I Finished!

Well it was an unbelievable adventure and trip.  I had a great time, almost the entire time, and I am an official finisher in the first Iron Butt 5000.!  I have to figure out how to write my trip report, since this was such a long trip for me it will take some time to get it together.  Here are some pictures to hold everyone over and the links to the daily reports.

At the start, talking to Amy!

Just relaxing for a few minutes before the adventure begins

Pulling out, and so it begins...
Picture from Claye Curtis "Fleeter"

The first ever IB5K logo pin-striping by Steve Kafka!  

 This was the only time during the IB5K Rally that I was first at anything!  I was at Steve's business before everyone else so I was the first bike to get the official logo and Kool Tie.  This was worth the most points on leg 2 of the rally and when I left the lot there were about a dozen riders waiting.  It was such a cool bonus and a great way to get something to remember the rally by.

My Route using my Blackberry as a Tracking Device

I used my Blackberry as a tracking device with Jason Jones Spotwalla site.  The limitation of my phone is that the location used cell phone tower triangulation, so the accuracy is not that great compared to a traditional Spot Device, which a lot of riders use instead.  Still, I received several phone calls during the rally and it seemed that my friends and family had a good idea of where I was in general.  I think when I get my next phone upgrade next year I'll try to get a phone that allows true GPS location accuracy and see how that works for future rides.

Links to the official daily reports:

IB5000 Finish

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

Day -1

Day -2

Day -3

My Photos from before the Rally, Including Rocky National Park Ride

My Photos from the Rally

I'll add more when I get my story together, thanks to everyone for the support and following me!

My friend Doug Barrett just finished his Ride Report on the IB5K, I went to several of the same locations he did on leg one, but only Live Oak on leg two, which we ran into each other at, I think I was in the first 5-6 to get there.  Doug is a west coast rider that I met at the Jacksonville Pizza party a couple of years ago after he finished his 50CC, we have remained in contact and friends and it was great riding the rally with him.

I also wanted to provide a link to fellow IB5K rider, Jerome Byrd's excellent write up.   He didn't officially finish, but the effort he put in and the obstacles he had to overcome were impressive and I was glad to see him at the finish!

Ready to Ride

Well it is down to a week till I leave for Denver for the start of the IB5000 and I am very excited. I had a small issue last weekend on a short 200 mile loop in AL and TN when the front left fork seal blew out. It was very messy but a wrap of a micro fiber towel around the fork got me the remaining 100 miles home. With help from my friend Tom and advice from GW LDRider Cdog I was able to replace the seal and the bike is good to go. The area around Huntsville is some great riding and I look forward to learning the area and exploring after the IB5000.  Also I have to disable the gogle tracking for public viewing due to IBA rules, so if you would like to follow me on the IB5000 send me an email and I'll send you the link to a private password tracking link.

Here are some pictures of the ride:

End of a great winding road!

Wow what a view

Awesome curves!

More great riding!

This is the fork seal, I've never seen this much blow out