Kitty's little ride

[Hello Kitty]

It was 15 degrees when I left my house on Friday morning, February 29th for work at 5AM. I gave my husband a good bye kiss and he asked me if I had completely lost my mind setting off in this weather. “Don’t worry, I have heated gear, I’ll be fine!”

 

I was fine on the 38 mile ride to work, with the exception of my nose and upper lip. WOW! They get cold. Real cold. I was looking forward to the warmth and sunshine of Florida and my trip across the southern US!

 

Co-workers were asking all day if I was still going to go through with it. Yes, yes, yes. My new boss and a coworker that I am close to expressed concern throughout the day. We decided that I would send them a text message with a photo of the state line sign I was entering each time I entered a new state. “Don’t forget, Texas is BIG and I’m sleeping in it,” I cautioned. Around 2PM, everyone decided that I needed to head out or I was going to get stuck in the typical afternoon traffic down I-95 (my office is across the street from Fed Ex Field). I got on the road by about 2:45. Hit some traffic, but nothing too horrible. I get a lot of double and triple takes from people in cars on the highway. I always imagine that they are trying to figure out if it’s really a girl… They seem to finally decide it is by the sheer volume of Hello Kitty stickers and other paraphernalia and maybe by noting the size of my hands and feet.

 

It got dark and I was getting a bit tired as I rolled along in North Carolina. I knew I had plenty of time so I decided to stop for the night in Dunn, NC. Grabbed a room, got some sleep and finished the run to Jacksonville in the morning.

 

I had reviewed Pirate John’s awesome information about the Jacksonville area available on the IBA’s website – the best way into town, where the police station was, best place to go to the beach and get a start receipt. I also contacted Jamie Edmonds in San Diego who provided much of the same information about San Diego as well as a place to crash for the night when I got there! At Jamie’s suggestion, I also posted on the BMW Sport Touring website about my plan to attempt a 100 CCC to see if anyone in Jacksonville might be able to help me out on the East Coast. Calvin in Neptune Beach stepped up to help. Larry and Louise in San Antonio also offered a place to crash for the night if I felt that sleep in San Antonio fit in my schedule.

 

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, this is the start of a ride that can be certified by the Iron Butt Association called “The 100CCC Insanity.” The goal is to ride from coast to coast and back to the starting coast in less than 100 hours. Without getting too bogged down in the details, you need time and date stamped receipts to document your presence along the way as well as signed witness forms at the start, mid point and finish. These witnesses should be public officials (police, firefighters, notaries, judges, etc). The intent of the ride is to actually start, mid point and end at the COAST. You know, the beach. Where the ocean meets the continent. I brought little bottles with me to collect sand from each beach I visited to ensure my good karma for the ride.

 

I spoke with Calvin Saturday afternoon and planned to meet up with him at his wife’s Tea Room in Neptune Beach the next morning. It’s only a couple blocks from the police station and beach. I think I got to the tea room around 6AM, or maybe a little later. I’m an early person, but didn’t want to leave quite that early, because I felt like it would complicate my timing at other points along the way. I thought leaving about 8AM work the best for me because that would mean I’d need a witness by 7 AM in San Diego and then again by noon back in Jacksonville.

 

Calvin’s brother, Dan, came down to the tea room to hang out and drink coffee with me and hang out before my big ride started. I was surprised by the interest, but glad for the company. I was getting a little nervous at this point and wondering if Walt had been right on Friday morning. Maybe I did lose my mind.

 

Calvin mentioned that he had called the police to come down to sign my paperwork. WHAT? They are coming to me? Wow! Well, okay. So I ran outside to get all my papers and fill in the odometer and time and make sure they knew what they were signing. I had bought a box of a dozen police power rings (aka donuts) for the police, but they were getting off work and didn’t really want the donuts. So Calvin and Dan got them!

 

Calvin gave me a brief tour of the area so I’d know where I was when I came back. We went down to the beach, over to the police station and Calvin’s house. He very generously gave me the option to go back to his house to crash when I got back if it were in the wee hours of the morning. We picked out a gas station close to the beach for my start receipt as well. Dan generously hung around my stuff so I didn’t have to worry about locking everything up on my bike.

 

By about 7:30, I couldn’t take it anymore, I wanted to go. So I geared up while Dan and Calvin went down to the beach to get ready to take my picture. I got my receipt at 7:40 AM and made my way down to the beach. Again, Dan kindly hung around my stuff so I wouldn’t worry and Calvin took my picture. He told me that a guy off the BMW Sport Touring web site was going to meet me at a rest area in Tallahasse and ride with me until my first gas stop. That was cool. Tim and Beth were waiting for me as well as a couple guys on cruisers from Louisanna who Tim and Beth had been chatting with about my adventure. We geared up, agreed on a distance to go before getting gas and headed out. It was nice to have someone with me for a little while. Beth is a talented pillion photographer as well!

 

There was some chatter about my "lucky pajamas." In case you live under a rock, my nickname is Kitty. I was at a mall just before the start of the Cape Fear 1000, which has a pirate theme, and saw the pirate kitty pj’s. I HAD TO HAVE THEM! I like to wear pj’s under my riding gear in endurance rallies so I can just pull my gear off and crash when I get a motel room for my rest bonus. (No I do NOT do the Iron Butt Motel unless I have absolutely no other choice. In those cases, the gear stays ON!) That first time I wore the Pirate Kitty pajamas was the first time I placed well in an endurance rally so they became my lucky pajamas. Not nearly as exciting a story as ya’ll thought, huh?

 

To be continued....

[Joel]

Not nearly as exciting a story as ya’ll thought, huh?

 

Maybe not, but amusing nonetheless.

 

Congrats again on your accomplishment. I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

[BeniciaRT_GT]

Great "tail"

 

I'm the fool that called Jamie and Leslie at 01:00 to see how you were and if you made it okay right after your arrival (I work graveyard shift, so why not )

 

I can't wait to hear more!

[Hello Kitty]

I LOVE your avatar! That's a hoot!

[Francois_Dumas]

Good story Kitty, looking forward to the rest.....

[Whip]

[BabyCow]

You r FAMOUS........ all over the world! . I am really looking forward to this ride report

[Paul_Burkett]

There's more to this story? Bring it on.

[Hello Kitty]

Great "tail"

 

I'm the fool that called Jamie and Leslie at 01:00 to see how you were and if you made it okay right after your arrival (I work graveyard shift, so why not )

 

I can't wait to hear more!

 

Ummmm.... thanks.

 

You know, now I remember Jamie and/or Leslie telling me that someone called at some absurd hour asking about me. I had forgotten. I've probably forgotten a lot. But some things are burned in my memory.

[Hello Kitty]

 

 

Whip ROCKS!!! My new helmet (Caberg Trip) showed up on MONDAY when I got back to work. I actually kissed the warehouse kid when he brought it to me. Poor kid was already scared of me, now he's super scared! But the little loctite to the helmet worked WONDERS! It was coming loose once a month, then once a week, then oh, once every couple days. By the time I got to San Antonio, it was once an hour Hasn't been loose since! And now only my passengers will care!

[Hello Kitty]

Part 2 - to San Diego

 

It's a bit long and un-edited, wanted to give ya'll the first shot. I'll provide a link when the edited version appears in the local club's newsletter. I'm having a hard time getting back to life from this trip. New responsibilities at work are killing me right now!

 

Next 313 miles were mostly a blur. I did stop at the “Welcome to…” signs at Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. I remember thinking about Calvin when I went through the tunnel in Mobile, he told me that it would pretty much the only thing one might classify as a twisty for a quite a while. I remember thinking about Brittany Spears when I was a few miles into Louisiana and wondering where Kentwood was. Is she from Kentwood? Or Kentville? Do they have a “Home of Brittany Spears!!” sign at the city limits? Did someone shoot it with a paintball gun? Tear it down now that she’s gone wacko? I stopped for gas in Baton Rouge at 3:41 PM. Ten hours and 605 miles into my quest. I called someone – Don maybe and hit the road.

 

When I got to Texas and saw the mile marker 880 sign I remembered just how big Texas really is. That’s more than 1/3 of the 2,360 miles that Mapsource says my trip will be one way. Took my state sign picture and kept rolling. I called my San Antonio connection from the BMW Sport Touring Board, Larry, when I stopped for gas in Brookshire, TX. He said there were some scattered showers in the area and I might hit a few. We figured I was about 2 hours out. Now my focus was on meeting new people and wondering what Larry and Louise’s SEVEN dogs were going to be like. Although I’d been told they had 7 dogs, I never asked if they were big, little, old, young, friendly, mean… My GPS brought me right to their street on the northwest edge of San Antonio, but I hadn’t checked the house number from my notes or gotten any info about which house I was expected at. I rode up and down the street and decided to stop at the end near the street lights to look at my notes. As I’m doing this, some big tall guy is running towards me! Yikes! It was Larry. He heard me coming and was running down the street to get me.

 

Louise was there in the yard to greet me and direct me into the bike barn. Once Larry was back in the yard with the gates closed, out came the pack! They were fine. Much less overwhelming than I expected. Tiffany was the one that really made friends with me. We talked a little, but I was tired and it was late, so we went to bed. Louise very generously had the coffee maker ready to go for me in the morning and had some bagels out for me to help myself in the morning. I had a chat with Larry and Louise over a wonderful breakfast in the morning. I guess Larry was checking the weather and trying not to scare me, but finally did tell me that it was snowing in west Texas, but he expected the temperature to come up by the time I got there.

 

I gathered my toothbrush and gear and got out to the bike. It had been raining off and on in San Antonio so I decided to put on my frogg togg jacket over my regular jacket just in case. As I’m getting on the bike, Larry looks at me real serious and says “One last bit of advice.” Yikes, why is he so serious?!?!? “If they close the interstate, get a room immediately before everyone else does.” WHAT?!?!?! Close the Interstate?!?!?! Why?!?!?! Larry explained that they have no means of snow or ice removal and so if the weather becomes any issue at all, they just shut it down to prevent accidents. Oh boy.

 

As I rolled out of Larry and Louise’s neighborhood, I noticed the BMW dealer nearby and thought it convenient until I remembered that Larry didn’t have any BMW’s anymore, at least not that I remember seeing…

 

I rode about 160 miles to Junction for gas. I was getting beat up by the ferocious wind. The bag liner of the garbage can in the gas station was completely inverted and blowing in the wind. Any trash that had been in it was probably in Dallas at that point. I filled up and rolled out, back to the wind. The good thing about the wind was that it was relatively constant. Not gusty. So I just set myself in a nice lean and plowed on through. About 150 miles later the hail started. Not great big hail, but hail all the same. I had taken my frogg togg jacket off and so had a bare spot around my neck and boy did those little hail stones HURT! I was so grateful when the hail stopped within about 10 minutes. But then not so happy when the SNOW started a couple minutes later! Another plus about this particular wind is that it was so strong that the snow wasn’t sticking to anything! I realized that I was burning some fairly significant fuel and probably ought to stop in Fort Stockton, only 200 miles from my last fill up in Junction.

 

After I filled up in Fort Stockton, I went inside the minimart of the gas station to warm up a little, it was far colder than I thought it would be! I wanted to make a couple phone calls for moron support but my Nextel had no service. Fortunately, Mike (Blaster) had an extra SIM card for an AT&T phone and gave it to me before I left for just such an occasion. AT&T had full service and I was able to call Don back in Baltimore. He basically told me to man up, drink some water and get back on the bike. He said the weather looked fine once I got to El Paso.

 

I geared up, got on the bike and back onto I-10 West. After a few miles, I realized that El Paso was 250 miles away! The snow slowed and stopped after another 50 miles or so and by the time 200 miles were under my tires, the winds died down as well.

 

I was never so excited to see a state border as when I crossed into New Mexico. I sent my cell phone shot of the sign to my worriers at home and kept rolling, starting to think about where my next gas stop would be. I decided on Deming because it was a relatively big town for the area, likely to have several fuel options and was an appropriate distance away – 335 miles from Fort Stockton. I also started thinking about my job and coworkers. I basically spent the next 75 or so miles thinking about elevators, contracts, equipment, parts, circuit boards, ropes, pistons, fixtures and mechanics. I was completely shocked when I got off I-10 in Deming and saw a sign for Pancho Villa State Park! It’s a bit of an inside joke with my coworkers, but I HAD TO stop and take a picture of that sign. I just spent the last hour thinking about everyone and then to see that sign! It really lifted my spirits to see it and to share it with my friends at work! Mind you that sign is the ONLY thing I took a picture of over the entire ride other than the state signs I promised I would send.

 

As I approached Arizona, I noted that there was a welcome center at the border. I was becoming increasingly wary about pulling over on the shoulders of I-10 and preferred welcome centers when they were available. As my speed got down in the parking lot, I felt that familiar front end weirdness that signals a flat tire. CRAP! I was so glad that I pulled into the rest area. I can’t get the bike up on the centerstand when it has a flat – I suppose because it’s lower without air in the tire. Whatever the reason, that’s the way it is.

 

I found a nice enough appearing trucker to give me a hand. He was very concerned and telling me that he hadn’t patched a tire in a very long time. I told him I just needed his brawn, not his brains or skills, I could take care of the rest. He decided to stick around because there were some unsavory characters around. I told him that was fine so long as he wasn’t one of them. I brought along the Stop’n’Go tire plugger donated by Morton’s BMW that I won at the BMWBMW Christmas Party for being the long distance female for 2007. Thankfully I’d practiced using the plugger and even used the same product on another flat during a QIT ride in Kentucky last year. Within 10 minutes of finding the hole, I had the compressor filling the tire. The trucker was in complete shock. He had never seen such a thing. He noticed the Maryland tag and was even more impressed. Once he was satisfied that I was going to be fine, he went ahead and got on his way. Within another 10 minutes, I had my gear on and was back on I-10. Just before Phoenix, I finally got a little change of scenery. At least the number on the Interstate signs! I was now on I-8.

 

Next stop, Gila Bend, AZ. I fueled up, called Jamie and Leslie from the BMW Sport Touring board to let them know where I was and would be to them shortly. I realized after the flat tire that my heated jacket was no longer working. It wasn’t that cold and I didn’t feel like fiddling with it out on the road when I was so close to San Diego. I decided to wait until I got there. I also called Walt and told him about the jacket and he told me to check this that and the other thing. I told him too that I wasn’t messing with it now, when I got to San Diego. The rest of the way to San Diego was pretty uneventful. I was so surprised by the amount of Border Patrol activity in the southwest! They set up road blocks along the interstate that all traffic must stop for. I was normally waved right through with the exception of one roadblock that I believe was on my way back to Jacksonville. They had dogs that came and sniffed all around me and my bags. This was a little unnerving to me because I had been bitten by dogs during The Void endurance rally in 2006. I knew that these dogs wouldn’t do that, but was nervous all the same.

 

What a wonderful feeling to know that I had a house to go to and didn’t need to find a motel that I was comfortable with after such a long journey. Jamie and Leslie put their own bikes out in the driveway so that I could pull mine into their garage and have a look at the problem with the jacket. We figured it was something on the bike, blown fuse, something with the centech, etc. Jamie checked it all and though he found and tightened a few loose screws, the jacket still didn’t work. Then he noticed that that cord on the jacket itself was damaged. I probably closed it in a side case at some point. Fortunately, Jamie was able to solder me up and the jacket has worked just fine ever since. Jamie thinks it’s ugly, but I think it’s beautiful!

 

Jamie and Leslie were so very welcoming and Maggie, their sweet dog, was a delight with her trick to get a biscuit out of Leslie! I had a little something to eat and a cup of tea with Leslie while Jamie toiled in the garage. Just the way it should be, right girls? Leslie shooed me off to bed after giving me the chance to post real quick on the BMWBMW board that I was safe and sound in San Diego.

 

Up early the next morning and off to the beach to do the sand ritual and IBA paperwork. It was a beautiful morning, though a bit chilly. Once the beach ritual was complete, we went to Johnny’s Shell so I could fuel up and check the pressure in that plugged tire, a little low, but I was rushing out of the rest area and probably hadn’t really filled it well enough the afternoon before. Put some more air in her and it didn’t budge again for the rest of the trip.

[Calvin (no socks)]

Thanks for finishing up the first half of the story for us... I thought you may have started another endurance ride and left us dangling in the wind......just enjoyed this with a brew, relaxing after work...

My little ride to Utah will not be nearly as exciting....:yawn:

 

[Paul_Burkett]

Thank you for filling in more of this great trip, glad to hear that the patch kit worked well and that alone saved time and hassel.

[Hello Kitty]

I wouldn't leave ya'll hanging!!! Like I said, just having a hard time getting back to life! I am getting there though. Slowly, but progressing!

 

A ride to Utah from Florida is not boring EVER! Especially since you'll be taking time to smell the roses along the way unlike some of us...

[tallman]

Fewer words, than miles.

Keep it coming.

 

PM sent.

[Joel]

... a couple phone calls for moron support ...

 

[Hello Kitty]

... a couple phone calls for moron support ...

 

 

Glad you got my little joke!

[Hello Kitty]

Okay, the rest of the story. A friend in my local club is editing it for me to go into the club's newsletter. I'll share the link when it's done. You get the first look at the raw, unedited stuff!

 

 

 

 

When I spoke to Jamie on the phone the night before, he told me that it was a shame I was riding between El Centro and San Diego in the dark because the road is quite nice with scenery and big sweepers. I was absolutely delighted on my way back east to go through in the early morning when I’m at my best. The freeway is just the kind of road I love, high speed curves with beautiful scenery. I loved every mile of it and was feeling very optimistic about the rest of my journey back to Neptune Beach.

 

I started thinking about gas stops and decided that I’d do the same towns since the distance between them was appropriate. So it was Gila Bend, AZ and Demming, NM. I seemed to have an inordinate number of pumps that didn’t give a receipt and I had to go in and ask the clerk. I’d say approaching 50% of the gas stops didn’t give a receipt at the pump. Unfortunately, this happened to me at a Shell Station in Fort Stockton, TX that was not manned – no clerk to go ask! I know that the IBA will not reject a ride simply because ONE gas receipt is missing if you can otherwise prove your claim. So I wrote down all of the information on the pump, noted the date, time and my odometer reading and decided to get a room for the night. The first 3 motels I tried were booked. I wondered at the Motel 6 if it wasn’t a bit of biker discrimination, but I wasn’t going to question it or fight, I could have been wrong. I wound up at a Rodeway Inn that was unbelievably overpriced. I really didn’t care at that point, I just wanted a room and a shower – hadn’t had one since Saturday night before I left and this was now around midnight on Tuesday into Wednesday.

 

The first room I was given had an unacceptable bathroom. Ugh, I had just hauled all my stuff in off the bike – this was a pretty sketchy looking area, no way was I leaving anything out on the bike. Let’s be honest, I wasn’t real thrilled about leaving the bike out there! I went back to the office and thankfully, they were able to give me the room just next door so it was easy enough to move everything and still be close to my bike.

 

The shower I took that night was the best shower I have ever had in my entire life. That is, until I was drying off and noticed blood on the towel. A good bit of it. My first thought was that it was something unique to women, but that wasn’t the source. Then when I looked in the mirror and saw my face was covered with blood and I thought it was my teeth. I’d had a good bit of oral surgery that didn’t go very well and I know all too well how much blood can come out of my mouth. Nothing hurt and when I put my hand in my mouth, everything seemed to be in place.

 

Then I realized it was my nose. I was shocked and scared because I don’t get nosebleeds. I thought something was wrong with me. My first reaction was to blow my nose. That’s not the right thing to do; I can assure you of that! I thought I remembered hearing that you should pinch your nose and tilt your head back. Tried that for maybe 5 minutes and it didn’t stop the bleeding. I got a little more scared, but decided to try it again for a little bit longer. Held it back for maybe 20 minutes – the feeling of blood running down my throat really disgusted me. I was thinking that I’d need to find a doctor if this didn’t work and I was terrified that would screw up my completion of the 100 CCC, BUT I did get the 50 CC under my belt so I felt a little better about that. Luckily, the bleeding stopped. I’m not sure if it was just done bleeding or my pinching and tilting was successful, but it stopped and that was all I really needed to know.

 

Next morning I got on the road and decided to head back to the same Shell station to see if the clerk had arrived and try to get my receipt from the night before. I wanted another time/date stamped receipt to document my stay in Fort Stockton as well. I went to a different pump, but had the same result. No receipt. Ugh. The clerk hadn’t arrived yet either. Fortunately she pulled up within a couple minutes and I was able to get BOTH receipts!

 

I thought of Whip and Leslie as I went past their place, thought of a trip I had taken with my mom to Austin and San Antonio a long time ago. There was a cat on the plane with the people behind us and it meowed the entire flight. Rather than be annoyed by it, most people just laughed. It was a soft meow and we felt bad for the poor kitty.

 

FINALLY! Louisiana!

 

I-10 was closed down – everyone had to exit. Ugh, this is gonna kill my time. I was following along behind all the cars and trucks off the interstate and noticed a bunch of cars with LA tags making a right at the intersection everyone else was going straight through… Hmmmm, I wonder if they know something…. Wasn’t gonna hurt to find out, so I followed. Thankfully, yes, it was a short cut and I was back on the freeway in short order!

 

I hit Baton Rouge right at rush hour time and had a little bit of traffic but nothing too bad. Heck, I work in DC! Baton Rouge traffic don’t scare me! Before long I was taking a picture of the sign at the Mississippi border. Then Alabama, then Florida! I was finally back in Florida! But the panhandle of Florida is pretty darn long! Not like Texas, mind you, but still close to 400 miles to go.

 

I stopped in Pensacola for some gas and decided to give Calvin a call. It was about 10:30 at night and I was thinking I’d run to Lake City, get some gas, take a little rest, maybe have a coffee and then run in the rest of the way. I wanted to check with him to make sure he’d leave the door open for me in case I rolled in around 4AM or something! I had a feeling I might want to stop for a sleep and finish up in the morning, but would ride straight through if I felt I could.

 

The deer on I-10 in western Florida were THICK. I hadn’t seen so many deer ever, anywhere before. I tried snugging up to a truck, but I know that doesn’t prevent a deer from running between us or right into me and the truckers don’t like that. So I stopped doing that and decided to just slow way down. I felt better about the deer, but now cars and trucks were blowing by me and I wasn’t so keen on that. Then I saw a deer standing right on the shoulder of the interstate and I decided that the next exit with a motel was it for the night.

 

I found the perfect little motel in Madison, FL and went to sleep. I thought I set the screaming meanie… I woke up and saw light around the curtain and heard birds chirping. CRAP! I jumped up, ran to my cell phone to see what time it was. Thankfully it was only 7:30. Yes, I overslept, but I was only 2 hours from Neptune Beach and just needed to be there by about 11:30, I had plenty of time.

 

I knew that folks were trying to hook up with me the night before around Tallahassee, but I just wanted to take the ride a mile at a time and not worry about people waiting for me anywhere a long the way. I also suspected that Tina was up to something and though I really appreciated the thought and consideration for me, I just wanted to get in and get everything done by the rules at so I knew that I was getting everything I needed to get done per the rules.

 

Someone – Tallman (Tim from Tallahassee) I believe, sent me a text message saying to avoid Butler Blvd into the coast if at all possible. I was thinking that I’d just follow the GPS, she seemed to be taking me in Atlantic Avenue, which is where I wanted to be – right into Neptune Beach. I figured that my arrival time wouldn’t be a bad traffic time and even if I had a bit of traffic, I had enough time to absorb it.

 

I rolled into Neptune Beach around 9:30 and to the gas station Calvin helped me pick out on Sunday morning. First pump – wouldn’t take my credit card. Next pump, wouldn’t take my card. So I went in and asked the clerk what was up. He said to try another pump. I asked if I could just give him a couple bucks and get a receipt. He said yes, but the receipt was unacceptable. No city, no time, not gonna work. He said to try the next pump. Which I did. It didn’t work. So off I went to another gas station, the same one I got my start receipt at – no problems there. Got my receipt and could feel the grin starting…

 

I went down the beach, less than a mile down the road and got my sand – grin getting bigger. Next stop was the police station for the final bit of documentation to have successfully met the requirements and completed the ride within the time limit. Got my first officer right outside the police station, but then couldn’t find another. I went inside and the dispatcher, who was not an officer, was calling several people trying to find someone in the building. The only person she could find was the chief. He gladly came down and signed my paperwork and said he was glad to see me back in one piece. I told him I was glad to be back in one piece as well.

 

There was a Starbucks on the corner of A1A and Atlantic Blvd so I decided to have a coffee and call some folks back home to get the word out that I was all done. When I sat down with my coffee, the grin really took shape. I talked to Don and that was a great conversation. For him to say that he’s proud of me is a big deal to me – we’re pretty competitive with each other! He was busy arresting people or something and so needed to go. Then I called John, a coworker and good friend. The grin got bigger when John said he was proud of me too! I know he doesn’t really understand what I do or why I do it, but he knew it was an accomplishment and that meant a lot to me. As we were chatting about the ride, about elevators, about everything, A guy on a V-strom pulled up and parked in the same spot with my bike. I had a feeling he was there to take my picture. Sure enough it was Matt from the BMWSportTouring board. He got a coffee as well, we sat and chatted a little bit and went to get some pictures at the beach and with the local artist’s panthers. As you can see in the ending photos, that’s quite a grin!

 

Looking back on the ride now, I realize how fortunate I was. I really never needed my rain gear, though did put it on a couple times as a precaution. Probably saw no more than 30 minutes total of rain. I did have the snow and bad wind in West Texas, but that was such a small percentage of the ride. I’m sure most other 100 CCC riders deal with much worse weather than I did. I had awesome help along the way from Whip and Louise in San Antonio and the again from Jamie and Leslie in San Diego. I am so grateful for the little bit of loctite on the helmet visor hinge (Whip) and heated jacket repair (Jamie)!! Calvin was a big help on the east coast with arrangements and hooking me up with the Neptune Beach Police! The moron support from Don along the way was fantastic. The phone that Mike gave me saved me a couple times when I had no cell service and needed a little boost from Don. He also sent me some of the greatest supportive text messages. Walt is always so supportive of all my insane endeavors and without his support, none of it would be possible. Unfortunately, he needed to go to Asia for work right about the time I was leaving San Diego and so I didn’t have him to talk to on the way back to Florida, but I know he supports me even if he wasn’t able to tell me.

 

So what’s next? Well, Cape Fear 1K (26 hour endurance rally) runs mid April and I’m looking forward to that very much. Jim Bain puts on a great event. I’m also giving a multi-day rallying a shot in September out in Salt Lake City with Steve Chalmers in his Run What Ya Brung event. And keep your fingers and toes crossed for me and hope that I am selected for the big event. The Iron Butt Rally in August of 2009!

[BeniciaRT_GT]

I've been waiting for this!!!

 

Thanks for the tail!

 

Best of luck in the lottery, and I hope to meet you on one of your rides soon.

 

Thanks for taking us along!

[Calvin (no socks)]

Thanks for finishing up the "tail"....

 

I don't do all this for just anyone...You had great references!

 

It was a pleasure meeting you and sending you off into the great abyss...only to brew anxiety for your safe and timely return during the next four days. Calvin.

[Matts_12GS]

glad to help Kitty, it was nice to meet you.

[tallman]

Purrrfect outcome for your meowvelous accomplishment.

You da Kitty!

Great to meet you.

[Paul_Burkett]

This is such an exciting accomplishment, congradulations.

[Paul Mihalka]

Nancy, you sure make it sound simple and easy - but we all know it is not! Congratulations!

[DaveTheAffable]

...The moron support from Don along the way was fantastic...

A faux pas? Tongue in cheek? ... or unedited?

 

What a great story, and a job well done.

[bmweerman]

Awesome!

[KMG_365]

Awesome 'Tale, Miss Kitty!!

 

Congratulations again and I can't wait to see the published version!

 

Just a few comments on Part III:

 

Then I realized it was my nose. I was shocked and scared because I don’t get nosebleeds. I thought something was wrong with me. My first reaction was to blow my nose. That’s not the right thing to do; I can assure you of that! I thought I remembered hearing that you should pinch your nose and tilt your head back. Tried that for maybe 5 minutes and it didn’t stop the bleeding.

Actually, the pinch the nose part IS correct, but you want to tilt your head forward as you pinch it so that a clot can form instead of all the blood running down your throat and making you sick (as you found out).

As you can see in the ending photos, that’s quite a grin!

 

I guess the pics you're referring to are the ones in the Ride Planning thread (which I've "kept" for you) HERE.

 

Again, it was a supreme pleasure to have met you and been able to help you in some small way to realize your goal! We're all very impressed and very proud of your accomplishment!

 

Now don't be a stranger and see if you can find time to make it to a few of our gatherings so we can congratulate you in person . . . and best of luck in the IBR next year!!!

[Joel]

Nicely done, Nancy. Thanks for sharing this. Congrats and best wishes for your next "insane endeavor."

[Hello Kitty]

...The moron support from Don along the way was fantastic...

A faux pas? Tongue in cheek? ... or unedited?

 

What a great story, and a job well done.

 

Intentional. Who else but a moron would do this????

[Hello Kitty]

Actually, the pinch the nose part IS correct, but you want to tilt your head forward as you pinch it so that a clot can form instead of all the blood running down your throat and making you sick (as you found out).

 

Ahhh!! Now I know! I hope to never need that information, but it is good to have! I also know how to use a bee sting/venom thingie much to my displeasure...

 

I am finally starting to feel back to somewhat normal after 3 weeks.

 

Thanks again, Jamie!!!

[stubble!]

Really impressive tale. Thanks so much for sharing the experience with us!

[CoarsegoldKid]

Wow! My helmet's off to you.