Sport-Touring.Net - My First Bun Burner Gold!

On my way to the IBA National Meet, I managed to knock out a Bun Burner Gold, riding from Snoqualmie, WA to Boeing Field (where I went for a NEXUS "trusted traveller" card interview), then through Boise, ID, on to Siney, NE and back to Denver. The ride was a bit over 1,530 miles and took me around 22 hours to complete.

My original plan was to take a more northerly route through Spokane, on to Butte, MT then straight down I-25 to Denver but weather started looking shaky. Had I gone that route, it looked like I'd be doing most of the flat, straight, boring stuff by day, then get into twistier interstate as the sun went down, simutaneously running into a very active storm system. By heading south toward Yakima and Boise, I stayed free from any rain at all, kept pleasantly warm, and made really good time. My average rolling speed was right at 80, and my overall average was around 75. With a 4.6 gallon aux fuel cell on board my FJR, I was able to go at least 250 miles between fuel stops with plenty to spare.

Heading East was nice. I headed West to Boeing field around 7am, with the rising sun at my back. After my NEXUS interview, the sun was up high enough to not be bothersome. The sun set as I was passing through Ogden, UT before I merged onto I-80 eastbound. I put off the planned Ogden-area fuel stop as long as I could to take advantage to what little light remained as I got into the windy areas there.

My only real tough spot was around Cheyenne- that's where fatigue really set in and it got a little chilly. I stopped at a truck stop, fuelled up, stretched, and got a cup of coffee to warm up. After resting my eyes for maybe 4 or 5 minutes, I was feeling pretty good again and got moving. I was getting to within a few hundred miles of the end of my ride and had a solid two hours to spare. I knew I could stop and get a full hour and a half of sleep if necessary and still make it. I also figured that if that wasn't enough, that was fine. I gould sleep for several hours and still get a Bun Burner for doing the trip in under 36 hours, vice 24 hours.

In any case, when I hit the point where I had 300 miles to got, I got pretty energized. It felt as if I was all but done. In retrospect, it strikes me as funny that 300 miles seemed like riding around the block at that point. After all, I'd already done over 1,200.

Timing was perfect at dawn, too. Right before the sun came up the following morning, I was fuelling up at Sidney, NE. As the sun broke over the horizon, I had JUST turned to the southwest toward Denver, keeping the sun at my back yet again.

The night before I got to Snoqualmie, I had spent the night in Ashland, OR and headed for Washington around 9am. Based on my arrival time at Denver, I qualified not only for the BBG 1500, I also bagged a Saddle Sore 2,000 for 2,000 miles in under 48 hours.

Both rides were certified in Denver, and Mike Kneebone presented the certificates on Saturday evening after the closing banquet. All in all, it feels like I accomplished something!

Topic: My First Bun Burner Gold! (Read 1734 times)