In 2011 I signed up for the Hoka Hey Motorcycle challenge because the challenge that year was to go through all lower 48 states. That goal was a bucket list item of mine for quite some time and I thought this would be a great way to cross that off my list. I had no idea, and was completely unprepared, for the real challenges I faced on that journey. Not only was there the physical toils of a 19,000 mile journey, but the mental and emotional turmoil were completely unexpected. Consequently, I finished the route but way past the deadline. I learned a lot that year. But mostly I learned a lot about myself. On a journey of this length, there is an awful lot of time to enjoy the quiet and just think about things. Reflect on life. This ride changed me. There is a quote I’ve come across that fits me: “Sometime, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and sometimes…in the middle of nowhere you find yourself.” I found that I truly enjoyed long distance riding. I find a sense of peace in it. So with one bucket list item checked off, I quickly replaced it with another: complete the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge as a FINISHER. So I ran the challenge again in 2012 and this time I DID finish and on time. And with that, my love for long distance riding was solidified. Last year I was introduced to motorcycle rally riding. A motorcycle rally can “loosely” be described as a scavenger hunt. But the “items” on the bonus listing are locations that you must travel to in order to collect the bonus points. These rallies can cover great distances and introduce the mental challenge of not only calculating a route, but riding the route and making changes in order to collect the maximum amount of points within the deadline. Rallies can last anywhere from 8, 12, and 24 hours to multiple days. Since being introduced to this type of event, I’ve participated in an 8-hour rally and a 12-hour rally. As with the Hoka Hey, the first event was very much a learning experience. The second event I did quite well in. The mother of all rallies is the Iron Butt Rally. The rally is run in odd-number years and lasts 11 days. Riders often travel over 11,000 miles in that time as the bonus locations cover the entire country. Participating riders are limited to somewhere around 100. Last December, I submitted my application to be a participant in the 2015 Iron Butt Rally. A friend of mine submitted 3 times before getting picked up so I really didn’t expect anything this year. But…no guts, no glory. But I’d like to share with all of my friends that I have the distinct privilege of being one of the very few selected to participate in the 2015 Iron Butt Rally. I’m honored, excited, and scared all at the same time. But mostly excited. I’ve planned several events in preparation for this including an 80-hour rally in October and several Iron Butt Certified rides. I’m happy to share this next great adventure with you all and stay tuned. More to come.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 06:22:50 +0000
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