Lessons Learned - SS1000

[JoeyBones]

If just one person learns from my experience and it improves their trip, then I'll feel good about spilling my guts here...

I've thought about getting into the IBA for a number of years.  Finally, after going through a number of different bikes, I ended up with an R1200RT.  Once the Russell Day-Long seat showed up via UPS I really had no more excuses.  

So I started playing around on Google maps looking at various routes.  I eventually chose to leave Charlotte, slip down 85 to Spartanburg to pick up a few extra miles as a "dogleg" addition to my trip, then follow 26 East to 95 and turn South towards Florida before returning to Charlotte via Columbia, SC.  Now, here's where I got fancy and caused myself some trouble.  I selected three different turnaround points - one for a SS1000 and two options for a BB1500.  Turnaround point number one, for an SS1000, would be my back-up plan.  When I got there I would either turn around or keep going to turnaround point two or turnaround point three (point three would let me skip Spartanburg on the way back).  Simple, right?  Not at all.  Stupid, in retrospect.

My intention was to do the BB1500.  I took this approach because I know my particular sleep patterns and needs.  I can easily go night after night with very little sleep.  I can NOT, however, go 20 hours with NO sleep.  I usually wake up naturally at 5 or 6 AM and am wide awake immediately.  I didn't want to try 1,000 miles without allowing for a little sleep.  The BB1500 allows time for a good 5 or more hours of sleep if planned correctly.

On the Friday before my Monday birthday (birthday number 50, so yeah I guess I felt like I had something to prove) I decided to leave the next day and "just do it".  I jotted down my three turn-around options, loaded up gear for the Accuweather-predicted overnight lows of 45 degrees (I know I'm comfortable at 45 degrees), zero'd out my GPS in advance of the big day.

I left Charlotte at 10 AM on Saturday, giving me until 10 PM on Sunday to reel off the 1,500 miles.  I figured I would find a motel around 11 PM or Midnight near the halfway point, sleep for 4 or 5 hours and cruise home.  Piece of cake.

I had no maps with me but I know the East Coast pretty well and I kept a very close eye on the "average overall speed" on the GPS.  I really ignored all other data - as long as my overall average speed stayed well above 42 and i hit a predetermined turnaround point I was golden.  Fast forward to about 8 PM.  I'm south of Jacksonville and my overall average speed is close to 70 mph including stops.  I was in great shape!  Then, completely out of the blue, my GPS hiccuped and reset itself for the first time ever.  Everything right back to zero.

So now all I had was a piece of scratch paper with three Florida towns written on it.  New Smyrna Beach.  Pompano.  Boca Raton.  Ok.  I can still do this.  BB1500 here I come.

I'm an hour or more south of Daytona and getting a little tired.  I figure I'm 2 hours away from needing to stop, right on target.  Then I pass a sign that reads "Miami - 209 miles" and my mind starts spinning.  Wait a minute.  209 miles to Miami?  Something is wrong.  Pompano?  Boca Raton?  209 miles to Miami?  How far is Pompano from Miami?  I MUST have made a mistake in my initial planning.  I peel off at an exit that consists of a lone gas station in the middle of nowhere.  As soon as I fill up and get my receipt, the guy comes out to lock up - they're closed.  I'm all alone.  And it is DARK - no moon.

I play with Google maps on my Droid phone.  I play with the GPS.  I call my wife.  It's no good.  My mind is mush and I don't trust any of my planning data.  The odometer (which I know from checking is actually about 2% pessimistic while the speedometer is maybe 3% optimistic) shows close to 600 miles.  For some reason I fear that I have screwed up my turnaround point for the BB1500 (my return trip did not include Spartanburg - it wasn't just a matter of getting to 750 miles and hanging a u-turn) so I settle for the SS1000, turn around and head back North.

At midnight I cross back into Georgia, grab a motel and sleep for 2-1/2 hours.  I'm back on the road at 3 AM because I hadn't planned on stopping at that location and I question how long it will take me to ride from Kingsland, GA back to Charlotte.  Even though I've made that particular trip four or five times.  Once I questioned one piece of data my mind somehow spent the rest of the trip questioning everything.

Accuweather doesn't know what the Hell they're talking about.  It's 31 degrees, not 45.  I'm not prepared for 31 degrees at 75 miles an hour, even wearing everything I brought, including the rain gear.  Between 3 AM and 7 AM I stop three long times to warm up, losing a total of 2-1/2 hours.  I question my resolve.  I question my sanity.  I question my core body temperature.  The heated seat and heated grips mean my hands and butt are fine.  The rest of me is frozen.

In the end I made it.  1,046 miles in almost exactly 22 hours (I don't have the IBA approval yet, but see no reason it won't be forthcoming).  Half an hour in a hot shower and then watching a movie while hugging a heating pad brought me back to normal, but I have to admit that I really made some mistakes.  Checking out Google maps showed me that Pompano or Boca were indeed the right places to turn around and I would have made the half-way point in about 13 hours, giving me 23 hours to sleep and get back home.  My head got "lost in space" after 11 hours of riding and I didn't have backup info handy.  Today I can't even explain what I was thinking that night at the darkened gas station.  Main things I learned:

1)  Gear:  There were times at 4 and 5 AM when my arms were so numb I shouldn't have been operating a motorcycle.  Stupid.  My Christmas gift to myself this year is some Gerbings heated gear.  I'll start with a jacket liner.  When I was a 20-year-old motorcycle courier, I rode all winter by layering up.  Today I can afford Gerbings.

2)  Planning:  I would have rather done the BB1500 because 4 or 5 hours sleep makes me a brand new man and most riding would have been done during the day.  I screwed up two ways - If I was doing an SS1000 in the first place I would have left home at 6 AM to better accommodate my sleep patterns.  And I should have taken more info with me besides the names of three towns scribbled on a piece of paper.  My GPS never "hiccuped" like that before or since, but backup is important.  And if I do another IBA ride I will likely make it a one-way trip, or a straight out-and-back, so there's less thinking involved than there was with my "Spartanburg dog-leg" and turn-around point options.  I made this whole thing a lot more complicated that it had to be.  In any case I will have detailed notes ahead of time so I don't get lost in space again.

3)  Timing:  Not a big deal but I wouldn't do this again during a new moon.  I'm not saying I'd wait for a full moon but a little moonlight would have been nice.  I just had a birthday deadline to beat.

I can't imagine a better bike than the RT.  And the Russell Day-Long is an amazing piece of equipment - I thought about a lot of things during those 22 hours, but my ass was never one of them.  Everybody is different and you should tailor your ride accordingly.  Given my ability to go on very little sleep but inability to go long with no sleep, some of the longer IBA rides (50CC?) look easier to me than the SS1000.  

I'm glad I did it.  I sure made it hard on myself but I'm glad I did it.

[sleazy rider]

Glad you made your ride in one piece.  You've definitely got the right bike for this stuff.

Couple bits of advice?  Paper maps to back up the GPS and listen to your body.  There's no shame in stopping if it isn't right.  Maps take up very little space on a long day ride and help if things go tango uniform with the electronics.  Cold sucks the heart out of any ride if not prepared.  The Gerbings jacket will make a huge difference in comfort.  I often wonder why I played "tough guy" for so many years after trying them out.     Riding in the fringes of our season up here is much more pleasant now.

I bailed on a SS1000 a couple years ago with no regrets because I was needed at home.  450 miles/7 hours into the ride, I got the phone call we all dread.  Got a motel room, slept for four hours and headed back to the house to take care of family.  I'd do it again.

[JoeyBones]

Paper maps to back up the GPS

Oh yes.  Agreed 100% on the paper maps.  Looking at a 3-1/2" smartphone is NOT the substitute I thought it would be

All together my rolling time was only 16 hours.  I had ZERO traffic problems, saw very few cops and no rain.  So the challenges I had were fully self-induced!

[mustang28027]

I am toying with the idea of a SS1000 from here( Concord, NC)  to Key West  taking  a route  through Tampa across the Skyline bridge, to Naples and across the Everglades, then back down hw 1 to end. Sound like fun?

[Hotbrakes]

Perhaps your seat and choice of transportation are too comfortable, allowing for too much complacency and pure enjoyment.  Something slightly less comfortable would surely generate anger and discomfort at some point during a long ride, that energy could then be redirected for problem solving, warmth, and surviving.  

Sounds like you learned a lot and thank you for sharing.  I have yet to do something like this, a 750 mile day trip is my max for max miles per hours.  And being an avid sport tourer, you never bring any useless gear and always bring what you think you won't need.  I have frozen at ambient temps around 60 degrees on long boring rides (Kansas) so heated gear is always packed on the bike 3 out of 4 seasons.

[JoeyBones]

I am toying with the idea of a SS1000 from here( Concord, NC)  to Key West  taking  a route  through Tampa across the Skyline bridge, to Naples and across the Everglades, then back down hw 1 to end. Sound like fun?

A)  I thought about ending in Key West since I've been going there most of my life and LOVE the place!  I chose not to because that last 180 miles down US 1 could easily throw traffic or other monkey wrenches in the works.  Of course, you could always try again on the way back if you had a challenge - leave KW at 3 AM or something to ensure a clear shot up to Miami...

B)  When?  Maybe I'll go with you!

C)  You should come to one of our third-Thursday ADV pizza-meets.  Link in my sig line.

Hotbrakes:  My max riding day before this was about 500 miles.  And I will NEVER give up the comfort of this BMW!     I really did enjoy the ride (except for the few hours of being too cold).  And, even after writing this all down, I still can not come up with any reasonable explanation for why I started doubting my pre-ride planning.  I was getting a little tired, right on schedule, but I wasn't exhausted or anything.  I think since i was completely focused on my GPS I just didn't react well when it reset itself.

[playinatwork]

Congrats on getting it done in spite of the problems.  I know how they can mess with your head and cause you more stress than they should.

[Justin]

Then, completely out of the blue, my GPS hiccuped and reset itself for the first time ever.  Everything right back to zero.

Yeap, my Nuvi 550 does the same thing, usually at 700ish miles. Did it in the middle of my last BBG, SS1k and LOE rally. Haven't had a chance to test it yet since updating the software. In the interim I use my old GPS to keep running averages and the 550 for routing.

Congrats on your ss1k  

[guitardad]

Thanks for sharing your experience - I think your assessments of what went wrong are on the mark.  I'll echo that it's more important than anything else to listen to your body. I like that you took into account what you knew about your own body and sleep patterns.  But you're right, three city names scribbled on a piece of paper doesn't constitute a plan.  And as you learned, judgement can get a little fuzzy when stress and fatigue start to pile up.

In the MD 20/20 a couple of years ago, I had a route planned that demanded I complete a SS1000 to get a special bonus, in order to be at all competitive.  The weather beat me up, and I was just too tired, so I bailed and got some decent sleep in a motel.  I didn't get the SS and finished near the bottom, but I survived to ride another day.

[lionlady]

Glad you finished in one piece, and thank you for sharing your experience.

I'll add another comment regarding temperatures. I've learned from commuting to work at 0'dark thirty am that the temperatures published by the WeatherChannel and Accuweather are generally for "in town" and that temperatures in the countryside and hollows are often 10 degrees (or more!) colder than predicted lows - especially in the wee hours.
 

[Cablebandit]

Go to http://www.wunderground.com and search for a personal weather station close to your place.  Odds are there is one, or many, close to you and they are generally pretty accurate.

[Rogue]

I didn't know that about GPS resetting themselves!  Good to know.

I did the SS1000 last May across the CA and AZ desert and mountains.  Had a complete blast (saw the inspirational road and town to the Pixxar movie Cars).  

My only problem were the massively strong winds across the desert at night.  OMFG!  It beat me up even on the VFR!  I had on heated vest but still....when the temps dipped down into the low 40's you really need to have heated long sleeves and gloves!  Another thing I wished I had were cruise control or some kind of throttle lock.  If I did that ride again I would have those two things first and foremost.

[JoeyBones]

Thanks to all for the kind responses.

-  I also have the Nuvi 550 and had never heard of that issue.  Now I know, and I'll plan accordingly.

-  I am very familiar with the route I took, having driven that way 20 times in the last 6 or 7 years.  But I agree, just making a note of my turn-around points wasn't enough.  Especially since I had given myself three options.  Better to make one plan and follow it than leave room for multiple decisions "on-the-fly".  And a list of mileages between numerous waypoints, accompanied by a big paper map, will absolutely be along for my next LD ride.

-  Thanks for Weather Underground link.  Good stuff.

-  Lionlady you hit the nail on the head.  It may have been 45 in Savannah but it was 31 just ten miles away!

-  I did indeed use the cruise control on the RT.  I'll say it right here - long distance riding on an RT is almost cheating.  It's almost effortless.  Just dress correctly and be SURE where you're going.  

[Justin]

Thanks to all for the kind responses.

-  I also have the Nuvi 550 and had never heard of that issue.  Now I know, and I'll plan accordingly.

You are welcome. And I did not know it either until I learned the hard way. Hopefully the software update corrects it. Haven't had a chance since doing that to test it past 700ish miles.

[lionlady]

Returning from Denver to Baltimore in 2009, I split with my ride buddy a bit east of St. Louis, MO. She heading to Columbus, Ohio, and me to Baltimore.

I had been unable to get my hands on a highway map for Illinois or Indiana. I use a Garmin 276C. Because its easy to lose track of your goal when zooming in to see roads, I disregarded the GPS's routing when it seemed it wanted me to backtrack. A grave error.

Long story short: I ended up on a winding two lane road through heavy forest and farm country, running parallel and midway between I-64 and I-70. After dark. I was in so much trouble. The thing was, when I zoomed the GPS screen in close enough to see the road I was on, I couldn't tell where the nearest town was. I just kept heading east as it got later. Thankfully, a Walmart hauler appeared going the same direction. I tucked in behind and followed, letting the big rig run deer interference and figuring he was destined to civilization of some sort.

At long last we came to the Walmart warehouse depot at Seymour, IN. I checked into the first hotel I came to and counted myself lucky to have gotten there. Lesson learned. I always have a paper highway map on board just in case.

[vwtom]

Thanks for the info.  I too would like to get a SS under my belt, so I will be sure to learn from your mistakes.

[JoeyBones]

Thanks for the info.  I too would like to get a SS under my belt, so I will be sure to learn from your mistakes.

Very rewarding to hear.  That was my purpose in laying it all out there instead of keeping my embarrassing moments a secret, like I usually do...!  

[CLAY]

Oh yes.  Agreed 100% on the paper maps.  Looking at a 3-1/2" smartphone is NOT the substitute I thought it would be

All together my rolling time was only 16 hours.  I had ZERO traffic problems, saw very few cops and no rain.  So the challenges I had were fully self-induced!

I would include that for everyone.  On SS1000's I have done I have always had major intersections and turns listed on a paper with a route overview in the tankbag map window, the GPS set for the route, and big paper maps in the trunk.  One year on a trip when I had a older GPS that wouldn't get signal and I had to get to a downtown Milwaukee hotel- that sucked.  Lesson learned!  

[diethornig]

yeah, hell of a lesson.. But got us taught on something..

[Bravo12]

I'm doing the Mason-Dixon 20-20 in May - my first organized endurance ride - and I'm paranoid about the GPS going bad. I've never had an issue with my current GPS (Nuvi 550), but I'm still packing my netbook in case it decides to take a crap in the middle of the ride. I may load-up my old StreepPilot 2820 with the same waypoints and routes and just pack it in one of the bags as a backup. Worst case, if I have my netbook with me, I can pop into a WalMart or Best Buy and pick up a new GPS and load the waypoints in right there in the parking lot. Technological paranoia, and first-world problems.