1996 UTAH 1088
The following is from my remembrances. If any of the facts are incorrect
I apologize in advance.
Joe Denton
Thursday.
Sacramento to Salt Lake, 655 miles. Not very far to go to see the
people you've read and whose accomplishments you've admired.
Shouldn't be too hard to leave early and get there in time to have
supper and beers with them, listen to the stories and be suitability
impressed. It wasn't. Somehow the motivation to get there was easy,
the sleeping the week before wasn't. I left about 7:30am (PST) on Thursday
morning and the Frau and I took it easy all the way into Salt Lake.
Stopping for gas, lunch, pictures and pulled into the Quality Inn parking
lot about 5:30 (MDT). I had never seen the Salt Flats nor smelled
Salt Lake and was taking in as much as I could. I wandered in and
met Steve Chalmers who introduced me to some of the fastest riding,
longest cruising and nicest motorcyclists I could have the pleasure of
saying I had met. I won't go into all the names here, just remember
that of the people that have ridden in an Iron Butt, or made a name
for themselves in this small community, they were (for the most part)
here. I consumed with them until it was time to exit to Steve Chalmer's
room to continue. While emptying a few more cans it was explained to
me in no uncertain terms that _the most_ important accessory to add
to your motorcycle was GOOD lighting. Numerous other topics were covered
before I retired to a cot in Robin Moser's room. Robin is the soft
spoken guy who just made a coast to coast record. By two minutes.
Glad he didn't hit anymore stop lights :). Didn't sleep well (not
due to Robin, I was the one snoring).
Friday.
Anyone want to go to breakfast? I wasn't going to miss hanging with these
guys if I could help it. I knew this was probably my only chance to actually
ride WITH them. The Frau is almost twenty, has over 100,000 miles on
her and doesn't breathe well this high up. Once the rally starts I
know I'll be pulling tail feathers. We take a nice little ride to the
north. I'm getting a little hungry and notice the only sign I
keep seeing says "Cheyenne". I start wondering if we're going for
breakfast or lunch. After a "bit" we pull off to some side roads
to check the sides of the tires. These "old guys on big bikes" were
attempting to round out the highway flat spot and see what would touch
down first. It was inspiring to watch and dream about my "golden years".
Breakfast was in a small restaurant that looked like it had been opened just
for us. The coffee came with cimmamon, which made my morning.
A calm ride back to the motel to spend the rest of day waiting for
Joe Todaro (Crazy Joe) to show up (we were splitting a room).
Watching people arrive and waiting for tech inspection didn't
take up too much time so I took a nap and watched Dexter try and
herd the bikes. Dexter is a border collie that travels by HD.
He seems to get annoyed whenever a bike is running and he's not on it.
Got through tech inspection without a problem and put my mind back into
"wait" mode. It wasn't that long before I knew I would actually need it.
Spent most of the day putting faces and names together and watching the
experts at work. Shine, make sure the fuel cell wasn't leaking,
check tire pressure, these guys had been there, done that.
The bikes themselves had been setup for this specialized work.
The electronics, water, map folders, pee hoses, you knew these guys
are serious with a capital S.
Ordered a pizza and tried to get to sleep. Once again it was toss and turn
and think.
Saturday.
The big day. Do or die and I won't say die. A quick breakfast and
wait. Check the bike and wait. Make sure I have everything and wait. Finally
7:45 comes around and "Rally Bastard" Steve Chalmers hands out our
packets. Nine pages of roving. Bonus points just "too far".
Steve is surprised when riders _do_ them. I take mine back to the room
to where I do my best thinking and decide that even I can hit a few.
Don Marchant was there to see us off, though I didn't see his R26.
Something about having friends you've never seen before will never
stop amazing me..
I go out and fire up the Frau and we head of to the first bonus point.
It was a sucker bet for the amount of points and I fell for it.
The first check point was a bit past Logan. If you look at the map you
say "so close?". Well it's not as close if you have to get there by
way of Wyoming. Back roads. And if you want the points.....
BTW the big points laid in Wendover NV. At the first check point
just bring a chip from one of the casinos. And make it in time.
Yes, I'm sure some did. The speed I saw some of the riders do and
the tickets they got prove some of that. Bob Richenberg said his
bike "got a little squirrely around a Higdon 3 veiner". I believe him. The
Frau was breathing hard at XX when he went by me like I was nailed down.
I spent the day climbing passes the went to the timberline, following
Winnibagos (it is ok to pass on a double yellow when the guy ahead of
you can't hit the speed limit, isn't it?), hitting the brakes for
brain dead cage heads, killing bugs and trying to make the time
window at each check point. I followed Adam Wolkoff during the
last bit to the first check point as a driver pissed him off.
Adam gave him a quick piece of his mind and showed him how quick
his bike could disappear over the horizon. We got to the first check point
with a couple of minutes to spare and Mike Kneebone pointed me to
some quick bonus points that closed in a few minutes.
If you don't know, Mike puts on the Iron Butt and was in Utah
working a check point. He had come from Chicago and pre-run
the course. Because of items like that it was damn near impossible
to not find your way to the next check point or the bonus points.
Steve puts together a package of directions that _anyone_ can
follow, at night, tired, brain farting. It put that much of
your mind at ease. You could decide what you wanted to try for
without having to worry if you'd find the points. There were
stories about a recent rally where things were not laid out so
clearly and people expressed the differences, loudly.
Wendover (NV) was the next check point. Across some very straight
roads and long distances between gas stops. At least for me that is.
The Frau was consuming gas at a higher rate than usual, but then
I am usually a fairly calm and sane rider. We ended up on reserve
a couple of times and if I ran out of gas I would be out of range of
finishing. I backed off a bit and hoped I didn't have to push the Frau
in this heat, with these boots, at this altitude. I don't do as
much walking as I used to and didn't want to get back in shape
_this_ way. I'll have a bit more fuel available in the Iron Butt.
Just past some bonus points near Tremonton I was sliding across
the "road snakes". The crack sealer in this area was warm and
when you hit it on the curves your tires would slip a bit.
Not enough to cause panic, but enough to keep you awake.
Leaving Wendover seems to be a straight shot to Ely, and
it is. We stop to find out how many station master lives
were saved at the Pony Express Memorial and then cruise south.
On by way of Ely and Conners Pass (7723ft) and towards the next
checkpoint, Delta NV.
Next part 3, the sun goes down.
>From Ely NV to Delta Ut the sun decides to call it a day. I see a
couple of antelopes and a cotton tail and wonder what the night will
bring. I get a chance to try my new lighting system and it's working
pretty good. In the desert when the sun goes down it gets cold.
On an older BMW that meant I got to chose between electric vest,
lights, or watching the battery go down as the alternator tries in
vain to put out enough current to let me see and keep warm.
I spent most of the time trying to see since I've heard enough deer
stories to want to see them before they decide to jump in front of me.
At the Border Inn (where we stopped to get a pay phone's number)
the rider that came in after me was still wide-eyed from two antelopes
he had just missed.
Over Skull Rock Pass and downhill to Delta Ut where the Saturday night
cruise is still alive and kicking. The check point is in a park on my left.
I'm sure most of the riders were waiting for it to open so they could
leave but I was not as fast as they were. Willy and Dexter were about
ready to leave and the collie looked very eager to get back on the road.
I decided I could spend a few minutes getting a bite to eat and a cup of
coffee so I walked across the street to a hole-in-the-wall the locals
seemed to enjoy spending the whole night in. I walked in and took off my
leather jacket and chaps and tried to get waited on. I guess bikers are
still scum of the earth in certain parts of the world no matter what
you ride or why you're riding. (Note: The Utah 1088 is a benefit rally
with the money going to Utah Project Hope, kind of like a make a wish
foundation and in the five years it's been going on has raised more
than 100,000 dollars for them) After finally getting a salad and a cup
of coffee, and it becoming apparent that I wouldn't be offered a refill.
I gassed up and headed to Helper UT, the last check point.
>From Delta to Helper is not a long distance, probably less than 175 miles.
It was very time consuming though. Up and down, curve after curve,
deer after deer it took mental concentration and planning. The Frau
could have gone through quicker but I couldn't. I was going to make
the finish line in one piece. Down the crest and hitting a couple of
small towns (where at least one rider learned you better slow down,
67 in a 45, "but officer I was slowing down!" Officer- "But the speed limit is
55 OUT THERE!") to a bonus point...in a cemetery.
Yes Steve had us stopping in a cemetery in the middle of the night
to read headstones. With the sprinkler system going. He's earned his
"Rally Bastard" nickname, it wasn't just given to him.
I guess Michael Murphy got turned away here, they had decided they
didn't need any more bikers visiting in the dead of the night.
At Helper I talked with a couple of people and the check point
master noted that with only 959 miles on my trip meter that
I'd not make the required 1128 miles if I took the last leg as
written. Since all I needed was to get back to Salt Lake City
before 8am with the required mileage (since I had made all the
check points) he suggested that I head straight back and then
travel I80 headed west until I had the miles then back to the
hotel/finish. It seemed like a good idea to me so off I went.
An hour later my eyes wanted to close and my brain was discussing
whether my hands could hold on without it's input. With no fairing
it decided that some input was required and it might as well stick
around to see what happened. What happened was a cup of coffee, gas
and daylight. With daylight my body thought it was supposed to wake up,
so it did. I headed out west until I thought I would run out of exits
to turn back on. I headed back east and went into the city just
to add a buffer zone (we had rode a measured distance Friday and
our 1128 was to be "corrected mileage") and back to the finish. I arrived
just after 7am, scared of being time barred, one minute late and it would have
all been for naught. I handed in my paperwork to Steve and Mike with a little
time and mileage to spare and parked the Frau.
Dismounting I tried to decide whether to watch the other riders
roll in or sleep for the awards banquet. Sleep won out and I'm glad it did.
At 1pm I was packed and headed to the food. A buffet was laid out before
us and between the lies we filled our stomachs. Steve had lined up
numerous donators for door prizes with Avon tires, BMW boots, helmets,
and gift certificates being drawn between announcements of who came in what
place, who got what tickets and other stories being presented
for our general enjoyment. Complaints about the delay at the construction
site and slow moving vehicles were heard but none about the weather or
the rally. Steve was given a standing O for the time and effort he has
put into the 1088. He also warned us that next year he is going to win
it two up with his wife. At the banquet we learned who had won and the
points it took to win.
>From the banquet to the parking lot. I put together the Frau and
myself and said as many good-byes as I could. I was riding as far
as I could with Crazy Joe. He lives in North Reno but I knew that was going
to be too far for me to go to on the way home. The way I figured
it I'd get there about midnight and after riding for twenty-four hours
with about four hours sleep I knew I'd be in trouble.
I followed Joe into Wendover where he found his problem.
Joe didn't finish the 1088 because his bike was giving him fits.
On the uphill runs he had no power. With eighty cubes he should
have had no problems. My 45 cubes were trying hard and getting hot
but he should have been fine. He looked down at Wendover and found
his fuel line chinked. I lead after that but he had no problem keeping
up (like I could lose anyone). We got stuck behind a truck
in a construction zone and the propwash damn near beat the hell
out of me. I stopped for the night in Elko and had a couple of
ales in the tub. There is no better way to get rid of the days
knotted muscles (at least at this price) than steaming water and
iced ale.
Waking up with the sun and taking my time packing I timed it so
I could spend some time with my grandparents in Reno and still make
it home in time to give my bride a welcome home kiss as she walked
in the door coming home from work.
Personal Stats:
Approx. 2650 miles @ 35 mpg from Thursday to Monday
43 hours in the saddle
16 hours sleep
No road kills
Finisher (ranking) #33
Rally Stats:
68 Starters
59 Finishers
George Barnes took first place with 3584 points, over 200 more than
second place.
1 bike totaled (rider in a leg cast I believe, hit a deer)
I'll try and have the rest of the stats if anyone is interested.
I'll post those to the LDRider list, anyone else email me.
Thanks for you time. I know I left a lot out but I tried to
keep it to a reasonable length. To all those I met, it was great.
To those I didn't mention by name, I'm sorry but I will remember
this for a very long time.
Happy Trails,
Joe
'77 R75/7 ** |Joe Denton| Amateur Radio KD6HON
"Frau Guttentite" |DoD MMA| Don't worry, have a homebrew!
Puttin' the Gold Country |AMA BMWMOA| All Standard Disclaimers Apply
I apologize in advance.
Joe Denton
Thursday.
Sacramento to Salt Lake, 655 miles. Not very far to go to see the
people you've read and whose accomplishments you've admired.
Shouldn't be too hard to leave early and get there in time to have
supper and beers with them, listen to the stories and be suitability
impressed. It wasn't. Somehow the motivation to get there was easy,
the sleeping the week before wasn't. I left about 7:30am (PST) on Thursday
morning and the Frau and I took it easy all the way into Salt Lake.
Stopping for gas, lunch, pictures and pulled into the Quality Inn parking
lot about 5:30 (MDT). I had never seen the Salt Flats nor smelled
Salt Lake and was taking in as much as I could. I wandered in and
met Steve Chalmers who introduced me to some of the fastest riding,
longest cruising and nicest motorcyclists I could have the pleasure of
saying I had met. I won't go into all the names here, just remember
that of the people that have ridden in an Iron Butt, or made a name
for themselves in this small community, they were (for the most part)
here. I consumed with them until it was time to exit to Steve Chalmer's
room to continue. While emptying a few more cans it was explained to
me in no uncertain terms that _the most_ important accessory to add
to your motorcycle was GOOD lighting. Numerous other topics were covered
before I retired to a cot in Robin Moser's room. Robin is the soft
spoken guy who just made a coast to coast record. By two minutes.
Glad he didn't hit anymore stop lights :). Didn't sleep well (not
due to Robin, I was the one snoring).
Friday.
Anyone want to go to breakfast? I wasn't going to miss hanging with these
guys if I could help it. I knew this was probably my only chance to actually
ride WITH them. The Frau is almost twenty, has over 100,000 miles on
her and doesn't breathe well this high up. Once the rally starts I
know I'll be pulling tail feathers. We take a nice little ride to the
north. I'm getting a little hungry and notice the only sign I
keep seeing says "Cheyenne". I start wondering if we're going for
breakfast or lunch. After a "bit" we pull off to some side roads
to check the sides of the tires. These "old guys on big bikes" were
attempting to round out the highway flat spot and see what would touch
down first. It was inspiring to watch and dream about my "golden years".
Breakfast was in a small restaurant that looked like it had been opened just
for us. The coffee came with cimmamon, which made my morning.
A calm ride back to the motel to spend the rest of day waiting for
Joe Todaro (Crazy Joe) to show up (we were splitting a room).
Watching people arrive and waiting for tech inspection didn't
take up too much time so I took a nap and watched Dexter try and
herd the bikes. Dexter is a border collie that travels by HD.
He seems to get annoyed whenever a bike is running and he's not on it.
Got through tech inspection without a problem and put my mind back into
"wait" mode. It wasn't that long before I knew I would actually need it.
Spent most of the day putting faces and names together and watching the
experts at work. Shine, make sure the fuel cell wasn't leaking,
check tire pressure, these guys had been there, done that.
The bikes themselves had been setup for this specialized work.
The electronics, water, map folders, pee hoses, you knew these guys
are serious with a capital S.
Ordered a pizza and tried to get to sleep. Once again it was toss and turn
and think.
Saturday.
The big day. Do or die and I won't say die. A quick breakfast and
wait. Check the bike and wait. Make sure I have everything and wait. Finally
7:45 comes around and "Rally Bastard" Steve Chalmers hands out our
packets. Nine pages of roving. Bonus points just "too far".
Steve is surprised when riders _do_ them. I take mine back to the room
to where I do my best thinking and decide that even I can hit a few.
Don Marchant was there to see us off, though I didn't see his R26.
Something about having friends you've never seen before will never
stop amazing me..
I go out and fire up the Frau and we head of to the first bonus point.
It was a sucker bet for the amount of points and I fell for it.
The first check point was a bit past Logan. If you look at the map you
say "so close?". Well it's not as close if you have to get there by
way of Wyoming. Back roads. And if you want the points.....
BTW the big points laid in Wendover NV. At the first check point
just bring a chip from one of the casinos. And make it in time.
Yes, I'm sure some did. The speed I saw some of the riders do and
the tickets they got prove some of that. Bob Richenberg said his
bike "got a little squirrely around a Higdon 3 veiner". I believe him. The
Frau was breathing hard at XX when he went by me like I was nailed down.
I spent the day climbing passes the went to the timberline, following
Winnibagos (it is ok to pass on a double yellow when the guy ahead of
you can't hit the speed limit, isn't it?), hitting the brakes for
brain dead cage heads, killing bugs and trying to make the time
window at each check point. I followed Adam Wolkoff during the
last bit to the first check point as a driver pissed him off.
Adam gave him a quick piece of his mind and showed him how quick
his bike could disappear over the horizon. We got to the first check point
with a couple of minutes to spare and Mike Kneebone pointed me to
some quick bonus points that closed in a few minutes.
If you don't know, Mike puts on the Iron Butt and was in Utah
working a check point. He had come from Chicago and pre-run
the course. Because of items like that it was damn near impossible
to not find your way to the next check point or the bonus points.
Steve puts together a package of directions that _anyone_ can
follow, at night, tired, brain farting. It put that much of
your mind at ease. You could decide what you wanted to try for
without having to worry if you'd find the points. There were
stories about a recent rally where things were not laid out so
clearly and people expressed the differences, loudly.
Wendover (NV) was the next check point. Across some very straight
roads and long distances between gas stops. At least for me that is.
The Frau was consuming gas at a higher rate than usual, but then
I am usually a fairly calm and sane rider. We ended up on reserve
a couple of times and if I ran out of gas I would be out of range of
finishing. I backed off a bit and hoped I didn't have to push the Frau
in this heat, with these boots, at this altitude. I don't do as
much walking as I used to and didn't want to get back in shape
_this_ way. I'll have a bit more fuel available in the Iron Butt.
Just past some bonus points near Tremonton I was sliding across
the "road snakes". The crack sealer in this area was warm and
when you hit it on the curves your tires would slip a bit.
Not enough to cause panic, but enough to keep you awake.
Leaving Wendover seems to be a straight shot to Ely, and
it is. We stop to find out how many station master lives
were saved at the Pony Express Memorial and then cruise south.
On by way of Ely and Conners Pass (7723ft) and towards the next
checkpoint, Delta NV.
Next part 3, the sun goes down.
>From Ely NV to Delta Ut the sun decides to call it a day. I see a
couple of antelopes and a cotton tail and wonder what the night will
bring. I get a chance to try my new lighting system and it's working
pretty good. In the desert when the sun goes down it gets cold.
On an older BMW that meant I got to chose between electric vest,
lights, or watching the battery go down as the alternator tries in
vain to put out enough current to let me see and keep warm.
I spent most of the time trying to see since I've heard enough deer
stories to want to see them before they decide to jump in front of me.
At the Border Inn (where we stopped to get a pay phone's number)
the rider that came in after me was still wide-eyed from two antelopes
he had just missed.
Over Skull Rock Pass and downhill to Delta Ut where the Saturday night
cruise is still alive and kicking. The check point is in a park on my left.
I'm sure most of the riders were waiting for it to open so they could
leave but I was not as fast as they were. Willy and Dexter were about
ready to leave and the collie looked very eager to get back on the road.
I decided I could spend a few minutes getting a bite to eat and a cup of
coffee so I walked across the street to a hole-in-the-wall the locals
seemed to enjoy spending the whole night in. I walked in and took off my
leather jacket and chaps and tried to get waited on. I guess bikers are
still scum of the earth in certain parts of the world no matter what
you ride or why you're riding. (Note: The Utah 1088 is a benefit rally
with the money going to Utah Project Hope, kind of like a make a wish
foundation and in the five years it's been going on has raised more
than 100,000 dollars for them) After finally getting a salad and a cup
of coffee, and it becoming apparent that I wouldn't be offered a refill.
I gassed up and headed to Helper UT, the last check point.
>From Delta to Helper is not a long distance, probably less than 175 miles.
It was very time consuming though. Up and down, curve after curve,
deer after deer it took mental concentration and planning. The Frau
could have gone through quicker but I couldn't. I was going to make
the finish line in one piece. Down the crest and hitting a couple of
small towns (where at least one rider learned you better slow down,
67 in a 45, "but officer I was slowing down!" Officer- "But the speed limit is
55 OUT THERE!") to a bonus point...in a cemetery.
Yes Steve had us stopping in a cemetery in the middle of the night
to read headstones. With the sprinkler system going. He's earned his
"Rally Bastard" nickname, it wasn't just given to him.
I guess Michael Murphy got turned away here, they had decided they
didn't need any more bikers visiting in the dead of the night.
At Helper I talked with a couple of people and the check point
master noted that with only 959 miles on my trip meter that
I'd not make the required 1128 miles if I took the last leg as
written. Since all I needed was to get back to Salt Lake City
before 8am with the required mileage (since I had made all the
check points) he suggested that I head straight back and then
travel I80 headed west until I had the miles then back to the
hotel/finish. It seemed like a good idea to me so off I went.
An hour later my eyes wanted to close and my brain was discussing
whether my hands could hold on without it's input. With no fairing
it decided that some input was required and it might as well stick
around to see what happened. What happened was a cup of coffee, gas
and daylight. With daylight my body thought it was supposed to wake up,
so it did. I headed out west until I thought I would run out of exits
to turn back on. I headed back east and went into the city just
to add a buffer zone (we had rode a measured distance Friday and
our 1128 was to be "corrected mileage") and back to the finish. I arrived
just after 7am, scared of being time barred, one minute late and it would have
all been for naught. I handed in my paperwork to Steve and Mike with a little
time and mileage to spare and parked the Frau.
Dismounting I tried to decide whether to watch the other riders
roll in or sleep for the awards banquet. Sleep won out and I'm glad it did.
At 1pm I was packed and headed to the food. A buffet was laid out before
us and between the lies we filled our stomachs. Steve had lined up
numerous donators for door prizes with Avon tires, BMW boots, helmets,
and gift certificates being drawn between announcements of who came in what
place, who got what tickets and other stories being presented
for our general enjoyment. Complaints about the delay at the construction
site and slow moving vehicles were heard but none about the weather or
the rally. Steve was given a standing O for the time and effort he has
put into the 1088. He also warned us that next year he is going to win
it two up with his wife. At the banquet we learned who had won and the
points it took to win.
>From the banquet to the parking lot. I put together the Frau and
myself and said as many good-byes as I could. I was riding as far
as I could with Crazy Joe. He lives in North Reno but I knew that was going
to be too far for me to go to on the way home. The way I figured
it I'd get there about midnight and after riding for twenty-four hours
with about four hours sleep I knew I'd be in trouble.
I followed Joe into Wendover where he found his problem.
Joe didn't finish the 1088 because his bike was giving him fits.
On the uphill runs he had no power. With eighty cubes he should
have had no problems. My 45 cubes were trying hard and getting hot
but he should have been fine. He looked down at Wendover and found
his fuel line chinked. I lead after that but he had no problem keeping
up (like I could lose anyone). We got stuck behind a truck
in a construction zone and the propwash damn near beat the hell
out of me. I stopped for the night in Elko and had a couple of
ales in the tub. There is no better way to get rid of the days
knotted muscles (at least at this price) than steaming water and
iced ale.
Waking up with the sun and taking my time packing I timed it so
I could spend some time with my grandparents in Reno and still make
it home in time to give my bride a welcome home kiss as she walked
in the door coming home from work.
Personal Stats:
Approx. 2650 miles @ 35 mpg from Thursday to Monday
43 hours in the saddle
16 hours sleep
No road kills
Finisher (ranking) #33
Rally Stats:
68 Starters
59 Finishers
George Barnes took first place with 3584 points, over 200 more than
second place.
1 bike totaled (rider in a leg cast I believe, hit a deer)
I'll try and have the rest of the stats if anyone is interested.
I'll post those to the LDRider list, anyone else email me.
Thanks for you time. I know I left a lot out but I tried to
keep it to a reasonable length. To all those I met, it was great.
To those I didn't mention by name, I'm sorry but I will remember
this for a very long time.
Happy Trails,
Joe
'77 R75/7 ** |Joe Denton| Amateur Radio KD6HON
"Frau Guttentite" |DoD MMA| Don't worry, have a homebrew!
Puttin' the Gold Country |AMA BMWMOA| All Standard Disclaimers Apply
