too.

OK,, we gotta couple of hours to kill before our next scheduled stop for calories and cholesterol. I’ve done the “ABC’s of Touring” scavenger hunt (that’s another story for later), for the last few years so we ride around the local area grabbing some bonus-points.

Mouthy Marsha gets us back to Casey Illinois to Richards Farm Restaurant. This is an Awards banquet for the Moonshine Lunch Run participants, also the main event before we get to eat Moonburgers tomorrow. We get there about an hour early and we’re NOT the first one’s there. Again we knew we were at the right place with all the bikes. Glancing at the license plates in the parking lot we’re finding California, Arizona, Florida plus all the neighboring states. You could play SCRABBLE if you took all the bike manufacturer names mixed up together. Heading inside we find a table, sitting down to kicking tires with some of the other riders, exchanging ideas, and who had which ‘farkle” (gadgets on your bike).

Well, if they want me to, I’ll eat again! And oh did we. Set up with two double sided buffet’s we were again treated to salads, meat, potatoes, veggies, desserts, and more beverages. This is the BIG Event. An Awards Banquet of sorts. As Terry gave awards to the folks who rode the farthest; about 2,500 miles one-way, to giving full recognition to those in attendance who have Iron Butt Awards. Recognition to the Moonshine Lunch Run Board of Directors, and the founding riders. Door prizes were many. As we’re listening to the awards and comments it comes to a realization that within this room are many, many riders that have completed a minimum of 1,000 miles in less than 24 hours, one who rode from Alaska, to Key West, to San Diego, to Mane in less than 14 days, doing his own bike oil changes and tires on the way, on a KLR. Another who rode 10/10’s in Florida. That’s ten, one thousand mile, non stop rides inside the state of Florida on ten different bikes. With each bike change he also wore a different “Moonshine run” shirt. All documented and awarded rides.

The first door prize ticket pulled was mine! It was two Goldwing oil filters. Now it’s going to be tough to find an A-dapter kit to get those filters to fit my H-D. Butt it’s a winner.

Within the audience of 327 riders were Roy Lee and Helen Tuttle. The elderly couple,

which own the Moonshine Store. (www.themoonshinestore.com) That’s our destination for this whole event. A lot of local riders will arrive Saturday morning just for this burger feast. We got here two days early for the same feast. The evening ended a couple of hours later, and we saddled up, told “Mouthy Marsha” to get us back to the hotel and off we rode into the darkness.

It’s Saturday morning at the Host Hotel in Casey Illinois. Terry and his crew line up riders and let them out in small groups with a road captain to lead the way to the Moonshine Store for the carnivorous feast. At about 10:30am and it’s our turn! We’ve already been warned from the website that our GPS is useless to get you to this place unless you’ve been there before and marked it. (this is TRUE as I’ll find out). And we’re out like cattle from a stockade! We just follow the rider in front as I don’t have a clue.. It’s about a 25 minute ride. Again, bikes and cars, and a bus, and 4-wheelers, and go-carts, and a mini-bike are scattered about for a half-mile in all four directions of the Moonshine Store. The line to get this famous Moonburger is about a quarter mile long down the roadway at this point. Oh shit! What a wait. And keep in mind there are other riders back at the host hotel to get here yet! While waiting in this ever-growing line of hungry bikers, an Amish family set up shop in the bed of truck in a parking area selling their pies. Delicious, fresh fruit pies with crumbling crust! They sold out before we got our burgers. In my neck-of-the-woods in Ohio the Amish are an every day occurrence. A whole bunch of riders in line jumped out of line to get a slice of that fresh pie bakes and served by Amish folks.

Well it took less than an hour to get our awaited feast. If I counted right, there were nine people in the burger production line. Cooking, prepping, assembling, then serving. Now,, here is the key,,, Terry warned us last night; only “Amateurs” pay in advance. We heeded the advice and followed.

My Moonburger; a double-cheese-bacon burger; Ramonas’, a single. Condiments, readily available outside. Terry was here, chatted with him a few minutes as I had questions about the local area. Ate our long awaited feast, placed our trash away, left our seats for the next customers and headed to the dessert table. The FFA (Future Farmers of America), {in Ohio this is a GEAT organization} had a lotta baked goods to choose from. They took some money from us. The Moonshine Store had tables set up with their wares too. Tee Shirts, patches, coffee cups, pins. Yup ! Got them too! (Thanks Ramona!).. Moonburger is in the digestive track, as we head back towards Casey Illinois.

Well,, OK,, we took the loooong route back. A rather scenic journey that cut us across a lot of miles, and acres. Its Spring time and the smells and colors blooming already was a site to enjoy. The Casey Fire Department (www.cityofcaseyil.org/) provided us with a Chili Dinner. This was a fund raiser towards their new Fire Station. I’m a big proponent of local safety services and was more than happy to contribute to their fund. For the seven dollars the FD required, you fill’ed-up on bowls of chili, hot dogs, chili dogs, and beverages. All I can say is everyone I observed complied and enjoyed. Nobody left hungry.

Terry had the results from the Moonburger ride earlier today. In 2009 1,100 Moonburgers were served. For 2010 1,908 Moonburgers were served to 1,400 people on 1,100 bikes, plus cars, buses, truck, mini bikes, etc. All that, in about 6 hours serving time. Keep in mind, an average day they serve 140 Moonburgers.

The Casey Fire Chief started off with an impromptu auction,,, Here comes Hoagy,, now Hoagy is not a bashful person. As long as I’ve known him he hasn’t changed one bit! He’s my associate and friend. Hoagy has the nerve to “OUT” a fellow rider as an official Auctioneer.. Folks,, you had to see Jim Knowle’s face fall to the table in a split second as Hoagy ANNOUNCES here’s an Auctioneer!... Well,, too late. Jim jumps up and voluntarily goes into auctioneer mode. And this man goes from zero to a hundred miles and hour with his auctioning lingo.

Jim fascinates the crowd, commands the attention of everyone within shouting distance. And I MEAN Everybody!. Telling life experiences about how he met Hoagy, and the long distance motorcycle community while auctioning off the large banners and poster photos that had been donated. All of the monies go to the Casey Illinois Fire Department. Jim is licensed in local states, butt not Ohio where I need him in June. Ah, Shit,,,, I loose.. The Casey Fire Department wins! The riders of the Moonshine Lunch Run, wins! So it’s a good time all the way around.

Sunday morning, Host Hotel; Moonshine Lunch Run Breakfast. It’s basic, fulfilling, and that’s the way we started the morning. We said our good byes to our new found friends, and past acquaintances. It was interesting to be able to meet some of the people that you Email, Blog, and post to. To be able to put a face with a name you have seen on a riders forum or web site. Our simple, staple of breakfast satisfied our hunger, and we were eastbound. Due to time constraints we could not stay for the church service; hope to next year.

Heading toward the south side of Columbus Ohio for a family late lunch then northbound toward Cleveland put us back home. The whole ride was just over 1,430 (s)miles long for me.

Now the question….

Was it worth it? Waiting in line for a quarter mile down the road which is an hour wait ?? ? YUP, I’ll do it again.

April 9 2011 to be exact.. I plan to be there again! (www.moonshine-run.com)

Here is a link to my complete photo album.

http://community.webshots.com/album/577393396VkzyRg

by Dale Tyjeski

Here is the direct “link” to the photo album http://rides.webshots.com/album/577393396VkzyRg

----------------------------------------------------------------------

". I found an interesting article on this
> effect at: http://www.zunis.org/at_least_theres_a_breeze.htm
>===============================================================

I did snap some PIX and here are a couple at the Norbeck Center and that big guy I was talking about above.

http://www.dynawide.com/images/sp1000598.jpg (CUT & PASTE THIS LINK)
Buffalo rolling around in the dirt

http://www.dynawide.com/images/sp1000603.jpg (CUT & PASTE THIS LINK)
Biker's creeping up to take PIX of buffalo rolling around in dirt (That's my Wide Glide with the brown sheepskin on it!)

http://www.dynawide.com/images/simgp2432.jpg (CUT & PASTE THIS LINK)
To ride past or not to ride past, that is the question. We rode past this beast.

Ride Safe!
Bree
FXDWG
IBA 19547

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Michigan news

from the Detroit Free Press 03.18.2005

*see the actual article for full details*

http://www.freep.com/news/mich/helmet18e_20050318.htm

No-helmet cycle bill rumbles forward

House gets it next; veto likely

March 18, 2005

BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU CHIEF

LANSING - Michigan's law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets moved closer to repeal Thursday, as the state Senate voted to lift the 36-year-old decree that bikers protect their heads.

The bill faces a veto by Gov. Jennifer Granholm if it passes the House, as is expected. Still, the Senate vote was a major victory for the movement to repeal the act, which has produced perennial, colorful protests, including rumbling hordes of motorcycles that encircled the Capitol.

To the cheers of leather-clad bikers outside the Senate chamber -- some have worked for 20 years or more to repeal the law -- the Senate voted 21-13 to make helmets optional for bikers who are 21 and older if they've been licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two years, or if they pass a safety course.

The measure goes to the House, which several times in the past has voted to repeal the law only to see it blocked in the Senate.

But the makeup of the Senate has changed since 2002, the last time it went to a vote.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, passed despite impassioned pleas that it would result in more highway deaths and higher medical and insurance costs for Michigan.

Supporters said wearing a helmet should be a matter of personal choice.

"We are gathered together to make a choice to allow people to be free in a free land unencumbered by big government's intrusion," said Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton and a supporter of the bill.

Cropsey said helmets offer little protection in crashes, and that some studies show states without helmet laws have lower fatality rates for motorcyclists than Michigan.

But Sen. Tom George, R-Portage, a physician, called such arguments ludicrous, and said repealing the law would be a virtual death warrant to hundreds of future motorcyclists.

Eleven Republicans and 10 Democrats voted for the bill.

Despite Granholm's opposition, no-helmet proponents were elated with the Senate vote, after their sustained lobbying.

Jim Rhoades said he first began lobbying to repeal the law in 1974, when he was 25. Now a grizzled 55, he said he hopes Granholm can be persuaded to sign the bill if it passes the house.

"I remember coming out here and burning helmets and yelling, 'Helmet laws suck,' and thinking this is what's going to get it done," said Rhoades, a builder from Garden City. "It took us 20 years to realize you have to be involved in the process."

He added, "I'm elated. This shows everyone the energies and efforts of citizens will actually pay off," said Rhoades. "It contradicts the idea that you have no voice."

Reports around the Capitol this week indicated Granholm might be open to signing such a law. Rhoades said he heard those rumors, and hoped to confer with the administration after a House vote.

But Granholm's spokeswoman Liz Boyd said the governor will veto the bill for health and safety reasons.

"We have no information to think the governor has changed her mind," Boyd said.

Contact CHRIS CHRISTOFF at 517-372-8660 or christoff@freepress.com.

___________________________

BRIAN DICKERSON: No brain our gain, Senate tells bikers

March 21, 2005

BY BRIAN DICKERSON
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

These are dark times for champions of the right to die.

Jack Kevorkian is behind bars. Oregon's experiment with physician-assisted suicide is under siege by religious zealots in the U.S. Justice Department. And Congress is groping frantically for ways to interpose itself between brain-damaged Terri Schiavo and the husband Florida courts recognize as her legal surrogate.

But fear not, libertarians: The right to die is alive and well in Michigan!

All you need is a motorcycle license and, if you live elsewhere, a willingness to spend your last tourist dollars in the Great Lakes State.

In an extraordinary display of bipartisan nincompoopery, the state Senate struck a blow last week for those who yearn to dash their brains out on Michigan highways.

Eleven Republicans joined 10 Democrats in voting to repeal a state law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets, a change the Senate's only physician, Kalamazoo Republican Tom George, said would double the number of annual motorcycle fatalities in Michigan.

Ride free and die

Not that those who supported the bill are cravenly kowtowing to bikers. In an amendment that explicitly recognizes the increased liability foisted on Michigan hospitals, the Senate also voted to require that every biker carry medical insurance.

George and Sen. Bev Hammerstrom, R-Temperance, who opposed the repeal, had suggested that each cyclist be required to carry $350,000 in medical coverage. The Senate majority settled on $10,000, an amount that should more than cover the lifetime medical care most serious closed-head injury victims require -- as long as they don't live through the first night.

But if the helmet law repeal seems likely to burden trauma centers and the taxpayers who subsidize them, it's also a boon to Michiganders awaiting vital organ transplants. In emergency rooms, where seriously injured riders are privately known as donorcyclists, the no-helmet crowd is prized as a rich source of youthful hearts, livers and kidneys, among other organs that remain well preserved long after brain death.

If only lawmakers had thought to add a requirement that all helmet-less cyclists agree to donate their organs. And why not require donorcyclists to sign papers declining extraordinary lifesaving measures, so that that deserving organ recipients aren't kept waiting unnecessarily?

A piece of the action

Not everyone will buy the suggestion that repealing the helmet law advances the right-to-die agenda. Many lawmakers who can't abide the government coming between a man and his motorcycle wouldn't hesitate to get between Terri Schiavo and her physicians, if only the courts would let them.

Allowing healthy people to dash their brains out on the open road is one thing; after all. Letting a brain-damaged woman die in privacy is quite another.

For one thing, donorcyclists generate a lot more bar and restaurant revenue. According to those who want to repeal the helmet law, Michigan forfeits many of those dollars to states that don't mandate helmets. If our state wants its fair share of the biker market, they argue, it should worry less about the donorcyclists' skulls and more about their wallets.

Of course, some of Kevorkian's champions used to argue that authorizing physician-assisted suicide would make Michigan a magnet for other states' terminally ill. There'd be jobs and tax revenues galore, an assisted-suicide clinic in every town big enough to have its own post office.

The thing is, I always figured they were kidding.

Contact BRIAN DICKERSON at 248-351-3697 or dicker@freepress.com.

∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫∫

----- Original Message -----
From: "chuck

Zen and the Art of LD Riding -- Now: You might be an LD Rider when.....

>
> You might be an LD rider if you tires typically are squarer than a well
       worn sidewall --- yet you still might have some very tiny chicken
       strips. Sort of like --- riding 300 miles to get to the road where you
       can drag a knee for a few miles and then riding 300 miles back home.
> You might be an LD rider when you stop thinking about your bike as being
         beautiful and start thinking of it as a tool.
> You might be an LD Rider when adding some new farkle to the bike is more
       utilitarian in nature than chrome.
> You might be an LD rider when your bike starts to look more like radio
        shack show room, than a street racer.
> You might be an LD rider when your question to the dealer is --- "how
      many miles do you get out those tires?" instead of "how sticky are they?"
> You might be an LD rider when you ask about the size of the gas tank or
       the gas mileage before you ask about the number of horsepower.
> You might be an LD rider when you get to the Grand Canyon and only get a
         picture of the entrance sign with your bike in it.
> You might be an LD rider when you look at a new bike and one of your
         first thoughts is - "Where am I going to hang the rally flag?"
> You might be an LD rider when you know the 4 ways to keep one pair of
        underwear "fresh".
> You might be an LD rider when every rest stop looks more like a Motel 6 to you.
> You might be an LD rider when people look at you strange when you tell
     them that sleeping with a helmet ON - makes for a pretty comfortable pillow.
> You might be an LD rider when someone asks, "hey - isn't about 400 miles
     to such and such?" and you answer ... with a straight face - "Actually
     it is 426 miles to the city limits sign". this could be kinda fun.... fill some more of these.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Message: 10
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 00:59:28 -0600
From: "Critter" <critter@ >

You might be an LD rider if-

-By October, your boss doesn't remember your name.

-If the rest of the MC public doesn't understand your "dialect".

-Your neighbors see you only on Wednesday when the UPS truck pulls up.

-You own the book- "Where Famous People are Buried".

-Your neighbors split shifts at your house to water your plants & garden.

-The postman sees more yellow cards in your mailbox then mail.

-To get a weekend date with your sweetheart, you have to include a plane ticket.

-Your laptop is hardwired into your bike.

-The weather report you want is always for someplace else.

-When the worlds largest "whatever" comes on the late news, you stop kissing
                          your SO "good night" and grab a pen and paper.

-Your cell phone is hardwired into your bike.

-If 400 miles of slab in Nebraska is appealing, at mile marker 850 + in Texas.

-If you ever wished you lived dead-center in the middle of the continent.

-If BBQ, DQ and fish are your favorite foods, but you've never had all three
    in one state in the same day.

-Your dog's food is at someone else's house.

-You know how many "Carhenges" there are.

-You schedule your teeth cleaning for the week before Daytona (spring/fall).

-Someone comes and gets your used oil twice a year.

-You give the young lad who mows your lawn a 5 gallon gas can for his birthday.

-You buy "I love you" Hallmark cards by the box and hide them all over the
     house for your SO.

-If there's weed-eater marks all over the bottom of your car and pollen thick on the top.

-By February, your coworkers remember your name.

MN Critter

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

=============================

By the seat of their pants
Iron Butt riders go to extremes for motorcycling

By Paul Duchene
Special to the Tribune
Published February 6, 2005

These folks don't need an exercise video to show they have buns of
iron-just a durable motorcycle and the will to ride it hundreds of miles
in a stretch.

For this they enter an exclusive group, with only 16,700 members around
the world, the Iron Butt Association.

Some members have ridden their bikes 125,000 miles in a single year.
Mike Kneebone has been stalled at 1.4 million miles for two years.
"I've been trying to get to 1.5 million but I can't seem to reach it,"
said Kneebone, 46, co-founder of the Chicago-based organization. "When
you get older, all sorts of things tie you up-like a day job."

That seems like a lot of miles until you consider the group's flagship
event is the 11,000-mile, 11-day Iron Butt Rally.

More than 2,000 riders signed up for 120 slots in 2003 the most recent
rally. Each were prepared to pay $1,500 for almost two weeks of
discomfort of traveling around the U.S. with five required stops.

The rally structure is simple. Riders must be present at the five
checkpoints within a two-hour window to be qualified finishers.

The winner is the one with the most miles ridden in the shortest amount
of time. No allowances are made for weather, and temperatures along the
way can range from 120 degrees in Death Valley, Calif., to freezing in
the Rocky Mountains.

The rally takes place in alternate summers, though there have been some
gaps.

The first rally was held in 1984, organized by Dick and Fay Hoffman of
Montgomeryville, Pa. The concept and the name were dreamed up by Mike
Rose, a local motorcycle boot maker. Kneebone attended his first rally
in 1986 and thought he could help structure the association.

But it isn't until you wrap your head around the idea of covering 1,000
miles a day (triple what most riders would call a long day) that
questions of what it takes to accomplish the task arise.

Kneebone says Iron Butt riders average 34.5 m.p.h. for the basic trip
and 45 m.p.h. if they plan to attain the bonus points.

"The way to think is if you maintain the average, every hour you're
gaining 20 minutes rest time. If you go faster, you gain more time but
you tire yourself out. And if you get speeding tickets, you can lose a
lot of time."

Comfort is critical, and the top riders tend to favor heavy tourers,
such as the Honda Gold Wing, Harley-Davidson Glides, BMW K1200LT, Yamaha
Venture, Honda ST 1100, Kawasaki Concours and BMW R1150GS.

Honda and Harley declined to comment about their use by rally riders,
but Rob Mitchell, BMW's manager of corporate communications, talked.

"It does fit the BMW profile quite well and many round-the-world
travelers ride BMWs-even before the GS [a large adventure-tourer
motorcycle] was introduced.

"When the first Iron Butt took place, we gave a bike to a good
long-distance rider and said it's not official but we'll provide dealer
support. [The rider tied for first.] The first year was a four-way tie
with only about 11 or 12 riders [overall], all very passionate about
riding long distances. It's grown tremendously, and the way people train
and study nutrition and technology is amazing. Long rides have always
been part of the lure of motorcycle riding."

So what does it mean to the riders willing to circumnavigate the U.S. in
11 days or go coast-to-coast in less than 50 hours--or there and back in
less than 100--two other Iron Butt tests?

Rallyist Joe Zulaski, 47 of Seattle, put 105,000 miles on his first
endurance bike--a 1998 Honda ST 1100--and now rides a 2002 Honda Gold
Wing. Zulaski's ancestors came west on the Oregon Trail in the 1800s,
and such rides make him feel like he's tracing their steps.

"All of us in this sport have what I'd call wandering souls," he says.
"It's a desire to see what's over the next hill, then the next one after
that."

To undertake long-distance riding, Zulaski cut his hair so it would fit
in his helmet. He started riding to work every day and sold his truck.
He got Lasik eye surgery to eliminate his glasses. He quit drinking to
train for the 2001 Iron Butt Rally. He learned to solder wiring for road
repairs. He gave up deer hunting to have more time for endurance events.
He volunteered to help on the 1999 Iron Butt Rally to learn how it was
organized. Finally, he started organizing rallies and is on his third.

Road racer and endurance rider Rachel Dwyer has ridden thousands of
miles with no seat on her Ducati because she is short and couldn't put
her feet on the ground. Dwyer lives in Seattle but grew up in the
Midwest and describes herself as "one of those people who takes things
to extremes."

"When I started running, it was one mile, then six, then marathons,"
says the 39-year-old.

Dwyer's main problem was that at 5 feet 3 inches and 100 pounds, the
bikes that she felt would suit her best don't fit her. Most of the
serious tourers are too heavy for her, and she doesn't like recumbent
cruisers.

But Dwyer found a Suzuki GS500 she could ride and did 2,500 miles in
four days, then bought a Ducati 750 Monster. She narrowly missed a Four
Corners of America (from Blaine, Wash., to San Ysidro, Calif., to Key
West, Fla., to Madawaska, Maine) record last year after mechanical
problems in Texas delayed her one day.

Her next target is the coast-to-coast in 50 hours. She's tried it twice
but got stopped by a snowstorm in Montana and a bike that was so
misaligned she was exhausted by the time she got to Columbus, Ohio.

"It's a mental challenge, and I crave it. Anybody can train to finish a
marathon physically, mentally it's a whole different ballgame."

Dwyer says she has endurance riding in her blood.
"It's hard to explain and it annoys people. Most people want to ride
then sit in a cafe. If I can't . . . be on my way in 10 minutes, I have
anxiety attacks."

Gary Eagan, 1995 Iron Butt Rally winner, took a couple of moments before
heading from the Midwest to California to explain what long-distance
riding means.

"I'd say it's nothing but Zen. If you have to define it or explain it or
completely understand it, you're missing the point entirely. The idea is
to toss yourself into the middle of life, surround yourself with it and
enjoy what rubs off, good and bad."

And, bad there is. Dwyer remembers suffering frostbite in a Montana
snowstorm and being surrounded by little old ladies wanting to ship her
to a hospital.

Roger Bays completed the coast-to-coast from Seattle to New York then
the motor on his Kawasaki Concours let go.

Faced with a $2,200 bill to ship it home, he bought a junker truck for
$500 and drove it home.

Dwight Hageman of Newberg, Ore., was sideswiped by a sleepy trucker in
eastern Montana on the 1997 Iron Butt Rally.

He was stitched up by a doctor, "wasted a whole night sleeping" then
bought another Gold Wing to finish the rally. He made it to the finish
line in Chicago with 25 minutes to spare.

Joe Denton of Sacramento runs the subscription-only Long Distance Riders
Web site and one of his favorite "triumph over adversity" stories
concerns Ural rider Paul Pelland, who fabricated a pushrod from a drill
bit on his way to finishing the 2001 Iron Butt.

"He just wasn't going to quit," says Denton with a laugh.

The desire to finish leads many riders to Dwyer's solution.

"When I left last year, I made sure I had two Visa cards with no balance
and a $20,000 limit, so if I had to buy another bike I could," she says.
"I know a couple whose bike broke down on the rally. They pulled into a
shop, put a new bike on a card and carried on."

- - -

Lessons from the road

The Iron Butt Association, the long distance motorcycle rally
association, has maintained a Web site--www.ironbutt.com--which offers
the far-flung members a listing of events as well as a sounding board
through "The Archive of Wisdom." Here are some tips from the archive:

- If 300 miles seem like a long day don't plan on 500-mile days. Be
aware that day 1 and 2 will be the farthest you ride and distances will
diminish so that by day 7 you'll be going about 65 percent as far. Plan
your trip with loops you can cut.

- High speeds and long distance have little in common. Gas mileage
suffers, you get tired and, if you're traveling much faster than the
traffic, you'll get a ticket.

- Eat healthy and eat light. Eat at off-peak periods so you can be in
and out quickly.

- Prepare your bike before you leave home. Don't waste time getting
tires or a chain on the trip.

- Don't pick up your bike from the shop and head out; even the best
mechanics make mistakes. Don't try out a new rainsuit, helmet or packing
technique.

- Use an electric vest--75 degrees is still 23.6 degrees cooler than you
are. Put on your rainsuit before it rains. Drivers may not see you by
the road in a downpour.

- Pack wisely so that sun screen, skin lotions, eye drops, a flashlight
and a tire gauge and maps are on top.

- Join a towing service. You don't want to be scrambling for a tow
company in the middle of nowhere. Carry a cell phone.

- Find ways to avoid boredom--music tapes, or tart candy can help.

- Don't depend on No-Doz and caffeine. Know when to stop. Make sure that
closing your eyes for a second isn't the last thing you do.

- Carry a tire repair kit and know how to use it. Upgrade your toolkit.

- Carry a half-gallon of water for emergencies. Always drink bottled
water on the road to avoid an upset stomach.

- Carry aspirin for aches and pains but be aware it can lower your body
temperature. Carry vitamins.

- Stay away from trucks. A blow-out can knock off a mudflap as heavy as
a bowling ball. A truck may run over a muffler in the road you won't see
until too late or hit the brakes hard just as you look down at your map.

-- Paul Duchene

- - -

11,000 miles too much?

Besides the biannual rally that takes motorcycle riders 11,000 miles in
11 days, the Iron Butt Association sponsors other endurance events.

They are: Anywhere in the world

SaddleSore/BunBurner: 1000 miles in less than 24 hours/1,500 miles in
less than 36

SaddleSore 1600K, 2000K, 2500K Gold: 1,600 kilometers in 24 hours, 2,000
kilometers in 24 hours, 2,500 kilometers in 36 hours, 2500 kilometers in
24 hours

SS2000: 2,000 documented miles in less than 48 hours
SS3000/BB3000: 3,000 miles in three days
SaddleSore 5000: 5,000 miles in five days
BunBurner Gold: 1,500 documented miles in less than 24 hours
BBG3000: Two back-to-back BunBurner Gold rides for 3,000 miles in 48 hours
10-10ths: 10 consecutive SaddleSore rides for 10,000 miles in 10 days
100k Club: 100,000 documented miles in one year.

U.S. and Canada

50CC: Coast to coast in less than 50 hours
50CC Gold: San Francisco to New York in less than 50 hours
100CCC: Coast to coast and back in less than 100 hours
Trans-Canada: Vancouver to Halifax, Nova Scotia (or vice-versa) all on
Canadian roads, in less than 90 hours
Trans-Canada Gold: Vancouver to Halifax (or vice-versa) all on Canadian
roads in less than 75 hours.

National Parks Tour: Visit at least 50 National Parks, Monuments, etc.,
in at least 25 states within one year

48-10: Ride all lower 48 states in 10 days.
48 Plus: 49 states (all 48 continental states plus Alaska) in 10 days
Border-to-Border Insanity: Mexico-U.S.-Canada in less than 24 Hours
Ultimate Coast to Coast: Cross North America from Key West, Fla., to
Deadhorse, Alaska, in 30 days or less

Great Lakes

Great Lakes Ride: Around the Great Lakes in less than 100 hours
Great Lakes Gold Ride: Around the Great Lakes in less than 50 hours
Lake Michigan 1000: 24 hours around Lake Michigan
Lake Huron 1000: 24 hours around Lake Huron
Lake Superior 1000: 24 hours around Lake Superior
Lower Great Lakes 1000: 24 hours around Lakes Ontario and Erie

Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune

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Rumbling toward 100K

By Margo Harakas
Staff Writer
Posted December 30 2004

After motorcycling more than 100,000 miles in a single year, Fort Lauderdale retiree Jack Dodds is still running up the odometer.

A few weeks ago, he zipped over to Alabama just for lunch. Round-trip, that's a 16-hour, 1,400-mile ride.

And then there's the 500 miles put on a new Honda Gold Wing two days after he bought it.

Keep in mind, while the 73-year-old has 19,000 miles on his 6-year-old Jaguar, in the past 12 months he has worn out the warranty on his 2004 BMW, and the warranty on his 2004 Harley won't carry him through next year. All that rumbling to chase a dream of being the oldest biker to make it into the Iron Butt Association's elite 100K Club.

Only six other bikers, all younger, have been or are being certified for membership, according to the association.

"I've had a fabulous year," says Dodds, who was profiled on July 22.

There were tough moments, of course. In Arizona, a tire "disintegrated" on him. "If he wasn't such a good rider," says his wife, Priscilla, "he would have been all over the road."

In the Texas Panhandle, he encountered a foot of snow and 40-mph winds. A five-day, 5,200-mile ride around the Great Lakes was "fabulous," but by the final day, temperatures dropped to the 30s and Dodds was exhausted. "I was just lucky I didn't hit a deer or raccoon." Both crossed his path several times.

Far from deterring him, such hardships add drama to his 400-plus-page book, which his wife is trying to edit down. Complete with maps and photographs of stunning vistas and glorious sunrises and sunsets, the book is a running commentary on "what I liked and how I felt, what worked on the bike and what didn't," he says.

Since he has achieved his grand ambition, Priscilla says "he ought to stop and rest on his laurels." But she knows darn well "he's not going to."

Indeed, even as he assembles the foot-high documentation for certification for his 100K, Dodds talks of new endurance challenges for 2005: a May ride from Maine to Alaska, touching 49 states, and a 29-day South American road trip through Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Chile in October. On the latter ride, Priscilla will follow in a Land Rover.

"My schedule for 2005 goes all over the North and South American continents and should be a lot of new experiences," he says.

He's counting on his new bike for a more comfortable ride.

"This is a six cylinder," he says, cranking up the Gold Wing. "You feel that. There's absolutely no vibration in it."

Well, maybe a little.

"It's got a lot more power than the Harley," he continues. "Don't tell anyone, but I can put this on cruise control and ride about 110 mph and do it all day long. Mechanically it can take it. The other bikes can't."

Ask what he's learned from his great adventure, and his wife speaks up. "That his wife is very patient and long suffering," she says with a laugh.

Dodds agrees. "I couldn't do it without the partnership I have."

Margo Harakas can be reached at mharakas@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4728.

for the complete story:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-lidoddsdec30,0,5076547.story?coll=sfla-features-headlines

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October 2004

After our Chapter Meeting many of the members ventured to Montgomery's Restaurant on US 322 to view their banquet room. With Director Tim in lead, and as the newest member of the Mantua HOG "Car Club", we gathered in the parking lot of Montgomery's. Well, as a group we've already been asked to leave! My first thought was to see if Peggy Peters was with us. (As she got thrown out of DQ). As it turns out they had a private clambake, and we didn't have tickets! The bar was full of football fans, so we didn't get to sample their fare. Tim explained out purpose for viewing the banquet room, and they allowed a few members to take a look. Tim will have more information at the November 14th meeting.

We're still hungry, so we headed west to the Tavern of Chester. CLOSED! And we're still hungry! Traveling back east to Murphy's Bar and Grill. What a surprised look on the staffs face when fifteen hungry bikers show up on their entrance! After seating all members and taking beverage orders in walks Judy and Kenny and Pam and Mark! Now with nineteen hungry bikers to feed! When all were finally fed, more than three hours pasted. The food and service was great! A place to remember to return to!

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Today, October 16, 2004 we left Carlton H-D on time at noon heading south, them west to Dix Stadium at Kent State University in northeast Ohio. With Director Tim, Mikey, Ty, and Mark leaving our sponsoring dealership with treasurer Tony directing our departure we met up with Lee at our destination. With no road Captain was present, the Director designated Ty as Road Captain. Winds at nine MPH, and sustained winds at 26 MPH it was a challenge to keep between the marked lanes on the roadways. On top of that was the forty-four degree temperature that just cut through our leather and denim clothing.

This has been an annual event for our HOG Chapter. For many, many years the University Alumni has asked our Chapter to participate in their Home Coming events. This year was quite different! No parade, no University President as a passenger, we would have our motorcycles as a display at the stadium. With the Mantua H.O.G. Chapter having the greatest number of motorcycles at the stadium!

At Dix Stadium there was plenty of coffee and Krispy Kream doughnuts waiting for shivering bikers. The winds created the olde adage of "flying doughnuts". Remembering the CDC's latest five second ruling we salvaged a few! This was a historical day, as Krispy Kream will shut down local production in Ravenna Ohio as of today! And this will be a disastrous day for Tony & Ty as Krispy Kream Doughnuts has been a ride-starting protocol for the past summer.

Arriving with in the stated arrival time we secured our motorcycles and went inside the KSU Athletic Training Facility to warm up! There was a vast array of University affiliations including their own TV-2. After some prodding and encouragement, our Assit director "Mikey" was prompted to read a pre-printed script for KSU TV-2 as if he was news anchor! Well,, It's self-explanatory, and he found a blow-up doll too! Then our Director finds a Tiger cub to play with! After coercing the trainer to allow a photo of the critter with our HOG members we continued our tour of the Athletic Training Facility. As the Cleveland Brown's football team has practiced in the same facility it was a proud moment to be here!

As our commitment to the University Alumni was complete we said our good by's to the Harley organizer and exited in proper formation. Dale Ty Mantua Hog Secretary

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Sunday October 03 2004 was the annual A.B.A.T.E. region Zero Pig roast held again at Carlton Harley Davidson in Mantua Ohio. The weather was near perfect! Slightly cool, so you wore a jacket, and continued enjoying the sport of motorcycling to and fro this event. Parking was plentiful under the clear skies. With vendors offerings from leather goods in many variations to used parts, new H-D parts, and best of all ,,, FOOD! There was soda, bottled water, and yes,, plenty of Beer too!

The gates opened at noon with bikers waiting to enter and enjoy the fun! The Bike show offered all participants viewing of a sampling of vintage motorcycles of various manufactures. The live bands entertained throughout the event. The advertised "Pig Roast" was set to begin serving at 2pm, and the line of awaiting hungry bikers started forming well before the serving time. Carlton's store was open during most of the event for bike and motor clothes sales. A closer look turned up the 2005 Bikes and Snowmobiles on display also. Unlike last year, not many sweatshirts were sold with excellent weather and moderate temperatures too!

Thanks to the Mantua HOG members who assisted there sponsoring dealership in staffing this event. Mark you calendars for the first Sunday in October next year, and most likely every year for these festivities!

The next event will be Carlton Harley Davidson Thanksgiving Sale. Call for details 330-274-3141 / 800-633-6997

"Ty"

Carlton Harley Davidson Open House was again a success! Held September 18 and 19th 2004. Many of the Mantua H.O.G. Chapter members volunteered to assist our sponsoring dealership with a variety of tasks. About forty "Demo" rides were registered and provided, with one running out of fuel on Sunday. Chef Tony, on his inaugural duties presented a pleasing display of food fare for the patrons, guests, and employees by using his acquired cooking talents to please each and every person’s food preparation request. Over 100 hotdogs and brats were served throughout the weekend event.

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Harley Davidson's Final Assembly Plants in York Pennsylvania held their "Open House" September 23 & 24th 2004. Chapter members traveling to this event were Tim, Tony, Ty, Glen, Lee & Carol.

Being able to tour the Final Assembly plans for the "Touring" models, as well as the first ever group to view the "Soft Tail" final assembly plant. Security was near the same as an airport. Registration cards must be completed, photo ID's, and metal detectors. All of this and you are still in the asphalt parking lot! Arriving well before the 8am opening we were about number one hundredth in line. Carol and Lee tried to get to the "demo-rides" and were greeted with the same waiting.

Being able to see a raw rolled coil of sheet steel become a fabricated and welded fuel tank, or fender, or oil tank. Seeing a slender roll of coiled steel being cut, stamped, formed, and trimmed into an exhaust heat shield then just adds chrome plating! Chrome wheels being laced individually. The final assembly line with a few robotic arms to ease workers while attaching front wheel assemblies. The two final assembly plants were similar in productivity with about 800 new Harley Davidson motorcycles being shipped by the end of two work shifts per day from each plant. The Soft Tail plant was much more accommodating to the factory workers. It was air-conditioned! On the way out we toured the Plant museum and gift shop. The factory workers of IAM Local 175 offered their York Open House 2004 tee shirts. Just a footnote about the plant tour, as compared to previous Open Houses,,, there were NO hot dogs to be had! And none of the employees would or could answer this.

With hotels having to be booked in different locations we finally we able to meet together at the York Fairgrounds on Friday afternoon. The pleasant staff of "Street Diamond Motorcycles", were gracious enough to allow the use of their vendor booth as a backdrop for the group picture of the losers of the Sportster motorcycle grand prize drawing. Vendors offered custom motorcycles, Iron Braids, faring vents, leather accessories, 342,000.00dollar motor homes, bike trailers, air horns and free hot dogs!

Biker Billy was a main attraction. Ty finally got to see his show. Biker Billy having members of his audience participates and assists him with cooking many of his famous extra spicy recipes. One learns quickly while watching his exhibit NOT to laugh, TALK, ect, ect,,, or YOU can become his next victim to eat hot peppers, or cloves of garlic.

Much to our Chapter Treasurers dismay, Director Tim was the only Mantua Chapter member to indulge in the free hotdogs (plural). The Treasurers' anguish of being ten minutes late to receive the free hotdogs was repeated and reminded to Glen, Ty, Lee, and Carol for the duration of the event, and ride home!

Talking with the vendor of the free hotdogs was interesting! On Thursday they served three thousand, Friday they stopped at seven thousand additional hotdogs being served. With another ten thousand hotdogs to be served on Saturday they knew they would run out quickly again!

Late Friday afternoon Tony, Glen and Ty rode to Gettysburg Battle Field to observe this historical site. Tim, Lee and Carol participated in the motorcycle parade through York.

Leaving the hotels early Saturday morning Director Tim went ahead of the group to blaze a trail through the intense fog that had blanketed most of central Pennsylvania over nite. With Lee leading the group as our Road Captain our speed over ground traveling to York topped out at a blistering thirty-one miles per hour! With this pace continuing Tony and Ty strapped on helmets!

On the return trip home, Glen calculated our speed over ground had increased to forty-one miles per hour and urged the Road Captain to slow down! As for fuel efficiency, Carol's Sportster averaged sixty (60) miles per gallon! Ty tried shooting some video while riding through the Pennsylvania Turnpike Tunnels.

Returning to the Ohio boarder we were welcomed back to Ohio with a short rain shower.

All of these riders contributed to their mileage totals with an additional seven hundred or more!

Dale Ty

Mantua Ohio H.O.G. Secretary

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June 2004

With the ”Hoagy 1500” Iron Butt ride complete, and with the participation of Mantua HOG Chapter members and their guest, a world record has been beaten!

Tim M., Dale Ty, Glen S., and Jim M. with 3 of this associates traveled eight states and about two thousand miles in two days from leaving home to returning home. Leaving Ohio south thru West Virginia, continuing into Virginia, then west thru Tennessee into Arkansas. Heading north to St Louis, Missouri for the night.(and a very short nite it was!) Starting at five a.m. east thru Illinois,(Glen can explain this one!) into Indiana, coming to the final destination east of Columbus Ohio. All of these members and guests can receive the Iron Butt award.

It was necessary to have 42 bikes complete the ride to break the existing record. Hoagy was able to convince over sixty bikes and near seventy riders and passengers to take the challenge. And a challenge it was! With intense rain on the first day it was necessary to change into our rain suits many times. Winding roads on the West Virginia Turnpike followed by the tunnels too. Plus an extended delay on I-40 in Tennessee from road construction in the rain!

With the requirements to wear an approved helmet on the majority of the ride, our director re-wrote the rules slightly.

The main purpose for this event was to raise donations for Special Wish Foundation in Columbus Ohio. Twenty Eight Thousand dollars was raised from this Iron Butt event.

Dale TY Hoagys Heroes Secretary

June 24 2005 1000 miles in less than 24 hours Uniontown, Pa.

Email INFO@HOAGYSHEROES.org or www.HOAGYSHEROES.org

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Well,, three days ago it sounded like a great idea. An invitation to ride for lunch for a bologna sandwich in central Ohio. Two organizations were meeting to make a joint ride to a common destination. In Waldo Ohio in Delaware County a local restaurant boasts of the Worlds Famous Fried Bologna sandwich. Food, that's reason enough for us to ride!

It's Saturday November sixth 7:15am, Its 29 degrees as the sun starts rising with light winds. Meeting in Parkman Ohio on US-422 for coffee, Krispy Kream and bike fuel too, it becomes quite apparent the weather is more suited to snowmobile than touring motorcycle.

Fueled and headed westbound on US-422 at 65mph the wind chill factored at minus ten degrees Fahrenheit we questioned ourselves as to the necessity to ride this morning?

The biggest benefit to riding today is the bike will not overheat! We could freeze, but its too late, we're riding towards Lodi Ohio.

Meeting at the golden arches off of I-71 near Lodi we were amazed to find more than a hand full of motorcycles already there!

Finding Rick M, who invited us, we introduced ourselves too more dedicated motorcyclist that I'll ever remember. With 15 bikes leaving the "Arches" at 9:30am sharp we "followed-the-leader" thru the winding roads of central Ohio for a sight seeing tour through the rolling hills of central Ohio stopping for fuel in Mount Union Ohio. A quick count of bikes, and it seems the group grew as we left the Arches? Continuing our travels to Waldo Ohio and G & R restaurant. This is the home of the "World Famous" Fried Bologna Sandwich. Hoagy and Tim Z., from Hoagys Heroes, as well as many others met us here.

A quick look at the bikes parked showed participants from Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario Canada (7 bikes), Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. Last count had fifty-seven bikes! But there were still a few more pulling in! If you combined the letters from the various manufacturers of the bikes there would not be too many letter left. And they came just for lunch from ten U.S. States and two Countries!

Being served their Famous sandwich we enjoyed the food and company.

With members from Motorcycle Tourer's Forum and North East Ohio Motorheads Society sharing common interests,

Conversations continued with mixing riders. Hoagy and Dale Ty provided riders with a planned thousand mile ride in June 2005.

Leaving Waldo about 2pm Tony, Rick & Pat, and Ty headed north in the blistering heat that was approaching 60 degrees! The days ride was complete with 372 miles round trip, but we didn't leave Ohio.

Dale Tyjeski 2004

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