NW Passage
Did the Utah 1088 rally this year two up with my wife, Julie. Came in 3rd in the couples division. About 35th or so over all out of about 80 riders. I was pretty happy with that performance considering it was her first ride over 600 miles in one day.
(me and Bill Watt - official witness - in Surrey BC after
successful completion of a BBG3000 and a B2B2B48 as part of the rally)
The NW Passage rally was held in early September of 2004. It was set up as a 2 day rally and touted as a 55hour/3000 miles affair.
About 40 riders showed up for the event. A bunch of serious, experienced riders they were, too. For this ride I rode a 2003 ST1300 with PIAA aux lights and also an aux fuel cell.
The rally was held at beautiful Lake Chelan, Washington and based out of one of the areas finest hotels.
At this rally we were given the thick, complicated and tricky rally package quite late the night before the start, by Joe Zulaski - rally master. There were 3 basic routes and we had to declare which route we planned on taking the morning of the rally. Bonus points were all over several States, and even into Mexico and British Columbia. Some of the bonus points were threads... like Ghost towns or custom Saddle makers... but in order to get any points you had to hit everything included in a particular thread. One of the routes was a Border to Border to Border ride including qualification for a BBG3000 Iron Butt certified ride that offered mega points, or no points at all if you did not finish the rides on time or make it back to the finish line on time.
I roomed at Lake Chelan with Brian Roberts - an accomplished IB and rally rider from near Reno, Nevada. He stayed up well into the night plotting and planning strategy. I decided to do the long Border to Border route and hit the sack much earlier than he.
In the morning we all stood around in a circle near our bikes and declared our chosen route. 4 of us chose the B2B2B, BBG3000 route. Most chose the other two, and we were off with an early morning start on a beautiful fall day. On my route was John Parker (Oregon) on an ST1100, Bob Torter (Montana) on a BMW GS1100, and one other rider on a BMW from Utah. He and Bob rode together for the first half of the ride.
I rode from Lake Chelan, Washington to Osoyoos, BC for the first Border crossing. Other riders had headed up that way for their own bonus's and I let them lead the way to act as rabbits. An official witness was there for us at the Border as part of the rally. Then I rode back to Lake Chelan, south, then cut over to I5 at Portland. A bad decision as I got caught in some bad traffic there. I should have cut down 95 for a few more hundred miles first. Didn't have a GPS set up on the bike yet, since resolved, then rode straight through the night and into Mexico at Tijuana, just after day break. Should have taken a turn a few miles earlier and slipped into Mexico at Otay Mesa. Much better crossing, faster and less congested - but missed the turn in morning freeway traffic. Picked up the receipt I needed in Tijuana for the second Border Crossing. I had already picked up a receipt in southern California for the end of the first leg of the BBG. I made another error at this time. Tried to turn around and cross back into the US at Tijuana. Very congested. On the ST with saddlebags, so too wide with cramped traffic to lane split. Saw a lane on the right that other cars and motorcycles were passing through quickly so cut over and into it. Big mistake. This is an express lane, specially set aside for workers and government types that have to cross the border daily. Now the border guards gave me a really rough time. Delayed me about 1 1/2 hours tearing the bike apart and giving me a once over. Then they kicked me back into Mexico and told me to go back through the right line again. Oh, boy. Starting to panic a bit cause of the 1500+ miles I had yet to do and I was already well into my second 24 hour time period. But, I had the first half of the BBG and the first B2B in the bag, so that was comforting.
The lineup back into the US at Tijuana had grown huge and now it was midmorning. I decided to ride through Mexico and cross the border at Otay Mesa, which I did with little delay. A year before I had done a certified B2B24 Insanity IB ride and recalled where I had gone to get my witness signature. I went there again - just inside the US border - and got another witness signature which sufficed for the first half of my B2B2B and BBG3000.
On my way again. About 20 miles down the road, I met Bob Torter, having problems with his GS wiring. I stopped to help but he had just finally got it all sorted out and together we were on our way again. His original riding partner had decided he needed to go on without him. Within 60 miles I had to stop for gas and it was obvious that Bob and I were not going to be riding further together. My riding style was much faster and more aggressive so we parted company at that gas station.
Then it was on to Surrey, BC where more witnesses were going to be waiting for us.
A couple of bonus's were along the way, but I just did not have time. Have to hunt for bonus after securing the BBG3000 and B2B2B48.
Made good time up I5 again. Hot, hot, hot all the way to north of Sacramento. 120F hot. Should have brought my camelback. Simply stopped when I couldn't handle it anymore, drank and soaked my upper body with cold water. I easily get over 350 miles range with my aux set up so stops are not too often.
Hit Oregon just as darkness fell again. Wonderful to feel the coolness of the evening and the mountains. Night 2. The only stretch of I5 that is really any fun is in southern Oregon. Near Grants Pass. Very twisty and I enjoyed it fully. It is also kinda fun in stretches of Southern California. Twisty there too in places and lots of traffic to work around.
Great weather to Seattle, then rain and some heavy fog. Started to have a very hard time in the early morning near the 44 hour mark in the ride. My toughest times LD riding are in the heat or around the 4 and 10 marks, both AM and PM. Some internal clock thing going on in my brain. Had quite a conversation about 5 AM, in the heavy fog with someone right beside me, til I realized there was no one there and it was time to pull over, walk around the bike a bit and guzzle a Pepsi.
Droned along some more just north of Seattle. Rain thinning out now and fog lifting somewhat. Got a traffic ticket by a young cop who claimed to have a bike of his own. Still gave me a ticket, though. Cash cow area where the speed drops from 75 to 60 for a few miles. Cops everywhere. Feeding frenzy. The stop by the Cop really helped me get my 2nd or 3rd wind and it wasn't long before I crossed the border into Canada to Surrey. Made it within the necessary time window by about 20 minutes. Cutting it close. 3 IBA and official rally witnesses there, and John Parker showed up a few minutes later. Looking like he had just been out for a Sunday ride. One amazing rider, that fella. Lots of handshaking and backslapping as both the BBG3000 and B2B2B48 were in the bag for both me and John. Looked like the other two either quit or were going to be time barred.
I still had 7 hours to go, so took a scenic route SE over highway 20 (North Cascades) and picked up a few more bonus points. Nice to be off the freeway and onto a scenic and twisty single lane. Time to be careful though and really concentrate on riding safely as I was aware of fatigue building up.
Made it back to the rally end in good time with perhaps 35 minutes to spare. Last bonus points were a dip in the lake right at the rally finish point. No problem. Parked the bike, took off the motorcycle gear, walked to the end of the pier and jumped in. Nice and warm, beautiful day, sweaty, stinky biker. Cool water felt great.
Enjoyed seeing the other riders already there and watching later comers arriving.
A few of the riders got into some rainy, nasty weather in Idaho, particularly over LOLO pass but for most the weather was great for the entire rally.
All finished in time except for two riders. One quit early and rode home, another had a tire problem and had to quit as well. No accidents.
Bob Torter came rolling in 5 or 6 hours late. Have to give him credit for finishing that demanding ride although he was a DNF. Great fella.
Wonderful feast afterwards and fun, fun, awards celebration. Lots of laughs.
Though we did have a bomb scare that delayed the proceedings a couple of hours.
I came in 7th place overall, despite receiving the high mileage award. John Parker finished somewhere ahead of me. 4th perhaps. Brian Roberts (my roommate) came in first place, after very cunningly picking up a lot of the high scoring threads. He made sure to rub in that he had even had a very nice sleep in a motel room during the middle of the rally while I was barreling up and down Interstate 5.
Slept for a day and a half before returning home to Calgary. On the way home, I came upon a rider pushing his sportbike down the road. I stopped to see if I could help. Said he had pushed it almost 3 miles so far and I was the first one to stop. He was out of gas. I pulled out my trusty siphon and let him have a gallon or so out of my aux tank and he was on his way to the closest town.
Almost hit a black bear just after dark about a mile out of Cranbrook. Now those critters are really hard to see. Rattled me. Had to relax, with a meal and a magazine in Cranbrook for a couple of hours until I felt like continuing on home.
Best regards,
Steve Broadhead
Iron Butt Association Motorcycle Rider
SS1000, SS2000, SS2000K, SS3000, BB1500
BBG, BBG3000, B2B24, B2B2B48, 48/10, 48+
Rallies: Alberta 2000, Utah 1088, NW Passage Current Bikes: 2003 ST1300, 2003 XX1100, 1997 GL1500
“During a long ride: thoughts, senses and energy are focused, allowing the mind to feel at peace.”
Steve Broadhead 2005
(me and Bill Watt - official witness - in Surrey BC after
successful completion of a BBG3000 and a B2B2B48 as part of the rally)
The NW Passage rally was held in early September of 2004. It was set up as a 2 day rally and touted as a 55hour/3000 miles affair.
About 40 riders showed up for the event. A bunch of serious, experienced riders they were, too. For this ride I rode a 2003 ST1300 with PIAA aux lights and also an aux fuel cell.
The rally was held at beautiful Lake Chelan, Washington and based out of one of the areas finest hotels.
At this rally we were given the thick, complicated and tricky rally package quite late the night before the start, by Joe Zulaski - rally master. There were 3 basic routes and we had to declare which route we planned on taking the morning of the rally. Bonus points were all over several States, and even into Mexico and British Columbia. Some of the bonus points were threads... like Ghost towns or custom Saddle makers... but in order to get any points you had to hit everything included in a particular thread. One of the routes was a Border to Border to Border ride including qualification for a BBG3000 Iron Butt certified ride that offered mega points, or no points at all if you did not finish the rides on time or make it back to the finish line on time.
I roomed at Lake Chelan with Brian Roberts - an accomplished IB and rally rider from near Reno, Nevada. He stayed up well into the night plotting and planning strategy. I decided to do the long Border to Border route and hit the sack much earlier than he.
In the morning we all stood around in a circle near our bikes and declared our chosen route. 4 of us chose the B2B2B, BBG3000 route. Most chose the other two, and we were off with an early morning start on a beautiful fall day. On my route was John Parker (Oregon) on an ST1100, Bob Torter (Montana) on a BMW GS1100, and one other rider on a BMW from Utah. He and Bob rode together for the first half of the ride.
I rode from Lake Chelan, Washington to Osoyoos, BC for the first Border crossing. Other riders had headed up that way for their own bonus's and I let them lead the way to act as rabbits. An official witness was there for us at the Border as part of the rally. Then I rode back to Lake Chelan, south, then cut over to I5 at Portland. A bad decision as I got caught in some bad traffic there. I should have cut down 95 for a few more hundred miles first. Didn't have a GPS set up on the bike yet, since resolved, then rode straight through the night and into Mexico at Tijuana, just after day break. Should have taken a turn a few miles earlier and slipped into Mexico at Otay Mesa. Much better crossing, faster and less congested - but missed the turn in morning freeway traffic. Picked up the receipt I needed in Tijuana for the second Border Crossing. I had already picked up a receipt in southern California for the end of the first leg of the BBG. I made another error at this time. Tried to turn around and cross back into the US at Tijuana. Very congested. On the ST with saddlebags, so too wide with cramped traffic to lane split. Saw a lane on the right that other cars and motorcycles were passing through quickly so cut over and into it. Big mistake. This is an express lane, specially set aside for workers and government types that have to cross the border daily. Now the border guards gave me a really rough time. Delayed me about 1 1/2 hours tearing the bike apart and giving me a once over. Then they kicked me back into Mexico and told me to go back through the right line again. Oh, boy. Starting to panic a bit cause of the 1500+ miles I had yet to do and I was already well into my second 24 hour time period. But, I had the first half of the BBG and the first B2B in the bag, so that was comforting.
The lineup back into the US at Tijuana had grown huge and now it was midmorning. I decided to ride through Mexico and cross the border at Otay Mesa, which I did with little delay. A year before I had done a certified B2B24 Insanity IB ride and recalled where I had gone to get my witness signature. I went there again - just inside the US border - and got another witness signature which sufficed for the first half of my B2B2B and BBG3000.
On my way again. About 20 miles down the road, I met Bob Torter, having problems with his GS wiring. I stopped to help but he had just finally got it all sorted out and together we were on our way again. His original riding partner had decided he needed to go on without him. Within 60 miles I had to stop for gas and it was obvious that Bob and I were not going to be riding further together. My riding style was much faster and more aggressive so we parted company at that gas station.
Then it was on to Surrey, BC where more witnesses were going to be waiting for us.
A couple of bonus's were along the way, but I just did not have time. Have to hunt for bonus after securing the BBG3000 and B2B2B48.
Made good time up I5 again. Hot, hot, hot all the way to north of Sacramento. 120F hot. Should have brought my camelback. Simply stopped when I couldn't handle it anymore, drank and soaked my upper body with cold water. I easily get over 350 miles range with my aux set up so stops are not too often.
Hit Oregon just as darkness fell again. Wonderful to feel the coolness of the evening and the mountains. Night 2. The only stretch of I5 that is really any fun is in southern Oregon. Near Grants Pass. Very twisty and I enjoyed it fully. It is also kinda fun in stretches of Southern California. Twisty there too in places and lots of traffic to work around.
Great weather to Seattle, then rain and some heavy fog. Started to have a very hard time in the early morning near the 44 hour mark in the ride. My toughest times LD riding are in the heat or around the 4 and 10 marks, both AM and PM. Some internal clock thing going on in my brain. Had quite a conversation about 5 AM, in the heavy fog with someone right beside me, til I realized there was no one there and it was time to pull over, walk around the bike a bit and guzzle a Pepsi.
Droned along some more just north of Seattle. Rain thinning out now and fog lifting somewhat. Got a traffic ticket by a young cop who claimed to have a bike of his own. Still gave me a ticket, though. Cash cow area where the speed drops from 75 to 60 for a few miles. Cops everywhere. Feeding frenzy. The stop by the Cop really helped me get my 2nd or 3rd wind and it wasn't long before I crossed the border into Canada to Surrey. Made it within the necessary time window by about 20 minutes. Cutting it close. 3 IBA and official rally witnesses there, and John Parker showed up a few minutes later. Looking like he had just been out for a Sunday ride. One amazing rider, that fella. Lots of handshaking and backslapping as both the BBG3000 and B2B2B48 were in the bag for both me and John. Looked like the other two either quit or were going to be time barred.
I still had 7 hours to go, so took a scenic route SE over highway 20 (North Cascades) and picked up a few more bonus points. Nice to be off the freeway and onto a scenic and twisty single lane. Time to be careful though and really concentrate on riding safely as I was aware of fatigue building up.
Made it back to the rally end in good time with perhaps 35 minutes to spare. Last bonus points were a dip in the lake right at the rally finish point. No problem. Parked the bike, took off the motorcycle gear, walked to the end of the pier and jumped in. Nice and warm, beautiful day, sweaty, stinky biker. Cool water felt great.
Enjoyed seeing the other riders already there and watching later comers arriving.
A few of the riders got into some rainy, nasty weather in Idaho, particularly over LOLO pass but for most the weather was great for the entire rally.
All finished in time except for two riders. One quit early and rode home, another had a tire problem and had to quit as well. No accidents.
Bob Torter came rolling in 5 or 6 hours late. Have to give him credit for finishing that demanding ride although he was a DNF. Great fella.
Wonderful feast afterwards and fun, fun, awards celebration. Lots of laughs.
Though we did have a bomb scare that delayed the proceedings a couple of hours.
I came in 7th place overall, despite receiving the high mileage award. John Parker finished somewhere ahead of me. 4th perhaps. Brian Roberts (my roommate) came in first place, after very cunningly picking up a lot of the high scoring threads. He made sure to rub in that he had even had a very nice sleep in a motel room during the middle of the rally while I was barreling up and down Interstate 5.
Slept for a day and a half before returning home to Calgary. On the way home, I came upon a rider pushing his sportbike down the road. I stopped to see if I could help. Said he had pushed it almost 3 miles so far and I was the first one to stop. He was out of gas. I pulled out my trusty siphon and let him have a gallon or so out of my aux tank and he was on his way to the closest town.
Almost hit a black bear just after dark about a mile out of Cranbrook. Now those critters are really hard to see. Rattled me. Had to relax, with a meal and a magazine in Cranbrook for a couple of hours until I felt like continuing on home.
Best regards,
Steve Broadhead
Iron Butt Association Motorcycle Rider
SS1000, SS2000, SS2000K, SS3000, BB1500
BBG, BBG3000, B2B24, B2B2B48, 48/10, 48+
Rallies: Alberta 2000, Utah 1088, NW Passage Current Bikes: 2003 ST1300, 2003 XX1100, 1997 GL1500
“During a long ride: thoughts, senses and energy are focused, allowing the mind to feel at peace.”
Steve Broadhead 2005
